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13th July 2005 Archive

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  • MS wants to Pimp My Raid array

    It's a war on complexity, explains Andy Lees

    Microsoft’s server operations are going well – this year it stuck its nose in front of its Unix rivals for the first time ever. November sees the next phase of this world domination bid, with a raft of innovations to make the care and maintenance of Windows servers less of a headache. So, the Reg caught up with Andy Lees, …

    Software 13 Jul 2005, 05:02

  • BT hires Page 3 girl to plug VoIP

    'Sexy pictures for a sexy product' apparently

    BT has hired Page 3 stunner Michelle Marsh to plug its PC-based VoIP product BT Communicator. The piccies of the busty blonde - in suspenders, high heels and with her 32FF breasts barely contained - were first shown in Nuts magazine before being picked up by The Sun. Of course, this isn't the first time Michelle has dabbled …

    Broadband 13 Jul 2005, 06:02

  • DataViz ships RoadSync for Palm

    Treo users targeted

    DataViz has begun shipping the Palm version of its RoadSync mobile data application, the company said today. The arrival of the Palm release, pitched at Palm's Treo 600 and Treo 650 smart phone products, follows the launch earlier this month of a version for Symbian-based devices running the UIQ user interface, such as Sony …

    Mobile 13 Jul 2005, 07:02

  • Cassini films Hyperion in orbit

    The space opera continues

    The latest snaps to come back from the Cassini mission are of Hyperion, one of the smaller of Saturn's many moons. The NASA spacecraft took a sequence of 25 images over around two-and-a-half days and built up a short movie of the moon as it tumbled along on its elliptical orbit. The moon is an irregular shape, but is …

    Science 13 Jul 2005, 08:52

  • How the US military chivvied up Microsoft

    Look sharp!

    Divine intervention, or simply a divine coincidence? Long suffering Tablet PC users weary of unscheduled reboots didn't mind too much last week. Over a year after it came to light, and months after we highlighted the issue, Microsoft finally issued a patch for the memory leak that caused the problem. One pundit called it "the …

    Operating Systems 13 Jul 2005, 08:59

  • Autonomy boss calls for grown-up immigration policy

    Current system bad for everyone

    The chief executive of Autonomy Mike Lynch has called on the British government to sort out its "crazy" and "parochial" immigration policy. Speaking to delegates at the Commonwealth Technology Forum Lynch said the UK's IT economy would be damaged unless the best and brightest people could be recruited. He said the age of …

    Management 13 Jul 2005, 09:33

  • EU moots criminal penalties for IP infringement

    Tables new directive

    The European Union is proposing new criminal penalties for counterfeiting and piracy in the region. Yesterday, the Commission adopted proposals for a new directive that would "align national criminal law", it said, and would make it easier for countries to cooperate in investigating and prosecuting counterfeiting and piracy …

    Media 13 Jul 2005, 10:01

  • Fujitsu creates 'first' colour, non-volatile e-paper

    Flexible friend

    Fujitsu has developed what it claims is the world's first electronic paper that can be flexed, can display colour images and can do so when the power is turned off. The key to Fujitsu's e-paper is a film substrate that's sufficiently flexible to allow the paper to be bent, but rugged enough to prevent the image from distorting …

    Peripherals 13 Jul 2005, 10:11

  • Vonage calls for 'naked DSL'

    Line rental charges too high

    Vonage is calling on BT to cut the cost of telephone line rental branding the charge "unfair". It claims people should be able to take just a DSL line without having to pay for a telephone service as well. The broadband telephony outfit wants "naked DSL" to be available to broadband users so they can choose to subscribe to a …

    Broadband 13 Jul 2005, 10:18

  • Lizard Army Neo-Mech menaces eBay

    Buy it Now! Then die

    We at the neoLuddite Resistance Army (NRA) know that the Lizard Alliance - bent on the subjugation of humanity via technology - have in the last two years adopted a variety of approaches to ensure that the only gambolling through meadows our children do in years to come is while being pursued by mephistopholean French …

    Science 13 Jul 2005, 10:29

  • US visas going begging

    Who wants to move the land of the free?

