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28th June 2005 Archive

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  • Gates talks, but can't walk, his Tablet PC pledge

    Severity:High Priority:Low

    In a joint press conference with Toshiba today, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has again pledged his support for the Tablet PC. It's a pet project of his and despite lacklustre sales so far - it might break through a million sales in this, its third year - he's keen to see it succeed. "We need to keep investing, both in the …

    PCs 28 Jun 2005, 01:45

  • Sun opens more middleware source, plots Java future

    JavaOne But where's the money?

    Sun Microsystems has released more code from its middleware stack, including elements of an integration standard built for Service Oriented Architectures (SOAs). Sun is releasing its Java System Application Server Platform Edition 9.0 and the Java System Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) under the Common Development and Distribution …

    Developer 28 Jun 2005, 02:05

  • Indian call centre security breach: man admits guilt

    'Didn't know what was on CD'

    The man who sold a CD containing the confidential details of 1,000 British bank accounts to an undercover reporter says he did not know what it contained. The Sun reported last week that the details were obtained by corrupt workers at call centres in India. According to Reuters, Karan Bahree, 24, from New Dehli, admitted his …

    Security 28 Jun 2005, 07:16

  • Where's the threat?

    Comment And other security fairytales

    Goldilocks was very tired by this time, so she went upstairs to the bedroom. She lay down in the first bed, but it was too hard. Then she lay in the second bed, but it was too soft. Then she lay down in the third bed and it was just right. Goldilocks fell asleep. I'm sure everyone remembers the story of Goldilocks and the three …

    Security 28 Jun 2005, 07:50

  • Norway says yes to Open Source

    No more proprietary formats

    The Norwegian minister for modernisation (nice job title) says the government will no longer accept the use of proprietary formats. Without mentioning Microsoft, or anyone else, directly, Morten Andreas Meyer said: “Proprietary formats will no longer be acceptable in communication between citizens and government.” He referred …

    Software 28 Jun 2005, 07:52

  • EC waves through Avnet's Memec takeover

    'Relatively small'

    The European Commission last week cleared Avnet's proposed £676m takeover of Memec. The Commission notes that Avnet takes a leading position in semiconductor distribution within the European Economic Area (EEA) with the acquisition. But it says that Memec is relatively small and that competitors - particularly Arrow, the …

    Channel Register 28 Jun 2005, 08:54

  • Micron hails WTO Hynix ruling

    US 1: South Korean 0

    The World Trade Organisation has overturned an earlier ruling that the US was wrong to impose punitive duties on Hynix, the Korean memory maker. Following a complaint in 2002 from Micron, the US’s sole DRAM maker, the Department of Commerce ruled that Hynix had received illegal state subsidies – via local banks - in 2000 and …

    Channel Register 28 Jun 2005, 09:39

  • KPN mops up Telfort

    Former O2 sub

    KPN is boosting its Dutch mobile business with the acquisition of Telfort for around €980m on a debt and cash-free basis. This means that the current owners will get $80m and whatever cash is slurping around Telfort's sales ledger and bank accounts - the company has debts of €900m. KPN could pay up to €140m more for the business …

    Mobile 28 Jun 2005, 10:06

  • AMD files anti-trust suit against Intel

    AMD vs Intel Bing-bong, bing-bong

    AMD has filed an anti-trust complaint against Intel, accusing the firm of unlawfully maintaining its market position by making it difficult for people to do business with AMD. The suit was filed yesterday in a federal district court in Delaware, and lists 38 firms AMD says have been victims of coercion. The complaint alleges …

    Channel Register 28 Jun 2005, 10:07

  • £6.5m phishing duo jailed

    Sprats

    An American who masterminded the UK part of a multi-million pound ID theft scam was yesterday jailed for six years. Douglas Havard, 24, was sentenced on Monday at Leeds Crown Court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to launder money. His accomplice, Lee Elwood, 25, of Glasgow, was jailed for four years …

    Spam 28 Jun 2005, 11:00

  • CA's Clarke chills in the City

    It's all going swimmingly, honest

    Computer Associates' operating officer, Jeff Clarke, was in town today to mop the fevered brows of investors who have stuck with the company during the US fraud investigations. Clarke has twenty years experience in the industry, most recently at HP and Compaq - he joined CA early last year. He told us what it took to get the …

    Applications 28 Jun 2005, 12:10

  • Super calculators make maths super-easy

    Oh boy...

