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25th May 2004 Archive

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  • Novell yawns its way to modest Q2

    Linux makes NetWare stronger

    A lackluster second quarter inspired some lackluster comments from Novell management today. Novell reported revenue of $294m for the period ended 30 April. This compares to revenue of $276m in last year's quarter. The slight increase in revenue helped Novell shrink its quarterly loss. Novell reported a loss of $15m in the most …

    Financial News 25 May 2004, 00:57

  • Iomega dresses up NAS device

    I'm too sexy for your rack

    Iomega has put a bit of style back in network attached storage with a new low-end system that can hold a whopping 480GB of data. Starting next month, storage hungry types in North America will seethe NAS 200d Series system arrive. Iomega plans to ship 320GB and 480GB versions of the NAS (network attached storage) server - both …

    Storage 25 May 2004, 07:12

  • More UK train firms commit to on-board Wi-Fi

    WISP signs three more partners

    UK Wi-Fi provider Broadreach has said it will bring on-the-move wireless Internet access to three more UK train operators. The company, which provides retail Wi-Fi services under the ReadyToSurf brand, is already working with Virgin Trains - which operates the Virgin Cross Country and Virgin West Coast train-operating companies …

    Wireless 25 May 2004, 09:19

  • UMC ramps 90nm process to volume output

    Faster than its rivals, foundry claims

    UMC is entering into volume production using its 90nm process, having been qualified to do so by the likes of Texas Instruments and Xilinx, the Taiwanese chip foundry said yesterday. Having started offering initial customer silicon in March 2003, its ramp to volume production "puts UMC clearly ahead of its competitors in the …

    Channel 25 May 2004, 09:35

  • Sony, Nintendo pick March '05 for Euro console launch

    Same time, same place, apparently

    Both Sony and Nintendo have marked the week ending 18 March 2005 on their corporate calendars as the European launch date of the PlayStation Portable and the DS, UK games trade paper MCV has claimed. That schedules both handheld consoles to appear just before the Easter break, which after Christmas is one of the busiest times …

    Consoles 25 May 2004, 10:04

  • Calling all Java Developers

    Site Offer 30% off J2EE and other titles

    J2EE has become required knowledge for any serious Java developer, however learning this large and often complex specification requires a substantial investment of your time and energy. Sams Teach Yourself J2EE in 21 Days, presents the enterprise Java architecture in accessible, easy-to-comprehend lessons, describing how each …

    Site News 25 May 2004, 10:06

  • Lloyds mulls offshoring deal with IBM

    Jobs will go...

    High street bank Lloyds TSB is considering an offshoring agreement with IBM that could see as many as 10,000 UK jobs go overseas. The deal could be worth as much as £1bn over ten years. Many of Lloyds' IT staff would move to IBM as part of the deal. IBM would run the bank's internal systems, websites and the network linking its …

    IT Director 25 May 2004, 10:08

  • Vodafone shares dip on results

    Mobile giant disappoints City

    Vodafone shares suffered this morning as the City reacted to the mobile giant's results for the year ended 31 March 2004. Despite a reasonable set of numbers and the launch of a share buy-back scheme to increase control of its Japanese subsidiary, traders were unconvinced. Vodafone shares were down four per cent in morning …

    Financial News 25 May 2004, 10:11

  • Broadband phone service dials up in the UK

    Net telephony set to 'rocket'

    The UK's telephony industry faces even more competition today following the launch of a new Internet-based voice service that promises free and cheap phone calls. The folk behind the Gossiptel service reckon Voice over Broadband (VoB) is set to "rocket" over the next 18 months as more and more people hook up to broadband in the …

    Telecoms 25 May 2004, 10:13

  • Toys'R'Us spits dummy at Amazon exclusivity deal

    Lawyers to battle over rattles

    Toys'R'Us is taking Amazon.com to court, claiming the bookseller violated its exclusive right to sell toys on the Amazon.com site. Toys'R'Us is seeking either damages to be determined at the trial, or the cancellation of the agreement and the return of the $200m it says it has paid in exclusivity fees. ToysRUs said the …

    Financial News 25 May 2004, 10:18

  • Cisco unveils monster router

    Carrier grade plus

    Cisco yesterday took the wraps off its fastest router to date. The Cisco Carrier Routing System Cisco CRS-1 is designed to be a cornerstone for telcos to roll out next generation data, voice and video services over converged IP networks. Cisco reckons carriers who upgrade their core networks with the technology won't need to …

