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11th October 2006 Archive

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  • ReiserFS creator arrested over missing woman

    Suspected of estranged wife's murder

    Police in Oakland, California today arrested Hans Reiser, the well-known Linux developer, on suspicion of murdering his estranged wife. Nina Reiser, mother of two, disappeared on 3 September, after dropping their children at Reiser's Oakland home. She has not been seen since. Police have not found her body, but say there is …

    Software 11 Oct 2006, 00:23

  • Java for Vista is rock solid, says Sun

    PC builders, come on down!

    Sun Microsystems has moved to quash growing reports (here and here) of problems between Java and Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system, due next month. Sun has begun circulating links to one of its engineer's blogs that claims "we have been building a rock-solid release of Java [Java Standard Edition 6] for Vista. "We …

    Channel Register 11 Oct 2006, 00:46

  • Patch Tuesday - and other days of the week

    Industry comment Viral Wednesday

    Back in the mists of the past, people gave names to the days of the week. Some of these have survived in the names of our modern weekdays. Monday is Moon Day, Thursday is named after the Norse storm god Thor and the roman god Saturn is remembered every Saturday. We think this is a great idea and should be revived. People must …

    Enterprise Security 11 Oct 2006, 01:53

  • Of IBM's systems management initiative

    Comment Wrong premise, says Gustin Partners' Cormac O'Reilly

    IBM is in full swing promoting its highly integrated and extensive It management tools and technologies which it's ready to roll-out into an enthusiastic, waiting business community. Or so it thinks. Why does this seem like another chapter in Kafka's The Trial to me? Perhaps because I remember the first "trial", a visit to …

    IT Director 11 Oct 2006, 07:02

  • Symantec, Accenture couple on outsourcing

    A secure and loving relationship

    Symantec today announced a hook-up with outsourcer Accenture to capitalise on a lack of security expertise the pair perceive in IT departments looking to bullet-proof their networks. Security Transformation Services will dispatch consultants from both firms to customers. Accenture security MD Alastair MacWillson said: "While …

    Channel Register 11 Oct 2006, 07:02

  • Accenture previews intelligent home technology

    Mirror, mirror on the wall...

    "Mirror, mirror on the wall, do you think I need to shave? Or maybe change my diet?" Such were ENN's questions at the Accenture Technology Forum in Dublin on Tuesday. Accenture Technology's research in intelligent home services could soon lead to the "persuasive mirror" appearing in bathrooms and bedrooms across the world. The …

    Applications 11 Oct 2006, 08:42

  • NFC completes Smart Posters standard

    And Nokia takes its trials to Finland

    The NFC Forum has just published the Smart Posters component of its short-range-radio standard, while Nokia continues with large-scale trials of the technology. Smart Posters are signs, billboards, or any other form of advertising which will incorporate a passive (unpowered) NFC Tag, from which a user can extract data by …

    Mobile 11 Oct 2006, 08:43

  • Slashdot in Yahoo! IM black helicopter moment

    YouTube urls blocked?

    Here's one for the black helicopter files: is Yahoo! blocking the sending of YouTube URLs via its splendid IM service? Yes, says this post on Slashdot: This morning I attempted to copy and paste a youtube.com URL to two of my friends via Yahoo IM. But they kept complaining they did not see anything. Actually they saw all the …

    Music and Media 11 Oct 2006, 08:45

  • AMD quad-core Opteron will support FB-DIMM

    Updated architecture to boost memory, virtualisation, multimedia

    AMD's upcoming 'Barcelona' quad-core Opteron CPU will deliver just "a few percentage points of added performance here and there", a company official has admitted. Instead, many of the tweaks improve the design of the part's architecture, including FB-DIMM support. So claimed Ben Sander, speaking at the Fall Processor Forum in …

    Reg Hardware 11 Oct 2006, 08:54

  • CBI calls for better procurement

    And new 'technology innovation' agency

    The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is calling on the government to overhaul its procurement of technology. In its report on Improving Delivery, Releasing Best Practice in Procurement, released yesterday, it urges the government to make better use of the Department for Trade and Industry's Technology Strategy Board. …

    Public Sector 11 Oct 2006, 08:57

  • Intel to follow 'Santa Rosa' Centrino with 'Montevina'

    Only supporting DDR 3, for better power consumption?

