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27th April 2006 Archive

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  • MySQL critical of 'crippled' closed-source databases

    Friend, enemy, lover

    MySQL's chief executive has cast himself as both friend and foe of closed-source database companies, criticizing partners and competitors for releasing "crippled" versions of existing database products. Marten Mickos opened the MySQL user conference naming Oracle as a "partner of the year" before laying into the giant - along …

    Applications 27 Apr 2006, 08:20

  • Samsung chip to power upcoming Flash iPods

    Chip maker lauds design win

    Samsung is the company that beat music-chip maker PortalPlayer to win the contract for upcoming Flash-based iPods, the South Korean giant said this week. The deal puts even more Samsung chippery into Apple's music player - ironic, that, given the two companies are direct competitors in the MP3 player market. Speaking at the …

    Reg Hardware 27 Apr 2006, 08:42

  • How to make your own World Cup single

    Tech Digest Sod Embrace. Create your own terrace anthem

    World Cup blog Who Ate All The Bratwurst explains how to have a footy hit in 10 easy steps: 1. Choose your song Unless you are a musical genius, pick a 70s or 80s classic and rework it, a la Joe Fagin's That's Livin' Alright/That's England Alright. Something with an anthemic chorus goes down well, or something with adaptable …

    Entertainment 27 Apr 2006, 08:49

  • Fixed-mobile market to hit $28bn by 2011

    But FMC 'more exciting for operators than consumers'

    More than 92m people will have combined their mobile and fixed-line handsets by 2011, as landline operators fight the threat of mobile substitution. That's according to a new report published by Informa Telecoms and Media, entitled Fixed Mobile Convergence, which predicts that the fixed mobile convergence (FMC) market will be …

    Mobile 27 Apr 2006, 09:05

  • Rock readies D&D limited edition laptop

    Roll a 4d20 and add a Centrino Platform+1

    UK system builder Rock is to produce Pegasus 650 notebooks with a large Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach decal on the lid. The company will make no more than 100 of the decorated devices, it pledged. The game's publisher, Atari, will offer three of them as competition prizes. The machines are available to order and …

    Reg Hardware 27 Apr 2006, 09:22

  • Postcard from Orlando

    Strange what you can find in Florida

    Hello, from the Information Builders (IBI) summit in Orlando! Some interesting new ideas here, from people who've been in large-scale BI for some 30 years - how about BI embedded in workflow applications written in BPEL (when you receive an order, you can fire off a BI report on stock levels/locations, and fire up a request to …

    Developer 27 Apr 2006, 09:24

  • Ireland slips down e-readiness rankings

    But Europe still dominates

    Ireland has slipped into sixteenth place in the latest Economist e-readiness rankings, losing ground as our industrialised peers adopt VoIP and internet television. That's according to the seventh annual e-Readiness Rankings, which measures the e-business environment of 68 countries around the world, gauging the extent to which …

    Telecoms 27 Apr 2006, 09:41

  • Man clocks Pentium Extreme to 5GHz

    Gas-cooled 65nm Intel Extreme Edition 965, anyone?

    Japanese enthusiasts have been treated to a demo of an Intel Pentium Extreme Edition 965 chip running at over 5GHz, a frequency 35.8 per cent higher than the part was designed to be clocked to. The chip usually runs at just 3.73GHz. A peek inside the casing reveals Danish cooling specialist Asetek's VapoChill Extreme Edition …

    Reg Hardware 27 Apr 2006, 09:44

  • Vodafone Japan completes sale

    That's it

    Vodafone has completed its £9bn sale of its operation in Japan. The giant cellco announced last month that it planned to flog its 97.68 per cent stake in Vodafone Japan to Softbank Corporation. Now that the deal has been done and dusted Vodafone plans to return around £6bn to shareholders later this summer. In a statement Voda …

    Financial News 27 Apr 2006, 09:51

  • Computer energy use under scrutiny

    Wind-up or solar powered PCs?

