12th July 2006 Archive

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Costs swell at America's most infamous weapons lab

Betting on 'efficiencies'

The costs at Los Alamos National Laboratory continue to rise with a new management regime failing to provide any concrete answers as to how it will cover the additional charges. Lab director Michael Anastasio this week revealed that Los Alamos expects to pay close to $85m per year in gross receipts taxes (GRT) to the state of …

Physics 12 Jul 2006, 01:40
Gates 'glad' to delay Vista some more

If it ain't prime-time

The next release of Windows could hit further delays, according to Bill Gates who conceded there's a 20 per cent chance Windows Vista won't arrive next January. Gates told partners in South Africa there is an 80 per cent chance the already delayed Windows Vista would be available as planned in January 2007. Microsoft's out …

Operating Systems 12 Jul 2006, 01:44
German anti-trust officials received complaint against Intel

But organisation won't say who made it

Intel may end up under investigation by German anti-cartel officials after all. The Federal Cartel Office (FCO) last week received a formal complaint regarding the chip giant's alleged business practices. However, no probe has yet begun, it seems. What a difference a week makes. Just over seven days ago, the FCO denied a …

Reg Hardware 12 Jul 2006, 08:40
Microsoft 'streamlines' ERP and CRM pricing

From each according to his own

Microsoft is introducing per-user pricing for its business applications in an attempt to streamline licensing and reduce the cost of its CRM and ERP software. On Tuesday, the company announced three new pricing bundles for its Dynamics range of software under the Business Ready Licensing Plan, which it claimed will be simpler …

Hardware 12 Jul 2006, 08:45
Outsourced data must be protected, says privacy chief

Companies liable for third party breaches

Companies are still liable for data protection breaches that happen on third party premises thousands of miles away, the Information Commissioner has warned. With more and more firms outsourcing data-intensive processes such as call centre activity, companies must be aware of their responsibilities, the Information Commissioner …

Music and Media 12 Jul 2006, 09:02
Havok ships physics-on-GPU coding tool

Adds character-environment interaction too

Havok, one of the two companies currently driving in-game physics acceleration, has launched the latest version of its game development middleware. Havok 4.0 rolls in the company's code that links physics-based visual effects to a host computer's graphics engine. The Havok FX API, part of Havok 4.0, allows game developers to …

Reg Hardware 12 Jul 2006, 09:12
US restricts online gambling

Outright ban gets closer

The US House of Representatives has voted to stop US citizens gambling on the internet. Rather than go after the gambling and betting sites themselves, they have "followed the money". The law makes it illegal for any credit card company, or other institution, to allow payment to any betting site. The bill also updates the Wire …

Music and Media 12 Jul 2006, 09:36
Symbian updates smart-phone OS

Native Wi-Fi support at last

Symbian has made the latest release of its mobile phone operating system available to licensees, the company said today. In fact, they've had it already, Symbian admitted. It said Symbian OS 9.3-based handsets are already in development, many with 2007 ship dates scheduled. Symbian said the new release reduces phone and "key …

Reg Hardware 12 Jul 2006, 09:38
FSP to ship CrossFire, SLI-friendly PSU next week

Booster X3 on its way

FSP will ship its Booster X3 multi-GPU power supply next week, the company promised today. The unit can provide 300W of power, peaking at 360W - sufficient, the company claimed, for today's CrossFire and SLI rigs and tomorrow's. Featuring a blue LED-lit front-panel and twin intake cooling fans, the Booster X3 is compatible …

Reg Hardware 12 Jul 2006, 09:58
SMS message saves stricken yacht

With a little help from the Coastguard

A 76-year-old Polish yachtsman has been rescued after getting into difficulties off the Scottish coast, thanks to a text message sent by a French couple who were out hiking. The pair were walking on a headland not far from Loch Eriboll when they spotted an eight metre yacht that seemed to be in trouble. They alerted a friend to …

Business 12 Jul 2006, 09:59
Sky News in soft porn pic outrage

Kiddies exposed to Spanish smut

Those parents among you who worry about how to protect your little ones from the seedier side of the internet will be shocked to learn that in future you may have to add Sky News to the growing number of proscribed sites punting hideous smut to innocent kiddies. The company's website recently ran a photo gallery on an anti- …

Music and Media 12 Jul 2006, 10:07
Not delayed, not sleeping, dead - UK ID card scheme goes under

Damned with indeterminate schedules...

