11th February 2004 Archive

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Sun puts co-founder back to work

Outbound Joy passes inbound Bechtolsheim

Sun Microsystems acquired one of its co-founders in a deal structured around a ham sandwich. Andy Bechtolsheim - employee #1 and the man who hired Scott McNealy - and his start-up Kealia will now become part of Sun, the companies announced Tuesday. Scott McNealy said the idea for an acquisition came up during a recent lunch …

Servers 11 Feb 2004, 05:54
Check Point in Firewall-1 security flap

Fire in the hole!

Check Point has plugged a serious security vulnerability affecting several versions of its flagship security platform, Firewall-1. The problem stems from a flaw in the Application Intelligence (AI) component of Firewall-1, which is meant to detect application level attacks, but is itself vulnerable to format string or heap …

Security 11 Feb 2004, 10:10
UK held back by ‘lack of broadband competition’

MPs finger BT

The UK lacks effective wholesale broadband competition and needs regulatory intervention to restore confidence to the industry, according to an influential group of MPs. This key finding from the Trade and Industry Select Committee (TISC) has already been applauded by those in the industry who have campaigned long and hard …

Telecoms 11 Feb 2004, 10:14
Obituary – Lynne Thomas

Technology PR who knew technology

The Register is saddened to announce the death of Lynne Thomas, PR par excellance and a good friend to many UK technology and telecomms writers, on this site and throughout the journalistic community. Lynne passed away on 29 January. She suffered a brain haemorrhage two weeks earlier when in Ireland on business. On …

Bootnotes 11 Feb 2004, 10:30
Juniper security push

$3.5 billion for firewall supplier

Network equipment maker Juniper Networks is paying $3.5 billion for firewall supplier NetScreen Technologies. The move could trigger a wave of acquisitions as the big equipment makers seek to get their hands on top security vendors to ease the fears of their customers about network intrusion. The benefits of Juniper's …

Data Networking 11 Feb 2004, 10:38
Vodafone's AT&T interest confirmed

Strongest hint yet

The world's largest mobile operator Vodafone Group has given its strongest hint yet that it is poised to launch a $30 billion-plus offer for troubled US rival AT&T Wireless. A bid would be extremely expensive, but it would provide an opportunity for Vodafone to build its own brand presence in the US. In an announcement on …

Data Networking 11 Feb 2004, 10:38
Novell turns the screws on SCO

SCO's System V claims melting faster than a warm Itanic

Novell has launched another foray at the heart of The SCO Group's case against IBM, the 1995 contract in which SCO says Novell gave it the rights to UNIX™ and derivative works. Without the contract, SCO is simply another UNIX™ licensee and has no grounds to pursue its case against IBM, and by extension, Linux users everywhere. …

Hardware 11 Feb 2004, 10:39
'It was all Craig Conway's idea, anyway' -Oracle

Foot-stamping at DoJ staff

Oracle has responded to the DoJ staff's recommendation that its acquisition of Peoplesoft should be blocked, by claiming that the whole merger was Craig Conway's idea in the first place. In a statement released to the media today, Jim Finn, an Oracle spokesman, said: "The initial proposal to merge PeopleSoft's applications …

Hardware 11 Feb 2004, 10:59
BSA ‘software detox’ scheme targets illegal software

Businesses told to clean up their codebase

Piracy watchdog the Business Software Alliance (BSA) today asked British businesses to go into "software detox". The organisation has sent out Software Audit Return forms to businesses nationwide to help them uncover illegal copies of software running on their IT systems. The programme is designed to raise awareness of the …

Channel 11 Feb 2004, 11:35
KnowledgePool finds buyer

Concerns still remain, say insiders

KnowledgePool Limited - the IT training company that recently went titsup - has been sold to private investment outfit Root Capital. The new company will continue to use the trading name KnowledgePool and work with the existing management team. Financial details were not disclosed. Those behind the buyout say it has ensured …

Channel 11 Feb 2004, 11:38
Motorola preps European ‘push to talk’ phone

Walkie-talkie-style instant conversations

Motorola today launched its first handset aimed at global mobile phone networks keen to offer US-style 'push-to-talk' instant communications services. The V400p is quad-band GSM camera phone with an integrated 640 x 480 digicam complete with 4x zoom. It contains 5MB of user-accessible memory to store messages, pictures, contact …

