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10th December 2003 Archive

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  • AOL axes 450 jobs

    On the bright side, sponsors Super Bowl

    AOL is to cull 450 workers, according to reports from the US. The monster Internet division of Time Warner is to close two offices in California in a move to trim its software development operation. Around 100 staff will be offered jobs elsewhere within the company. What's more, AOL ain't hanging around, with offices in San …

    Music and Media 10 Dec 2003, 09:24

  • Sobig-F blamed for massive increase in spam

    ‘Spam engine’ goes into overdrive

    Two thirds of spam originates from computers infected by viruses such as Sobig-F, according to MessageLabs. The email filtering firm blames Sobig-F, the world’s fastest spreading virus for a rise in both spam and viruses in 2003. At its peak, one in every 17 emails stopped by MessageLabs contained a copy of Sobig-F. By …

    Malware 10 Dec 2003, 09:33

  • Motorola touts chip tech to would-be licensees

    Everything must go, including SOI

    Motorola has slapped a 'for license' sign on its array of chip-making technologies - including its silicon-on-insualtor techniques - in a bid to boost its semiconductor subsidiary's bottom line ahead of its anticipated IPO. According to the Semiconductor Products Sector's director of intellectual property licensing, Paul Reidy …

    Channel 10 Dec 2003, 09:44

  • MS takes small.biz financing to Europe

    Lend a hand

    Last week Microsoft announced the international availability of Total Solution Financing, a joint programme between Mirosoft Capital and Microsoft Business Solutions, designed to help SME organisations. Available to Microsoft Business Solutions customers, this financing programme will now expand internationally to encourage …

    Small Biz 10 Dec 2003, 10:05

  • AMD dismisses Intel ‘high-k’ transistor tech

    But strained silicon and metal gates are OK

    AMD this week cocked a snoot at rival Intel's pursuit of high-k dielectric materials as the foundation for future, 45nm process technologies. The chip maker's own solution is a three-gate transistor design, which it discussed at this year's IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting, held in Washington, DC. AMD also re- …

    Channel 10 Dec 2003, 10:11

  • EDS rallies troops over tax credits fiasco

    MemoWatch Down in the dumps

    EDS yesterday presented its version of what went wrong with last year's Inland Revenue tax credits fiasco, in a memo to UK staff. EDS was responsible for the systems to administer tax credits. The software went live after four weeks of tests, although a 20-week test period was originally specified. Hundreds of thousands of low- …

    Hardware 10 Dec 2003, 10:35

  • Reg seeks poetic JenniCam memorial

    Competition Lament site's passing and win t-shirt

    Darkness will fall on legendary webcam site JenniCam at the end of 2003 after seven years of chronicling the everyday life of Jennifer Rigley. Since 1986 web voyeurs have enjoyed no-holds-barred 24/7 coverage of Jenni going about her daily business - from watching TV to conducting her ablutions, and it's the latter which has …

    Bootnotes 10 Dec 2003, 10:37

  • Delayed tablet Mac to launch next month?

    Finally arrives to celebrate Mac's 20th birthday

    The recent launch of an iMac with a 20in display may not have closed the door on the release of a third generation of the consumer-oriented desktop. And Apple's much-rumoured launch of a tablet-style device may come to fruition early next year - possibly at Macworld Expo San Francisco. According to Taiwanese sources cited by …

    Mac Channel 10 Dec 2003, 10:43

  • Linux users play the waiting game

    Time is on your side

    Businesses running Linux and worried about legal action could be forgiven for responding to the announcement by acquiring SCO's license for the code that it alleges has been illegally copied into Linux. They might be better advised not to rush into a decision, however, particularly as the history of SCO's complaint against …

    Software 10 Dec 2003, 10:53

  • UK has 3 million broadband punters

    Kinda...

    The UK has more than three million broadband punters, according to official figures released today. Of course, Oftel's definition of broadband - and hence its arrival at this important milestone - is generous to say the least and refers to always-on Internet connections offering download speeds of between 128 kbit/s and 2 mbit/ …

    Telecoms 10 Dec 2003, 10:55

  • Camera phone shipments jump 29%

    Q3 shipments almost as many as Q1 and Q2 combined

    EMEA mobile phone punters want cameraphones - if third-quarter sales are anything to go by. According to market watcher Canalys, some 4.9 million of the devices shipped in Q3 2003 - almost as many as shipped in the first two quarter of the year combined. Q3 cameraphone shipments were up 29 per cent on Q2, Canalys said this week …

    Mobile 10 Dec 2003, 11:12

  • Sony Vaio PCG-Z1RMP notebook

    Review Nice looks, but what about the battery life?