    Researchers at the University of Swansea have come up with a new interface for pocket calculators that they say will make it even easier for people to solve difficult sums. Instead of having to work out which order to input numbers, users of the prototype device need only transcribe the calculation as it appears on paper, and …

    Science 28 Jun 2005, 12:16

  • Sun tries to SeeBeyond hardware with $387m buy

    Gets its EAI on

    Sun Microsystems finally made the big software acquisition everyone was looking for when it purchased SeeBeyond for $387m in cash this morning. The move means Sun has finally grabbed an established enterprise software maker. SeeBeyond specializes in the elusive enterprise application integration (EAI) market - a category full …

    Applications 28 Jun 2005, 12:55

  • First of 15,000 German warez buyers brought to court

    Only 14,999 to go

    The state prosecutor's office of Mühlhausen in Germany has started criminal proceedings against the first of up to 15,000 users who, according to the German society for the pursuit of copyright infringements, have knowingly paid for illegal content on the internet. It is one of the biggest cases of Internet piracy and illegal …

    Music and Media 28 Jun 2005, 13:33

  • Legal row after police seize Bristol Indymedia server

    History repeating

    Police seized a server used by Indymedia, the independent newsgathering collective, from the Bristol home of a member of the group after issuing a search warrant on Monday. The raid is the second time within the last year that an Indymedia server has been seized in the UK. Officers also took the unnamed Bristol collective …

    Music and Media 28 Jun 2005, 13:44

  • Smart handhelds are dumb security risk

    Survey shows risks

    Nearly half of UK businesses do not secure smart handheld devices to the same high level they secure laptop computers. Researchers from Quocirca found increasing use of connected devices but few businesses taking action to secure data or access to the machines. Network managers understand the risk of such devices - they are …

    Mobile 28 Jun 2005, 13:48

  • BT hooks up with MS for broadband TV

    Pass the remote

    BT is to begin trials of video-on-demand (VoD) via broadband early next year ahead of a full commercial launch scheduled for summer 2006. Viewers will be able to watch regular TV programmes via a set-top box (STB) and an aerial, while additional content will also be available for download via a broadband connection that is then …

    Telecoms 28 Jun 2005, 14:07

  • Computacenter expects full year profits shortfall

    Pressure on as Q2 closes

    Computacenter expects profits for the full year will be substantially below market estimates. The reseller and services giant said overall group sales for the first half will be around 10 per cent down from the previous year, adding “the final sales outcome will rely heavily on the last few days of the quarter.” The shortfall …

    Financial News 28 Jun 2005, 14:55

  • Galileo concession will be shared

    Good ideas from both bidders

    The administrative body behind the European satellite navigation system, Galileo, has asked the two groups that had been competing to run the system to join forces and handle the project together. The deal gives the groups, iNavSat and Eurely, the right to operate the satellite network for the next 20 years, and entitles them …

    Science 28 Jun 2005, 15:03

  • Sony stops PSP sales in UK

    Court injunction

    Sony has won an injunction to stop a one-man band reseller from flogging imported Playstation portables. Sony Computer Entertainment won an interim injunction to stop online retailer ElectricBirdLand from infringing its trademarks and selling PSPs. ElectricBirdLand, run by Dan Morelle, has 28 days to prepare a defence and will …

    Consoles 28 Jun 2005, 15:12

  • Severed undersea cable cuts off Pakistan

    Kiwi water rats to blame?