Mobile 11 Feb 2004, 11:45
Europe in Brief Dutch Railways trials tickets by SMS

Dutch Railways has started experiments with SMS tickets. For a railway trip from the Netherlands to Cologne, Frankfurt or Dusseldorf, customers can order their tickets online. But instead of getting a ticket, they will receive a SMS message with a unique number. No, it is not a world's first. Dutch company NoordNed Public …

Mobile 11 Feb 2004, 11:49
Lindows can use its trademark (for now)

But Microsoft won't give up

The US District Court in Seattle has ruled in favour of Lindows.com on key legal issues in the company's dispute with Microsoft. Lindows.com will be able to keep its trademark until the final decision in the case is made. At stake is the legal status of the trademark of the Windows operating system. Microsoft says the name …

Channel 11 Feb 2004, 11:51
Mono and dotGNU: what's the point?

Opinion A bit controversial, this one

Neil Davidson is technical director of Red Gate Software. He can be reached at neil.Davidson@red-gate.com Opinion Two open-source projects, Mono and dotGNU, are aimed at providing alternatives to Microsoft’s .NET framework and developer tools. While providing freedom of choice might be reason enough to justify a project, …

Software 11 Feb 2004, 12:04
MS releases double-plus critical security fix

Get patching

Microsoft's monthly patch train got back on track yesterday with the release of a fix for a potentially devastating security vulnerability involving a core component of Windows. The buffer overrun bug with Microsoft's Abstract Syntax Notation 1 (ASN.1) library could be exploited to seize control of vulnerable systems. "An …

Security 11 Feb 2004, 12:06
15in notebook display prices to fall next month

Supply tight on other form-factors

15in notebook display panels will become cheaper to buy next month despite tightness in the supply of same-sized panels built for LCD monitors, market watcher DisplaySearch has claimed. The report, cited by Chinese-language newspaper the Economic Daily News, notes that while the prices of 15in and 15.4in notebook panels will …

Channel 11 Feb 2004, 13:06
Apple facing five iPod battery lawsuits

Californian class-actions

Apple is facing rather a lot of lawsuits alleging the company misrepresented the battery life of the latest generation of its iPod digital music player. According to the company's latest Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, form 10-Q, it is currently facing five class-action suits, all filed in the District of …

Mac Channel 11 Feb 2004, 13:07
Strategy Boutique redefines the t-shirt paradigm

Cash'n'Carrion Joss-stick scented apparel to the sound of whalesong

If you're thinking of re-energising your company's brand frontage, then we strongly advise that you do not attend any joss-stick scented rebranding power brunch without first donning our official Strategy Boutique t-shirt. While world-weary hacks at El Reg might consider corporate makeovers a futile exercise in profligacy - …

Site News 11 Feb 2004, 13:18
Big spending small firms lead IT recovery

Playing catch-up

Small companies are the driving force behind a large increase in spending on business IT equipment over the last quarter, a new report has revealed. The research, conducted by Computer Weekly and Kew Associates, found that IT spending rose by 5.2 per cent in the last three months of 2003, up from 3.9 per cent in the previous …

Small Biz 11 Feb 2004, 13:47
Wanadoo UK loses €30m

Easily done

Wanadoo UK (Freeserve) lost around €30 million last year as cost-cutting measures designed to eat away at last year's loss began to bite. Last year Wanadoo UK, as Freeserve's parent company insists on calling it and thus fuelling speculation that the company is planning to ditch its Freeserve brand, lost €92 million. This year …

Business 11 Feb 2004, 13:50
Siemens launches big-screen multimedia phone

Mass-market clamshell model, too

Siemens today unveiled its first "next-generation" multimedia phone, the CX65, alongside a new 'mass market' clamshell handset the CF62. Geared toward picture and video messaging, the handset features not only a 640 x 480 video camera, but an "extra large" 16-bit colour display. The phone contains 11MB of user-accessible memory …

Mobile 11 Feb 2004, 14:04
Ex-Intel engineer jailed for trying to aid the Taliban

Hawash sent down for seven years

A former Intel engineer who was caught attempting to get into Afghanistan after the US-led invasion was finally sentenced to seven years in jail this week. At his trial last August, Mayer "Mike" Mofeid Hawash, 38, pleaded guilty to travelling to Afghanistan with the intention of aiding the Taliban. However, he did not accept …

