16th November 2005 Archive

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Offshoring fears hit US college computing enrollments

CA World Study to avoid McJob, says CA exec

Scare stories about the offshoring of IT jobs to locations such as India are discouraging US students from studying computing, according to Yogesh Gupta, CA's chief technology officer. "Media hype about jobs moving offshore is leading to a drop in computer science course enrollments. This will lead to a dearth of qualified …

IT Director 16 Nov 2005, 05:21
Sony pulls rootkit DRM CDs

Exchange program to follow

Sony has bowed to consumer pressure and will withdraw all CDs encumbered with its notorious 'rootkit' DRM, XCP. Sony says around 4m XCP CDs have been manufactured. For the 2.1m CDs already sold, Sony will institute an exchange program, with details to follow later in the week. Sony remains committed to releasing all CDs next …

Music and Media 16 Nov 2005, 05:25
Enterasys goes private in $386m buy-out

Tanks for the memories

Enterasys Networks, the firm formed from the enterprise division of networking pioneer Cabletron five years ago, has been bought by a private investment group for $386m. A consortium of firms, led by The Gores Group and Tennenbaum Capital Partners, have offered $13.92 in cash per share, a 32 per cent premium over the closing …

Data Networking 16 Nov 2005, 07:53
Tory contender in laptop theft flap

Sticks and stones

The theft of Tory leadership candidate David Cameron’s election plans and a laptop from an aide's car last Friday should act as a warning for users to keep laptops out of sight from potential thieves. A thief smashed a window of Bournemouth East MP Tobias Ellwood's car to steal a laptop bag containing documents, a mobile phone …

Security 16 Nov 2005, 07:55
CA debuts desktop password reset tech

CA World Forget me not

CA is pushing forgotten password support onto the desktop with the launch of CA Identity Manager. The technology, which partly stems from CA's recent purchase of security firm Netegrity, is designed to automate the management of user identities and entitlements. One of the functions in the product is self-service password …

Enterprise Security 16 Nov 2005, 08:01
Patents database posted for developers

Open source safety

A database containing more than 500 software patents and backed by big-name vendors has been posted online to foster development of litigation-free open source. Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) has launched its Patent Commons Project with backing from IBM - the industry's largest holder of technology patents - Computer …

Software 16 Nov 2005, 08:03
'Honest' card scam hits e-traders

Customer denial fraud

Dishonest consumers are employing a credit card crime that confounds usual verification methods, fraud protection firm Early Warning warns. The latest scam, described as customer denial fraud, involves credit card holders denying any involvement for purchases they have made as soon as their credit card statement arrives and …

Small Biz 16 Nov 2005, 08:04
Digital download markets: cut up and segregated

Comment How Australian digital download providers turned back the clock

In recent years there has been a worldwide move towards “free” trade. Arguably there have been winners and losers from this process. One winner has been consumers in Western countries who enjoy purchasing content like music, film, games and software. In my home country, Australia, one of the success stories of the late 1990s …

Music and Media 16 Nov 2005, 08:09
US wins net governance battle

Retains control over main arms

The United States has won its fight to retain control over the internet, at least for the foreseeable future. The world's governments in Tunisia finally reached agreement at 10.30pm last night, just hours before the official opening of the World Summit this morning. In the end, with absolutely no time remaining, a deal was cut …

Music and Media 16 Nov 2005, 08:14
Microsoft searching enterprise for success

Never mind Google, watch out for IBM

In its effort to snatch back the baton clumsily handed to Google, Microsoft Tuesday staked a fresh claim to enterprise-wide search. But IBM could be the bigger threat. Microsoft said its existing Windows Desktop Search would now serve as a "starting point" to search across a "range of data silos". Users can scan email, desktops …

Applications 16 Nov 2005, 10:00
AMD clears fog from roadmap

Quad-core CPUs in 2007, next-gen architecture in 2008

AMD has re-iterated its plan to offer quad-core processors by 2007. The chip maker also said it will migrate to a new version of its HyperTransport-based Direct Connect Architecture the year after. AMD CEO Hector Ruiz first floated the quad-core CPU 2007 ship date back in April this year, but the company didn't formally add the …

PCs 16 Nov 2005, 10:45
Home Office issues net child protection guidelines

ISPs take note

The Home Office yesterday announced new guidelines for ISPs to help protect kids from the dark side of the internet. The main points suggest that providers should: Offer users a way of reporting material that is illegal or potentially harmful to children Offer content filtering on search engines Manually review and approve …

Music and Media 16 Nov 2005, 11:02
AMD paints white-box notebook vision

Speed time to market

AMD is to develop a series of barebones notebook PCs in a bid to bring OEMs and system builders into the company's fold, the chip maker said yesterday. Speaking at the firm's annual analyst conference, Marty Seyer, head of AMD's microprocessor business, said the system would bundle AMD processors, integrated chipsets from ATI …

