The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

8th March 2006 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • Google outspooks the spooks with Total Information Awareness plan

    Lend us your drives

    Google wants to mirror and index every byte of your hard drive, relegating your PC to a "cache", notes on a company PowerPoint presentation reveal. The file accompanied part of Google's analyst day last week. Google has since withdrawn the file, telling the BBC that the information was not intended for publication. The …

    Media 8 Mar 2006, 02:14

  • Beer makes you rich: official

    Reader wowed by miracle properties of ale

    Here's a quickie that we thought we'd share with you in the wake of yesterday's latest and highly-agreeable beer revelation. Take it away Neil: After discovering that beer fights heart disease, I decided to 'medicate' myself the other night and found another excellent side-effect. Having very little cash, I decided to forego …

    Bootnotes 8 Mar 2006, 09:02

  • Senate to save Bush's bacon on illegal wiretaps

    No felony when the rules change after the crime

    The Republican-controlled Senate is convinced that US President George W. Bush committed a crime when he ordered wiretaps outside of the provisions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), because it about to undertake legislation to make them legal. Naturally, it would not be necessary to make them legal if they …

    Media 8 Mar 2006, 09:04

  • Microsoft accuses Office rivals of 'standards conflict'

    Open Office, StarOffice - just not that good

    Microsoft is digging in against an alliance pushing OpenDocument Format (ODF), accusing IT rivals of creating "standards conflict" to mask the fact they are lagging Microsoft’s Office in terms of functionality. Jason Matusow, Microsoft's director of corporate standards, told The Register Tuesday IBM and Sun Microsystems have an …

    Software 8 Mar 2006, 09:11

  • Intel confirms H1 '07 next-gen Centrino debut

    Santa Rosa to support 802.11n - WiMAX coming separately

    Intel has confirmed that 'Kedron', its roadmapped next-generation wireless network adaptor, will support 802.11n, and made public the name and release window of the next incarnation of its Centrino platform: 'Santa Rosa', based on the 'Crestine' chipset, which is due to ship H1 2007. All these points emerged last month, with …

    Hardware 8 Mar 2006, 09:30

  • AOL opens AIM code to developers

    No running, jumping or multi-headed clients

    AOL is opening up its code base, enabling developers to expand its online service, but is holding back on allowing for any convergence between AIM and rival messaging clients and services. The internet service provider has launched the Open AIM initiative that provides access to AOL's proprietary protocols through a Software …

    Developer 8 Mar 2006, 09:41

  • Borland assures IDE users

    Viva tools!

    Borland Software insists it's "business as usual" for programmers using its tools, as the company continues to hunt for an investor to turn its IDE operation into an independent business. David Intersimone, vice president of developer relations and a Borland veteran, told The Register that "support calls and the roadmaps are …

    Developer 8 Mar 2006, 09:45

  • Intel touts Flash-based PC boot booster

    IDF Robson revealed

    Intel is to launch an industry-wide initiative to encourage the use of NAND Flash in notebook and desktop computers in a bid to boost boot times and deliver improved power savings. The system is based on an Intel-developed technology codenamed 'Robson'. Rumours of Robson have come and gone, but this week the chip giant …

    Hardware 8 Mar 2006, 09:51

  • Next generation branch networking

    NetD continues to challenge the big guns

    As a start-up company your funding typically follows phases corresponding to prototype, product launch, then breakeven/growth. You have to match your "burn rate" to this timetable, and execution on your plan is key to ensure you don't run out of money, or give investors reason to doubt your ability to take the business forward …

    Data Networking 8 Mar 2006, 10:08

  • Procurement classification system under scrutiny

    The commission consults

    The European Commission today launched a consultation on a proposed update to the Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV), which is the EU-wide classification system for public procurement contracts. The CPV helps all EU businesses and SMEs to easily identify public procurement contracts offered by any EU public authority, …

    Small Biz 8 Mar 2006, 10:24

  • Nvidia lets mobo makers show nForce 500 chipsets

    Quad SLI and other goodies supported

    Nvidia has announced it will show off its as-yet-unannounced nForce 500 chipset family this week, even though the part won't ship until "mid 2006", the company said. No surprise there: that's exactly when AMD's Socket AM2 - a key component of the nForce 500 series - is due to be launched. Nvidia said it will offer four nForce …

    Hardware 8 Mar 2006, 10:30

  • Region-free HD DVD to debut in Europe 'next month'

    Just in time for Toshiba's HD DVD-equipped Qosmio G30...