Channel 11 Feb 2004, 14:10
Infineon preps €120m R&D fab expansion plan

Costs €1m for every new job created

Infineon said today it plans to expand its Dresden Memory Development Centre (MDC), creating 120 new jobs. The MDC focuses on DRAM and Flash fabrication process R&D. The expansion programme will involve the construction of an additional facility at the site, adding 2300m² of cleanroom dedicated to work on 300mm wafers. The new …

Business 11 Feb 2004, 14:22
US chip industry to take on Beijing

Demands end to 'illegal' Chinese tax rebate

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) will today present evidence to back its claim that Chinese chip makers are receiving state subsidies outlawed by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission will hear allegations that tax breaks offered by the Chinese government to …

Business 11 Feb 2004, 14:22
ATI licenses ‘dynamic logic’ tech for faster, cheaper chips

Intrinsity's Fast 14 yields 'four times the performance per silicon dollar'

ATI has licensed Intrinsity's Fast 14 'dynamic logic' chip design technology to help it create "future consumer products" - possibly even the graphics accelerator it is designed for the Xbox 2 - aka Xbox Next. We first wrote about Intrinsity back in 2001, after it had demonstrated a 2.2GHz chip - back than, way faster than …

Business 11 Feb 2004, 14:22
VIA takes Eden CPU to 1GHz

For faster fanless fings

VIA today extended its low-power Eden ESP processor family to 800MHz and 1GHz. Hardly likely to challenge the x86 mainstream, that. But VIA is aiming the part at small form-factor PCs and PC-derived consumer electronics kit - almost all of which specify fanless operation. At 1GHz, the 130nm Eden consumes as little as 7W, VIA …

Business 11 Feb 2004, 14:22
Chinese teenagers find Net just too damned attractive

Paranoia and delirium

Increasing numbers of teenagers in China are being admitted to hospital, suffering from what doctors call ‘Internet Syndrome’. Symptoms include delirium, paranoia and psychosis. Dr. Yu Haiting, the vice president of the No. 8 People’s Hospital in Zhengzhou, says he sees one or two cases per week. Dr. Yu told Xinhauanet He …

Music and Media 11 Feb 2004, 14:28
419ers get God, distribute millions, then do lunch

Busy times for the lads from Lagos

Blimey, it's quite a life being an advance fee fraudster. One minute you're dying of cancer, then you've recovered sufficently to run a lottery, and no sooner have you distributed millions to lucky winners, then it's time for a swift lunch with the president of Nigeria. Of course, strong Christian faith is a comfort in such …

Bootnotes 11 Feb 2004, 14:31
Sirocom launches IP VPN service for UK

ATM alternative

Virtual network operator Sirocom today launched a UK-wide service to provide IP connectivity over Ethernet. Enterprise VPN100 is scalable from two to 100 Mbps and is available immediately from over 118 access points around the UK. The service is aimed at enterprises seeking an economic means to upgrade network access speeds or …

Data Networking 11 Feb 2004, 15:30
BOFH 2003: Year Book

Fun for all the family

I'm a Bastard Operator, Get Me Out of Here! Episode 1 Intranet Survivor The Bastard Guide to Recycling Episode 2 Haphazard Arrangement of Still Life BOFH and the Pay Rise Episode 3 Managing expectations The Bastard Interviewer from Hell Episode 4 Above board and politically correct The Bastard wants to know - How's your …

BOFH 11 Feb 2004, 16:46
MS tears swastika from roof of Office

Critical update strikes at heart of darkness

Microsoft today released a critical update to remove "unacceptable symbols" from Bookshelf Symbol 7 font. Just 58-odd years after the Red Army hoisted its standard on the roof of the Reichstag on 30 April 1945, effectively ending the European war, MS has finally flushed the swastika from its last hiding place - an otherwise …

Bootnotes 11 Feb 2004, 16:48
BOFH and the coffee machine

Episode 4 La Bella Machina

BOFH 2004: Episode 4 "I... I... I'm not sure I'm up to work today," the PFY sighs sadly, staring vacantly in restrained grief. "Oh for Pete's sake, pull yourself together, man!" the Boss snaps. "We can get past this!" "I don't think we can..." "Course we can. It'll be difficult for a while, but you'll get back into the swing …

BOFH 11 Feb 2004, 16:52
MP's broadband report – the choice cuts

Reader's Digest

Yesterday's Parliamentary report into the UK's broadband market supported the assertion of many in the industry that there is no such thing as effective wholesale competition. But the report by the Trade and Industry Select Committee (TISC) also takes a wider view of the market, benchmarking it against the Government's own …