    Data Networking 25 May 2004, 10:31

  • Vodafone penetrates Italian 3G market

    Competition for Hutch

    Vodafone and Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) are gearing themselves up for launching 3G services in Italy this week. They will increase competition for Hutchison which launched third generation phones in Italy in March 2003 TIM claimed it had already received orders for more than 450,000 but conceded these were from dealers rather …

    Mobile 25 May 2004, 11:43

  • NTL bundles new ADSL products

    Brace of broadband and phone package deals

    NTL is to launch two new ADSL products later this Summer, both of which are bundled with a phone service from the cableco. Documents seen by The Register confirm that the cable company is to move beyond its cable network to provide ADSL broadband to punters outside its franchise areas. Its "ntl:freedom broadband" service will …

    Telecoms 25 May 2004, 11:51

  • Introducing the flamethrowing Swiss Army knife

    Cash'n'Carrion Exciting new range of must-have kit

    Following the runaway success of the Victorinox CyberTool 34 - the knife that does just about everything except go to work for you - we have decided to expand our range of Swiss Army Knives to include the latest innovations in multi-tool technology. Yup, there's a knife here to meet every conceivable need, from the functional …

    Site News 25 May 2004, 12:26

  • PIII is a Ferrari, says Intel

    It was five years ago today... 25 May 1999

    For we Reg hacks who now file our copy from a sun-kissed patio while sipping a piña colada - thanks to Intel's Centrino and the wireless LAN - the thought of dial-up Internet access is now little more than a slighty disturbing, distant memory. Back when you could go on holiday for two weeks while waiting for a picture to …

    Channel 25 May 2004, 13:15

  • Two thirds of emails now spam: official

    Just in case you hadn't noticed

    Spam hotspots are emerging as the global levels of junk mail worldwide continue to increase. More than two thirds (67.6 per cent) of the 840m emails scanned by filtering firm MessageLabs last month was identified as spam. MessageLabs figures also indicate significant regional variations and spam "hot spots", despite attempts to …

    Spam 25 May 2004, 13:20

  • UK Sage house sold

    CIBER buys Ascent Technology

    US systems integrator CIBER has bought Sage-specialist Ascent Technology Ltd. for £23m ($40m). The deal is expected to contribute to CIBER's bottom line both this year and next. CIBER turns over about $850m a year and employs 7,000 people in ten countries. Ascent, based in Hinckly, Leicestershire, is a specialist financial …

    Financial News 25 May 2004, 13:42

  • Free software guru speaks on patents

    End of world is nigh, warns Richard Stallman

    Speaking in London last week, Richard Stallman, founder of GNU, argued passionately against the legalisation of what he calls "software idea patents". The core of Stallman's argument is that if companies are allowed to patent software ideas, big business will ride roughshod over the smaller players, and the free software …

    Developer 25 May 2004, 14:12

  • Public sector urged to think Microsoft

    Online marketplace counters open source threat

    Microsoft has upped the ante in its pursuit of public-service contracts by launching an online marketplace, as the company counters the open source threat. Governments across Europe will be able to select technology vendors specialising in public sector development projects, following an announcement by Microsoft on Monday. The …

    Public Sector 25 May 2004, 14:21

  • Should XP pirates get SP2?

    MS weighs perils against profits

    If Microsoft denies Windows XP pirates access to its SP2 upgrade, the result would hurt the Internet to protect Microsoft's bottom line. Try this analogy: suppose a car thief drove to the dealership and insisted that they perform brake repairs required by a recall notice, for free, on the stolen car. Suppose further that the …

    Operating Systems 25 May 2004, 14:37

  • Did Rumsfeld ban Iraq camera phones?

    And is it even possible?

    Did Donald Rumsfeld ban camera phones for soldiers in Iraq? The story has appeared on the wires, and says he did. But while there are doubts about whether the story is true, there should be bigger doubts about whether it is even possible. The abiding image of censorship of letters from the Great War of 1914-1918 is of petty …

    Mobile 25 May 2004, 14:54

  • Wi-Fi yak farmers liberated by Net

    High-altitude Nepalese get webbed up

    Yak farmers in Nepal are using wireless Internet access to keep in touch with their families, thanks to the successful completion of a seven-year international campaign. Wireless Internet access means yak farmers can stay in touch with friends and family. Five villages now have such access - and it got there before normal phone …

    Wireless 25 May 2004, 15:01

  • RIAA targets 493 more unnamed file-sharers

    And 24 named alleged copyright infringers

    The Recording Industry Ass. of America (RIAA) has issued a further 493 lawsuits against alleged music file-sharers bring the total number of individuals it has sued to almost 3000. Of course, it doesn't know who any of these people are, but it hopes to winkle out their identities by gaining court orders that will force ISPs to …

