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3rd May 2005 Archive

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  • Microsoft recruits Longhorn bloggers

    Just don't mention the screen shots

    Astroturf is out, but blogging is in at Redmond. Microsoft is hoping that blog power can boost its much-delayed operating system Longhorn when it makes its first beta in July. The company has given the thumbs up to the formation of a group of 20 volunteers who Microsoft hopes will provide feedback on upcoming builds of Longhorn …

    Software 3 May 2005, 03:51

  • Ex-Sun VP guns for IP violations

    Tolliver takes over at Palamida

    Sun Microsystems' former marketing and strategy vice president Mark Tolliver is taking over at a Silicon Valley start-up that promises to find hidden intellectual property (IP) traps in open source software. Tolliver, who left Sun following last year's technology sharing and legal settlement with Microsoft, is taking over as …

    Developer 3 May 2005, 03:57

  • Sun plans summer StarOffice update

    Works better with Microsoft Office

    Sun Microsystems is preparing to update StarOffice in July. StarOffice 8.0 will feature improved usability and for those of us, i.e. most of the planet, who grew up using Office at home and work, Sun is also promising improved interoperability with Microsoft's suite. Interoperability with Office, along with a relatively poor …

    Applications 3 May 2005, 06:24

  • Cisco tightens the net

    Adaptive security appliance

    This story has expired from The Register's archive. You can now find it at its original location on the Forbes.com website: http://forbes.com/technology/2005/05/03/cz_qh_0503cisco.html?partner=theregister.

    Data Networking 3 May 2005, 07:12

  • Sarbanes Oxley for IT security?

    Comment Controlling influence

    Sarbanes Oxley seems wholly focused on the accuracy of a company's financial records and controls around these records, so where does IT security come into the picture, ask SecurityFocus columnist Mark Rasch. At a recent computer security conference in Las Vegas, I was struck by the fact that every computer security vendor was …

    Management 3 May 2005, 07:31

  • EC wants more from Microsoft

    More info on patents

    The European Commission is still pushing Microsoft to open up the communication protocols which developers need to make sofware which interacts with Microsoft products. As part of the anti-trust ruling last year the Commission ordered Microsoft to improve access to its APIs. Microsoft is meant to be licensing access to this …

    Operating Systems 3 May 2005, 09:57

  • That classified US military report's secrets in full

    PDF cock-up reveals facts, figures and names

    In an incredible online cock-up, the full details of a classified US military report into the shooting of Italian secret agent Nicola Calipari in Iraq have been made widely and publicly available. The error was caused by the US military itself, which posted an unclassified version of the report on the internet as a PDF file …

    Security 3 May 2005, 10:00

  • Marconi mulls bleak future following BT bombshell

    Jobs threat loom

    Thousands of jobs at Marconi look set to be chopped as the company restructures its operation following the devastating news last week that it had failed to win a chunk of a massive £10bn contract from BT. The company is also setting out its stall for the possible sale of the telecoms equipment business as it comes to terms …

    Data Networking 3 May 2005, 10:06

  • World chip sales continue to rise

    Slow but steady gains

    The world's electronics manufacturers spent $18.4bn on semiconductor products during March, 2.2 per cent more than they did in February, the US Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said yesterday. For the first calendar quarter, sales reached $55.3bn, just 0.4 per cent sequentially - Q4 2004's total was $55.1bn - though …

    System Builder 3 May 2005, 10:10

  • World Cup worm gives Windows users the willies

    'ere we go (again)

    A new version of the increasingly tedious Sober email worm series is ensnaring victims by posing as an email from the next year's World Cup organising committee. Like previous variants, Sober-P spreads as an infected ZIP attachment to messages written in either German or English. Infected emails pose as ticket confirmation …

    Security 3 May 2005, 10:12

  • Nominet acts over Firevision debacle

    But stranded customers forced to pay £15

    UK registry operator Nominet has at last acted against domain name registrar Firevision, which has left thousands of customers in limbo and unable to access their domain names. Some Firevision customers - none of whom have been able to get access to their domains or a response from the company for months - have received an …

    Financial News 3 May 2005, 10:37

  • Intel prunes 'Centrino 2' prices

    'Sonoma' bundles reduced

    Intel knocked a couple of dollars off a number of its Centrino chip bundles at the weekend, taking in both standard Pentium M processors and low/ultra-low voltage parts. The standard bundles affected by the move include those containing the Pentium M 770, 760, 750, 740 and 730 - all of which use the 533MHz frontside bus- …

    System Builder 3 May 2005, 10:40

  • France Telecom flees Mobilcom

    Mostly

    France Telecom has flogged its 27.3 per cent stake in German cellco MobilCom AG to US private equity outfit Texas Pacific Group (TPG). The deal nets France Telecom €265m and it continues to own one per cent in MobilCom. In a statement yesterday the company said that the transaction "reflects the withdrawal of France Telecom …