    Intel has yet to ship 'Santa Rosa', the next major update to its Centrino laptop and small form-factor PC platform, but already it's working on the follow-up, codenamed 'Montevina', due to ship in 2008, it has been claimed. Montevina will support 'Penryn', Intel's 45nm die-shrink of its current generation of 65nm Core 2 …

    Reg Hardware 11 Oct 2006, 09:16

  • GS1 - simplifying the supply chain

    Comment I am not a number!

    Just for a moment, please regard the humble bar code - unloved, old, barely noticed by people these days. What does it do? Well, the most used bar code, based on the Universal Product Code (UPC) standard, first appeared in 1974 on a pack of Wrigley's chewing gum in Ohio. The number carried by that bar code represented that …

    Business 11 Oct 2006, 09:20

  • Carousel fraud slows down again

    Second month in a row

    Carousel or missing trader fraud has fallen for the second month in a row. Figures from the Office of National Statistics reveal that trade in goods associated with the fraud fell to £1.2bn in August compared with £1.5bn the month before. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has made the fraud a top priority, which has …

    Channel Register 11 Oct 2006, 09:26

  • Brummie clubber killed by bovine TB

    Six infected in nightclub outbreak

    An outbreak of bovine TB in Birmingham earlier this year which infected six clubbers was traced to a man who drank "untreated, unpasteurised milk", the BBC reports. The half-dozen infectees - susceptible to infection due to weakened immune systems caused by disease such as diabetes or HIV - were "thought to have all picked it …

    Biology 11 Oct 2006, 09:27

  • AOL UK finds a home in Carphone Warehouse

    £370m, 2 million customers, one brand (slightly used)

    Carphone Warehouse has bought up AOL UK for £370m in cash, instantly bumping up its broadband customer base by 1.5 million. The phone company will put £250m down with the rest to be paid on an installment plan over 18 months. Last month, the Times reported that BSkyB and Carphone Warehouse were battling it out for AOL UK, and …

    Networks 11 Oct 2006, 09:35

  • PCI Express 2.0 final draft spec published

    Version 0.9 sent to PCI-SIG members

    The PCI-SIG has released version 0.9 of the PCI Express 2.0 specification, to all intents and purposes the incarnation that will be ratified as the standard. PCIe 2.0 doubles the bus standard's bandwidth to 5Gbps but remains compatible with the current specification, PCIe 1.1. The PCI-SIG also said PCIe 2.0 also features …

    Reg Hardware 11 Oct 2006, 09:51

  • Technicolour Colombian finch declared new species

    Gorrión-montes de los Yariguíes, come on down

    A technicolour finch discovered earlier this year in eastern Colombia has been declared a new species, Reuters reports. The Gorrión-montes de los Yariguíes (aka Yariguies Brush-Finch, aka Atlapetes latinuchus yariguierum) was recorded back in June by a team from the Anglo-Colombian Fundación ProAves (report in Spanish), in the …

    Biology 11 Oct 2006, 10:03

  • Microsoft Germany CEO quits over strategy

    Differences with Redmond

    The CEO of Microsoft Germany has resigned citing differences with the company's US headquarters. Jurgen Gallman, a VP of Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa and CEO of Microsoft Germany, resigned last week and sent an email to staff blaming differences of opinion with HQ. He said Redmond was forcing increasing …

    Channel Register 11 Oct 2006, 10:07

  • Microsoft posts Windows XP Home Edition security fixes

    System software updat

    Microsoft has posted its monthly round-up of Windows security updates targeting, among others, owners of Windows XP Home Edition- and Windows XP Media Center Edition-based PCs. The update, released through the operating system's auto-update feature, comprises ten individual security tweaks, six of which are described as " …

    Reg Hardware 11 Oct 2006, 10:42

  • I-O Data touts double-speed ToteBag USB Flash drive

    Fast

    Japan's I-O Data will next month ship a series of colourful USB Flash drives it claims deliver almost double the read and write speeds of standard products. Due to be made available in a choice or blue, red or black, and in capacities ranging from 512MB to 8GB, the ToteBag BH drives splits the storage into two banks which can …

    Reg Hardware 11 Oct 2006, 10:42

  • Broadcom wins a round in war against Qualcomm

    Sort of

    A judge has fine tuned one of the many disputes between Broadcom and Qualcomm, holding that Qualcomm has in fact violated one of Broadcom's patents. The decision passed down by International Trade Commission judge Charles Bullock wasn't exactly a win-win for Broadcom. He tossed out Broadcom's complaints around two disputed …

