25th April 2007 Archive

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Hitachi's server HDDs get debigulated

That's 2.5-inches of small

Hitachi has entered the server-quality 2.5-inch HDD market, offering a 147GB drive as a part of a trio of disk drives introduced to its glam rock band-sounding Ultrastar line. The Ultrastar C10K147 is a small form-factor 147GB drive made to cater to low-power server setups. The drive has a speed of 10,000 RPMs with a 3Gbit/sec …

Storage 25 Apr 2007, 00:14
SAP and Microsoft play Duet in Office love-in

Sapphire Fighting is for later

SAP and Microsoft executives have embraced warmly and expressed respect for each other's applications while neatly side-stepping looming competition. Jeff Raikes, president of Microsoft's business division heading up Microsoft's Office Server System, joined SAP deputy CEO Leo Apotheker on stage at SAP's annual customer and …

Applications 25 Apr 2007, 00:20
Head of DrinkorDie cops to copyright charges

After more than five years, Feds get their 'Bandido'

The kingpin for one the world's oldest and best-known piracy groups has pleaded guilty to software piracy charges, bringing a close to an international cat-and-mouse game that took more than five years to play out. Hew Raymond Griffiths - better known in warez circles as Bandido - faces up to 10 years in prison and $500,000 …

Law 25 Apr 2007, 00:26
QuickTime, not Safari, to blame for MacBook vuln

Updated pwn-2-own update

The zero-day vulnerability that allowed a hacker to commandeer a brand new MacBook Pro late last week resides in a flaw in Apple's QuickTime media player, the exploit's author says. The revelation corrects descriptions given last Friday that the exploit targeted Safari. Dino Dai Zovi set the record straight in a blog posting …

Security 25 Apr 2007, 02:37
Green Bar of Shangri-La

The Agile Iconoclast On unit testing and code coverage

How often have you encountered variations on this comment: “I’ve made a small change to the code; now I run the tests… green bar! Great, my change didn’t introduce any new bugs.” While a comprehensive unit test suite can increase your confidence that you’re not introducing any new bugs, it isn’t a guarantee; and thus, that …

Developer 25 Apr 2007, 07:02
Nvidia updates multi-GPU SLI box for DirectX 10 era

Nvidia has updated its graphics-cards-in-a-box Quadro Plex VCS rendering unit to include workstation-class GPUs derived from the GeForce 8800 family. The VCS Model IV packs in a pair of Quadro FX 5600 boards and a G-Sync card for frame locking. The cards have 1.5GB of GDDR 3 graphics memory each and together are capable of …

Reg Hardware 25 Apr 2007, 08:34
Tesco punts anti-Tesco diatribe

Buy Tescopoly and save 20%!

Those among you who fret at the inexorable rise of the supermarket leviathan - whose tentacles threaten to choke the life out of traditional town centres while sucking profit from poverty-striken suppliers and crushing rivals with irresistable two-for-one-while-stocks-last deals - are directed to Andrew Simms' book Tescopoly: …

Bootnotes 25 Apr 2007, 08:49
Cloud Jesus floats over Mount Sinai

Epiphany or mistaken identity?

Jesus, unlike mere mortals, has omnipresence capabilities, which is why he can be simultaneously found atop a Ugandan mobile phone mast, on a Romanian wardrobe door, and in a Sussex hawthorn bush. Yup, it's moving mysteriously on an epiphanistic scale, and here's the latest apparition: a cloud Jesus hovering serenely over …

Science 25 Apr 2007, 08:50
LG brings Google phone to Europe

'Super 3G' slider debuts

LG rolled out its latest 'super 3G' handset this week, pitching its Symbian-based slider phone, the KS10, as a web-browsing wonder: it has Google pre-installed. The KS10 incorporates a 2.4in, 240 x 320, 262,144-colour display; two-megapixel autofocus camera; Bluetooth stereo audio and all the other features you'd expect …

Reg Hardware 25 Apr 2007, 08:57
Samsung sends S60 slider phone West

Samsung's new i400 slider phone may not set the world alight with its technical details, but with its curvy styling and Nokia-designed S60 software it sure is a looker. Aimed at "young professionals", the tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE handset sports a 2.3in, 240 x 320, 262,144-colour display; two-megapixel camera; Bluetooth 2.0 …

Reg Hardware 25 Apr 2007, 09:18
Strategy Boutiques brainstorm to 50th birthday

Whalesong and joss-sticks all round

We here at Vulture Central would like to wish a very happy birthday today to all you Strategy Boutiques out there doing so much to redefine the world's brand frontage paradigms and evolve the value proposition your clients represent to their constituents. Indeed, it was today in 1957 that Chemical and Engineering News first …

IT Director 25 Apr 2007, 09:36
What the hell is an information delivery strategy anyway?

Reg Reader Workshop You got us thinking

OK, you got us thinking on this one. In a recent reader survey, about three quarters of you said you had an overall information delivery strategy or were putting one in place for things like business performance management or more general management information requirements. Since then, we've been trying to figure out what you …

Business 25 Apr 2007, 09:56
Air of desperation encircles SIM Summit

Cool technology seeks killer application

The SIM industry has been gathering around Prague for Informa's annual SIM Summit, with various luminaries from the industry presenting their plans for how the SIM is going to develop over the next few years - and the answer seems to be away from mobile phones, if anywhere at all. The Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), used in …

Mobile 25 Apr 2007, 10:31
Website prompts sex offender arrests

Five missing offenders nicked

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) has claimed some early successes for its Most Wanted website. It said in the past five months postings on the site had led to the arrests of five sex offenders who had failed to notify the authorities of their whereabouts. They were tracked down after public sightings …

