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2nd August 2006 Archive

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  • On Hummingbird's takeover tussle

    Comment Symphony or Open Text?

    Open Text Corporation initially announced its intention on 5th July 2006 to make a counter bid for all of the shares of Hummingbird Ltd. at a price of US$27.75 per share in cash following the announcement on 26 May 2006 that Hummingbird would be acquired by a company within the Symphony Technology Group. Open Text offered $1.00 …

    Developer 2 Aug 2006, 07:02

  • Give me CMDB before I die

    Rather more than just a trendy new acronym

    If there's a fashionable topic in the enterprise at the moment, it's ITIL (the IT Infrastructure Library, a collection of best practices for managing IT operations) and its contribution to IT Governance. For developers, it's all about designing holistic systems, with operational resilience, upgrade, maintenance and even change …

    Developer 2 Aug 2006, 07:31

  • Pervasive scraps PostgresSQL support

    Customers stayed away in droves

    Pervasive Software has called time on support and services for the PostgreSQL open source database, citing pressure caused by commoditization and price sensitivity. In an open letter yesterday, Pervasive chief executive John Farr said he ""ound the opportunity for Pervasive Software to meaningfully increase the adoption of …

    Developer 2 Aug 2006, 07:36

  • Microsoft lights upgrade path to Windows Vista

    Business users to stay away in droves

    Microsoft has published the long-anticipated upgrade paths for moving PCs from old versions of Windows to Windows Vista. That's the good news. The bad news (for most users)? You're gonna have to back up all your files and desktop settings for re-installation, along with all your PC applications, once Windows Vista is up and …

    Operating Systems 2 Aug 2006, 07:41

  • Crash! Power spike takes out NHS servers

    NHS IT flounders while private sector flies

    Computer crash investigators are looking for the “unusual” factors that left up to 80 NHS trusts sharing the same data centre without patient information systems while private sector organisations had their services restored with little delay. 80 NHS customers using CSC's foremost British data centre in Maidstone, Kent, had …

    Public Sector 2 Aug 2006, 07:46

  • Matthew Mellon

    A Correction

    Our February 1 report "Tycoon charged with computer hacking" stated that Matthew Mellon had been charged in connection with an investigation into an alleged phone-tapping and computer hacking gang, which was hacking into NHS computers to access confidential medical files to blackmail people, spying on police and bugging their …

    Site News 2 Aug 2006, 08:00

  • Citizens to get superhero powers?

    Invisibility cloaks and walking up walls

    While we most likely won't be commuting to work in flying cars in the near future, we could soon be climbing the walls and wearing invisibility cloaks. Tom Cassin, head of the technology, media and telecommunications practice at Deloitte, predicts that although we won't be watching holographic TV or travelling to work in flying …

    Physics 2 Aug 2006, 08:30

  • Email privacy in the workplace

    Comment Situation murky

    Even with a well-heeled corporate privacy policy stating that all employee communications may be monitored in the workplace, the legality of email monitoring is not as clear cut as one might think. Let's suppose you are an employer. You have a well-written and well distributed policy on privacy in the workplace. You expressly …

    Music and Media 2 Aug 2006, 09:01

  • Sonnet ships dual-CPU upgrade for G4 Power Macs

    Twin core

    Sonnet has begun shipping a series of processor upgrades for Apple's old Power Mac G4. Each Encore/ST G4 Duet packs in a pair of 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz MPC7447A G4-class CPUs with 512KB of L2 cache. The upgrade fits any Power Mac G4 'Gigabit Ethernet', 'Digital Audio' and 'QuickSilver' models, along with some 'AGP Graphics' …

    Reg Hardware 2 Aug 2006, 09:09

  • EDS to offshore 15,000 jobs

    Eyeing up cheaper workers

    EDS is to move up to 15,000 jobs to cheaper locations over the next "couple of years", according to the company's CEO Michael Jordan, bringing the total number of "offshore" employees to around 45,000. The company has already cut around 1,000 jobs this year, but Jordan told The FT he wants to lose another 4,000 from the …

    IT Director 2 Aug 2006, 09:16

  • Intel chip surplus drives up industry inventory

    It'll take some time to shift, warns market watcher

    The chip industry's stockpile of unwanted processors and chipsets jumped above expectations during Q2, and it's largely Intel's fault, market watcher iSuppli claimed yesterday. It's almost entirely Intel's problem, too. In Q1, there were $1.1bn worth of unsold PC chips in the electronics supply chain. In Q2, the surplus rose …

    Reg Hardware 2 Aug 2006, 09:22

  • ActiveX security faces storm before calm

    MS responds to more Moore flaws

    HD Moore is at it again. Using a custom-built data fuzzing tool, the security researcher pinpointed more than 100 vulnerabilities in the ActiveX controls included with the default installation of Microsoft's Windows XP operating system. Data fuzzing tools combine knowledge of the input parameters accepted by a software …

    Enterprise Security 2 Aug 2006, 09:24

  • Nvidia preparing mobile MCP61?