    Mobile 11 Oct 2006, 10:48

  • Windows Update glitches derail Patch Tuesday

    Ten fixes, six critical, await triage

    Microsoft published 10 patches as part of its regular Patch Tuesday update cycle yesterday, but many users are experiencing problems getting hold of the software updates because of delays involving Microsoft's Windows Update delivery mechanism. Users looking for immediate protection are advised to download the updates directly …

    Enterprise Security 11 Oct 2006, 10:50

  • Ricoh Caplio R5 7.2Mp compact digital camera

    Review 7.1x optical zoom in a compact format

    Unlike some of the digital camera brands gracing shop shelves, Ricoh can claim a long and surprisingly prestigious photographic heritage, including development of the world's first mass-produced twin-lens reflex, the RicohFlex III, which launched back in 1950 with a class-leading price and a good quality lens spoilt by soft …

    Reg Hardware 11 Oct 2006, 11:02

  • Intel readies Merom-based Celeron Ms for Q1 '07?

    Low-voltage Core 2 Duos too, it's claimed

    Expect to see the first Core 2 Duo-derived Celeron M processors in Q1 2007, the same timeframe Intel has assigned to the release of low-voltage Core 2 Duo CPUs, it has been claimed by folk who've had a look at the chip giant's latest mobile roadmap. Next year will see the arrival of the Celeron M 520, a 1.60GHz part …

    Reg Hardware 11 Oct 2006, 11:04

  • Bloggers bamboozled by 'Sony Ericsson DVB-H phone'

    The groovy gadget that wasn't

    Sony Ericsson is preparing a handheld web-friendly tablet phone equipped with the ability to pick up DVB-H digital television broadcast if a heap of realistic-looking photos and concept paintings posted on the web. Or is it? The snaps can be found at Spanish fansite Unofficial Club Sony Ericsson, but here's one to whet your …

    Reg Hardware 11 Oct 2006, 11:38

  • Spam Cube to take anti-spam gadget worldwide

    Hardware hammers unwanted emails

    Security gadget maker Spam Cube is to bring its anti-malware hardware to a worldwide audience, courtesy of a tie-in with distributor eSys. The email-scanning device is currently only available to buyers in the US. The 11.5 x 11.5cm unit connects between your broadband modem and scans incoming email messages for attempts to …

    Reg Hardware 11 Oct 2006, 12:17

  • Samsung ships 10Mp camera phone to Korea

    It's a satellite telly receiver too

    Samsung announced the SCH-B600 ten megapixel camera-phone way back in March this year, but this week launched the device to consumers in its native South Korea. The camera's equipped with a 3x optical zoom, 5x digital zoom, auto-focus and a flash, but if photography's not your thing, the B600 can pick up digital TV broadcasts …

    Reg Hardware 11 Oct 2006, 12:28

  • Microsoft SCO conspiracy theory quashed (again)

    But Redmond's black helicopters never took off

    The paranoid style pervades internet discourse like sap coursing through a tree - as we've seen with the 9/11 "Truth Movement" and the net neutrality scare - and as we've previously noted in the fascinating SCO vs Linux saga. For three years conspiracy theorists examining the entrails of the litigation have looked for the …

    Financial News 11 Oct 2006, 13:00

  • Police search for UK victims of US ID theft

    But wary Brits think email warnings are hoax

    UK police are attempting to reach thousands of Brits who have become victims of malware-powered ID theft scam. A computer seized in the US contained personal data - including names, addresses, credit card information and transaction records - from around 2,300 UK punters. The data was swiped using key-logging Trojan software, …

    ID 11 Oct 2006, 13:04

  • Moller flogs flying car on eBay

    M400X Skycar prototype, one careful owner

    Those of us who have been waiting 50 years for the answer to the question "where's my bloody flying car?" need wait no longer. It's right here on eBay: Yes indeed, the Moller M400X Skycar may not actually be "certified for use by the Federal Aviation Authority nor as a licensed road vehicle", but for a bid in excess of the …

    Music and Media 11 Oct 2006, 13:05

  • Cyberterror sim scares pants off of Wired smarty

    Electronic Pearl Harbor's enduring echo...

