The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

3rd October 2003 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • Mac OS X 10.3 Panther hits Gold Master status

    Update Release imminent?

    Mac OS X 10.3, aka 'Panther', is ready for primetime, Apple has declared, according to a variety of sources cited by a range of Mac-oriented web sites. The latest build of the operating system has been signed off as Gold Master - in other words, it's ready for mass duplication and thus shipment to customers. Panther is …

    Mac Channel 3 Oct 2003, 08:49

  • Trojan hijacks web browsers

    August IE patch may not offer full protection

    A Trojan that exploits an Internet Explorer vulnerability is capable of allowing attackers to hijack browser behaviour, anti-virus firms warn. The QHosts (Delude) Trojan can't spread by itself. Users only become infected if they visited a maliciously constructed website containing code which allows the malware to run. This …

    Security 3 Oct 2003, 08:54

  • South Korea launches Hynix probe

    Who was responsible for its losses?

    Having faced European Union and US Department of Commerce probes, Hynix is now under investigation by the South Korean government. A report in South Korean paper Chosun Ibo yesterday claimed the Korea Deposit Insurance Corp. (KDIC) - the government's corporate liquidation agency - wants to see whether past and present Hynix …

    Channel 3 Oct 2003, 09:32

  • Albatron, Chaintech prep NV36 boards

    GeForce FX 5700 nearing release

    Nvidia's upcoming NV36 chip - likely to be released as the GeForce FX 5700 - will feature DDR 2 SDRAM support across a 128-bit memory bus, and will be offered running at a variety of core and memory clock speeds. So says web site PC Stats, which got its hands on an NV36 reference board at Computex in Taiwan last week. It spoke …

    Personal 3 Oct 2003, 09:44

  • WiMAX trials give new hope for broadband wireless specialists

    802.16a

    Trials of WiMAX-ready equipment for broadband wireless access (BWA) are coming thick and fast as operators test the real world capabilities of the standard in preparation for 2004 roll-outs. And the new cost-effectiveness of building powerful metro area networks will have a knock-on effect on some previously sidelined backbone …

    Broadband 3 Oct 2003, 09:46

  • GSM rebrands 3G service but claims victory over CDMA prematurely

    CDMA2000 ahead of 3GSM

    The GSM Association has rebranded its 3G technology as 3GSM to avoid confusion with CDMA, and is claiming resounding victory over the Qualcomm-controlled rival. This is somewhat premature. Few doubt that, eventually, the GSM upgrade paths to 3G – which embrace GPRS, EDGE and W-CDMA – will be more dominant than the 2.5G and 3G …

    Mobile 3 Oct 2003, 09:46

  • Siebel teams with IBM in software climbdown

    CRM OnDemand

    Siebel has formed a partnership with IBM to sell its CRM software over the internet as a low cost monthly subscription service. This represents a climbdown by CEO Tom Siebel, who vocally dismissed the subscription model two years ago after a failed initial experiment with a spun-out business called Sales.com. This was merged …

    Data Center 3 Oct 2003, 10:03

  • IBM adds Windows, AIX, AS400 to hosting line-up

    iSeries, pSeries, xSeries

    IBM has taken its hosting business to the next level. It has been offering Linux application hosting for a year, and is now adding it on Windows, AIX and AS400 architectures, as its iSeries, pSeries and xSeries. IBM refers to all these hosting offerings as its Virtual Server Service, promising hosting in isolated environments …

    Servers 3 Oct 2003, 10:15

  • GX Networks to buy Pipex for £55m

    To change name to Pipex Communications

    GX Networks plc - the telco and business broadband outfit - is to buy Pipex for £55 million in shares and cash, it was announced this morning. If the deal gets shareholder approval at an EGM later this month then GX Networks will change its name to Pipex Communications plc to make the most out of the Pipex brand. Pipex - which …

    Broadband 3 Oct 2003, 11:30

  • US intros tougher sentences for computer crimes

    Deterrent effect?

    US authorities are to introduce harsher sentences for convicted computer criminals starting next month. The stiffer penalties, developed by the US Sentencing Commission to comply with a Congressional bill last year, are designed to reflect the serious damage caused by crackers and virus writers. However, the supposed deterrent …

    Security 3 Oct 2003, 11:41

  • 118 118 ticked off by regulators

    DQ services warned to pull up socks

    The opening up of directory enquires (DQ) services in the UK is going "pretty well overall", according to telecoms regulator Oftel despite an outcry over the quality of some of the services on offer. The assessment follows yesterday's hastily convened meeting between Oftel, premium rate watchdog ICSTIS and DQ operator The …

    Mobile 3 Oct 2003, 11:44

  • Consumer lawsuit claims damages for MS security failures

    Had to happen sooner or later...