    Well-honed phrases about cheaper and greater computing power have all but faded from the marketing, sales, and other promotional material of IT vendors and consultants to the sector. Rising energy costs over the past year, as well as concerns about the scale of availability of energy in the short-term, especially over the …

    Servers 27 Apr 2006, 10:01

  • Warning! Computers can cripple you

    Make sure office work is not a pain in the neck

    My recent research has concentrated on how the design of computers and related devices can impact people with disabilities, for better or for worse. What I have noticed is that many of the technologies are also designed to reduce the possibility that able-bodied people will be crippled by the use of computers. I think that …

    IT Director 27 Apr 2006, 10:14

  • Colt narrows losses

    Revs flat

    Colt Telecom has improved its finances even though revenues failed to grow, the telco said today. Publishing the latest batch of numbers for the three months to March, Colt reported that revenue was flat at £307m compared to the same period last year. At the same time, pre-tax losses narrowed to £7.3m down from £28.4m. Earlier …

    Financial News 27 Apr 2006, 10:20

  • ATI shows strong Q1 chipset sales growth

    Intel less fortunate

    ATI saw its share of the chipset market jump during the first quarter of the year thanks to increasing demand for its Intel- and AMD-oriented products, figures issued this week by market watcher Mercury Research reveal. The company's gains came despite a 12 per cent sequential dip in chipset shipments. Mercury's numbers - …

    Reg Hardware 27 Apr 2006, 10:26

  • Bell sees profit from Europe

    Lost in translation

    Bell Microproducts dragged its European operation back into profit in the first quarter, results released yesterday showed. The hardware distributor turned in revenues of $867m in the quarter ending March 31, up eight per cent on the year. Net income was $2.5m, compared to last year's $4.4m. This meant earnings per share of $ …

    Channel Register 27 Apr 2006, 10:40

  • God's gift to C

    Crossing platforms with Apache Portable Runtime

    OK, here it is: a proper developer article. After all, this is Reg Developer, so it's about time. Today's subject is an Apache spinoff project: the APR lies at the heart of the webserver, but is also a standalone library, and is extensively used in separate projects: most famously Subversion. But before diving in, here are a …

    Developer 27 Apr 2006, 10:46

  • Asda launches chavved-up sweets for mingers

    A rival to Lovehearts? Whatever

    UK supermarket chain Asda has launched a full-scale attack on legendary Loveheart sweets with its own "Whatever" confectionery aimed at TV-fuelled modern yoof, Ananova reports. Swizzels' Lovehearts, as any UK reader will know, feature a raised heart graphic containing "innocently flirtatious phrases" like "Be Mine" and "Love …

    Bootnotes 27 Apr 2006, 10:47

  • Intel's 'Broadwater' GPU to support Shader Model 4.0

    Vertex shading to be done in hardware at last

    More details have emerged about the graphics core - the latest in the GMA series - Intel intends to integrate into members of its upcoming 965 'Broadwater' chipset family. A presentation slide said to have come from the chip giant shows the part will support not only Shader Model 3.0, but also version 4.0. The leaked slide …

    Reg Hardware 27 Apr 2006, 10:55

  • Security pros give VoIP the brush-off

    Infosec V for vulnerability

    Delegates at Infosec gave a resounding dismissal to a motion supporting VoIP deployment. The debate, “this house believes that the business advantages of VoIP outweigh the security concerns” ended in a fairly unanimous thumbs down, which implied security professionals don't think the technology is ready for big money corporate …

    Enterprise Security 27 Apr 2006, 11:05

  • Intel 'Centrino 4' to drive desktop demand?

    'Santa Rosa' to boost small form-factor PC take up

    Think Centrino technology is only for notebooks? Think again. An Intel presentation partially leaked onto the web this week makes clear the next generation of the platform, codenamed 'Santa Rosa', will also be pitched at desktops when it's introduced "mid-Q1 to mid-Q2 2007". 'Desktop' is not quite the right word, of course, …

    Reg Hardware 27 Apr 2006, 11:19

  • BitLocker gives dual-boot systems the elbow

    Infosec Vista security feature is 'anti-Linux'

    Security features introduced in Windows Vista will make setting up PCs to boot in either Linux or Windows far more difficult, according to security guru Bruce Schneier. Vista is due to feature hardware-based encryption, called BitLocker Drive Encryption, which acts as a repository to protect sensitive data in the event of a PC …

    ID 27 Apr 2006, 11:36

  • Da Vinci Code judge floats own crypto conspiracy

    Holy judgment hides secret messages

    The judge in the recent Da Vinci Code copyright trial is a bit of a cryptographer himself, apparently. Waggish syrup sporter Mr Justice Peter Smith inserted his own secret code into his judgment in favour of schlock king Dan Brown against the authors of Bible conspiracy nut bedtime favourite Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, The …