    Momentary horse-laugh of the day goes to Chris Suellentrop, an editor at Slate, writing in Wired about becoming a convert to the decrepit church of cyberterror in "Sim City: Terrortown:" As someone who fancies himself a smarty-pants Washington writer, I had been convinced by the smarty-pants Washington elite that the threat …

    Music and Media 11 Oct 2006, 13:11

  • Reg Hardware is hiring

    Site News Wanted: Reviews Editor, Reporter. Fit the bill?

    Reg Hardware is expanding. We're inviting applications for the following two posts: Reviews Editor and Reporter...   Reviews Editor, Reg Hardware Following a strong launch in January 2006, Register Hardware, the leading personal hardware-focused website and sister-site to The Register, is looking for a Reviews Editor to …

    Reg Hardware 11 Oct 2006, 13:37

  • SEC procrastinating on Brocade fine?

    Bring me the head of Steve Jobs

    The SEC may be struggling with the vast scope of its stock option investigation if its delay in actually collecting a fine from Brocade is anything to go by. Storage switch maker Brocade, the first company implicated in the scandal is yet to have its settlement approved, many months after a deal was struck. Brocade agreed the …

    Storage 11 Oct 2006, 14:01

  • Gitmo - another Brit idea commercialised by the US?

    Blunkettwatch Demon diarist tells of HMG's post-9/11 planning

    Stunning revelations in today's excerpts from The Blunkett Tapes in the Guardian - although the offshore jurisdiction limbo that is Guantanamo Bay is generally held to be a US innovation, it was in fact devised within easy bagging and tagging range of the very offices whence we report. Like vertical take-off aircraft, the …

    Music and Media 11 Oct 2006, 14:29

  • Intel 'Bearlake' South Bridge to offer fast data recovery tech?

    Rapid Recover Technology

    Intel's upcoming ICH9 South Bridge family, due to ship in Q2 2007 with the 'Bearlake' chipset series, will support what the chip company calls "Rapid Recover Technology" to get users up and running quickly if their primary hard drive fails, it has been claimed. According to a Chinese-language report on HKEPC, the system …

    Reg Hardware 11 Oct 2006, 14:52

  • HCL squeezes Indian software engineers

    Unions helpless but hopeful

    Indian outsourcing giant HCL Technologies has told its software engineers they have to work longer days without any extra pay for the greater good of the company. The firm will now be working its Indian software engineers at the same rate as employees in its call centres, and systems integration and technical support …

    Financial News 11 Oct 2006, 14:53

  • Ericsson goes green

    Cell towers powered by biofuel to connect Nigeria

    Ericsson has entered into a deal with MTN, with funding from the GSM Association, to supply electricity for cell base stations using biodiesel-powered generators. While currently only a pilot project, the idea is to establish the viability of biodiesel for network rollouts across the developing world. Biodiesel works much like …

    Mobile 11 Oct 2006, 14:54

  • Dunn editorial officially ends the 'HP Way'

    Opinion Dysfunctional and proud of it

    Former HP chairman Patricia Dunn has displayed remarkable courage during the unravelling of the company's spy scandal. Where others might hide behind humility and full disclosure, Dunn has bravely moved to rewrite history and fashion her image in something approaching a decent light. Those wondering about the source for such …

    Financial News 11 Oct 2006, 15:02

  • Apple's NY Fifth Avenue store is an 'insult to Islam'

    Ka'ba lookalike ruffles feathers

    According to a report on The Middle East Media Research Institute, Apple's NY Fifth Avenue store has been slammed by "an Islamic website" as a "new insult to Islam". The reason? Well, it resembles the Muslims' sacred Ka'ba, situated in the Masjid al-Haram mosque in Mecca: The "Islamic website" claims that since the …

    Music and Media 11 Oct 2006, 15:06

  • Nokia adds Orb for go-anywhere TV

    But for one phone only

    Nokia is bundling Orb's "MyCasting" client onto one of its smartphones, giving punters the chance to access their own TV subscriptions and music libraries on the go. Today's announcement is for one phone, and one market only - the N80 Internet Edition Wi-Fi/3G slider phone soon to be launched in the USA - but the deal is sure …

    Mobile 11 Oct 2006, 15:10

  • It's the information, stupid

    Symantec unwraps Security 2.0 strategy

    Symantec is shifting its strategy towards protecting information and interactions on the net, rather than just devices or computer networks. The announcement of its strategy for next-generation security came with the launch of a major product revamp from the security software giant, which is facing increased competition from …

    Security 11 Oct 2006, 15:18

  • Brocade-McData: nothing to see here, Mr FTC

    Updated FAN-tastic future together?

