18th July 2003 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

K-Y Jelly is key to science

Letters Robosnail moves in mysterious ways

Re: Robosnail: Science or sex toy? MIT's use of a sophisticated dildo to study snail locomotion caught the attention of El Reg readers with many suggesting that Robosnail's worth may go well beyond the simple study of secretion. It turns out that sexual aids play a bigger role in science than previously expected and that our …

Letters 18 Jul 2003, 00:33
Transmeta wins deals, loses money in Q2

Stick with us

Despite a number of nice design wins, Transmeta posted another set of lackluster results in its second quarter. Revenue came in at $5.1 million for the maker of energy-efficient Crusoe processors. This compares to $7.5 million posted in the same quarter a year ago. Transmeta, however, did manage to narrow its net loss down to $ …

Channel 18 Jul 2003, 08:32
Legato investors sue to block EMC bid, but why?

Life support taken to court

A pair of lawsuits have been filed against Legato as several befuddled investors seek to cut the rope attached to a lifesaver thrown out by EMC. EMC is prepared to pony up $1.3 billion for the struggling storage software maker, which seems like a decent bid. Legato's market cap stands at just over a billion dollars, and the …

Storage 18 Jul 2003, 08:34
Is this contract a robust defence against IR35?

PCG, ATSCo think so

A standard contract supplying a "robust defence against IR35" has been devised by the Professional Contractors Group (PCG) and The Association of Technology Staffing Companies (ATSCo). The standard contract will be available for use by PCG members working through ATSCo recruitment agencies. IR35 is a controversial tax rule …

Small Biz 18 Jul 2003, 08:40
Aussie unis ordered to hand over hard drives to labels

Piracy probe

Shock and Awe is coming to Australia, where the Federal Court in Sydney has ordered three universities to hand over hard drives, CDs and documentation to a recording industry "expert" for examination for evidence of music piracy. Sony, Universal and EMI are the record labels lined up against the Universities of Sydney, …

Music and Media 18 Jul 2003, 08:51
CA takes Linux to Heart

Not too surprising

At CA World this year, CA made a chunk of announcements along all product lines. This was par for the course, so we should not be surprised, but in amongst it all there was some interesting stuff, writes Robin Bloor of Bloor Research It included Brightstor San Designer - a neat product in a way, which targets those companies …

Data Networking 18 Jul 2003, 09:04
Deadline looms for E-Commerce Awards

2,000 entries so far

Small firms from across the UK have been urged to enter the E-Commerce Awards for the chance to win £40,000, with just two weeks now left until the application deadline of 31 July. The government-backed awards, organised by InterForum and UK Online, have so far attracted nearly 2,000 entries, but small business interested in …

Small Biz 18 Jul 2003, 09:22
Small.biz has crap security

When is a door not a door? When it's ajar

Small firms are at risk of disclosing their financial statements to unauthorised parties due to a lack of IT security, KPMG says. A global study carried out by KPMG found 87 per cent of those firms surveyed had suffered security breaches in the past year. According to KPMG, small businesses could be at risk of disclosing …

Small Biz 18 Jul 2003, 09:22
Who cares what operating system a phone uses?

Men can show feminine side too

Who cares what operating system a phone uses? Well obviously the suppliers of the operating system care with the blinkered rose-tinted vision of any parent, writes Rob Bamforth of Bloor Research. The manufacturers of the phone may care a little, although most seem fairly agnostic. Open application platforms such as SMS, MMS and …

Mobile 18 Jul 2003, 09:29
DARPA to invest in digital butlers

Ask Jeeves

Many years after Apple's renowned Knowledge Navigator vision-video and Microsoft's ill-fated agent-as-eager-assistant Bob, Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science (SCS) is creating a digital butler. Researchers at the School of Computer Science (SCS) have received an initial 7 million dollars from the Defense …

Software 18 Jul 2003, 09:42
Microsoft profits and sales go skyward

Licensing bonanza

Microsoft, the biggest software company on earth, once again bucked the trend in the IT sector by posting higher sales and earnings. While most other global IT firms have struggled to grab more sales, Microsoft on Thursday said its sales were up nearly 11 percent year-on-year in its fiscal fourth quarter, to USD8.07 billion. …

Software 18 Jul 2003, 10:18
Bulldog offers 2Mbps at 512K prices

Limited time promo

Bulldog is offering its PrimeTime 2000 service for £29.36 a month (including VAT) in a special promotional offer for new customers signing up to the service before the end of August. The service, which offers speeds of 2Mbps between 6pm and 8am, and regular 512Kbps at peak times of the day, is pitched at consumers who need more …

Telecoms 18 Jul 2003, 12:16
Bush's e-mail faces DoS attack

New site crippled

The President's revamped mailbox has been hit with a denial-of-service attack, as users rushed to see if the White House's e-mail system is as awful as billed. John Markoff at The New York Times wrote an article describing the new "hide the e-mail" policy instituted by the White House, and users have reacted in force. In the …

Bootnotes 18 Jul 2003, 15:40
No more Computer for Dell

An Inc. will do

Dell's shareholders have made sure no one will mistake the company for a computer maker. As of today, Dell Computer Corp. is no more. It's Dell Inc. to you, thanks very much. The company's shareholders approved the name change during a Friday meeting in Texas, rejecting The Register's monicker suggestions. This change shows …

Business 18 Jul 2003, 19:48
PeopleSoft brings J.D. Edwards on board

Ready to spend a little more, Larry?

With 88 percent of J.D. Edwards shares in its pocket, PeopleSoft has declared victory in its bid to acquire the company. PeopleSoft has gobbled up 110 million J.D. Edwards shares and plans to buy the rest by the end of August. For all intents and purposes, this deal is done. PeopleSoft has purchased a fellow enterprise app- …

Hardware 18 Jul 2003, 22:44