26th February 2004 Archive

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Homeland insecurity starts at home

RSA White House security chief calls for better code

The IT industry needs to stop worrying about who's behind cyber attacks and focus on making security technology easier to use and software more reliable, a senior White House security advisor told delegates at the RSA Conference today. John Gordon, a retired US Air Force General who advises President Bush on Homeland Security, …

Security 26 Feb 2004, 00:06
Linux is hot, utility computing is not

Reg Reader Studies Reg readers tell IT like it is

Reg Reader Studies Linux and mobile technologies are hot while grid and utility computing models are not. There’s still no sign of a killer app and Microsoft is consolidating its position as a leader in the Web collaboration market. These are among the main finding of an IT trends survey of Register readers published this week …

Hardware 26 Feb 2004, 08:32
Roll up folks, it's barometer survey time!

Reg Reader Studies Still time to sign up

We have a Reg Reader survey which wants filling. This is an barometer study - checking the pulse of the IT nation and all that. This is the first of a regular series and already, 1,200 members of the Reg Reader Panel have completed this very short survey. Which is most appreciated. But of course the more of you who participate …

Reg Technology Panel 26 Feb 2004, 08:33
Thin client thrives in Web services era

Reg Reader Studies Cost, security benefits

Thin client appliances continue to offer significant advantages over personal computers for major enterprises, according to a survey of Register readers published this week. A survey of 1,624 IT pros conducted by QNB Intelligence, the market research division of analyst firm Quocirca, found that thin client appliances are “more …

Servers 26 Feb 2004, 08:34
2,000 sign up for Reg Reader Studies

Update Come along for the ride

Last month we relaunched Reg Reader Studies, our online surveys of the opinions and perceptions of our tech-savvy readers. Early days yet, but the response has been encouraging with more than 2,000 of you signing up to join the panel and more than 1,000 so far taking part in our first survey, on server-based computing and thin …

Reg Technology Panel 26 Feb 2004, 08:35
RSA shows RFID tag blocker

RSA Tinfoil hat technology waits on a market

RSA Security is building an RFID tag blocker which may allay privacy concerns over Radio-Frequency Identification technology. The RSA Blocker Tag is an RFID tag which prevents readers from scanning and tracking people or goods after purchases have been made -without disrupting normal RFID operation. Devised by RSA Laboratories …

Security 26 Feb 2004, 09:37
IT workers do it for free till 9 March

All that unpaid overtime really adds up

Research from the TUC (Trades Union Congress) reveals that unpaid overtime means IT workers are effectively working for free until 9 March every year. Managers in IT work an average of 9.3 hours a week in unpaid overtime. IT professionals work an average of 6.3 hours a week for free and so start being paid on 22 February. IT …

Business 26 Feb 2004, 09:43
NTL trials PAYG broadband

'Tech trial, not a consumer proposition trial'

NTL is reportedly trialling new pay-as-you-go broadband services that could lead to punters paying for how much bandwidth they use, rather how long they spend online. The cableco is trialling PAYG and pre-pay services in Guildford, according to the NTL-focused site nthellworld.co.uk. The site also reports that the cableco is …

Telecoms 26 Feb 2004, 10:16
Students warm to Wi-Fi interaction

Dublin university test-drives wireless learning

A research group has set up a Wi-Fi network on a Dublin university campus to investigate how wireless services affect group interaction. The Nomad research team has just completed trials with 20 students. Each participant was given a Wi-Fi enabled PDA and mobile phone. The team set up forums for the students to use, a move …

Wireless 26 Feb 2004, 10:56
Japanese watchdog raids MS Tokyo

Anti-trust bust over OEM terms

Microsoft's Tokyo headquarters was raided yesterday by Japanese anti-trust officials. The Fair Trade Commission accuses Microsoft of seeking restrictive OEM software contracts with Japanese computer firms, according to reports. It is unhappy that PC makers must sign away all rights to sue Microsoft over Windows if they are to …

Channel 26 Feb 2004, 10:58
World chip sales may grow 30% this year

Revenues up 22.6% at least, says Gartner

The chip industry will grow 22.6 per cent this year, market watcher Gartner has forecast. It admitted that the figure, derived from preliminary data, was "deliberately conservative", but it said that under the right conditions growth could "exceed 30 per cent". That puts the year's global revenue at between $217bn and at least …

Channel 26 Feb 2004, 11:17
Nvidia to license phone graphics tech

Update Offers new media processors too

Nvidia yesterday unwrapped a pair of new graphics chips for mobile phones. The company also said it has begun to offer core mobile phone graphics technology for incorporating into handset makers' system-on-a-chip components. The GoForce 3000 and 4000 chips provide "ultra-low" power consumption, the company said, courtesy of its …

Channel 26 Feb 2004, 11:45
BBC Technology chief sacked for ‘misusing hospitality’