    Bootnotes 27 Apr 2006, 11:39

  • Snoop Dogg entourage 'runs riot' at Heathrow

    Updated Shows battling supermodels how it's done

    Forget battling supermodels - LA gansta rapper Snoop Dogg and his entourage have shown May Andersen how it's really done by allegedly running riot in Heathrow's Terminal 1 after being refused entry to British Airway's VIP lounge. Dogg's 30-strong* posse (seen here in a pic by reader Phil Jones shortly before the alleged battle …

    Entertainment 27 Apr 2006, 12:13

  • UK.gov pioneers secure Linux to contain breaches

    Infosec Return of the Mac

    IBM is working with the Cabinet Office to demonstrate one of the first mainstream Mandatory Access Control (MAC) environments. The MAC approach is designed to contain the impact of security breaches, a feature that will give government departments greater confidence in extending government services to the public over the net. …

    Enterprise Security 27 Apr 2006, 12:28

  • Wanadoo's Orange makeover edges closer

    Yet another paint job

    France Telecom is gearing up for a major rebranding of its Wanadoo internet division. Last year, France Telecom revealed plans to splash out €200m to repaint Wanadoo to Orange - the brightly-coloured name of its mobile phone operation. The axing of the Wanadoo brand forms part of France Telecom's NExT (New Experience in Telecom …

    Telecoms 27 Apr 2006, 12:39

  • Chinese net journo on 'subversion' rap

    Faces possible 15 years' jail

    A Chinese net writer faces a possible 15 years' jail after being charged with attempting to "subvert state power", Reuters reports. Yang Tianshui, 45, who served 10 years for "counter-revolutionary" crimes and was released back in 2000, allegedly posted pieces online "supporting the 'Velvet Action of China'," his lawyer Li …

    Music and Media 27 Apr 2006, 12:57

  • Samba speaks as commission interveners cut in

    MS v EC Day four: more interoperability

    The Court of First Instance reconvened this morning to hear from the European Commission's interveners - witnesses and experts who support its case. But first we had some welcome light relief - commission barrister Mr Whelan apologised for the absence of his colleague Per Hellstrom who became a father at 5am this morning. Court …

    Servers 27 Apr 2006, 13:10

  • BBC mulls database of kids

    Blue Peter's got your number

    Still plotting ways to root out Blue Peter benefits cheats, puritanical BBC producers are chewing over plans for an intelligence database that petty officials can use to keep an eye on pesky kids. Producers of Blue Peter, the hit children's TV magazine show, have been considering options to prevent imposters from buying the …

    ID 27 Apr 2006, 13:29

  • Casio unveils 10.1Mp anti-shake digicam

    Very fast too, company claims

    Casio has unveiled its highest spec compact digital camera yet: a 10.1-megapixel job that also sports an ultra-bright 2.8in, 230,400-pixel viewfinder display and the latest in anti-shake technology. The slimline point-and-shoot Exilim Zoom EX-Z1000 features a 3x optical zoom, but Casio claims the lens and the electronics …

    Reg Hardware 27 Apr 2006, 13:31

  • Flag of St George declared English icon

    Tearful citizens break into Jerusalem

    The flag of St George has been declared officially iconic by a Department for Culture, Media and Sport funded website, set up to identify those things which truly define Englishness and guaranteed to bring a tear to the eye of any oak-hearted Englishman as he sups a pint of warm ale in a timber-framed boozer while Jerusalem …

    Bootnotes 27 Apr 2006, 13:32

  • Nokia debuts N series trio

    Shoot movies, listen to music, make occasional calls

    Nokia this week said it has chosen June and July to ship its next Series 60 Third Edition smart phones, all part of the handset giant's N series, including one of the most camcorder-like devices the company has announced to date. The 3G N93 sports a big 3.2 megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom lens - a Carl Zeiss - mounted …

    Reg Hardware 27 Apr 2006, 13:57

  • Golden Gate opens up for Systems Union

    Bid comes via Bidco

    Systems Union shareholders attending its AGM today are considering a £220.5m takeover bid from a subsidiary of equity firm Golden Gate capital. The financial software firm revealed that it had received an offer of 215p per share from Bidco, a vehicle setup to carry the move as “an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Extensity …