    HD DVD may come to Europe earlier than expected, with an initial, low-level roll-out due in April, Reg Hardware has learned. Such a rapid launch after this month's US debut of the next-generation optical disc format is apparently possible because of a lack of region-coding in early pre-recorded media and players. The first HD …

    Hardware 8 Mar 2006, 10:34

  • Understanding Enterprise SOA

    Book review Someone has to ...

    Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) are where the big money is these days, with all of the major vendors tripping over themselves to prove just how service oriented they can make you if you hand over huge bundles of corporate cash. In fact in the race to win the bullshit bingo it’s hard to know what gets you the most points …

    Developer 8 Mar 2006, 10:36

  • Biometrics and web tests for immigrants

    Gov initiative to tighten border controls

    Home secretary Charles Clarke has unveiled plans to capture biometric data and conduct e-assessments of migrant workers. The government's points based immigration system will incorporate an online self assessment portal, according to plans outlined on 7 March 2006. Visa and work permit applicants will complete self assessment …

    Security 8 Mar 2006, 10:44

  • Phishing fraudsters aim to outpace site shutdowns

    Smart redirection

    Cybercrooks have developed new techniques in response to increasingly aggressive moves to identify and shut down known phishing sites. In a move designed to ensure potential phishing victims always link to a live website, fraudsters have developed so-called "smart redirection" attacks. Emails that form the basis of phishing …

    Security 8 Mar 2006, 10:45

  • InTechnology adds Xythos to web services bow

    Content management

    InTechnology has signed up as the first UK reseller for Xythos document and file management software. The specialist storage distie will promote Xythos's software as a web service, initially to UK acadamic and research institutions, a sector which has proved receptive to its outsourced data back-up services. Here is an extract …

    The Channel 8 Mar 2006, 11:13

  • The value of vulnerabilities

    To disclose or not to disclose? That is the question

    There is value in finding vulnerabilities. Yet many people believe that a vulnerability doesn't exist until it is disclosed to the public. We know that vulnerabilities need to be disclosed, but what role do vendors have to make these issues public? One of the things I really love about information security is the large number …

    Security 8 Mar 2006, 11:15

  • US and Russia urged to 'stem tide of child pornography'

    IWF handles record number of complaints

    A leading children's charity has called on the Governments of the US and Russia to do more to combat online child pornography. According to the latest stats from the UK's Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), 40 per cent of the online child abuse content it investigates is traced to the US, while 28 per cent of online images are …

    Media 8 Mar 2006, 11:45

  • France may adopt download licence

    Though opposition remains strong

    France may still adopt a general download licence that would legalise internet movie and music downloads, despite heavy opposition in some corners of government. The proposal calls for a monthly fee of €8 to €15 to compensate for lost royalties. On Tuesday, French government and MPs debated the new digital copyright bill with a …

    Media 8 Mar 2006, 12:00

  • Google plans orbital mind control

    Chilling scheme for world domination laid bare

    You read it here first: despite its famous "Don't be evil" mantra, we can exclusively reveal that Google is planning a SPECTRE-style operation co-ordinated from an extinct volcano aimed at the complete subjugation of humanity by means of "orbital mind control". The proof for this diabolical scheme for world domination ( …

    Bootnotes 8 Mar 2006, 12:05

  • 999 to get non-emergency back-up

    101 picked for memorability

    The UK Government is setting up a new single non-emergency phone number to help relieve some of the pressure on the 999 service. Around seven in ten calls to the 999 service are not deemed to be emergencies, thus clogging up the system and making it harder for staff to handle urgent calls. Which is why the government wants a …

    Policy 8 Mar 2006, 12:16

  • Frankenstein weed threatens children and OAPs

    Hippies may already be addicted to pharm crops

    Frankenstein crops laden with drugs have infected wild plants around the world after their escape from the GM laboratories and field trials where scientists promised they would be kept safe. Parents might want to keep their children from playing in green spaces after a series of revelations published by Greenpeace and GeneWatch …

    Science 8 Mar 2006, 12:20

  • First UK Review Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook S2110 AMD-based notebook

    Fujitsu Siemens has launched a new Lifebook notebook on the first day of CeBIT, and it’s the first model in this range to use an AMD processor. Strictly speaking, the Lifebook S2110 isn’t a new model as it has been on sale in the US for a couple of months under the Fujitsu brand. However, Fujitsu Siemens is a 50:50 joint venture …

    Hardware 8 Mar 2006, 13:02

  • Scientists unplug tabletop fusion

    Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble

    Readers may recall back in 2002 there was an awful fuss kicked up when Rusi Taleyarkhan announced he had achieved one of science's holy grails: tabletop fusion. The claim was met with understandable scepticism, after all we'd been here before. The promise of limitless, greenhouse gas-free, nuclear waste-free energy was too …

    Science 8 Mar 2006, 13:02

  • More Excel madness

    Comment Sod's Law strikes again!