Multi-million pound IT division still seeking a buyer

The managing director of the BBC's IT arm, Ann Wilson, has been sacked with immediate effect for "misusing hospitality", despite currently overseeing the multi-million-pound sale of the division to the world's biggest technology companies. The decision came following discplinary proceedings, and staff were informed on Tuesday. …

Business 26 Feb 2004, 11:56
UK R&D spend behind rest of Europe

France, Germany and Sweden romp ahead

The UK lags much of the European Union in the intensity of its contributions to science and technology research. In cash terms, the UK is one of the three largest contributors, along with France and Germany, but our €30bn overall R&D spend is a mere 1.85 per cent of GDP. By contrast, Sweden spends more than twice as much as …

Science 26 Feb 2004, 12:01
Easynet passes EBITDA milestone

Ups revenues, narrows losses

Continued demand for high-speed Internet services helped broadband operator Easynet boost revenues last year and notch up an important first for the company. It claims its "successful" investment programme in local loop unbundling (LLU) has enabled it to supply genuinely alternative broadband services to those provided by …

Telecoms 26 Feb 2004, 12:05
Cray to buy AMD cluster maker

OctigaBay 12K development running late and eating cash

Supercomputer maker Cray is to buy its smaller rival OctigaBay, the duo announced yesterday, after both firms' boards gave the acquisition the green light. The deal values the Vancouver-based high performance computing specialist at $115m. Cray will pay $15m in cash and 12.7m of its own shares for all outstanding OctigaBay …

Servers 26 Feb 2004, 12:39
Beware MS bearing gifts, DoD staff warned. Allegedly

'Gifts from a prohibited source'? Good heavens...

Could this possibly be true? An anonymous tipster claiming to work for the US Department of Defense sends us what he alleges is a message from the DoD's office of legal counsel to staff. "Beware of Microsoft Software Computer gifts," says the subject line. Well indeedy-doody. But shouldn't it be the network managers telling …

Bootnotes 26 Feb 2004, 12:40
GSMA declares war on mobile phone theft

Global blacklist mooted

Stolen phones won't work anywhere anymore, if the GSM Association (GSMA) has its way. In a bid to combat mobile phone theft, the GSMA and handset makers have outlined plans for a global blacklist of stolen phones. The scheme is an extension of the government-backed system already in place in the UK. Once a phone is reported …

Mobile 26 Feb 2004, 13:27
Confusion reigns over next-gen Athlon 64's cache size

512KB or 256KB? Depends on who you ask

How much L2 cache will future AMD Athlon 64 processors provide? Q2 is expected to see the arrival of Newcastle. AMD is keeping quiet, but previous reports suggest the part will contain just 512KB of L2 cache. However, DigiTimes today claims the part will contain only 256KB of cache. It also suggests Newcastle is an Athlon FX …

Channel 26 Feb 2004, 13:30
Sony delays US, Euro PlayStation Portable launch

Bows out of the Christmas 2004 market

The Japanese launch is still on track for the end of this year, but the PSP will not appear in North America or European before the end of the Sony's 2005 fiscal year, which ends 31 March, 2005. At SCEA's Destination PlayStation conference, the following statement emerged from the company: "We have received an overwhelming …

Personal 26 Feb 2004, 13:32
Panasonic preps Symbian smart phone

Will even view and edit MS Office files

Panasonic this week unveiled its first smart phone, based on the Symbian OS and Nokia's Series 60 user interface. The tri-band GSM/GPRS X700 is based on a clamshell design which incorporates a 640 x 480 digicam with flash, a 16-bit colour main display and a colour sub-display on the lid. The latter provides picture caller ID. …

Mobile 26 Feb 2004, 14:27
Those 419 haiku results in full

Brace yourselves

It's taken Vulture Central's highly-trained team of experts an entire week to trawl through the hundreds of entries for our 419 haiku competition. You'll probably want to stick the kettle on before settling down to enjoy the fruits of our readers' fertile poetic imaginations. As for us, we're off for a stiff drink. Enjoy. …

Bootnotes 26 Feb 2004, 14:37
UK set to be Euro top dog for broadband

Three cheers for cable, hip hip...

The UK is set to become top dog for high-speed Net access in Europe, finally ridding itself of the broadband laggard tag. Part of the UK's predicted success is due to the availability of cable services, although DSL is expected to be the dominant broadband technology. That's according to media-focused research outfit Screen …

Telecoms 26 Feb 2004, 14:39
Introducing the Iris50 supercompass

Cash'n'Carrion Top new kit for the adventurous reader

We know how much our readers like their gadgets, so we've expanded the range of kit supplied by the ever-inventive Traser - the company which supplies the world's foremost atomic keyring. The new gear comes in the form of the top-of-the-range Iris50 compass and the Extreme Krill Lamp, big brother of the best-selling battery- …