    Mobile 3 May 2005, 10:51

  • Counterfeit optical disks hit the UK channel

    £100,000 reward offered

    E-net Distribution is warning UK resellers and end-users of the first emergence of a black market in counterfeit writable CDs and DVDs. The Edinburgh-based distie is warning dealers to look out for “seriously substandard products” with suspect packaging. Users should look for discs with “visible imperfections on the writing …

    The Channel 3 May 2005, 10:59

  • Mars Express starts unfurling radar booms

    Better late than never

    Over the next two weeks the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter will deploy its radar booms and start looking up to 5km below the Martian surface for water, and other materials. Deployment of the MARSIS (Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding instrument) instrument has been delayed for over a year, …

    Science 3 May 2005, 10:59

  • Oracle talked takeover to Siebel

    Oh no it won’t...

    Database giant Oracle had talks to buy troubled CRM vendor Siebel, but no deal was done and the two are no longer actively talking. Oracle is still digesting the hard-fought $10bn takeover of PeopleSoft which it bought in January this year. But rumours of a Siebel deal, first reported by thedeal.com on Friday, sent Siebel …

    Applications 3 May 2005, 11:03

  • Global poker game for the internet goes on

    Centr and ICANN exchange heated letters

    A new front has opened up in the global battle for control of the internet, with a heated exchange of letters between two of the main players. The chairman of Centr - an organisation representing the needs and wishes of a large part of the world's internet registries - has fired a broadside at internet overseeing organisation …

    Financial News 3 May 2005, 11:14

  • Interregnum saves ITM Group from the knacker's yard

    Hoovers up bust AV reseller

    Interregnum is buying ITM Group, the bust audio visual reseller, through its subsidiary Audio Visual Machines Ltd. The deal covers ITM’s order book, debts and key staff including the MD of the auDiio visual division. Interregnum expects the takeover to boost AVM’s revenues by about £2m over the next twelve months. Martin …

    The Channel 3 May 2005, 11:24

  • Interregnum buys another company

    Hoovers up busted AV firm

    Interregnum plc is buying audio visual firm ITM Group through its subsidiary Audio Visual Machines Ltd. ITM was in administration. The deal covers ITM’s order book, debts and key staff including the MD of the auciio visual division. Interregnum expects the takeover to boost AVM’s revenues by about £2m over the next twelve …

    The Channel 3 May 2005, 11:27

  • AMD trims Sempron, Athlon 64 prices

    Ch-ch-ch-changes

    AMD yesterday added its latest Mobile Sempron processor to its budget CPU line-up, taking the opportunity to prune the prices of the family, and to chop up to 25 per cent off its desktop Athlon 64 chips. The Sempron price cuts were forecast last month. The new Mobile Sempron 3100+ comes in at $107, pushing the 3000+ down from …

    System Builder 3 May 2005, 11:28

  • Brits fall prey to phishing

    Suckers

    One in 20 Brits have lost money to some sort of online scam such as "phishing", according to research commissioned by AOL UK. Half of those surveyed by pollsters YouGov said they had received "phishing" emails which attempt to trick people into handing over personal information such as bank account details and passwords. The …

    Security 3 May 2005, 11:32

  • UK court jails dealers who sold cannabis online

    Budmonkey goes up in smoke

    Three members of a drug dealing ring who used the internet to sell cannabis to addresses across the UK were sent to prison last week. The hi-tech dealers plied their illicit trade from a website known as budmonkey that was set up by Sean Jackson, a former heroin addict. Regular customers used the site to order their drugs …

    Media 3 May 2005, 12:01

  • Ultra-thin client to close digital divide

    OSS solution mooted at MS conference

    A group of not-for-profit developers, called Ndiyo (Swahili for "yes"), has announced an ultra-thin-client system which, it says, could make computing available to billions more people across the planet. The Nivo (network in, video out) box is a sub-£100, ultra-ultra-thin client that can be networked along with several others …

    Personal 3 May 2005, 12:32

  • BT hits jackpot with £45m Leisure Link win

    Wires up 13,500 betting machines

    BT has beaten off competition from Tiscali and Easynet to win a £45m broadband contract to wire-up 13,500 gaming machines in the UK. Leisure Link Group - which operates 90,000 "pay to play" gaming, betting and entertainment machines including juke boxes - has just signed up BT to broadband-enable 13,500 of its machines for the …

    Broadband 3 May 2005, 14:05

  • EDS moves to profit in Q1

    Only just...

