16th June 2005 Archive

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Red Hat salutes Opteron with dual-core happy update

Memory leaks take beating

Red Hat has embraced the dual-core age with an update to its server operating system that works with the latest processors from AMD and Intel. The software maker detailed Update 1 to Enterprise Linux 4 in a mailing list post put out last week. Along with dual-core support, Red Hat added a better "disk dump capability," a new IA …

Servers 16 Jun 2005, 00:36
Your fingerprints are everywhere

Comment The library, Disneyland, Lady Liberty...

How much do you trust your government? That's a question that all of us have to ask, perhaps the more often the better. In 1787, Thomas Jefferson, one of the founders of the United States and its third President, wrote to Abigail Adams sentences that may seem incredible to many people today: "The spirit of resistance to …

ID 16 Jun 2005, 09:37
AOL faces $200m lawsuit

Alleged patent infringement

AOL is facing a $200m lawsuit for alleged patent infringement. Inventor Judah Klausner claims the internet giant's voice services platform - which includes AOL Voicemail, AOL Call Alert, AOL by Phone and AOL VOIP Internet Phone Service - infringes his company's US Patent, number 5,572,576. Klausner's company - Klausner …

Telecoms 16 Jun 2005, 09:40
Rambus counter sues Samsung

Memory maker added to 2004 antitrust complaint

Rambus has added Samsung to the list of companies it accuses of colluding to harm it, the memory technology developer said yesterday. The move marks the latest stage in an escalating conflict between the two companies after they failed to agree on how to extend the DDR licence Samsung had already signed with Rambus. Rambus has …

Financial News 16 Jun 2005, 09:54
AMD ponders next fab site

Market share goals force capacity boost

AMD is deciding where to build its next fab, with an expansion of the chip maker's Dresden facility seen as the most likely candidate. Company CEO Hector Ruiz said last week at AMD's analyst conference that further fab capacity was going to be needed soon, a point he re-iterated this week in an interview with German newspaper …

PCs 16 Jun 2005, 09:58
Nvidia 'prunes prices' to boost demand

Quiet period

Expect Nvidia-based graphics cards to get cheaper as price cuts said to have been made by the chip maker filter through to board prices. According to sources from Taiwan's graphics card manufacturing community, cited by DigiTimes, Nvidia recently trimmed the prices of its GeForce 6600, 6200, FX5200 and MX4000 series, by between …

Peripherals 16 Jun 2005, 10:00
International child abuse database plans take shape

A G8 idea

The world's richest countries plan to create a worldwide register of paedophiles to help police stamp out child abuse. The proposed international child sexual exploitation database, which would store images of offenders and abused children, is expected to receive the green light at a meeting of G8 justice and home affairs …

Music and Media 16 Jun 2005, 10:08
Oil costs force 10% DVD±R price rise

Plastic prices harden

Recordable DVDs are likely to become more expensive in coming months as rising oil prices push up plastic costs. At issue is the cost of optical-grade polycarbonate, the material used to protect the data-storage layers within DVD+R and DVD-R discs. The material's average price dropped to around $3.2 per kg back in April, …

Peripherals 16 Jun 2005, 10:39
Tiscali UK extends distie deal with W H Smith

It's as interesting as that

Tiscali UK has extended a distribution deal with high street newsagent and stationers W H Smith. The pair first signed a distie deal with Smiths stocking Tiscali CDs back in 2003, but that partnership has now been extended until 2007. The "exclusive" offer available at the moment includes 1 Meg broadband (with a 2 gig a month …

Telecoms 16 Jun 2005, 10:40
Inflight mobile calls - it's going to happen

Unfriendly skies

Ericsson has launched a system to provide in-flight mobile phone services ahead of a widely-anticipated end to the ban on calls during commercial flights The new Ericsson RBS 2708 base station functions like any other terrestrially-based mobile phone station and will allow passengers to place and receive calls when at cruising …

Mobile 16 Jun 2005, 11:01
Intel to add memory controllers to future Xeons, Itanics

How to make one chipset support IA-32 and IA-64 CPUs

Intel is to follow AMD's lead and integrate memory controllers onto its x86 server processors, computer maker SGI has claimed. Speaking to reporters this week, SGI's Senior VP and CTO, Eng Lim Goh, said the unified chipset will also see the memory controller moved from its traditional North Bridge location and onto the …