Site News 26 Feb 2004, 14:54
Comet-chasing Rosetta still on launchpad

Blast-off delayed by wrong kind of wind

The European Space Agency (ESA) postponed the launch of the Rosetta comet-chaser mission this morning. Mission Control said the wind direction made take-off too risky, and that they would try again tomorrow morning (Friday) at 07:36am. The delay was frustrating for the teams involved, since the rocket can launch in much …

Science 26 Feb 2004, 15:03
'I'm an iPod user' admits Apple vs Apple judge

Hip beak raises eyebrows in UK High Court

Apple Comp. and Apple Corp. faced each other again in the British High Court today, on the second day of the two companies' legal fight. And the judge, Mr Justice Anthony Mann, surprised the assembly by admitting he is an iPod user. He wondered if this disqualified him from judging the case. Lord Grabiner QC, representing Apple …

Mac Channel 26 Feb 2004, 15:31
Scientists squeeze less time into an instant

I'll be with you in an attosecond

Teams at Germany's Max Planck Institute and the University of Vienna have sliced time more finely that ever before. The researchers successfuly recorded an interval of one ten million billionth of a second: that's shorter than the period of an electron's orbit in a hydrogen atom. They used pulses of UV light, each lasting 250 …

Science 26 Feb 2004, 15:32
Merrill Lynch ups world PC sales growth forecast

Dell could win 30% market share

Merrill Lynch believes the world PC market will grow 13 per cent this year, the same rate of growth experienced in 2003, the company told investors yesterday. It originally had 2004 growth down as 11 per cent, but raised its expectations on the back of "decent consumer showing and an improving corporate market" in the last …

Channel 26 Feb 2004, 15:35
Tesco.com bags £500m in online sales

E-success

TESCO.COM - the online grocery business of the UK supermarket giant chain - has topped annual sales of more than £500m. The world's biggest online grocer, Tesco.com now delivers more than 110,000 orders a week, the company said in a short statement today. And, er, that's about it. Except to say that Tesco.com was launched in …

Music and Media 26 Feb 2004, 15:42
MPs call for Gov.uk to switch to open source (maybe)

But let's see how the trials go first

Central government should replace Microsoft software with open source equivalents - if trials show the switch is practical, the Public Accounts Committee said yesterday. In a report on government spending on software licences, the Select Committee of MPs conclude: Open Source software, already in widespread use for server …

Software 26 Feb 2004, 16:13
International Net paedos busted

Cuffs slapped on in 10 countries

Police today launched simultaneous raids in 10 countries to bust a paedophile ring using messageboards to exchange child porn. Operation Odysseus resulted in several arrests and seizures of videos and computer equipment. Police forces in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Spain, Sweden and the UK …

Music and Media 26 Feb 2004, 16:21
Graphics pioneer Hercules quits market

Too crowded, says owner Guillemot

The once-famous Hercules graphics card brand is to disappear once more. Guillemot, the company that acquired Hercules back in 1999, said today it is pulling out of the "crowded" 3D graphics card market. It is also exiting from the LCD monitor business, the company said. Guillemot blamed the move on the "very weak gross margins …

Channel 26 Feb 2004, 17:12
HP goes after UK Sun clan

Pond hopping

It took all of one day for HP to hit back at Sun Microsystems in their campaigns to steal users from each other. HP today launched its Solaris migration program in the UK, offering to shift customers from Solaris to Linux running on HP hardware. The deal is similar to the one HP offers US customers, providing loaner hardware …

Servers 26 Feb 2004, 17:33
Honey, I shrunk the surveillance plane!

Military aircraft gets seriously small

Military planes will be shrunk to the size of a bee, and could even fly with flapping wings, thanks to a new programme of research at Bath University. The university’s Department of Mechanical Engineering will study the flight of insects and birds in a series of five research projects over the next two years to find ways to …

Bootnotes 26 Feb 2004, 20:41
Boffins make heaviest ever element?

Obesity trend continues

A collaborative research team of Russian and America scientists may have created two new heavyweight elements. Provisionally named Ununpentium and Ununtrium, if confirmed, these will be the heaviest elements on official record, with 115 and 113 protons in the nuclei, respectively. Scientists from Lawrence Livermore National …

Bootnotes 26 Feb 2004, 20:41
Swiss set to unleash flying car

Ultimate 'space-age toy' for wannabe James Bonds

God knows it's been a long time coming, but Swiss outfit Rinspeed has finally announced that it will unveil an all-singing, all-dancing flying car at the Geneva Motor Show in April. Rinspeed is the self-proclaimed "leading company for exclusive automotive accessories, customized cars, conversions, custom fabrication and …

Bootnotes 26 Feb 2004, 20:41
US DoJ sues to block Oracle's $9.4bn PeopleSoft bid

It's bad news. Pure and simple

The US Department of Justice may have put end to Oracle's takeover bid for PeopleSoft, filing suit today to block the deal. The DoJ did not mince words when describing why the deal should not go through, saying a PeopleSoft acquisition would result in higher prices, less innovation and fewer choices for customers. The …

Hardware 26 Feb 2004, 22:04