    More than half the extra H1-B visas which were made available by the US government have not been taken up by anyone. H1-B visas are non-resident six year working visas for highly-qualified people - many IT workers are employed under H1-B visas. The annual limit is for 65,000 visas but this year an extra 20,000 were offered. …

    Management 13 Jul 2005, 10:31

  • Three critical fixes in MS July security update

    Get those peril-sensitive sunglasses on standby

    It's that time of the month again. Microsoft's patch bandwagon rolled into town yesterday loaded with three critical updates. The updates aim to fix a vulnerability found in the Color Management Module of Windows that could allow remote code execution (MS05-036) and a security bug in JView Profiler (MS05-037) that might be used …

    Security 13 Jul 2005, 10:35

  • Apple updates Mac OS X Tiger

    Version 10.4.2 available

    Apple has released Mac OS X 10.4.2, the latest version of its 'Tiger' operating system. The update - made available as a standalone installer alongside the version accessed through the System Preferences pane, Software Update - addresses dozens of issues with the core operating system and the applications Apple bundles with it …

    Mac Channel 13 Jul 2005, 10:49

  • UK EU presidency aims for Europe-wide biometric ID card

    Here's a blueprint we prepared earlier...

    The UK is using its Presidency of the Council of the European Union to push for the adoption of biometric ID cards and associated standards across the whole of the EU. In a proposal issued on Monday (11th July), the UK calls for the drafting of "common standards for national identity cards taking into account the achievements in …

    Media 13 Jul 2005, 11:01

  • ICANN Blog: Fear and redemption

    Have I really only been here three days?

    I’m in Luxembourg attending the 23rd ICANN conference in a big tin can in the sun. I spoke to someone from the outside world last night and was surprised to find I’d only been here two days. After another day in the can, I may have to call them back to make sure it’s now only three. How could I have written two blogs and not …

    Media 13 Jul 2005, 11:12

  • Samsung mass produces 667MHz DDR 2 chips

    Apparently unworried by Rambus' lawsuit

    Samsung has begun shipping 667MHz DDR 2 SDRAM chips, and claimed it was the first memory maker to mass-produce this type of memory. The South Korean giant is offering 256Mb and 512Mb devices now, with a 1Gb part due later this year. The chips are fabbed at 90nm, it said. According to market watcher iSuppli, DDR 2 sales …

    PCs 13 Jul 2005, 11:15

  • The definitive guide to Unix system programming

    Site offer Classic tome at 30% off

    For over a decade, serious C programmers have relied on one book for practical, in-depth knowledge of the programming interfaces that drive the UNIX and Linux kernels: W. Richard Stevens' Advanced Programming in the UNIX® Environment. Now, Stevens' colleague Stephen Rago has thoroughly updated this classic to reflect the latest …

    Site News 13 Jul 2005, 11:17

  • Beware the breast-examining hand of death

    Trust me, I'm a robodoc

    One of the truly terrifying aspects of the Rise of the Machines™ is how successful the Lizard Army has been in taking control of top-flight educational establishments. We recently reported on extraterrestrial activity at Cornell University - home of the self-replicating apocalypse cube - and correctly identified Japan's Tohoku …

    Science 13 Jul 2005, 11:32

  • Leave hacker scum to rot, says MP

    Porridge for hackers

    Glasgow South MP Tom Harris used a Ten Minute Rule Bill yesterday to push for big increases in maximum sentences for those convicted of hacking and denial of service attacks. Harris believes existing legislation is out of date and inaccurate and that sentences do not reflect the seriousness of offences. Harris wants to create …

    Media 13 Jul 2005, 11:53

  • Doctors and technology: do they mix?

    Sometimes...

    A study of the impact of technology on doctor-patient relations in the US has found that having a computer in a doctor's surgery widens the gap between the good and bad communicators in the US medical profession. The research was carried out by medical sociologists at the University of Indiana. They analysed 54 patient visits …

    Policy 13 Jul 2005, 11:54

  • Firefox update completes busy patching day

    It's raining security updates

    Firefox users are urged to update their web browser software following the discovery of a slew of security vulnerabilities. Version 1.0.5 of the popular web browser addresses nine security bugs while also incorporating stability improvements. Security notification service Secunia rates the cross-platform update as "highly …

    Security 13 Jul 2005, 12:47

  • UK is a booming digital nation

    Fantastic

    Digital services are booming in Britain, according to research from regulator Ofcom. Everywhere you look, people are hooking up to broadband, switching on digital TV, listening to DAB radio and chatting using mobile and VoIP technology. The UK is a walking talking digital nation with consumers and businesses "adopting digital …