    Channel Register 27 Apr 2006, 14:23

  • Koreans unveil speech-recognising digital doggie

    Dog bytes man

    Sony's mechanised mutt Aibo may have been told to roll over and play dead for the last time, but what with Doctor Who's robot dog, K9, about to return to out TV screens? South Korea's Dasatech clearly believes the time of canis computus has come. The company today launched 'Genibo', a curiously familiar-looking plastic pooch …

    Reg Hardware 27 Apr 2006, 14:27

  • BT Ireland quits LLU talks

    'Frustrated' by Eircom's lack of progress

    BT has walked out of industry talks that are supposed to lead to greater competition for the provision of local loop unbundling (LLU) broadband operators in Ireland. The talks between the industry and Irish incumbent Eircom have been going on for two years and include, among other things, the creation of an automated system to …

    Telecoms 27 Apr 2006, 15:06

  • Persecuted by Tuesdays

    Sun's SOA messes with time

    Bob Geldoff may have hated Mondays, but I’m none too keen on Tuesdays. The week is well underway, but the end of it is still too far off for me to feel too joyful. So it was with some surprise to see that Sun Microsystems had found a devilish way to compound my distress. I got an email from the company promoting a Webinar on …

    Developer 27 Apr 2006, 15:35

  • Feel the width

    Quality? Wossat, then?

    Some of you may be old enough to remember that UK TV series Never Mind The Quality, Feel The Width. It's a title that in many ways still sums up the approach of applications development managers to the job of building quality software products. Who says so? A survey recently conducted by Compuware. A trawl round 184 IT …

    Developer 27 Apr 2006, 15:37

  • Asus to ship luxury leather laptop next month

    S6F hand-finished in coloured cowhide

    Asus will ship its leather-clad laptop, the S6F, next month, the manufacturer revealed this week. It hopes well-to-do punters will be happy to fork out almost £1,700 for a compact computer with an 11in display and a low-voltage Intel dual-core processor. The S6F's wrist-rest and lid are both covered in genuine cowhide, tanned …

    Reg Hardware 27 Apr 2006, 15:42

  • AV firms rubbish MS Vista security claims

    Infosec 'It's just cr*p'

    Anti-virus firms at Infosec say they expect Vista and IE7 to change nothing for the industry. Microsoft used its presence at the show to laud the security features they've been busy building in the the upcoming software. In particular, Microsoft was eager to talk about how Vista will finally jettison the need to run Windows as …

    Malware 27 Apr 2006, 15:55

  • Seagate unveils 750GB external HDD

    Perpendicular product

    Seagate will next month ship an external desktop hard drive based on the 750GB Barracuda 7200.10 internal HDD the company announced yesterday, five days after details of the drive were inadvertently posted on the firm's website. The 750GB Pushbutton Back-up Hard Drive expands Seagate's existing 200-500GB external drive line- …

    Reg Hardware 27 Apr 2006, 16:23

  • Judge Cooke turns up the heat on Commission

    MS v EC Day four: Tough questions or tough love?

    The morning Q & A session was led by Judge John D Cooke - the judge-rapporteur who will compile the Court’s final decision. He began by questioning how far the Commission wishes to remove interoperability from the competition equation. Mr Whelan, for the Commission, said that interoperability was only the start of a process of …

    Servers 27 Apr 2006, 18:05

  • Early days of dial-up hacking recalled

    Infosec blog Nostalgia ain't what it used to be

    The last day of Infosec brought nostalgia for the old days of hacking. Robert Schifreen, the ex-hacker and author famous for breaking into Prince Phillips' Prestel account 20 odd years ago, recalled a more innocent age during his stint chairing a hackers panel. "You didn't have flat rate hacking before the internet. It was …

    Security 27 Apr 2006, 18:32

  • Judge Cooke questions EC settlement

    Europe vs MS Day four: Patents, protocols and intellectual property

    The Court of First Instance reconvened after lunch for more grilling of both parties by Judge John D Cooke. Samba's Dr Andrew Tridgell was first in the firing line. He was questioned on protocols, algorithms and how they relate to patents. Tridgell explained that algorithms usually depend on the programming environment - so …

    Servers 27 Apr 2006, 20:02