Servers 16 Jun 2005, 11:25
Corporates focus on basics for IT security defences

They don't believe the hype

IT departments in large organizations still see firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention, and anti-virus software as priority security defences despite recent hype about newer more exotic security technologies and threats, according to a survey by analysts Gartner. "Organisations are more concerned about viruses and worms …

Security 16 Jun 2005, 12:01
Nanotech at risk from silence on safety

Start talking, people

Nanotechnology is in danger of being pigeonholed as a risky, hazardous and controversial business, a new study has found, because companies in the emerging field are not tackling the very real health and safety issues involved. In a report published this week, research and advisory firm Lux Research noted that the science of …

Science 16 Jun 2005, 12:09
eBayers banned for wrecking Live 8 ticket auctions

Remind us, what's Live 8 about?

eBay's PR nightmare continues to rumble on as it emerged the auction site has banned bidders who deliberately sabotaged auctions for Live 8 tickets. The auction giant had decided to ban the sale of the charity gig tickets following pressure from Bob Geldof. But not before Saint Bob unleashed a verbal onslaught effectively …

Financial News 16 Jun 2005, 12:14
ATI quietly launches Radeon X550

Info-Tek loudly lauches X550-based boards

ATI's Radeon X550 chip doesn't appear on the company's website, but that hasn't stopped Taiwanese vendor Info-Tek announcing a pair of graphics cards based on the part. A mention of the X550 has also been found lurking in ATI's latest Catalyst driver, 5.6, verifying that it's a genuine ATI product. The driver reveals the X550 …

Peripherals 16 Jun 2005, 12:17
Shuttle XPC SN25P barebones SFF PC

Review Nice looks, shame about the internals?

Shuttle's latest small form-factor barebones is certainly a stylish box. The light blue metallic and black front shows Shuttle's usual attention to design. The blue bits hide the drives and the front ports, which might or might not be to your liking, writes Lars-Goran Nilsson. Internally, the SN25P is very similar to the …

Reviews 16 Jun 2005, 13:14
Heineken pops the top on free music downloads

Brews'n'tunes

Dutch brewer Heineken, whose beer once famously refreshed the parts other beers couldn't reach, is to give away music downloads. The tracks comes courtesy of UK digital music pioneer Wippit. Packs of the brewer's four-packs and six-packs, and its 24-bottle boxes branded with the World Gigs label all contain a download code. …

Financial News 16 Jun 2005, 13:19
UK under cyber blitz

Far East Trojan attack targets 'commercial and economic' secrets

Hackers are targeting British workers with a series of specially crafted Trojan horse attacks. The attacks are delivered either through email attachments or through links to maliciously-constructed websites, the UK's National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC) warned on Thursday. Approximately 300 UK …

Security 16 Jun 2005, 13:44
IBM grows Tivoli with Isogon

Nice little earner

IBM is fleshing out its Tivoli management suite to tackle regulatory compliance and license tracking on legacy systems with the acquisition of Isogon Corp. The deal, announced Thursday, will integrate Isogon's software use and tracking system for mainframes with IBM's Linux, Unix and Windows management suite. Isogon is a …

IT Director 16 Jun 2005, 13:51
Master Windows Server 2003 security

Site Offer Save 30% on 'must have' guides

If you're a working Windows administrator, security is your #1 challenge. Now there's a single-source reference you can rely on for authoritative, independent help with every Windows Server security feature, tool, and option: Windows Server 2003 Security Renowned Windows security expert Roberta Bragg has brought together …

Site News 16 Jun 2005, 13:52
Pay to play with Microsoft's Indigo

Now, about that license

Open source developers porting Microsoft's Indigo and Avalon subsystems for Windows to Linux or Unix will have to go through Microsoft before getting their hands on Windows APIs and protocols. Microsoft has confirmed developers planning to clone Indigo or Avalon will have to first engage in talks on licensing the company's …

Operating Systems 16 Jun 2005, 14:42
Liberty, UGC complete merger

As expected

Cable TV giant Liberty Media International, Inc. (LMI) and broadband outfit UnitedGlobalCom, Inc. (UGC) have completed the merger they agreed earlier this year. The deal was closed yesterday with an overwhelming majority of shareholders voting in favour of the merger. As a result of the deal, Liberty Global has become the new …

Telecoms 16 Jun 2005, 14:54
Home automation players lock horns...