Reg Hardware 16 Nov 2005, 11:24
Bell Micro to buy German distie

Abandons Sweden

Bell Microproducts is buying MCE, the Munich-based storage distie, chairman Don Bell revealed yesterday. Speaking at the IT Supply Chain Conference in New York, Bell did not say how much it is shelling out for the $300m t/o business, CRN reports. Last month, the company announced plans to re-organise its European ops, …

Channel Register 16 Nov 2005, 11:29
Wanadoo defiant as BT wins 'dear Ben' ad row

Standing up for consumers

Wanadoo UK is in defiant mood today even though BT scored a clean sweep of advertising-related complaints against the ISP. The advertising watchdog upheld five complaints against Wanadoo following the publication of an ad in the guise of a letter poking fun at BT's decision to double the speed of its entry-level broadband …

Telecoms 16 Nov 2005, 11:29
Intel's secret logos revealed

Dual-core = 'Duo', apparently

Intel's new logos, kept secret until now, have slipped out onto the web. Posted by French-language site x86-Secret, but later withdrawn at the behest of Intel's legal team, the logos were re-posted today by Taiwanese site DigiTimes. Dual-core processors appeared to be referred to as 'Duos', so machines based on the upcoming …

Reg Hardware 16 Nov 2005, 11:32
Flash inventor wins innovation award

Next: Marconi honoured for work in radio

Fujio Masuoka, the inventor of Flash Memory, was recognised for his work last night at the Economist Awards, scooping the Innovation Award for "No Boundaries" at a ceremony in London last night. Masuoka developed Flash Memory technology in 1984 while employed by Toshiba, and is now a Professor in the Solid State Institute at …

Bootnotes 16 Nov 2005, 11:35
Infineon board favours DRAM unit IPO - report

Not to be sold to Nanya, Micron after all?

Another day, another way for Infineon to rid itself of its loss-making DRAM division. After yesterday's claim that the German company is to sell the unit to Micron and Nanya, today we hear the firm would prefer to float the business. According to the Financial Times, Infineon's supervisory board is preparing to vote in favour …

Financial News 16 Nov 2005, 11:37
Saint Bob Geldof blows gasket at email

Tell me why I don't like Outlook

Saint Sir Bob Geldof has advised delegates at a London innovation conference to ignore emails after revealing that they "get in the way of serious consideration of what you want to do". Geldof said that emails "give a feeling of action, which is a mistake" and revealed his masterplan for business productivity: "Don't do e-mail …

IT Director 16 Nov 2005, 11:42
Software company 'sorry' for murdered schoolboy email

'Offensive and distressing' rules ASA

A Peterborough technology company has "regretted any offence it caused" after sending an email plugging its pupil registration system following the murder of Scottish schoolboy Rory Blackhall. Four days after 11-year-old Rory's body was found in woods, Anteon UK Ltd sent an email to 340 local authorities promoting its "VeriCool …

Spam 16 Nov 2005, 12:21
Windows Server thrashes Novell's Linux

So says MS-funded reliability survey

Windows is more reliable than Novell's Linux and easier to manage, according to Microsoft-funded research carried out by Security Innovation. The research simulated two IT departments, one running Suse Linux from Novell and one running Windows Server 2000. It found the Linux system required an eye-watering 187 patches while …

Operating Systems 16 Nov 2005, 12:28
Bavarian police have spooky Sober moment

Worm warning predicted text exactly

Bavarian police issued a press release that warned of new Sober.worm virus variants, just one day before three new variants appeared. In a bizarre set of circumstances, Bavarian Police have issued a press release (translated version) that not only warns of new Sober.worm virus variants, but also includes the email text that …

Anti-Virus 16 Nov 2005, 12:30
Vietnam plans human bird-flu vaccine trials

Also identifies new strains

Vietnam's health officials are planning to start testing a potential human vaccine against the H5N1 bird flu virus in early 2006, it emerged yesterday, despite international warnings that developing a specific H5N1 vaccine would be futile if the virus mutates. Pham Ngoc Dinh, deputy head of the National Hygiene and Epidemiology …

Science 16 Nov 2005, 12:41
Toilet-disposed mobiles menace Helsinki's sewers

Tech down the pan

More and more mobile phones are turning up in the sewage system of the Helsinki Metropolitan area, according to Helsinki Water, which serves over one million households. It's not known if the phones are purposely or accidentally disposed of, but with 4.8m mobile users in Finland, it's reasonable to expect a certain number of …

Mobile 16 Nov 2005, 12:52
Court rejects UK web lotto game patent appeal

No 'relevant technical effect'

The High Court has dismissed an appeal against a Patent Office ruling that refused to grant a patent for an online lottery game. It reasoned that the patent application did not support any technical contribution other than the provision of specific web pages. Shopalotto.com was hoping to patent an online lottery game that uses …

Music and Media 16 Nov 2005, 12:53
Caudwell Comms gets new MD

All part of the induction process

Caudwell Communications - the fixed line phone business of Phones 4u boss John Caudwell - has appointed David Downie as MD to "bolster" the management team. Well, for the time being at least. Last month Downie was appointed MD of Phones 4u Retail (Caudwell's chain of mobile phone outlets) having worked for ASDA for the last 15 …

Telecoms 16 Nov 2005, 14:33
Swiss driver attacks Gatso with pick-axe

Then throws it off cliff

We know this will find favour with a large number of Reg readers: an enraged Swiss driver has smashed a speed camera off its mountings with a pick-axe after the Gatso snapped him doing 50mph in a 30mph zone in the Swiss alpine village of La Punt Chamues-ch. Not satified with that, he then ran the offending camera over with …

Bootnotes 16 Nov 2005, 15:14
Will IBM buy BI?