    EDS has beaten expectations for the first quarter ended 31 March 2005 with a profit of $4m compared with a loss of $12m in the same period a year ago. The outsourcing giant brought in revenues of $4.94bn in the three months, five per cent down on last year but at the high end of expectations. Revenue from General Motors, EDS’s …

    Financial News 3 May 2005, 14:08

  • SANS revises Top 20 security vulns list

    The SANS of time

    Bugs in anti-virus scanners and various media players joined flaws in Microsoft and Oracle software products in a list of the 20 most serious vulnerabilities discovered the first quarter of 2005. The list - compiled by the SANS Institute in co-operation with security vendors such as TippingPoint and Qualys - highlights the 20 …

    Security 3 May 2005, 14:11

  • Police chief withstands spam blitz

    We know where you live

    Greater Manchester's top policeman was deluged with thousands of junk mails last week in an apparent attempt to disrupt police communications. At the peak of the assault on 28 April, GMP Chief Constable Michael Todd was receiving 2,000 spam messages an hour, the BBC reports. Some of these messages came from someone who claimed …

    Security 3 May 2005, 14:12

  • Juniper and Avaya team up against Cisco

    Many hands make faster networks

    Juniper Networks and Avaya have signed a joint development pact that will see the two networking firms pool their efforts to fight market leader Cisco Systems. The deal, announced yesterday but yet to be signed, will see the two companies resell each other's products and services. This expands upon an existing relationship that …

    Data Networking 3 May 2005, 14:14

  • Nortel earnings slide 75 per cent

    'Stabilised the business'

    Troubled telecom equipment maker Nortel has posted a 75 per cent drop in profit in its fourth quarter. The Canadian-based company's delayed fourth quarter earnings come as it gradually gets its books back in order after an accounting scandal that led to several restated results, a regulatory investigation and the firing of a …

    Financial News 3 May 2005, 14:24

  • Silicon Valley computer thieves sentenced

    Operation Matrix nets nine

    Operation Matrix, which uncovered $480m in stolen hardware and software, is ending this week with the sentencing of the final two defendants. In all nine people have been imprisoned as a result of the huge undercover operation which ran from 1999. The FBI worked with local law officers to recover the property and make arrests. …

    The Channel 3 May 2005, 15:15

  • eBay enters Poland

    Poranny Polska!

    eBay started its eastward expansion on Friday when it opened a Polish version of its online auction site. Poland is seen as the best economy of the countries which joined the EC last year. Local listings will be available in Polish and priced in Zlotys. Users will also have access to eBay’s worldwide list of buyers and sellers …

    Financial News 3 May 2005, 15:17

  • Gateway cuts Q1 losses to $5m

    'On track'

    Gateway has reported a net loss of $5m on revenue of $838m for the first quarter of 2005, buoyed by strong sales from its notebook business. It says the loss includes restructuring, transformation and integration expenses of $8m. Sales of PCs decreased around 12 per cent, when the figures are adjusted to account for last March' …

    Financial News 3 May 2005, 15:21

  • AMD cheers govt calls to end 'single-vendor' IT tenders

    But too much carrot, not enough stick?

    AMD has applauded moves made by the Japanese, US and French governments to block vendor-specific technology procurement contracts. Last month, the US Office of Management and Budget asked all senior governmental procurement staff to use objective benchmarks and performance measures for contract specifications, and adhere to the …

    System Builder 3 May 2005, 15:50

  • Qwest posts flat revs

    Shame about MCI, though

    Qwest - the US telco that lost out in the bidding war to acquire MCI - reported positive net income for the first three months of the year boosted by the sale of its wireless business in Q1. Operating revenues were down one per cent from $3.48bn in Q1 2004 to $3.45bn in Q1 2005. Over the same period Qwest turned a net loss of $ …

    Broadband 3 May 2005, 16:00

  • Cornice to stop making 1-2GB 1in HDDs

    Seagate drops Trade Commission complaint - but not legal challenge

    Hard drive developer Cornice has settled its legal spat with rival vendor Seagate, the company revealed to its customers yesterday. But it comes at the cost of the company's 1in 1, 1.5 and 2GB Storage Element products. According to a mailing sent to Cornice's Asian customers, and seen by The Register, Cornice will cease to …

    Peripherals 3 May 2005, 16:03

  • Verisign and .net: a winner all the way

    Analysis Deeply flawed

    ICANN skewed the process to select a new owner for the .net registry in favour of incumbent owner VeriSign. Our in-depth investigation into the process, which has proved highly controversial since a final report gave the six-year contract to VeriSign, has revealed that ICANN: Unilaterally added judging criteria requested by …

    Financial News 3 May 2005, 16:24

  • Opera downloads reach 2m

    Let's have an Aria to celebrate

    More than two million copies of Opera version 8 have been downloaded since it was launched two weeks ago, the company says. The figures include downloads on all platforms and in all languages. English language downloads predominate, as you might expect, with 1.3m of the 2m total, while downloads of the German version of the …

    Software 3 May 2005, 16:27

  • Veritas gets unusual services boost in Q1

    Tepid software sales

    A surge in services revenue carried Veritas to a strong first quarter. This will likely be the last period in which the storage software maker reports as a standalone company with Symantec waiting to close its buy of the firm. Veritas pulled in $559m in revenue during the quarter - a 15 per cent year-over-rise from $486m in …

    Financial News 3 May 2005, 20:49