    The Vaio PCG-Z1RMP is another example of superb design from Sony. This notebook really does look great and the way that the chassis curves and falls away at the sides to reveal the ports and connectors makes it very individual as well, writes Riyad Emeran. The Z1RMP is not what you'd call an ultra-portable notebook, but with a …

    Reviews 10 Dec 2003, 12:01

  • 118 services getting better

    'Marked improvement'

    The UK's 118 directory enquiries (DQ) services aren't quite so rubbish as they used to be. So says research outfit 118tracker.com which found that some DQ operations began to show signs of getting their act together during November. According to its latest monthly survey, the UK's recently deregulated DQ sector saw a "marked …

    Telecoms 10 Dec 2003, 12:25

  • UK govt pitches Sun as OSS challenger for 500k desktops

    MS UK could have a real war on its hands

    The UK's Office of Government Commerce has emerged from apparent open source slumber with the announcement of a series of OSS desktop trials, to be held in conjunction with Sun early next year. These trials are particularly significant because they deal with desktop systems, whereas the OGC has previously been unenthusiastic …

    Software 10 Dec 2003, 12:26

  • Federal agencies flunk IT security audit. Again

    Outstandingly mediocre

    Inadequate Internet security policies earned failed grades for most US Federal Agencies, according to Congress. Eight Federal Agencies - including the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy and DoJ - got an 'F' grade. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission scored an 'A'. Most of the agencies improved their scores …

    Security 10 Dec 2003, 12:30

  • DiY $5k cruise project shut down, missile goes into hiding

    An original, as harmless hobbyists go...

    An amateur cruise missile designer claims the New Zealand Government, under pressure from the US, has forced him to pull the plugs on the project. Bruce Simpson's 'build a cruise for under $5,000' project has been fairly widely-known since at least March of this year, and he says the Government had previously admitted he wasn't …

    Music and Media 10 Dec 2003, 13:23

  • HP gets tough with grey market dealers

    Takes UK reseller to court

    HP EMEA is turning detective in its attempts to stamp out the unauthorised sale of imports. As of yesterday HP is running reseller spot checks and distie audits to stamp out the grey market in the region. And it won’t hesitate to use the law courts against resellers who “violate contractual terms”. The company says it is taking …

    Channel 10 Dec 2003, 15:05

  • UK anti-spam law goes live

    Analysis Will it work?

    New UK anti-spam laws coming into effect tomorrow will have limited effect in turning the tide in the fight against junk mail, according to lawyers and security experts. Revised UK regulations will mean online marketers can send e-mail pitches and SMS messages only to consumers who have agreed beforehand to receive them, except …

    Music and Media 10 Dec 2003, 15:39

  • EMC ups Q4 target on acquisition optimism

    Documentum in hand

    EMC has raised the bar for its fourth quarter revenue targets and set a date for its completion of the Documentum acquisition. The big daddy of storage now expects revenue for the period to come in between $1.8 billion to $1.825 billion. When it reported third quarter results back in Oct., EMC forecasted revenue for the fourth …

    Storage 10 Dec 2003, 16:39

  • RIAA hires guns, alcohol and smokes expert to fight piracy

    Getting at the seedy underbelly of the US

    Showing the positive light in which their customer base is viewed, the music labels have hired the former head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to lead their piracy fighting efforts. Yep, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) has tapped Bradley Buckles to broker deals with law …

    Music and Media 10 Dec 2003, 17:09

  • Rev. Al Sharpton did not invent the Internet

    Not sure he knows how to use it

    Last night's Democratic debate was a bit thin on technology matters, but one shining moment for the Internet did occur courtesy of Rev. Al Sharpton. Early on during the debate, Sharpton, along with several Dems on the New Hampshire stage, took aim at Gov. Howard Dean and former Vice President Al Gore. The problem at hand was …

    Bootnotes 10 Dec 2003, 19:55

  • Sun sets Solaris x86 free

    Back where we started

    Almost two years after it went on hiatus, Sun Microsystems' Solaris x86 has come back in full form with free downloads of the operating system becoming available once again, The Register has discovered. Some users call Sun's decision to give Solaris x86 away again a small step, but without doubt the move does bring some degree …

    Servers 10 Dec 2003, 23:01