Although the fat lady (or possibly more appropriately, the portly former Home Secretary) has yet to sing on the subject, yesterday's statements from the Home Office make it a racing certainty that ID cards are dead in this parliamentary administration. The portly former Home Secretary meanwhile has been busy singing …

Music and Media 12 Jul 2006, 10:20
Google erases Malta

The lost city of Valletta

We have some bad news for those readers currently enjoying El Reg on the sunny island of Malta: you don't exist and we have the evidence to, er, prove it: That's right, type "valletta malta" into Google Maps and you'll be directed to the exact location of that historic fortress city, ie, right in the middle of an empty …

Music and Media 12 Jul 2006, 10:23
T-Mobile UK brings push email to MDA smart phones

Updates posted for older devices

T-Mobile UK has posted updates for its HTC-made MDA smart phone line-up that activate push email on the devices. In fact, the updates have been available since mid-June, but only yesterday did the carrier announce its support for the Windows Mobile 5.0 extensions. The downloads, available here from the MDA III, MDA Pro, MDA …

Reg Hardware 12 Jul 2006, 10:39
Secure Computing buys CipherTrust

Messaging security push gathers momentum

Secure Computing has announced a deal to acquire CipherTrust, the messaging security firm, for $273.6m in cash and stock. The deal is expected to close in early September, subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. The deal allows Secure Computing to add CipherTrust's messaging security appliances to its …

Security 12 Jul 2006, 10:49
Capgemini outsources jobs to BT

Exclusive 225 UK staff affected

Over 200 staff at Capgemini were told yesterday that their jobs are moving to BT. BT has signed a "memorandum of understanding" with Capgemini to take over the services giant's network infrastructure solutions (NIS) department in Europe. Sources told The Register that staff at Capgemini were informed yesterday "with no warning …

Business 12 Jul 2006, 11:13
HD DVD backers plan $150m marketing blitz

Roadshow response to counter PS3 countdown

Microsoft, Intel, Toshiba, HP and others are to spend $150m promoting the HD DVD next-generation optical disc format to North American consumers in the run up to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and through into 2007. The money will spent on advertising through the usual media channels, and on an HD DVD demo rig which …

Reg Hardware 12 Jul 2006, 11:21
Commission beats Microsoft with €280m stick

Penalty dished out before appeal judgement

The EU Commission has fined Microsoft €280.5m for anti-competitive business practices. Microsoft failed to comply with a 2004 ruling ordering it to share server APIs and offer Windows without Media Player bundled along with it. European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said: "I regret that, more than two years after the …

Software 12 Jul 2006, 11:29
Jesus reveals cure for cancer to eBayer

Also divulges precise location of Heaven

Those research scientists who have been searching for years for a miracle cancer cure - in the process working their way through countless millions of dollars in their struggle against the Big C - will be kicking themselves today since they could have had the Holy Grail all along for nothing. What they should have done was …

Music and Media 12 Jul 2006, 11:33
Oracle signs up Ingram Micro Europe

SME test

Ingram Micro has picked up wholesale rights for Oracle's full range of software, to flog into the SME market. The distie giant is kicking off in Germany and the UK before venturing out to the rest of EMEA. It also aims to recruit VARs and ISVs to the Oracle cause and will hit dedicated staff and marketing resources to support …

Channel Register 12 Jul 2006, 11:44
Tiscali and BPI in filesharing standoff

C&W keeping well out of it

Tiscali, the ISP accused by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) of harbouring at least 17 filesharers, has said it won't close any accounts without more evidence of wrongdoing from the music industry body. It also said it would not hand any personal details over to the BPI without a court order, in line with its …

Music and Media 12 Jul 2006, 12:19
'Steady progress' at Computacenter

Which is nice

Computacenter has recovered a little bounce in its step, reporting a "period of steady progress" for the first half of 2006. In a trading update today, the company said UK Technology Solutions experienced strong growth, while Managed and Support Services achieved modest growth. Better margins in UK product sales "more than …

Channel Register 12 Jul 2006, 12:21
C2000 beefs up server and storage sales teams

Promotions

Computer 2000 is bolstering its sales efforts in servers and storage with two new recruits. The Tech Data-owned subsidariary has tempted back Jon Kaiser, who left the company to work for nine months at Maxdata, the storage distie. At C2000, he will be business development manager for HP Storage. His appointment represents the " …

Channel Register 12 Jul 2006, 12:35
Five critical updates mark MS Patch Tuesday

Overtime for sysadmins looms

Microsoft has released seven security updates, five of which it describes as critical, as part of its regular Patch Tuesday update cycle. Of particular note is a security update for the DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol) Client for Windows (MS06-036), which creates a means for hackers to send maliciously crafted spoofed DHCP …

Security 12 Jul 2006, 12:40
Benchmarks, bunkum and baloney

Comment Performance figure hype

There are three types of claims made by vendors with respect to benchmarks: pure performance figures, competitive performance comparison, and TPC figures. In my view, none of these has marketing value, though the second of these potentially has some utility for the supplier. Let me explain. A good example of the over-hyping of …