    Recently I wrote that Mobius has the best solution I have seen for spreadsheet management. And, wouldn’t you know it, just a week or two later, I run into another, rather different but equally valid, way of doing much the same thing. Worse, I already knew the product supported Excel (and StarOffice for that matter) but I hadn’t …

    Developer 8 Mar 2006, 13:03

  • PlusNet launches probe after broadband downtime

    Busy couple of days

    PlusNet has launched a full investigation after two unrelated events led to customers losing their broadband connections. A hardware failure at the weekend hit around 5,000 punters, while a separate incident yesterday meant that all PlusNet punters lost their connections for a couple of hours. The Sheffield-based ISP, which …

    Broadband 8 Mar 2006, 13:25

  • SatNav warriors invade Somerset village

    Rural idyll ruined

    A quiet Somerset village has been turned into a rat-run because of satellite navigation systems, residents claim. Locals in Barrow Gurney say up to 10,000 vehicles a day are taking the road through the centre of their village - instead of the main road - in order to get to Bristol Airport. Signposted routes to Bristol Airport …

    Mobile 8 Mar 2006, 13:26

  • PCA leads channel fight against fraudsters

    Keith Warburton on the Fraud Prevention Network

    In a move aimed at stemming the massive rise in fraud attacks against companies in the IT sector, the PCA is launching the Fraud Prevention Network (FPN) in partnership with P&A Receivables Services plc (P&A), writes Keith Warburton, executive director of the PCA. The Fraud Prevention Network will provide ICT resellers, …

    The Channel 8 Mar 2006, 14:23

  • Anger over laptops for UK terror inmates

    'Dangerous waste' complain prison staff

    Terror suspects housed in Britain's top secret Belmarsh prison have been given laptops in order to allow them to review legal papers. Overstretched prison officers describe the issue of £1,000 laptops to 28 inmates as a "dangerous waste of money", The Daily Mirror reports. The PCs have been supplied without internet access, but …

    Media 8 Mar 2006, 15:19

  • Sun has four-way UltraSPARC T1 box coming

    Exclusive Barrel full of threads goes over 'Victoria Falls'

    Sun Microsystems plans to carry its UltraSPARC T1 chip from North America to Southern Africa - at least in name. The company has been beavering away on "Victoria Falls" - the third generation of its UltraSPARC T1 multi-core chips, The Register has learned. Up to this point, Sun had been sticking with the "Niagara" code-name for …

    Servers 8 Mar 2006, 16:59

  • Origami's the wrapper for a small PC

    We have pictures

    Microsoft's 'Origami' is no more than a new user interface for a tablet PC - Intel's mini-tablet form factor Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC), to be precise. Intel showed several machines it described as prototypes and reference platforms at its developer forum this week, and we have pictures. Wintel has been trying to make this kind …

    Hardware 8 Mar 2006, 20:27

  • Intel and Transitive team on RISC gender bender

    IDF Code spawn for Xeon and Itanic

    Intel has resorted to the hardware world's take on gender bending to give the Itanium processor a fighting chance as more than a PA-RISC/Alpha replacement. The vendor this week announced a deal with emulation specialist Transitive to shift RISC code over to Itanic and Xeon processors. Transitive will receive cash and …

    Servers 8 Mar 2006, 21:26

  • Borland Windows tools refreshed

    Hanging in there

    Borland Software has updated its Windows development environment, while stressing its continued commitment to delivering updated IDEs for developers. The company has announced availability of its C++ Builder 2006 rapid application development environment, part of the overall Borland Developer Studio suite. Borland said this …

    Developer 8 Mar 2006, 22:22

  • Microsoft releases beta search

    Buys to consolidate presence

    Microsoft today announced the Windows Live Search beta, featuring updates to the existing Live.com and Windows Live Toolbar, intended to deliver unified, context-based search and results across different properties. The beta also provides the ability to search images and email (sounding familiar?), news, email, RSS feeds and …

    Applications 8 Mar 2006, 22:30