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29th July 2005 Archive

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  • SGI closes painful 2005 with a thud

    Massive restructuring underway

    SGI warned that fourth quarter revenue would come in well below expectations and today revealed the accuracy of this forecast. The hardware maker posted revenue of $172m. Earlier this month, it told investors to expect revenue between $170m and $175m - a range well down from an earlier forecast of revenue up to $200m. SGI has …

    Servers 29 Jul 2005, 00:17

  • Ballmer - No blockbuster takeovers

    Thinks big with small M&A targets

    Steve Ballmer has ruled out a "blockbuster" acquisition, saying Microsoft is looking to smaller deals to fuel product growth and business expansion. Microsoft's chief executive and his team have also laid out a growth strategy encompassing services while tackling the competition in hot areas like gaming and search where …

    Software 29 Jul 2005, 09:14

  • Intel revamps server chip nomenclature

    Think Series not GHz

    Intel this week did some housecleaning with its server processor lines, announcing a new naming scheme and revealing a low-power Xeon due out in 2006 that could help the company compete against AMD. On the naming front, Intel has decided to classify server and workstation chips with a model number system. Starting with the dual …

    Servers 29 Jul 2005, 09:27

  • DHL hit in massive IT heist

    Lights out as blaggers nick lorry loads of goodies

    Merseyside Police are appealing for information following the theft of thousands of pounds of mobile phone and consumer durables in a burglary at DHL's depot in Aintree, Liverpool, last weekend. Thieves made off with five lorries loaded with a substantial amount of property including sports clothing, mobile phones and …

    Channel Register 29 Jul 2005, 09:35

  • Horny Brits plug into internet vibrator

    Net-controlled remote rumpy-pumpy

    Right, let's get down to business - you've warmed yourself up with the vibrating knickers, plugged the iPod into the Muff Dock and slipped into the backless thong, but there's still something standing between you and an earth-shattering climax... Ah yes, your boyfriend is at a data networking conference in Birmingham. But while …

    Bootnotes 29 Jul 2005, 09:38

  • Intel pitches Pentium M-based 'Sossaman' server chip

    Low wattage

    Intel has confirmed it will use its upcoming 65nm Pentium M processor core as the foundation for a line of low-power server chips. The 32-bit part, codenamed 'Sossaman', will be based on 'Yonah', the dual-core next-gen Pentium M due to ship late this year and to debut in new notebooks early in 2006. Sossaman will consume 31W, …

    Servers 29 Jul 2005, 09:42

  • TechScape: Vint Cerf on how the internet was born

    Interview The man himself recollects...

    The Register will be publishing three TechScape exclusive interviews with Vint Cerf over the next few weeks. In this first interview, we examine Cerf's story as one of the undisputed originators of the internet. Currently SVP of Technology Strategy for MCI, based in Virginia, Cerf spent some time talking with me from JPL (Jet …

    Data Networking 29 Jul 2005, 10:01

  • Dell gets its bundle on for Exchange upgrades

    Buy now before support ends

    If moving from Exchange Server 5.5 to Exchange Server 2003 is on your agenda, then Dell has a bundle or two for you. Dell has kicked off a large Exchange upgrade push by pairing its servers and storage gear along with new services. The program is an obvious attempt to cash in on Microsoft's decision to end Exchange Server 5.5 …

    Servers 29 Jul 2005, 10:02

  • MS nixes Google hire

    Phoney war

    Microsoft has succeeded in preventing the head of its search research team jumping ship to Google. Google has been hiring several well-paid employees to add to its collection of PhDs and old farts accumulating over in Mountain View. Microsoft, however, drew the line at the hiring of Kai-Fu Lee, a VP at Redmond and alumini of …

    Financial News 29 Jul 2005, 10:21

  • NEC rejects AMD subpoena demands

    AMD vs Intel Chip maker's requests are 'vague, overly broad, unduly burdensome'

    NEC has hit back at AMD's attempt to subpoena the computer maker to provide evidence in the chip maker's antitrust case against its arch-rival, Intel. NEC this week filed with the US District Court of Delaware a series of formal objections to the various subpoenas issued earlier this month by AMD lawyers against its …

    Financial News 29 Jul 2005, 10:33

  • Zopa – the bank that likes to say 'Hello There!'

    Giving banks the peer-to-peer treatment

    A new financial services company is taking on the banks which like to say 'No'. So will Zopa succeed in giving banks the peer-to-peer treatment? Zopa's launch, in March, generated quite a flurry of press interest, and now the founders are even considering a US launch. The idea is pretty simple – instead of one set of …

    Financial News 29 Jul 2005, 10:41

  • BOFH: A white van man called Algernon

    Episode 22 Codeword: Echelon

    "Is your.. uh... assistant in?" the Boss asks, ducking into Mission Control and breaking the monotonous boredom. "The PFY? No, I've not seen him all day. Or yesterday for that matter." "Is he sick?" "I doubt it. When you're a contractor you don't waste good contract money being ill at home. No, I'm not sure where he is. Hang …

    BOFH 29 Jul 2005, 10:59

  • Hitachi feeds 5,000 with miracle plum mountain

    Good Lord!