Developer 12 Jul 2006, 13:11
Gmail phishing email offers $500 prize

You've got malware

Low-rent conmen have crafted a phishing campaign that seeks to dupe gullible punters in emails posing as a random cash prize from Gmail, Google's popular web mail service. The bogus email claims that prospective marks have been selected for a $500 cash prize. Users are invited to visit a website (via an embedded web link) in …

Security 12 Jul 2006, 13:19
EU cuts roaming charges

Finally punts plan to slash prices

The EU has announced details of its plan to slash the cost of using a mobile phone abroad by up to 70 per cent. The wholesale cost will be capped based on the cost of the termination rate for calls, which varies from country to country. The EU would annually review an average of this value to set the cap. Then, the mark-up at …

Business 12 Jul 2006, 13:42
EC hearing all about patents today

Costs a major concern

Representatives from all sides of the debate are meeting in Brussels today to discuss the future of patent legislation in Europe. Although the meeting's remit is much wider than determining whether or not computer software is patentable, this issue is set to dominate the debate, with many interested parties coming from the tech …

Business 12 Jul 2006, 13:45
Indian boffin touts protein-based '50TB DVD'

From Blu-ray to bacteria...

DVDs may eventually become organic, replacing dyes with light-sensitive proteins in order to boost their storage capacity to 50TB - the equivalent of 1,000 dual-layer Blu-ray Discs. It also gives them potentially the same high-speed read and write access as hard drives. The concept was described at a nanotechnology conference …

Reg Hardware 12 Jul 2006, 14:38
Indian satellite launch ends in disaster

Oh dear...

The planned launch of a new communications satellite has ended in a shower of debris for India, as the rocket carrying it went into a tailspin just moments after launch. The telecoms satellite, which at more than 2,000kg was set to be the heaviest India had ever put into orbit, had a textbook start. The launch went well until …

Space 12 Jul 2006, 14:51
Galileo codes cracked

Security by obscurity fails again

The secret codes used by Europe's Galileo navigation satellite have been broken by researchers at Cornell University. A team from Cornell's Global Positioning System Laboratory succeeded in cracking so-called pseudo random number (PRN) codes of Europe's first global navigation satellite, despite attempts to keep the data under …

Security 12 Jul 2006, 14:56
MS turns to ATI for Xbox 360 HD DVD decoder

Battle lines drawn

ATI's H.264 HD video decoder will be used by Microsoft to allow its Xbox 360 to play HD DVDs, the two companies announced today. No great surprise there, perhaps - it's well known the Microsoft console has an ATI GPU on board - the R500 - and it's capable of running the same video processing algorithms through its pixel …

Reg Hardware 12 Jul 2006, 14:56
Energy Review looks to generate security

Darling of the nuclear industry

The sound of champagne corks popping in the offices of nuclear power bosses rang around the world yesterday when, as expected, the UK government committed to a new generation of fission reactors. Everyone is digesting the DTI Energy Review, and despite weighing in at a coma-inducing 213 pages, the verdict would seem to be that …

Physics 12 Jul 2006, 15:00
EC vs. MS: IT depts find a champ in Europe

Analysis If nerve holds

The European Commission has scored the most meaningful victory in 15 years of litigation against Microsoft on both sides of the Atlantic. It's not the fine itself. In financial terms, that's just a tiny dink on the back bumper - and barely a surface scratch. Microsoft can repay the $350m punishment in about as long as it …

Hardware 12 Jul 2006, 20:14
Ingres trades up with NYSE chief

Door opener

Database spin out Ingres has landed the NYSE's technology head to lead worldwide sales and marketing, and head up its development and engineering. Roger Burkhardt, chief technology officer and executive vice president for the mighty New York Stock Exchange, is joining tiny Ingres as president and chief operating officer. …

IT Director 12 Jul 2006, 21:18
Kazaa parent pulls lawsuit against P2P site

CEO still sue happy

Sharman Networks - the operator of Kazaa.com - has backed out of an unusual lawsuit against a pro P2P technology site, although its CEO is still banging on with her case. P2Pnet.net owner Jon Newton today posted a court document revealing that Sharman Networks has "discontinued" it actions against Newton, his ISP Interserver …

Music and Media 12 Jul 2006, 22:13
Web 2.0 meets its Alamo?

Netscape's New Coke moment

After losing six million subscribers over four years, you'd think AOL would be wary about upsetting the ones who remain. Especially when its new business model banks on attracting the unsubscribed to its newly opened portals. But a faddish redesign of one of its key properties, the Netscape.com portal, appears to have achieved …

Music and Media 12 Jul 2006, 22:56
JEE5: the beginning of the end?

Complicated, very complicated

Far from taking Java to new heights, Sun Microsystems' latest platform specification is a nail in the coffin of enterprise Java. That's according to analyst house the Burton Group, whose latest report, JEE5: the Beginning of the End of Java EE, predicts the death of enterprise Java within the next five years. According to …

Developer 12 Jul 2006, 23:01