    A lawsuit filed against Microsoft in Los Angeles this week is attempting to hold the company responsible for the damage wrought by the systemic failures of security in its sofware, and for its conspicuous failure to fix them adequately. The suit follows hard on the heels of the publication of a paper on Microsoft security which …

    Software 3 Oct 2003, 12:15

  • Nintendo halves UK, European GameCube prices

    Getting desperate?

    Nintendo today said it will cut the price of the GameCube console in Europe, slashing the cost of the console by up to 50 per cent to £80 ($132) in the UK and €99 ($115) on the Continent. It also cut the console's price in Japan, by 29 per cent to ¥13,999 ($126). The Japanese and European price shifts follow a similar move …

    Personal 3 Oct 2003, 12:25

  • ATI Q4 sees revenue jump 71%

    Income, margins up too

    ATI saw sales rise 70.8 per cent year-on-year to $380.7 million during the three months to 31 August, the company's fourth quarter of fiscal 2003. Revenues rose 6.5 per cent sequentially from Q3's figure of $355.7 million. Net income grew 32.7 per cent between Q3 and Q4, rising from $15 million (six cents a share) to $22.3 …

    Channel 3 Oct 2003, 12:47

  • Sharp brings Aquos LCD TV tech to PDA displays

    160-degree viewing angle in any direction

    Sharp has developed an LCD panel for PDAs and cellphones that it claims provides a "clear, bright display visible from virtually any angle and under any ambient lighting condition". The panels are based on technology devised for the company's Aquos LCD TV screen and have been designed with streamed video content in mind. They …

    Mobile 3 Oct 2003, 13:05

  • Why 3G won't fry your brain just yet

    Dutch health study questioned

    A study for the Dutch government which linked UMTS or G3 base stations to complaints about nausea and headaches in people close to them, has caused quite a stir this week, but only in the media. The actual study (download the PDF here) conducted by the technological research institute TNO is less conclusive. Most reporters …

    Mobile 3 Oct 2003, 13:16

  • Senator calls for end to excessive fines against file-traders

    A little sanity please

    US Senator Norm Coleman has called for new legislation to reduce fines faced by file-traders that have been sued by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America). Coleman, applying a refreshing dose of sanity to the whole P2P affair, says that fines of between $750 and $150,000 per downloaded song are excessive. The high …

    Media 3 Oct 2003, 14:19

  • Sony claims victory in PS2-is-a-PC battle

    Court sided with plaintiff, not European Commission

    Sony today reiterated its view that it has prevailed in its attempt to force the European Commission (EC) to treat the PlayStation 2 as a computer and not a games console for the purpose of calculating import duty on the machine. Sony's statement follows media reports that the EC had won the legal battle, begun in October 2001 …

    Personal 3 Oct 2003, 14:40

  • MPs' spam report due out Monday

    Can't wait. No really...

    A report into spam by the All Party Parliamentary Internet Group (APIG) is due to be released on Monday. The report - based on written evidence, public hearings and a "Spam Summit" held during the summer - will see if legislation can be drawn up to beat the spammers. It will also examine whether technology can be used to …

    Media 3 Oct 2003, 14:47

  • Finger, faceprints get green light for Europe's ID standard

    Here's looking at you, ID

    The European Union has taken the first step towards standardised ID with biometrics on-board, in the shape of two proposals from the Commission covering a uniform format for visas and residence permits for third country nationals. But this is only the first stage; the Commission's announcement notes that The Thessaloniki …

    Media 3 Oct 2003, 16:12

  • HP has one free port for Sun customers

    Let us help you help us

    Looking to kick a competitor while it's down, HP has started a new campaign in which it will provide various software porting services to Sun Microsystems customers at no charge if they agree to abandon Sparc/Solaris systems. HP's "switch and save" program is a bit thin on actual product, but there are a couple of deals to be …

    Servers 3 Oct 2003, 18:53

  • Dell and UT team for Texas-sized cluster

    Lonestar versus Shiner Bock

    In a showing of Texas pride and unity, Dell announced a deal with the University of Texas to create a 300-server cluster to be used by the school's scientists and engineers. The system dubbed "Lonestar" will be housed at UT's Texas Advanced Computing Center and be capable of more than 3 TeraFLOPS (trillion floating point …

    Servers 3 Oct 2003, 20:07

  • VeriSign bows to ICANN, suspends Net Grab

    Contract breach

    VeriSign has responded to a deadline from Internet quango ICANN and today suspended its SiteFinder service. SiteFinder redirected DNS wildcards, such as misspelled URLs, to Verisign's own website, a practice which breaches time-honored Internet behavior. The move broke many spam filters and in its brief life - it was launched on …

    Media 3 Oct 2003, 22:51