    Any reader who has ever pondered just exactly what firms like Mitsubishi don't make will be well aware that Japanese firms have a talent for diversification. You know the scenario - some bloke starts off in 1947 knocking up radios from tins cans in his garden shed and by 2000 his multinational corporation is pumping out …

    Bootnotes 29 Jul 2005, 11:04

  • War driver fine offends Reg readers

    Letters While raunchy cartoons get censored and sued

    Crikey - you've been writing a lot of letters this week. Seems everyone has something they want to get off their chests. This week, you have been mostly getting upset about a five hundred quid fine for a little illicit surfing, so let's get straight to it: And has the neighbourhood now had a visit from the local crime …

    Letters 29 Jul 2005, 11:51

  • Olive conducts Symphony for classical music fans

    Wi-Fi meets hi-fi

    Classical music fans may scoff at the digital music world's preference for lower-quality-than-CD audio formats, but they're no less keen on leveraging new technology to improve their listening experience. Enter, then, Olive Media Products' Symphony, one of the first digital music systems pitched specifically at Beethoven buffs …

    Peripherals 29 Jul 2005, 11:57

  • Windows Genuine Advantage cracked

    Short cuts

    Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) Programme has been cracked only days after the software giant activated the antipiracy scheme. Since the service went live on Monday (25 July), Windows users wishing to receive software updates from the Microsoft Download Centre or from Windows Update were obliged to join the WGA …

    Applications 29 Jul 2005, 12:00

  • Love, love your sysadmin, do

    Party on, it's sysadmin day

    We'd like to begin this with a thank you to Tony Pottrell, a vulture eyed reader who wrote in to ask: "Has everyone forgotten??" Well, we'll have to 'fess up, we had. But now that we have been reminded, we can't let the occasion go unmarked. Yes, ladies and gentlemen: it is Sysadmin Day. Go an give yours a hug. And maybe a …

    IT Director 29 Jul 2005, 12:02

  • The Swedish keep sharing

    Anti-piracy law toothless

    A new law in Sweden banning the sharing of copyrighted material doesn't appear to have had any effect, Swedish ISP's say. Niklas Jakobsson, an engineer at Netnod, Sweden's biggest internet hub, told the (free) newspaper Metro that the law hasn't influenced the traffic passing through the company's systems. However, the managing …

    Music and Media 29 Jul 2005, 12:34

  • Phishing attacks soar as viral onslaught wanes

    Coarse phishing

    The volume of phishing attacks on UK businesses in July increased 45 per cent, according to email security company BlackSpider Technologies. BlackSpider detected more than 360,000 emails carrying a phishing threat in July, compared to just under 250,000 in June 2005. Spam levels reached a yearly high in July, accounting for 77 …

    Security 29 Jul 2005, 12:44

  • Mark/Space brings Windows smart phone sync to Mac

    Fixes Tiger glitch, too

    Mark/Space has updated Missing Sync for Pocket PC to fix the break introduced when Apple launched Mac OS X 10.4 'Tiger'. The company has also changed the product's name to Missing Sync for Windows Mobile, to flag up the software's new support for Windows Mobile-based smart phones, such as Orange's SPV C550 and M500, as well as …

    Mobile 29 Jul 2005, 13:09

  • Ingram Micro sales well up in Q2

    Further growth in Q3

    Ingram Micro’s numbers continued to swell in the second quarter, and growth is expected to continue into the second half of the year. Revenues in the quarter ending 2 July were $6.8bn, up 20 per cent on the year. Net income was $41.7m, compared to $25.9m a year ago. The distribution giant said the “strong” numbers were driven …

    Channel Register 29 Jul 2005, 14:06

  • Tills ring for Bell in Q2

    Despite bum note in Europe

    Storage distributor Bell Microproducts saw revenues jump by a quarter in the second quarter. The top line for the quarter ending June 30 came in at $788m, up 25 per cent on the year. Net earnings were $3.2m, compared to the previous year’s $1.1m. Bell said the boost in revenues came despite challenging market conditions in …

    Channel Register 29 Jul 2005, 14:07

  • Imagination launches PowerVR SGX

    Unified shader architecture for mobiles

    Imagination Technologies today launched its latest PowerVR graphics core design. The new release brings programmable shader support to the company's mobile graphics accelerator line-up. The PowerVR SGX core - formerly known by its codename, 'Eurasia - provides shader support to beyond OpenGL 2.0 and DirectX 9 Shader Model 3 …

    Peripherals 29 Jul 2005, 14:21

  • Is your printer spying on you?