Analysis MayBI

While much of the acquisition talk this year has been about Oracle and its spate of purchases, IBM has been quietly building up its portfolio of capabilities within the business intelligence area and associated technologies. Of course the most notable of these acquisitions was Ascential but there have been a number of others, …

Applications 16 Nov 2005, 15:44
Symbian touts 131% jump in smart-phone shipments

All thanks to Nokia, of course...

Symbian saw its smart-phone operating system ship on 131 per cent more handsets in Q3 2005 than shipped in Q3 2004, the company boasted today. It's all down to Nokia, of course. Symbian said 8.54m handsets shipped in Q3 with its software on board. It didn't break that down by licensee, but market watcher Canalys recently said …

Mobile 16 Nov 2005, 15:48
Stem cell researchers want watchdogs for human tests

Safety and ethics paramount

As the debate over the ethics of leading stem cell researcher Hwang Woo-suk's research programme continues, UK scientists have called for international watchdogs to be set up to monitor the human testing of experimental therapies. The scientists also said that the sourcing of human eggs for use in research is another area that …

Science 16 Nov 2005, 16:10
Tunisian Internet control lambasted at opening of World Summit

Extraordinary statements

An extraordinary criticism of Tunisia’s approach to the Internet was fired at its president Zine Ben Ali at the opening ceremony of the World Summit in Tunis this morning. Swiss president Samuel Schmid drew huge applause from the back of the room when he directly criticised Tunisia’s controlling Internet policies. "It is …

Music and Media 16 Nov 2005, 16:28
Wholesale broadband costs fall again

Little by little, bit by bit

BT has cut the cost of connecting punters onto fully unbundled lines, the UK's dominant fixed line operator announced today. From December 15, the cost of unhooking lines from BT's network and reconnecting them to a rival service will drop 40 per cent from £168.38 (ex VAT) to £99.95 (ex VAT). The cut in connection costs relates …

Telecoms 16 Nov 2005, 16:40
Apple's iPod, iTunes 'big in Japan'

Market share up to 60 per cent, apparently

Apple's iPod has taken almost 60 per cent of the Japanese portable digital music player market, the company claimed today, citing local news source Business Computer News (BCN). The iPod leads its nearest - alas unnamed - rival by a "wide margin", it added. Meanwhile, the iTunes Music Store has become the number one online …

Financial News 16 Nov 2005, 16:56
Sun goes storage mad with upcoming Opteron kit

Exclusive I/O thumper

Sun Microsystems next year will expand its Opteron-based hardware line with a unique system that packs moderate processing power with high-performing I/O and tons of storage, The Register has learned. A system code-named Thumper should ship in the first half of 2006. The 4U high system will hold two dual-core Opterons and …

Storage 16 Nov 2005, 16:59
Dione and Tethys pose for Cassini

Saturn's rings also make an appearance

Cassini has snapped some stunning shots on its meanderings through the Saturnian system, but this one is a corker, even by its high standards. The image, courtesy of NASA's JPL, shows the moons Dione and Tethys facing each other across Saturn's rings, Dione in the foreground some 860,000km from Cassini. Tethys is a further 640, …

Science 16 Nov 2005, 17:17
Voracious Oracle eats two more firms

ID and access control for all

If you were beginning to think Oracle couldn't possibly squeeze in another acquisition this year, you'd be wrong. The database giant has pulled off a double. Oracle is expanding its presence in identity and access management with the acquisition of Thor Technologies and OctetString. Financial terms were not released. Oracle …

Financial News 16 Nov 2005, 22:04
Cray celebrates Opteron joy

SC05 Can the good feelings last?

Cray has earned the right to gloat. The supercomputer maker picked AMD's Opteron chip as its horse early on and can now revel in the market adoration for the product. But while interest in Cray's systems has shot up as a result of its new Opteron gear, huge questions remain as to whether or not Cray can turn around its business …

Servers 16 Nov 2005, 22:26
More self configuration planned for DB2 'Viper'

SQL Server? Wassthat?

Barely a week after Microsoft laid claim to enterprise readiness by launching SQL Server 2005, IBM has upped the stakes releasing early details of its next DB2. The Viper edition of DB2, due in 2006 and announced on Wednesday with open testing, will see an expansion in the number of automated actions such as self-configuration …

Applications 16 Nov 2005, 22:46