...and garage doors, fridges, windows

This week, two wireless home automation technology groups held showcase events in two different Nordic capitals. And their products both begin with a ‘Z’. Both companies sell low power radio networks cheap enough to install all over your house. Yesterday ZigBee alliance showcased its products in Oslo, attended by Ethernet …

Mobile 16 Jun 2005, 15:08
NetApp secures future with $272m Decru buy

Encrypted vision

Looking to add more muscle to its compliance pitch, Network Appliance has picked up secure storage specialist Decru for $272m. The deal gives NetApp a strong maker of encryption appliances that can plug into storage networks using more traditional direct attached products or complex NAS (network attached storage) and SAN ( …

Storage 16 Jun 2005, 15:12
Intermix offers NY's Spitzer $7.5m to settle adware suit

'We did you no wrong'

Web marketing outfit Intermix has agreed to pay $7.5m over three years to settle an adware lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Eliot 'The Blitzer' Spitzer. Under the terms of a tentative agreement, Intermix agrees never to distribute adware again. Intermix - which admits no wrongdoing in the proposed settlement - …

Music and Media 16 Jun 2005, 15:17
Reg Readers on Collaboration

Reg Reader Studies IM is hot, video conferencing is definitely not

Yet again, The Register readers have helped us bust through some of the hype that exists in the industry. Over 3,400 of you responded to the last reader survey on collaboration and some of things you told us were pretty interesting. Firstly, the obvious stuff. Not surprisingly, e-mail was regarded as a business critical …

Reg Technology Panel 16 Jun 2005, 15:40
Enter Avalanche: P2P filesharing from Microsoft

Doo-da-da-da...doo-da-da-da

Researchers at Microsoft's computer science lab in Cambridge have developed a peer-to-peer filesharing system that they say overcomes the scheduling problems associated with existing distribution protocols such as Bit Torrent. The researchers claim download times are between 20-30 per cent faster, using their network coding …

Data Networking 16 Jun 2005, 15:51
Pipex offers voice bundle

'Switch from BT without any fuss'

Pipex is offering its broadband punters the option of making 3,000 minutes worth of calls a month for just an extra £5 a month. The deal "creates substantial savings over similar services from BT" claims Pipex as well as offering cheaper calls to mobiles and overseas numbers. Pipex Talk is expected to be made available from …

Telecoms 16 Jun 2005, 15:56
US postpones biometric passport plan - again

But you better have a damn good plan

The US government has again pushed back the date by which biometric information must be included in passports of foreigners visiting the country. Countries with US visa waiver agreements are no longer required to issue their citizens with passports using chips that store biological information by 26 October, 2005. Instead, …

ID 16 Jun 2005, 16:00
Dell 'happy' to ship Mac OS X-based PCs

If Apple will ever let him...

Michael Dell would like to license Mac OS X and ship it with future PC products, the Dell founder and chairman has revealed. It's not likely to happen any time soon, of course - Apple CEO Steve Jobs has already said it's not something he wants to do for now - but according to name-dropping Fortune online columnist David …

Mac Channel 16 Jun 2005, 16:07
AOL rebuts zombie network slur

Mr Clean

AOL has described a report which brands it as running the most zombie infected network on the internet as "meaningless" because it fails to take into account its large user base. Security firm Prolexic reports that AOL was the biggest single source of DDoS attacks over the last six months, accounting for 11.3 per cent of attacks …

Enterprise Security 16 Jun 2005, 17:18
Inflight mobile calls by 2006?

I'M IN FIRST CLASS

Boeing's Connexion business unit expects to sell mobile phone services to travelers as early as next year, despite resistance from passengers. Connexion president Laurette Koellner is reported to have said his company will offer services once regulatory and "social" issues have been ironed out. Connexion already provides in- …

Mobile 16 Jun 2005, 17:23
'Patriot' Act may get partially declawed

Library records protected by House

The US House of Representatives passed a measure curtailing the federal government's access to library and book shop records by a 238-187 vote on Wednesday. US Representative Bernie Sanders (Independent, Vermont) sponsored an amendment to the House Justice Subcommittee appropriations bill. The amendment prevents the US …

Bootnotes 16 Jun 2005, 18:47