    Tech tracking spooks EFF

    Secret codes enbedded into pages printed by some colour laser printers pose a risk to personal privacy, according to the Electronic Frontier Fundation. The US privacy group warns the approach - ostensibly only designed to identify counterfeiters - has become a tool for government surveillance, unchecked by laws to prevent abuse …

    Peripherals 29 Jul 2005, 14:37

  • Sybase to acquire Extended Systems

    Will pay $71.3m for middleware, big Euro customer base

    Sybase is buying mobile data synchronisation specialist Extended Systems, paying $71.3m in cash for the company's technology, 2,500-odd enterprise customers and 180 employees. The deal values Extended's shares at $4.46 each, rather more than the $3.44 they closed at yesterday. If the deal wins the support of Extended's …

    Applications 29 Jul 2005, 15:01

  • Maxtor back in the black

    Sales shift to SCSI drives up margins, ASP

    Maxtor today reported quarterly income of $9.4m (four cents a share) on sales of $925m, marking a return to profitability for the hard disk maker. Q2 FY2005 revenues were up 13.1 per cent year on year, from $818m in the year ago, but down 13.6 per cent on the previous quarter's $10.7bn. Despite the higher revenue in Q1, Maxtor …

    Storage 29 Jul 2005, 15:18

  • iPass Q2 profits slide 26.7 per cent

    Tricky-to-judge shift from dial-up access to broadband

    Enterprise-oriented remote access provider iPass this week reported second quarter income fell year on year to $3.3m (five cents a share) from $4.5m (seven cents a share) a year ago. Revenue for the three months to 30 June 2005, totalled $43.1m, down 2.3 per cent on Q1's $44.1m, but up 6.7 per cent on Q2 FY2004's $40.4m. Most …

    Financial News 29 Jul 2005, 15:48

  • Iwill readies 64GB two-way Opteron mobo

    DIMMtastic

    Taiwan's Iwill will next month ship an EDA/CAD-oriented workstation motherboard capable of supporting up to 64GB of memory. The DK88 is driven by twin AMD Opteron 2xx series processors. Each connects to a bank of eight DIMM slots designed to hold up to 32GB of ECC-enabled DDR SDRAM. The board sports a PCI Express x16 and x8 …

    Servers 29 Jul 2005, 15:51

  • Sun pimps GMC's data center with JES

    McNealy rides custom van to 1m user mark

    Sun Microsystems has almost doubled the number of subscribers to its JES (Java Enterprise System) program overnight by signing up GMC and its 300,000 employees as a customer. After an impressive early run, JES began to languish with Sun adding few customers to the software subscription service. Then, however, Sun saw a 43 per …

    Hardware 29 Jul 2005, 16:09

  • Quantum eyes Tiny brand

    Talks slated for next week

    Quantum Microcomponents has said it is interested in taking over the Tiny.com PC business, following the collapse of Granville Technology Group earlier this week. Burnley-based Granville, which went into administration on Wednesday, also owns the Time Computers brand. Chris Grierson, managing director, said his company would …

    Financial News 29 Jul 2005, 16:18

  • Sophos bug highlights wider anti-virus flaws

    Window of vulnerability

    Users of Sophos’s anti-virus products were warned this week of a potentially serious security vulnerability. The bug - unearthed by security researcher Alex Wheeler - involves an unspecified heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability. The cross-platform flaw applies to Sophos Anti-Virus Small Business Edition and in version 3.x …

    Malware 29 Jul 2005, 16:25

  • Microsoft blogger: 'My toolbar vanished too!'

    The Scoble Email

    "What a tangled web we weave - when we practice to deceive" - Walter Scott How do you turn a bug in a limited-circulation beta used by just a few thousand people into a full-blown PR crisis that entertains millions? Simple. You just hand a keyboard to Robert Scoble. The news that some users noticed their Google and Yahoo! …

    Music and Media 29 Jul 2005, 19:56

  • Settlement reached in Cisco flaw dispute

    'Cisco has a gazillion dollars and he is an unemployed guy'

    LAS VEGAS A researcher who showed off a way to remotely compromise Cisco routers has to turn over all materials and agree not to further disseminate information on the flaws or the technique he used to run code on the popular network hardware. The settlement, finalized Thursday afternoon, brought to a close a controversy that …

    Data Networking 29 Jul 2005, 20:16

  • HP and Apple end iPod affair

    Hurd dashes Fiorina's reselling dream

    Doing its best to erase Carly Fiorina's mistakes, HP has culled an iPod reselling agreement in place with Apple since January of 2004. HP delivered a rather confusing message for the move, telling us that the reselling deal "met or exceeded our internal expectations" but then adding that "the iPod doesn't fit in with our …

    Peripherals 29 Jul 2005, 20:51