    Firm's single-chip integrated chipset coming to AMD's Socket S1

    Nvidia's upcoming single-chip integrated chipset for AMD's Socket AM2 CPUs, the MCP61, will be offered in a form suitable for notebook use in addition to the desktop versions the chipset is already expected to ship as, motherboard-maker moles have claimed. The whispers - cited by DigiTimes - also point to an August debut for …

    Reg Hardware 2 Aug 2006, 09:44

  • Survey: US becomes nation of cyberchondriacs

    Paging Dr Internet

    Almost two thirds of all US adults have been identified as "cyberchondriacs" in a new Harris poll tracking the number of people looking up health information online. The survey found that after three years of modest growth, the number of adults asking Dr Google for advice had jumped by 16 per cent, to 136m. The researchers say …

    Music and Media 2 Aug 2006, 09:57

  • PlusNet shares bounce on results

    Future's bright, but not Orange

    PlusNet shares recovered slightly today after falling sharply on results yesterday. Shares are at 110p, after falling 9.5 per cent yesterday. Although PlusNet posted good financials for the three months ended 30 June 2006 the City is concerned about new competition in the broadband market. Turnover was up 37 per cent to £22.5m …

    Telecoms 2 Aug 2006, 10:01

  • Japanese Mac users get first OS X-friendly Blu-ray burner

    Toast 7 Titanium, Firewire on board

    Japanese storage specialist Logitec will ship what may be the world's first Mac-compatible Blu-ray Disc burner later this month. The 2x BD drive can write to BD-R and BD-RE media offering 25GB and 50GB storage capacities. Logitec also said the drive - dubbed the LBD-A2FU2/WM - will support DVD-RAM, DVD±R/RW, dual-layer DVD±R …

    Reg Hardware 2 Aug 2006, 10:03

  • Intel plugs Centrino vulns

    Wi-Fi virus fears played down

    Intel has released security updates for its Centrino wireless chipset device drivers and its PROSet management software designed to guard against a trio of serious security vulns. One of the flaws creates a possible means for hackers to inject hostile code into systems running vulnerable versions of Centrino Wireless Device …

    Enterprise Security 2 Aug 2006, 10:28

  • Samsung to ship 'Moto-shaving' Ultra Edition slimlines next week

    6.9mm thick

    Samsung will next week ship its 6.9mm-thick Ultra Edition SPH-V9900 candybar handset to South Korean phone buyers, the company said today. It will offer a 12.9mm slider phone and a 9.9mm clamshell handset at the same time, all through local telco KTF. The phones are coming to Europe and the US as the X820, D900 and D830 before …

    Reg Hardware 2 Aug 2006, 10:50

  • Orange increases roaming charges

    And redefines world

    Orange is increasing its rates for the majority of roaming destinations at the end of August, even as the proposed Europe-wide capping of roaming charges looks set to become law. In what it describes as a "readjustment", Orange is increasing 16 of its worldwide prices, in one case (calling within the Middle East) doubling the …

    Mobile 2 Aug 2006, 11:09

  • Verizon says Voda 'will keep shares'

    Good news for Sarin

    The news that Arun Sarin will be justified in staying as CEO of Vodafone is hardly going to be a surprise to Arun himself; he probably arranged the announcement by Verizon Wireless that "cellular partner Vodafone Group PLC has opted not to sell its 45 per cent stake in Verizon Wireless for at least the next few years". The …

    Financial News 2 Aug 2006, 11:29

  • Norwich turns on UK's largest Wi-Fi network

    Wi-Fi for all: Back of the net!