    Telecoms, data and internet services have gone titsup in Pakistan after an undersea cable developed a fault. The cable appears to have been severed some 35km (20m) off the Karachi coast leaving the country effectively cut off. And there are fears it could be up to two weeks before a ship capable of repairing the damage can …

    Telecoms 28 Jun 2005, 15:16

  • NASA hacker jailed

    Half of Deceptive Duo sent to the Big House

    A US man was jailed for four months last week after he was convicted of hacking into US government computers and defacing web sites. Robert Lyttle, 21, of Pleasant Hill, near San Francisco, was also ordered to pay damages of approximately $72,000 and to serve three year probation after his release from federal prison. The first …

    Enterprise Security 28 Jun 2005, 15:23

  • Apple pushes Podcasts through iTunes

    Devils seen dancing in details

    "Podcasting goes mainstream", announced Apple on Tuesday, with the launch of version 4.9 of its iTunes music jukebox software - at the same time as upgrading and simplifying its iPod (but not iPod mini) line by giving them all colour screens and the ability to show album cover artwork or photos. The "white iPods" now come in …

    Financial News 28 Jun 2005, 16:02

  • Grokster and ID theft duke it out for your attention

    Letters Combine the two and get outta jail free?

    The Supreme Court ruling that Grokster is responsible for the actions of those that use its software has stirred more that a little discussion online. Readers of El Reg are no quieter than average, and naturally, you start by shouting at us about something: Your pro-file sharing stance is hypocritical. You deny the movie …

    Letters 28 Jun 2005, 16:22

  • Adware firm 180solutions in image makeover

    Call in Trinny and Susannah

    Adware maker 180solutions has embarked on an image makeover with a campaign to notify users that its software is installed on their systems and tips on removing its software. On Tuesday, 180solutions said it had begun "re-notifying its 20m users in a stepped-up effort to educate consumers and ensure each of its customers has …

    Malware 28 Jun 2005, 16:27

  • Can anyone compete with Intel? AMD says, 'No!'

    Analysis Dirty tricks scuppered Opteron's big day

    AMD's antitrust lawsuit against Intel comes as no surprise. While the historical underpinnings for such a suit date back many, many years, the real meat of this controversy swirls around AMD's release of the Opteron processor two years ago. AMD created a faster, cheaper, smarter and more efficient chip, while Intel insisted the …

    Hardware 28 Jun 2005, 19:06

  • Sun makes SOA play with SeeBeyond

    Integration at last

    Sun Microsystems is buying its way into the Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) club dominated by IBM, with the $387m purchase of SeeBeyond Technologies. As part of the deal, announced early Tuesday, SeeBeyond's 60 sales staff will be used to lead Sun's own sales efforts pitching a range of Sun-branded SOA tools and adaptors to …

    Applications 28 Jun 2005, 21:57

  • Eclipse updates platform and projects

    Filthy rich clients too

    The Eclipse Foundation has announced upgrades to its eight projects due during the next 30 days, while delivering updated tools to develop rich client applications. The open source tools project has released Eclipse Platform 3.1, featuring improvements in application development and scalability for the latest Java platforms. …

    Developer 28 Jun 2005, 22:01

  • Of Microsoft, RSS and Longhorn

    Analysis Instant respectability

    We thought we'd let the dust settle before examining Microsoft's announcement that it will incorporate RSS support in Longhorn, and the upcoming IE7 release (in a service pack for XP). Why? Because the haze cast by the conflicting claims and counter-claims means that you're not going to get much sense of what's really …

    Developer 28 Jun 2005, 22:41

  • Compel buys Hire IT for £3m

    Rental defragmentation

    Compel is buying rival IT rental firm The Brewton Group (which trades as Hire IT) for £3m cash from its own resources. For the year to 31 December 2004, Hire IT had rental revenues of £7.3m, operating profits of £300,000 and a loss before tax of £10,000 “after substantial interest payments to some of the owners of the business …

    Channel Register 28 Jun 2005, 23:28