Telecoms 11 Feb 2004, 17:03
Beyond Fear A security primer for troubled minds

Book review Bruce Schneier raises awareness without resorting to hype

It's a rare security book that can raise awareness without resorting to sensationalism, but Bruce Schneier's recent title Beyond Fear is one of them. It covers the theory behind both good and bad security practices, though it's not a manual. It does not explain how to make whatever you wish to defend more secure, but it will …

Security 11 Feb 2004, 17:14
Why wireless will end ‘piracy’ and doom DRM and TCPA – Jim Griffin

Flat fee pricing an escape route for RIAA, MPAA

Don't worry about DRM and lock-down computing, says Jim Griffin. Historically they're doomed to fail. The former director of Geffen's technology group believes that wireless networks such as 3G, 4G and WiFi will provide the tipping point at which the entertainment industries come to the table to cut a deal - before political …

Music and Media 11 Feb 2004, 17:25
Cyberappliances attack Italian village

Residents flee killer robofridges in terror

The small village of Canneto di Caronia in Sicily has become the front line in the war of annihilation between humanity and Terminator-style roboappliances. For three weeks terrified residents have battled for their very survival against spontaneously-combusting TVs, fridges and cookers which have damaged twelve houses and …

Rise of the Machines 11 Feb 2004, 17:28
Er… MS UK sponsors open source deployment workshop

Satan sponsors pope? MS UK sponsors own P45s?

A tooth-jarring juxtaposition leaps out from the London Connects site: "Open Source Software - Practical deployment", it says, then leaps straight into "Sponsored by Microsoft" (big type, corporate logo, TM). Microsoft has indeed been starting to show up at Linux events claiming to have become kinder and gentler, but by …

Software 11 Feb 2004, 19:58
Sun says HP customers are ‘ripe’ for change

HP agrees

Playing on the doubts surrounding HP's future server plans, Sun Microsystems this week launched a verbal assault against its rival. HP has long been the biggest backer of Intel's high-end Itanium processor, but industry rumors say it could announce a line of servers based on AMD's Opteron processor as early as this month. This …

Servers 11 Feb 2004, 20:09
Doomjuice variant ups the ante in MS attack

Prelude to Friday the 13th assault?

A new version of the Doomjuice worm has been released into the wild in an apparent effort by hackers to modify an attack against Microsoft's Web site. Doomjuice-B attacks www.microsoft.com, much like its predecessor Doomjuice-A, but now it sets random HTTP headers to make it more difficult to filter out the attack traffic. Its …

Anti-Virus 11 Feb 2004, 20:52
Psion looks past Windows to Linux

More to life than phones

Ignore the comments about the value of Psion shares: concentrate on what Psion is going to do with all the money it got from selling its interest in Symbian. The answer is probably: "Linux portables" but we'll find out later this year for sure. The problem with Symbian, for Psion, is very simple: wireless. Too much of it. …

Mobile 11 Feb 2004, 21:04
HP says first quarter results will be just fine

Have no fear

HP moved Wednesday to reassure investors about its performance in the first quarter. HP took the unusual move of releasing its first quarter revenue forecast just ahead of the planned Feb. 19 official announcement of its results. HP expects to report revenue of $19.5 billion for the quarter - a total "consistent with the …

Business 11 Feb 2004, 21:32
PC disposal: recycle or build for durability?

Noxious rules for noxious waste

Substantial recent coverage of yet two further EU Directives, this time on disposal of computer waste, draws attention to the amount of noxious materials, metals and plastics, which constitute the inner workings of PCs. The directives come into operation in 2005, writes Bob McDowall of Bloor Research Briefly, one of the …

Channel 11 Feb 2004, 21:33
From Whitehall to Zanzibar

The mother of all marketplaces

Public sector procurement is set for a major revolution when a new end-to-end e-trading hub launches next year. The Whitehall project, currently being developing under the working title of 'Zanzibar', will give suppliers a single point of access to the government marketplace, regardless of their size or sector. Within three …

Hardware 11 Feb 2004, 22:07
No storage vendor is braver than Sun

Attach rate marathon

For the fourth year in a row, Sun Microsystems has identified storage as a major revenue opportunity, promising it will actually capitalize on the market this year. We've come to call this the annual "brave face" speech. It's the one where Sun explains why EMC and others manage to beat it to storage sales. It's also the speech …

Storage 11 Feb 2004, 23:24