    The people of Norwich should be enjoying the pleasures of free Wi-Fi today thanks to a project backed by Norfolk County Council and the East of England Development Agency. The £1.1m project covers 30 square kilometres - most of Norwich city centre, outlying business parks, the hospital, and the University of East Anglia. The …

    Mobile 2 Aug 2006, 11:41

  • Sony readies 7.2Mp slimline Cyber-shot

    T10 to feature 'high sensitivity' movie mode too

    Sony has introduced the Cyber-shot DSC-T10, the 7.2-megapixel upgrade to its six-megapixel DSC-T9. The new model, due later this month, also packs in anti-blur technology and a high-sensitivity movie mode - for shooting in low light conditions, not for filming weepies, we'd suggest. The T10 sports the usual Carl Zeiss Vario- …

    Reg Hardware 2 Aug 2006, 11:45

  • T-Mobile offers the internet for £1 a day

    Pre-Pay customers get mobile surfing

    T-Mobile Pre-Pay customers can now surf the internet from their mobiles for a maximum charge of £1 a day. The Web 'n' Walk service, launched yesterday, costs less than penny a kilobyte, with a cap at £1 per day and all usage beyond that free. The service, which had previously been limited to customers paying monthly, boasts no …

    Mobile 2 Aug 2006, 11:47

  • MS launches Live Spaces

    More social networking, more safety features

    Microsoft has launched the updated version of its MSN Spaces blogging software, Live Spaces, which it says allows users to connect with their friends online in real time. The updated software enables users to customise their blogging Spaces with blogs, photo albums, music lists and so on, Microsoft says. Users can connect to …

    Applications 2 Aug 2006, 11:54

  • VIA principals found not guilty of industrial espionage

    Taipei court clears president and chairwoman

    VIA president Wenchi Chen, his wife - VIA chairwoman Cher Wang - and a company engineer called Jeffrey Chang were this week found not guilty by the Taipei District Court of infringing copyright law, breach of trust and conspiring to steal business secrets from D-Link. The verdict comes almost two years after VIA and D-Link …

    IT Director 2 Aug 2006, 12:59

  • Extremadura.gov switches onto Linux

    Software libre for Spanish junta

    The Spanish region of Extremadura has pledged to move all government computers onto open source software within the next year. Officials will be mandated to use the open document format standard for office communications over the same time frame. Extremadura, Spain's poorest region, has been a supporter of open source software …

    Software 2 Aug 2006, 13:12

  • Will Apple put the fizz back in Coke music?

    New site to launch in Europe

    Coca-Cola has teamed up with Apple to launch a new European music website, after declining sales recently caused it to close its own MyCokeMusic website. The new site will be launched in Ireland, the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with the roll out beginning next week. The launches will be accompanied by live music …

    Financial News 2 Aug 2006, 13:12

  • Toshiba brings logical block addressing to Flash

    Cheaper PMPs for all. Apparently.

    Toshiba today claimed it will make Flash-based media players even cheaper. It has brought a memory addressing technique used by hard drives to solid-state storage. The method is called Logical Block Addressing (LBA), and it assigns each memory cell an address that's independent of the memory device's structure or …

    Reg Hardware 2 Aug 2006, 13:44

  • Dell TV ad banned

    As ASA rules hole-in-the-head nothing to do with sex

    Dell Computers has been rapped by the Advertising Standards Authority for a misleading telly ad. According to the ASA, Dell ran a TV advert including the line: "Whatever you need a PC for, Dell has the one you want for less than you might expect. Right now get this Dell Inspiron notebook featuring an Intel Celeron processor for …

    Music and Media 2 Aug 2006, 14:26

  • Women love gadgets, survey shows

    Even more than shoes

    The days of technology being thought of as "toys for the boys" are numbered, according to a new survey commissioned by a US cable TV network. The research reveals that despite our supposed "best friend" relationship with diamond, most women (77 per cent) would rather have a big-screen plasma TV than a solitaire necklace. …

    Music and Media 2 Aug 2006, 14:39

  • Resellers want the personal touch

    Marketing survey

    The British IT channel is still moaning about vendors being aloof and uncommunicative, according to a marketing survey. In an attempt to promote a “personal approach” it took to relations with its sales channel, NEC Computers got 80 resellers to fill in an online survey. It quizzed another 10 on the telephone. Nearly two …

    Channel Register 2 Aug 2006, 14:46

  • Apple, BT smash lightspeed barrier

    Humanity faster than we knew

    Good news, everybody. While we've all been labouring under the impression that travelling at the speed of light is some kind of unattainable dream, today we have learned that either humanity has already smashed through the light barrier, or that we will do so by around 2051. Time travel is also bound to have been sussed by then …

    Music and Media 2 Aug 2006, 14:49

  • Windows on Mac: BootCamp vs Parallels Desktop

    Review How to run the 'other' operating system...

    Almost as soon as Intel-based Macs were available to buy, clever coders were trying to figure out how to run Windows XP on them. Mac OS X not good enough for you, guys? Well, in some cases no, it's not. Mac OS X may be the better product - discuss... - but Windows has access to far more software applications and hardware toys …

    Reg Hardware 2 Aug 2006, 15:04

  • AOL US offers free email

    Email for free? Gadzooks!

