15th July 2005 Archive

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OS/2: dead again

IBM's issues annual end of life notice

On Tuesday, IBM formally announced that it would cease marketing OS/2 at the end of next year. This might cause wry amusement among the operating system's remaining enthusiasts, who maintain that IBM really never started marketing OS/2 in the first place. These death notices are almost an annual occurrence now. IBM ceased …

Operating Systems 15 Jul 2005, 02:01
SCO knew Linux doesn't infringe - memo

2002 audit gave kernel clean bill of health

SCO's CEO Darl McBride was told that the Linux kernel contained no SCO copyright code six months before the company issued its first lawsuit, a memo reveals. An outside consultant Bob Swartz conducted the audit, and on August 13 2002 Caldera's Michael Davidson reported the results. "At the end we found absolutely nothing. Ie …

Operating Systems 15 Jul 2005, 02:03
Microsoft and Claria: together at last?

Comment The sound of spleen venting

I don't get mad too easily, but there's one thing guaranteed to really get me steaming, and that's when someone is lying to me. Right now I'm feeling lied to, and while I could be wrong, I don't think I am. Worse, I don't think I'm the only one who's the victim here. I think virtually all of you are having your chains yanked as …

Malware 15 Jul 2005, 06:02
How much does a security breach actually cost?

Comment And who pays for it?

How much does a security breach actually "cost," and who pays for it? When the breach involves personal information, like credit card data, the answer is, a lot more than you may think. The problem is that the people who "pay" for the cost of the breach are rarely the ones responsible for preventing the breach. A recent …

Enterprise Security 15 Jul 2005, 06:02
Online-only brands 'lack trust'

Says survey from firm which sells over the phone

Despite the convenience of shopping online, nearly two out of three consumers prefer to buy a known and trusted brand that also exists offline, a new study claims. A survey of over 1,000 customers by insurers Direct Line shows even though internet buying is surging in popularity, shoppers still do not trust online-only brands …

Financial News 15 Jul 2005, 06:02
Another pitch to Parliament for Denial of Service law

Slim chance of success

Tom Harris MP presented a bill to Parliament that would amend the UK's 15-year-old cybercrime law to confirm that denial of service attacks are illegal. A similar bill was pitched in March but was defeated by the timetable for the general election. The Labour MP for Glasgow South called for amendments to the Computer Misuse Act …

Enterprise Security 15 Jul 2005, 06:02
ICANN Blog: Food fights and lawyers

Au revoir a Luxembourg

The interview with Chancellor Schroeder, ICANN's behind-the-scenes powerhouse, has been postponed until after the meeting, if at all. A loss as it would be interesting to see what the CFO has to say about the $23-odd million pumped into this organisation. Not only does Ms. Schroeder likely know where the skeletons are, she …

Music and Media 15 Jul 2005, 06:56
Fake press release pumps up the volume

Versatel takeover 'rumours'

There were red-faces in the Dutch financial news sector yesterday after a fake press release touting a major telecoms takeover prompted journalists to post stories and investors to bid up shares in the companies concerned. In the fake release, telecoms giant Versatel and Talpa Capital, the company behind Dutch media tycoon and …

Financial News 15 Jul 2005, 09:26
Rambus reports record revenue

But 'challenge' to forecast future

Rambus last night reported net income of $5.4m (five cents a share) on sales of $40m for the three months to 30 June 2005. The memory technology developer and serial litigator's second quarter revenues were up one percentage point sequentially and up 14 per cent over the year ago quarter's total. Rambus heralded the figure as a …

Financial News 15 Jul 2005, 09:31
Cisco patches security software

Who guards the guards?

