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16th December 2005 Archive

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  • AMD forced to be more modest with Spansion IPO

    Price target trimmed

    AMD is feeling the pinch as tepid interest in its Spansion spinoff has forced a reduction in the IPO price range. In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, AMD revealed a cut in the price range for the memory company IPO down from between $16 to $18 a share to between $13 and $14 a share. The Wall Street rumor …

    Financial News 16 Dec 2005, 00:36

  • Open Source in the mainstream

    Comment Isn’t it all just software?

    A few things have appeared from various sources lately resurrecting the old discussion of whether Open Source software is “safe” or “right” for mainstream adoption. Whilst many of us consider this issue to have been dealt with long ago, there still seem to be some out there who want the debate to continue. The problem is, …

    Software 16 Dec 2005, 02:02

  • Intel India earns chance at Xeon redemption

    Second multi-core project begins

    A botched attempt at creating a new Xeon processor won't slow Intel India down, according to a local report. Intel has its Indian designers creating a new multi-core Xeon chip. Intel India has been blamed for the failed Whitefield project. The four-core chip promised to be Intel's most sophisticated Xeon product to date, …

    Servers 16 Dec 2005, 09:21

  • Oracle's Q2 nicked by income drop

    Larry is happy PeopleSoft users are happy

    Oracle failed to impress investors with a second quarter that saw profits decline and currency effects punish the company's bottom line. The database maker posted revenue of $3.3bn – a solid 19 per cent year-over-year increase. Net income, however, dipped 2 per cent to $798m. Part of the disappointing results could be …

    Financial News 16 Dec 2005, 09:23

  • Wikipedia science 31% more cronky than Britannica's

    Excellent for Klingon science, though

    Coverage of Wikipedia in the popular press veers between two extremes. It's either the admirable heroics of plucky amateurs - it's Neasden FC winning the FA Cup - or it's the latest net threat to civilization. This week a survey by Nature gave sympathetic news editors the chance to revisit the first view. Accuracy of Wikipedia …

    Media 16 Dec 2005, 10:20

  • Samsung chairman in clear on bribery charge

    Insufficient evidence

    Senior Samsung staffers no longer face charges that they bribed local politicians, the Seoul District Prosecutors Office said this week. Officials said there was insufficient evidence for the claims, and in any case the deadline for action set by South Korea's statute of limitations has now passed. The allegations were …

    The Channel 16 Dec 2005, 10:25

  • Onetel still looking for a buyer

    It's good to talk

    Centrica is still looking to flog its Onetel phone business despite earlier reports that the utilities giant - which also owns British Gas - had failed to find a buyer. Earlier this month reports surfaced that the company was on the verge of scrapping the sale of its OneTel telco operation after failing to receive a decent bid …

    Financial News 16 Dec 2005, 10:35

  • Adobe beats targets for Q4

    But CFO heads home

    Adobe has claimed a “remarkable” 2005, turning in fourth quarter revenues that were slightly ahead of its targeted range. The software vendor turned over $510.4m in its fourth quarter ending December 2, up 19 per cent on the year. Its target range had been $490m to $510m. Net income was $156.3m, compared to $113.5m a year ago …

    Financial News 16 Dec 2005, 11:12

  • Opteron beats 'Dempsey' Xeon in performance- per-Watt test

    Intel's 'Bensley' platform benchmarked

    Intel's upcoming 65nm, dual-core Xeon DP processor, 'Dempsey', is fast, but its performance comes at the cost of some serious power consumption, a pre-production test using the chip giant's 'Bensley' platform has shown. The trial was conducted by website Anandtech, which immediately went off and ran the same benchmarks and …

    Hardware 16 Dec 2005, 11:25

  • The Build Master

    Book review One for the Microsoft shops

    Every development methodology worth its salt pays regard to build management, from the most nimble of agile processes to the tools-heavy methodologies that attach the tag of software configuration management (SCM) to the task of managing the build and the deployment of software. And yet ... build management is one of those …

    Developer 16 Dec 2005, 11:28

  • AMD wins access to Japanese Intel anti-trust 'evidence'

    AMD vs Intel Fair trade probe data can be used in lawsuit

    Intel has failed to persuade the Japanese courts to keep evidence of alleged anti-trust behaviour under lock and key. The Tokyo District Court today ruled that documentation collated by Japan's Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) during its investigation into Intel Japan's business practices may be used by AMD in the legal action it …

    Hardware 16 Dec 2005, 12:00

  • Toucan cuts BT line rental bill

    Your Comms warns WLR not ready yet

    Toucan - the consumer telco of comms and technology outfit IDT Corp - has started offering its phone service via a single bill following Ofcom's decision yesterday to give the thumbs up to Wholesale Line Rental (WLR). The cost of renting a phone line from Toucan is £9.99 a month undercutting the £11 a month BT Retail will be …

    Networks 16 Dec 2005, 12:09

  • Orange France touts video spectacles

    But don't expect spectacular videos...