    Broadband 13 Jul 2005, 13:22

  • Ebbers faces jail for WorldCom fraud

    Sentence due today

    Bernie Ebbers is due to be sentenced today for masterminding the $11bn (£5.8bn) fraud at US telco WorldCom. In March he was found guilty on all charges related to the massive accounting fraud that brought the telecoms giant to its knees. Following eight days of deliberation, a Manhattan federal jury returned guilty verdicts on …

    Financial News 13 Jul 2005, 13:46

  • UN report to leave ICANN’s balls intact

    But wider public policy hopes stymied

    A sneak preview of the UN’s report into internet governance has revealed that ICANN will retain its position as the lead technical body for the Internet. However, the organisation’s dreams of becoming a quasi-governmental body overseeing the future of the internet have been dealt a heavy blow. Chairman of the UN’s Working Group …

    Media 13 Jul 2005, 14:37

  • Could blogging spread computer worms?

    Definitely maybe

    Could RSS feeds become a conduit for the transmission of computer worms? Security experts are at odds over the possibility. Those who play down the threat point to the fact that no virus has ever used the propagation technique while others say it's only when a network reaches critical mass (as in the case of instant message and …

    Security 13 Jul 2005, 15:12

  • Local action will heal digital divide

    Analysis An emerging consensus?

    Recognising that development must be "of the people, by the people and for the people" is the best way to help poorer nations, Bangladeshi entrepreneur Iqbal Quadir told delegates at the TEDGlobal conference in Oxford today. Rather than giving aid, he says local technological development is what is needed, arguing that …

    Media 13 Jul 2005, 15:48

  • Return to flight: the countdown begins

    Three....two...one...

    The Space Shuttle Discovery is set to return to the skies this evening, with its lift-off scheduled for 8:51pm, UK time from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida's Cape Canaveral. Last week it looked like the launch might be delayed by the approaching Hurricane Dennis, but by the weekend, the outlook was much improved. There …

    Science 13 Jul 2005, 15:51

  • eBay runs on Sun's servers and IBM's URLs

    Auction at the speed of oversight

    Ebay can't whore out its front page fast enough with the company making an embarrassing gaffe as its transitioned ads from IBM to Sun Microsystems. Many of you will have noticed the "Powered By" logo that appears on eBay's homepage. It typically has a well-known server vendor inserted in that slot. What many of you probably …

    Bootnotes 13 Jul 2005, 16:15

  • Phlooding attack could leave enterprises high and dry

    Genesis of a threat

    You've got to hand it to the IT security industry for its ability to coin new and impressive sounding terms for security threats. Hot on the hells of WiPhishing and Evil Twins comes the latest buzz word for wireless Lan security: phlooding. Phlooding involves a "group of simultaneous but geographically distributed attacks that …

    Security 13 Jul 2005, 16:36

  • Ebbers jailed for 25 years

    So long Bernie

    Bernie Ebbers has been sentenced to 25 years behind bars for his part in the $11bn (£5.8bn) fraud at US telco WorldCom, accordng to AP. The sentence was handed down today by Judge Barbara Jones in New York. Prosecutors had pressed for Ebbers, 63, to be jailed for life for orchestrating what they called "the largest securities …

    Financial News 13 Jul 2005, 16:41

  • Are you trying to be funny? If so check [ ] this box

    The return of the irony tag

    After ten years of the net, few amongst us have yet to realize that computer networks can be a lousy communication medium. Against all the good things that we've gained - such as the disappearance of physical distance, traversed by very slow moving postal workers - we must stack up the losses. And top of that list is the fact …

    Media 13 Jul 2005, 19:58

  • Fox deceives millions during national pastime

    Faux fuddlement

    Fox Sports and Chevy teamed yesterday to deceive millions of people during the Major League Baseball All-Star game. They did such a good job of it that many of you viewing probably didn't even notice. As Fox came back from a commercial break in the bottom half of the third inning, many viewers caught sight of a very long, …

    Media 13 Jul 2005, 20:20

  • Apple profits, revenue up again

    But next quarter flatlines

    "I haven't seen a flat-to-down quarter predicted since September 11. I don't understand," an analyst remarked during Apple's earnings conference call today. "Did sales fall off to make it so conservative?" Well, no. As Apple posted higher than expected third quarter earnings, including record numbers of PowerBook and iPod sales …

    Mac Channel 13 Jul 2005, 22:26