    Music and Media 25 May 2004, 15:27

  • IBM gives SAN File System a second try

    Getting there... slowly

    After enduring a flop of massive proportions, IBM customers will be pleased to know that a second version of the SAN File System, due out next month, will actually approach the grandiose promises once planned for version one of the software. IBM has set a 29 June delivery date for Version 2.1 of the infamous Storage Tank …

    Storage 25 May 2004, 15:32

  • Hitachi production ramp-up = cheaper storage

    More drive for less

    News this week that Hitachi is going to double its production of high-capacity disk drives gives us a hint at the production volumes involved in the forthcoming war over disk-based music systems like the Apple iPod. This war will also extend to an ever-widening range of devices that are now made feasible by cheaper, smaller, …

    Storage 25 May 2004, 16:00

  • Deutsche Telekom acquires US mobile networks

    $2.5bn to former partner Cingular

    Deutsche Telekom plans to splash out $2.5bn (£1.4bn) to acquire mobile phone networks in California and Nevada. The networks in question were jointly own by T-Mobile USA and the US mobile communications company, Cingular Wireless, following a deal back in 2001. Now, that joint venture is to be dissolved and T-Mobile USA is to …

    Mobile 25 May 2004, 16:08

  • Comcast hands MS five million viewers

    TV Foundation launches set-top assault

    Comcast and Microsoft this week announced an agreement that extends their existing relationship and gives Comcast the ability to make available Microsoft TV Foundation Edition 1.7 software to up to five million customers, with the option to expand the roll-out at a later date. Given that Comcast has only 21 million customers, …

    Business 25 May 2004, 16:09

  • Drive makers ready 5x DVD-RAM burners

    We're the fastest format, claims trade body

    The RAM Promotion Group (RAMPRG), the organisation behind the DVD-RAM specification, today lauded 5x recording speed drives from Hitachi-LG Data Storage and Panasonic as a sign that the technology is going places. The two drives, Hitachi's 5x Super Multi and Panasonic's SW-9573-C, ship "later this year", though suitable media …

    Storage 25 May 2004, 16:16

  • Eurofighter at risk of 'catastrophic failure'

    Leaked MOD report cites computer 'corruption'

    Problems with the computer systems on board the Eurofighter jet, signed into service with the RAF less than two weeks ago, could cause a "catastrophic" failure in flight, according to a confidential Ministry of Defence report leaked to former BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan. The report contained the findings and recommendations …

    Science 25 May 2004, 16:17

  • US plans $10bn computer dragnet

    Foreigners to be monitored by IT leviathan

    The US is planning to build the most sophisticated computer-tracking system ever devised in order to keep tabs on foreigners entering the country. The project will also allow authorities to confirm that visitors deemed suspicious adhere to stated travel plans and leave the States before their visa expires. The US project is …

    Public Sector 25 May 2004, 16:32

  • Sun sends European server team packing

    Volume layoffs in UK and Ireland

    Sun Microsystems has chopped close to 200 jobs in the UK and Ireland as the axe swinging continues at the company. Sources within Sun have confirmed that close to 20 workers in Ireland and another 180 in the UK who worked on Sun's volume server products have been let go. Sun is in the process of consolidating server operations …

    Servers 25 May 2004, 16:58

  • MS UK 0wn3d by hackers. Again

    Embarrassing defacements 'R Us

    D'oh. Microsoft's UK website was defaced early this morning by previously unknown hackers called the OutLaw Group. Headings on a page (www.microsoft.com/mspress/uk) plugging tech manuals were altered to "Owned by OutLaw Group" during the brief period the site was defaced. A Microsoft's spokeswoman confirmed a page dealing with …

    Enterprise Security 25 May 2004, 19:30

  • US military depleted by online outings

    Gay packet pointing

    Don't ask, don't tell and by all means don't post. That's the message being delivered this week to gay service men and women after a rash of online outings have much needed military personnel facing discharges. Six members of the US military have been outed this year when officials were pointed to online personal ads that …

    Music and Media 25 May 2004, 21:39

  • Area 51 hackers dig up trouble

    Twilight Zone alarm

    To the Area 51 buffs who journey to the Nevada desert in the hopes of catching a glimpse of unexplained lights in the sky or to bask in the mythic allure of the region, 58-year-old Chuck Clark is almost as much a part of the local color as the Black Mailbox. A resident of tiny Rachel, Nevada - 100 miles north of Las Vegas along …

    Enterprise Security 25 May 2004, 23:29