    Brocade is not sweating over the Federal Trade Commission's anti-trust investigation of its acquisition of McData and pressing ahead with plans to digest a second third of the storage switch market. Worldwide marketing VP Tom Buiocchi is unworried by the FTC's interest. The Commission is polling Brocade and McData customers on …

    Storage 11 Oct 2006, 15:28

  • Ad watchdog slaps The Link's wrists

    Unfair comparison with BT

    The Advertising Standards Authority has told phone retailer The Link and Freetalk Communication that a recent email advertising its Voice over Internet Protocol service was unfair to BT. The email started: "With Internet phone at The Link we are always finding new ways to save you money, so we have teamed up with Freetalk to …

    VoIP 11 Oct 2006, 15:32

  • MIT opens Junk Science Institute

    Management consultants on the march

    In an expensive attempt to stake a claim in Private Eye's Psueds Corner, Massachusetts Institute of Technology has announced a "Center for Collective Intelligence". The center is headed by luminaries from the Wharton School at U Penn., and MIT's Sloan Management School and brings in guessperts from the cognitive science faculty …

    IT Director 11 Oct 2006, 15:49

  • Belkin tunes into Bluetooth for iPod song sender

    TuneStage wireless stereo transmitter updated

    Another day, another wireless Belkin iPod accessory. After the SportCommand wireless remote, here's the TuneStage II, a Bluetooth 2.0-connected combo for streaming music from the player to a hi-fi. Unlike Logitech's similar wireless music system, TuneStage II captures sound signals send through the player's dock connector …

    Reg Hardware 11 Oct 2006, 16:05

  • Founder Augustin to abandon VA

    Thanks for the name changes

    VA Research/Linux Systems Software founder and general open source blowhard advocate Larry Augustin plans to sever his ties with the company come December. In a regulatory filing, VA revealed that Augustin will not seek reelection as Chairman later this year. The company provided no details to explain Augustin's decision but …

    Applications 11 Oct 2006, 16:28

  • DoJ waves through AT&T-Bell South deal

    It's alive! Ma Bell waits for FCC blessing

    The US Department of Justice has approved AT&T's proposed acquisition of Bell South, saying the enlarged group is "not likely to reduce competition substantially [or] harm consumer welfare". It has attached no conditions to the deal. This leaves one more regulatory hurdle to jump - say-so from the Federal Communications …

    Telecoms 11 Oct 2006, 19:31

  • Eudora morphs into Thunderbird

    Mozilla Foundation has new baby

    Qualcomm is to stop selling Eudora, the venerable email client, and is hand over development to the Mozilla Foundation. This makes a deal of sense: Qualcomm always was a strange home for Eudora - it does cell phone chips, not desktop software. In future, Eudora will be free and open source - while "retaining Eudora's uniquely …

    Applications 11 Oct 2006, 20:02

  • Options scandal claims CNET, McAfee chiefs

    Fat cream formula turns sour for five more

    Two top McAfee execs and three CNET Networks chiefs have quit their jobs in the wake of America's growing backdated options scandal. Security software firm McAfee has appointed board member Dale Fuller as interim chief executive and president after CEO George Samenuk resigned, and president Kevin Weiss was fired by the board …

    Financial News 11 Oct 2006, 20:31

  • BEA touts an 'enterprise MySpace'

    Social software could be what SOA actually needs

    There may have been no new news to emerge from BEAWorld in Prague this week, coming as it did so soon after BEAWorld in San Francisco, but CEO Alfred Chuang gave a significant pointer to BEA's thinking for future directions. What is more, it is a pointer to where we may well see something approaching a 'killer app' emerging for …

    Developer 11 Oct 2006, 20:55

  • Google mixes up letters and numbers

    Writely, meet Spreadsheets

    Google has combined its online word processing and spreadsheet applications through a common interface, single sign-in and data repository. Google Docs & Spreadsheets, launched today in beta mode, has been devised to make Google's personal productivity software simpler to use. The suite also brings some much-needed order to the …

    Applications 11 Oct 2006, 23:53