    Fed up with having to squint at movies, photos, emails and text messages on your mobile's microscopic display? Then Orange France is offering the full heads-up experience, courtesy of its "video glasses". The slimline shades hook up to Samsung's D600E mobile phone by cable to display whatever's on the screen. The glasses also …

    Phones 16 Dec 2005, 12:17

  • BOFH: Can you call me a cab?

    Episode 35 Of course, sir - you're a...

    There's something indefinable about the Christmas season that makes the whole workplace seem a little brighter. It could be the impending arrival of relatives, the promise of presents or just the knowledge that for a short space of time you're free of the horrors of the workplace. Whatever it is, the workplace becomes a much …

    BOFH 16 Dec 2005, 12:31

  • Equipment recycling law delayed again

    Still waiting

    The UK Government will delay the implementation of an EU law requiring businesses to recycle their old IT and telecoms equipment for a fourth time. The EU's deadline for implementation was 13th August 2004. The Government last indicated, in August this year, that it would have draft implementing regulations ready for …

    The Channel 16 Dec 2005, 13:05

  • Rock beats Widow to ship first dual-core notebook

    Reg readers on receiving end

    UK system builder Rock has won the race to ship the first notebook based on an AMD dual-core processor. While the company was understandably keen to trumpet its achievement - it sent The Register at least five copies of a press release on the matter - we can also confirm that a number of readers received their Rocks early …

    Hardware 16 Dec 2005, 13:06

  • MS and Google team to fund net lab

    RADical research

    Arch rivals Google and Microsoft have combined with Sun to fund an academic research lab which aims to pioneer the development of new approaches to software development. The three companies will provide $7.5m over five years to fund research at the Reliable, Adaptive and Distributed systems laboratory, or the RAD Lab, at the …

    Software 16 Dec 2005, 13:08

  • Arctic Systems tax ruling is victory for family businesses

    Keeping up with the Joneses

    A husband and wife have won a landmark victory against the taxman, as appellate judges have thrown out the government’s attempt to force small, family-run firms to pay thousands more in tax. Geoff and Diana Jones of West Sussex convinced the Court of Appeal to overturn previous rulings against them. HM Revenue and Customs ( …

    Small Biz 16 Dec 2005, 13:26

  • Government moots ID card links for new UK voter database

    Honey, I broke the democratic process...

    The Government is moving ahead with plans to establish a centralised national register of voters, together with central checking and verification of the data held on electoral registers. The system, to be implemented in the form of CORE (Co-ordinated Online Record of Elector) schemes, is intended to be brought in via the …

    Media 16 Dec 2005, 14:02

  • Kill Bill: attack of the phone monkeys

    FoTW Bill Robinson takes a kicking

    We have a saying down here at Vulture Central which is oft repeated by battle-hardened hacks dispensing wisdom to young whippersnappers in the manner of that old boy sitting by a roaring log fire handing his grandson a Werther's Original: you're not a proper Reg hack until you have been well and truly roasted by enraged readers …

    Letters 16 Dec 2005, 15:13

  • Got the clap? Email a friend

    STD e-postcard

    It's a tricky one: you've just been diagnosed with a dose of the clap and now you've got to tell your partner/s to get themselves sharpish down to the STD clinic. Trouble is, you quite justifiably fear that the news will not be received joyfully and may earn you a smack in the chops, if not a kick in the 'nads. Well, don't …

    Bootnotes 16 Dec 2005, 15:17

  • IT sellers urged to tighten up distance selling rules

    OFT issues DSR guidelines

    The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has published new guidance to companies that flog IT goods and services via the net or by phone. The advice, available on the OFT's web site, reflects changes to the laws on distance selling published in April. Keen to ensure that IT retailers understand their legal obligations, the OFT wants …

    The Channel 16 Dec 2005, 15:27

  • Dasher update pierces Windows flaw

    Keylogger variant works second time

    After an earlier unsuccessful attempt, Virus writers have created the first worm that successfully targets a critical Windows vulnerability (MS05-051) patched by Microsoft in October. The Dasher-B worm exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC) to spread across vulnerable systems. …

    Security 16 Dec 2005, 15:31

  • Virtual War: readers fire back

    Letters Plus German Wiki, Dutch maths and Swedish nymphs

    Our recent analysis on "virtual war", certainly got the keyboards rattling among the Reg readership. No further comment is required. Read on: Your article "Virtual War is worrying" was an interesting and enjoyable read. However, I would suggest you have some misconceived conceptions about the gentility of World War II, or …