Cisco's security software is itself subject to a hazardous security bug. Certain versions of the network giant's desktop and server intrusion prevention client - Cisco Security Agent - are vulnerable to a denial of service attack. Cisco has issued a patch. The vulnerability stems from an error within the packet handling of the …

Enterprise Security 15 Jul 2005, 09:33
BenQ ships first AMD notebook

'No, we won't... er... yes, we will'

BenQ has launched its first AMD-based notebook, although for now the product is destined only for the Taiwanese market. The Joybook R22E-T17 ships with a Mobile Sempron 2600+ processor backed by 256MB of DDR SDRAM, a 40GB hard drive, a 15in display, DVD-ROM drive and 802.11g Wi-Fi. According to a DigiTimes report, the unit is …

PCs 15 Jul 2005, 09:35
Date set for Intel's response to AMD antitrust claims

AMD vs Intel Subpoenas fly

Lawyers from Intel and AMD will meet for an initial court conference in the first week of August, over a month before Intel must file its response to AMD's allegations, court documents seen by The Register reveal. AMD's legal action against its arch-rival, alleging the chip giant engaged in anti-competitive behaviour in …

Financial News 15 Jul 2005, 10:31
Freedom of Information Act 'making a difference' to UK

Info Commissioner pleased with progress

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued new guidelines for the public sector on how to deal with the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and data protection requirements. In the first annual report from the ICO since the FOI Act came into force, the Information Commissioner, Richard Thomas, says that it is already …

Music and Media 15 Jul 2005, 10:44
ISPA wins assurances from Bulldog

Customer service will improve - soon

ISPA - the UK's ISP trade body - has secured assurances from Bulldog that customer service at the broadband ISP is improving after a deluge of customer complaints. ISPA has received so many complaints about the local loop unbundling (LLU) ISP from hacked off punters that it contacted Bulldog a couple of weeks ago. And …

Telecoms 15 Jul 2005, 11:14
Google spots Jesus in Peruvian sand dune

Black helicopter alert Or is it Charles Manson?

There's some very good news today for those readers who do not have the good fortune to live in either the UK or the US of A - you now officially exist according to Google UK. Yup, maps.google.co.uk has now restored those bits of the the globe previously not thought worthy of inclusion in the big map - which was everywhere …

Bootnotes 15 Jul 2005, 11:16
TechnoDepot gets to grips with DNS

Cash'n'Carrion It's a real bind

We know how much you enjoy the excellent range of top-notch apparel produced by those wags down at TechnoDepot, so we're absolutely delighted to announce the immediate availability of their latest offering, the DNS: It's a real bind t-shirt. We're sure we don't need to explain this one to you, our tech-savvy readership, so we' …

Site News 15 Jul 2005, 11:18
Playing video games 'good for your health'

Pain relief

Playing computer games can be good for your health, according to a British boffin. Mark Griffiths, professor of gambling studies at Nottingham Trent University, reckons that research into the effects of playing computer games "is often trivialised". Yet, he believes it should be taken more seriously especially since it can …

Science 15 Jul 2005, 12:25
UK could be a tech giant: report

If only we would stop being so British

The UK has the potential to be an international technology powerhouse, according to analysts at Deloitte, but tough international competition, the risk of an R&D exodus, and a lack of UK-based tech companies means success is "not assured", the firm warns in a report. Old fashioned British reserve could also prove to be a major …

Financial News 15 Jul 2005, 12:32
Androids launch minicab firm

Hard day killing humans? Call a taxi

Here's a poser for hard-working androids: you've just spend a tough day seeking, locating and destroying the last whimpering remants of humanity across a smouldering, rubble-strewn landscape scorched by nuclear attack and self-combusting bendy buses. Your electroactive polymer muscles are aching, your rat brain-controlled …

Rise of the Machines 15 Jul 2005, 13:06
British jobs being shipped to Ind… America…?