    AOL in the US is to offer free email addresses. But the annouoncement won't have an impact in the UK - where AOL is still up for sale. You can already get an email address ending @aol.co.uk for free from their portal. Some US subscribers get internet access through someone else, like a cable company, but still pay AOL for …

    Networks 2 Aug 2006, 15:11

  • McAfee security bug bites deep

    Who guards the guards?

    McAfee has fixed a flaw involving older versions of its consumer security software that creates a means for hackers to compromise vulnerable systems. The bug is the latest in a string of flaws affecting security software packages that have come to light over recent months. In this case, the unspecified security bug relates to …

    Enterprise Security 2 Aug 2006, 15:38

  • Tiscali's email servers go on the blink

    No movement since Sunday, for some

    Tiscali has been struggling with its webmail and pop3 servers since Sunday, and some of its subscribers have had no access to email for the last four days. According to one reader, who contacted us by carrier pigeon (actually via another email account): "Tiscali is currently going through another email outage. Despite being …

    Networks 2 Aug 2006, 15:49

  • EMI blesses try before you buy

    Then your song explodes

    EMI is to license its digital music catalog to former P2P felon Mashboxx - a sign that the major labels are blessing a "try before you buy" approach to digital music. But it also leaves the door open to other approaches. Mashboxx will use the Snocap system - which identifies digital songs and tracks their exchanges against a …

    Music and Media 2 Aug 2006, 15:52

  • Samsung brings slimline 'super 3G' clamshell to Europe

    Flip-phone

    Samsung today rolled out its SGH-Z560 HSDPA-compatible clamshell phone in France and Germany ahead of the handset's appearance in other European countries. The 16.3mm-thick, 98g phone has a two megapixel camera with autofocus and sports a 2.3in, 240 x 320, 262,144-colour main display. It's got 30MB of memory, expandible using …

    Reg Hardware 2 Aug 2006, 16:06

  • Microsoft wins battle for new judge in Eolas suit

    Interminable browser patent spat

    Microsoft has succeeded in its application to have a new judge hear the latest twist in its patent case against Eolas. The case, which is worth over $500m to Eolas, will be reassigned on the orders of the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC). Eolas is a company founded by Dr Michael David Doyle of the University …

    Applications 2 Aug 2006, 16:07

  • Net neutrality - the great debacle

    Letters Er, debate

    If you like to see a debate with subtlety, complexity and nuance, stop reading now. The issue dubbed "net neutrality" could make its final stand on the floor of the Senate this week, with provisions being tacked onto the mammoth update of the Telecommunications Bill. It's an issue bedeviled by bumper-sticker sloganeering, but …

    Letters 2 Aug 2006, 16:44

  • IBM gets all Webified

    SOA trifecta

    IBM has bought Webify Solutions in an acquisition giving the giant a suite of industry specific middleware and technologies for service oriented architectures. IBM is buying privately held Webify in a deal that will see Webify's business processes and integration software integrated with IBM's WebSphere middleware, and its …

    Financial News 2 Aug 2006, 17:57

  • Drop the SETI bias, butcher boy!

    Letter On the wingnut fringe

    We ran an experiment of sorts this week by posting a story full of aliens, alleged cover-ups and general space science. The story proved a big hit, particularly after the Coast to Coast AM radio show discussed it on air to more than 30m people. While most of your letters about the story were civil, a couple missives proved …

    Letters 2 Aug 2006, 19:52

  • FTC slams Rambus' memory 'monopoly'

    Can we get a remedy?

    The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed its latest installment in the As the Rambus Turns saga. The Feds have found that Rambus illegally monopolized four key technologies found in DRAM chips. Today's FTC ruling builds on four years of legal wrangling with Rambus. The commission had accused Rambus of deceiving the …

    Music and Media 2 Aug 2006, 21:32

  • Feds dip their snouts back in EFF vs. AT&T wiretap case

    Valley Justice Cracking the 'classified mosaic'

    Surprise, surprise. The US government has asked a California court to take a second look at a recent decision that allowed the EFF’s wiretap case to proceed against AT&T. The government has already tried once before to meddle with the EFF's case against AT&T. It had an earlier attempt to dismiss the EFF case shut down after …

    Music and Media 2 Aug 2006, 22:01

  • Symantec highlights Windows Vista user vulnerabilities

    Access comes with privileges

    Symantec has shed more light on potential vulnerabilities in Windows Vista that could circumvent new security measures and leave users vulnerable to attack. The security specialist expects hackers will try to work around restrictions in Windows Vista that sandbox code downloaded from the internet in the hopes of preventing …

    Enterprise Security 2 Aug 2006, 23:51