    Letters 16 Dec 2005, 15:53

  • Imagine a cup

    Microsoft's annual student compo

    Students – do you want to be rich, famous, and get a proper curry? If so, then the fourth appearance of Microsoft’s annual competition, the Imagine Cup, may be for you. For those who haven’t heard of the event before, this is an annual competition offering students from across the world the chance to vie for a whole bunch of …

    Developer 16 Dec 2005, 16:03

  • Typepad goes titsup

    Dilbert falls silent, thousands of posts missing

    Users of Six Apart's TypePad platform have suffered their worst outage yet, with bloggers left stranded since the early hours. The past week's blogging has also disappeared. In true "Web 2.0" fashion, the marketing web pages remain accessible - so you can sign up - but the blogging service itself has croaked. Netcraft issued a …

    Financial News 16 Dec 2005, 16:09

  • £15m+ lost in tax credit fraud

    Government payroll records used to steal IDs

    HM Revenue & Customs estimates crooks have made off with at least £15m after defrauding the tax credit system by making false claims in the name of job centre workers. The estimate came when HM Revenue & Customs executive director David Varney appeared before the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee on Thursday to answers …

    Security 16 Dec 2005, 16:31

  • Fuji FinePix S5600 Zoom

    Review A worthy upgrade?

    The 5600 is around 30g heavier than its predecessor, weight that's in no way a burden but arises from the larger - but still small by today's standards - 1.8in colour screen. It's bright and crisp though, so is a cinch to use and it even comes with a fast, 'LCD brighten' button for fast switching if you suddenly find yourself in …

    Reviews 16 Dec 2005, 16:42

  • With SCA, reality bites J2EE again

    Analysis But is that the whole story?

    With the announcement last week by IBM, BEA, Oracle, SAP, Siebel, IONA and others that they are collaborating to develop a language neutral programming model tuned to the needs of SOA initiatives, it looks like a little more lustre has rubbed off J2EE. But it also looks a little like something deeper could be going on: the …

    Developer 16 Dec 2005, 16:49

  • Apple axes 'iRingTones' project

    Exclusive Screw the carriers. OK, we won't

    Apple has canned a software project that was guaranteed to prove controversial, just weeks ahead of its slated announcement at MacWorld Expo next month. The project would have seen Apple move into the ringtone retail business in direct confrontation with cellular carriers, with whom Apple already has a stormy relationship. " …

    Mobile 16 Dec 2005, 17:04

  • Mere think-tanks not welcome in EC MS anti-trust case

    Abstract academics can go elsewhere

    A European Court has said "tanks but no tanks" to a group of Microsoft supporters seeking to extoll the virtues of Redmond in its ongoing anti-trust case with the European Union. The Court of First Instance in Luxembourg was unmoved by the pleas from the International Intellectual Property Institute, the Institute for Policy …

    Developer 16 Dec 2005, 21:04

  • Spansion settles for IP Low

    $500m ain't bad

    Flash memory venture Spansion started off the day with a humble IPO but managed to reach a reduced target by the end of Friday's trading. Spansion - the joint venture of AMD and Fujitsu - had once been looking to pull in between $16 and $18 per share from its IPO. Earlier this week, however, it reduced that target to between $ …

    Financial News 16 Dec 2005, 22:22

  • Microsoft sues resellers over MAPs 'abuse'

    Here be treasure!

    Microsoft has filed 10 lawsuits against resellers and individuals in the US, accusing them of software piracy. Seven lawsuits have been filed against nine individuals from California, Maryland, New York, Texas and Virginia, alleging breach of a software agreement by which the individuals obtained a number of Microsoft Action …

    The Channel 16 Dec 2005, 22:34

  • NSA uses ECHELON against US citizens

    Washington Roundup And the Pat Act is off for now

    Who would have believed that twitchy paranoiacs are actually onto something? Incredibly, they are: the New York Times has revealed that the US National Security Agency (NSA) has been spying on American citizens. Previously, the Agency had shown itself to be scrupulous about avoiding this sort of activity. But according to …

    Media 16 Dec 2005, 22:36

  • Researchers: Flaw auctions would improve security

    That's eBaytastic!

    The auction may have set a record price for a highlighter pen and an 8-by-11-inch sheet of paper. The last reported bid before the listing was deleted without ceremony was $1,200. The price might seem excessive, but the value lay in what some researchers believed was on the paper: Information about an unpatched vulnerability in …

    Security 16 Dec 2005, 23:06

  • Spending on compliance and corporate governance soars

    One man's red tape is another man's gravy

    Increased corporate spending for compliance and corporate governance is having a significant impact on IT budgets, says Gartner, and financial compliance management spending will swallow 10–15 per cent of IT budgets in 2006, up from less than 5 per cent in 2004. In October and November 2005, Gartner sponsored a financial …

    Management 16 Dec 2005, 23:51