Gizmondo moves to the sun

It’s not often you hear about British workers being having their jobs sent to California, but handheld maker Gizmondo and parent company Tiger Telematics have done just that. The company announced last week that it will open an LA-based office to lead the charge for the upcoming US release of its gaming/communications device. …

Consoles 15 Jul 2005, 13:19
HP's 15,000 job cuts look imminent

Rumour, speculation, no comment

HP's long awaited re-structuring could start as early as next Monday, according to reports, with as many as 15,000 jobs thought to be on the line. CNet and the Wall Street Journal both cite unnamed sources close to the company saying that the axe is likely to fall early next week. CNet's source says Monday, the WSJ's prefers …

Financial News 15 Jul 2005, 13:30
Vonage fixes voicemail snag

And...relax

Vonage has fixed a problem that left its VoIP users unable to access their voicemail via the operator's web site. The internet telephony outfit - which has some 750,000 punters - blamed a systems upgrade for the problem which kicked off on Wednesday. Kerry Ritz, Vonage UK MD, told El Reg: "Vonage customers were unable to …

VoIP 15 Jul 2005, 13:56
UK suspends speed camera deployment

No new Gatsos pending report

There will be no new speed cameras deployed in the UK for several months pending a report into their effectiveness, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced. The University College London probe is not expected to be completed until the end of the year, and all applications for new cameras are duly suspended. A DfT …

Public Sector 15 Jul 2005, 13:57
Dell rejects spyware charge

Doing it My Way

Dell has rejected allegations that its PCs come pre-loaded with an intrusive application that spies on users' surfing habits. The equipment manufacturer said there was nothing untoward about My Way Search Assistant despite complaints from customers that the toolbar impairs computer performance, changes browser settings and is …

Malware 15 Jul 2005, 14:51
Bulldog removes 'best broadband provider' claim from website

Again...

Bulldog has removed a logo from its website that brags about it being ISAP's "Best consumer broadband ISP 2004" following a "recommendation" from the trade group. The ISP - which is facing a barrage of complaints about its broadband service from unhappy customers - has also removed all mention of the award from the recorded …

Telecoms 15 Jul 2005, 15:26
From politics to porn, via Microsoft and the supernatural

Letters 'Varied' does not do these letters justice

Bernie Ebbers shed a tear or two as he was sentenced to 25 years in the nick for his part in the financial disaster that was WorldCom. We'd cry, too, in his shoes, and we suspect a lot of other people would too. But that doesn't necessarily mean there is an awful lot of love out there for him: As I was listening to the news …

Letters 15 Jul 2005, 15:46
EC staff leave Microsoft waiting as they head to the beach

Server APIs can wait

The European Commission will delay its decision on whether or not Microsoft has adequately opened up server APIs so that workers can get in a few weeks worth of tanning. An EC representative informed ZDNet that a decision would not come down until September at the earliest. The Commission has received feedback from competitors …

Servers 15 Jul 2005, 15:47
Hackers attack Mozilla site to spread spam

Proxy assault

Hackers attacked a site promoting Firefox last weekend in order to commandeer it to send spam, the Mozilla Foundation said on Friday. The attack was limited to community marketing site SpreadFirefox.com. In a statement, the Mozilla Foundation said the unspecified security vulnerabilities were exploited to mount the attack. …

Enterprise Security 15 Jul 2005, 15:51
UN outlines future of US-less internet

WGIG provides four models

The United Nations has released its report into how it expects administration of the internet to work in future. The report by the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) follows the outline given by those in charge of the process earlier this week at ICANN's tri-annual conference in Luxembourg. It provides four different …

Music and Media 15 Jul 2005, 16:40
Oracle processor core pricing a comedy of fractions

11 cores = 8.25 processors = 9 chips. Got it?

Get your calculators out. Oracle has responded to the arrival of high volume multicore chips by introducing a new pricing model, and it's a comedy of fractions. Oracle's lucrative franchise has been based on per-CPU pricing, and the company has so far pretended to ignore the massive changes taking place in the processor …

Servers 15 Jul 2005, 21:14
SCO moves to limit Smoking Gun Memo damage

Don't look at the date

SCO has moved to limit the fall-out from a recently unsealed memo, in which incoming Caldera boss Darl McBride was told that the company had no copyright claims on the Linux kernel. The memo said an audit had looked for, but failed to find a "smoking gun". A week later Caldera renamed itself The SCO Group, and three months later …

Operating Systems 15 Jul 2005, 21:30