Law 25 Apr 2007, 10:33
Battling Swiss woman starts petition against Adobe

Latterday William Tell rallies against Adobe CS3 Euro ripoff

More than 7,000 angry users have signed an online petition protesting against Adobe Systems' price hikes for European customers. Direct from Adobe before tax, an upgrade to the company's new Creative Suite 3 software bundle will cost Europeans anywhere from 89 per cent more (Germany, Premium version) to a brutal 106 per cent …

Channel Register 25 Apr 2007, 10:35
Northgate swallows another payroll firm

Confidential an entrée in acquisition buffet

Payroll software giant Northgate HR has continued its acquisition strategy with the purchase of Confidential Payroll. In a deal understood to be worth more than €1.5m, the acquisition follows the recent buy-outs of Irish time and attendance (T&A) software firm Engage Technology, and Link HR Systems. Speaking with ENN, …

Channel Register 25 Apr 2007, 10:40
Optical link hacking unsheathed

Tripping up the light fantastic

Optical links are not as secure as might be assumed. Techniques for extracting data flowing over fibre optic links are evolving to make the technique easier to apply. Instead of breaking a fibre and installing a device (splicing), an approach that might easily be detected, off-the shelf equipment makes it possible to extract …

Data Networking 25 Apr 2007, 10:42
Iona misses forecast, expects better results in Q2

'Complex transaction' to blame

Software giant Iona said it missed its quarterly revenue expectations on Tuesday because of a "very complex transaction". The Dublin-headquartered company reported a $15.6m turnover for its first financial quarter - below its $17m expectation. However, Iona said it had deferred recognition of $1.6m in revenue "associated …

Financial News 25 Apr 2007, 10:56
HP slaps 'sold' sticker on DIY design service

Offers online strategy boutique for SMBs

HP is bidding to make sure small businesses keep haemorrhaging high priced ink and toner by snaffling a Utah firm which produces logos and other graphic design work. The target company, Utah-based Artesis, operates Logoworks, which is described as a “web-based graphic design service”. It claims to be able to provide …

Small Biz 25 Apr 2007, 11:07
Another 419 scam ring nicked

Hundreds to go?

Amsterdam police this week arrested another 419 cell and confiscated computers, fake travel documents, and bogus banking documents. The five suspects are being held pending extradition to the US, where they could face up to 20 years in prison. The fraudsters in this scheme allegedly fleeced hundreds of victims from the US, …

Crime 25 Apr 2007, 11:13
Privacy activists attempt block of Google's purchase of DoubleClick

Too much power

Privacy groups have lodged a complaint (pdf) with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over Google's proposed acquisition of online advertising company DoubleClick. The merger will give the combined company unprecedented power, they argue. Three groups have asked the FTC to halt the deal until it receives assurances about privacy …

Financial News 25 Apr 2007, 11:15
Open Wi-Fi proves no defence in child porn case

Appeal court allows evidence despite unsecured network

A man has been found guilty of possessing child pornography despite arguing that his open wireless internet network meant the case against him could not be proved. The case was triggered by an explicit image of a child which was sent over Yahoo!'s instant messaging network. The internet protocol (IP) address was traced to …

Law 25 Apr 2007, 11:33
Lawyer says accused 'sharers' should resist legal claims

Ignorance is a defence, after all

People who claim they have been wrongly accused of illegally sharing computer games on P2P networks should stand up to their accusers, a legal expert said today. The comments came as Davenport Lyons, the law firm taking action for games publisher Zuxxez, continues to chase 500 British people it claims illegally shared the game …

Law 25 Apr 2007, 12:17
Vonage gets injunction stay made permanent

Still confident of victory, but squirreling away cash just in case

The US Court of Appeal has granted an indefinite stay on the injunction which threatened to prevent Vonage signing up new customers while its patent row with Verizon drags on - meaning the company might just remain viable. Vonage has agreed to pay a 5.5 per cent royalty payment into escrow, as well as posting a $66m bond, which …

Financial News 25 Apr 2007, 12:44
Dell to fit laptops with Flash drives

SanDisk driven?

Dell has begun allowing anyone buying its Latitude D420 sub-notebook to kit out the machine not with a regular hard disk but one of SanDisk's 32GB Flash drives. The PC giant is charging a whopping $549 for the solid-state drive. You can knock off the price of the hard drive you no longer need, of course, but that doesn't …

Reg Hardware 25 Apr 2007, 12:55
Ads police say 128Kbps AAC is CD quality

Nokia 1, Consumers 0

Nokia - unlike Creative - has been allowed by UK advertising watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to claim that its Nokia 5300 Xpress Music phone can deliver CD quality sound from compressed, lossy audio formats. The ASA today said it had ruled against a complaint that Nokia's claim was misleading. The …

Reg Hardware 25 Apr 2007, 13:05
Robo-rights speculation rubbished by researchers

Vibro droids won't be allowed to decline sex with humans

UK robotics boffins this week pooh-poohed the notion of evolving machine intelligence and the possibility of that old sci-fi staple, a future robot-rights movement. Academic droid-fanciers instead suggested that issues around robots in the near future would be primarily human ones. Government-sponsored futurologists predicted …

Law 25 Apr 2007, 13:10
Hackers debut malware loaded USB ruse

Litter bait used as phishing lure

Malware purveyors deliberately left USB sticks loaded with a Trojan in a London car park in a bid to trick users into getting infected. The attack was designed to propagate Trojan banking software that swiped users' login credentials from compromised machines. Check Point regional director Nick Lowe mentioned the ruse during …

Enterprise Security 25 Apr 2007, 13:17
EDS vet eBays 10 year service award pin

'All I got was this lousy badge!'

Here at El Reg, it's traditional for management to reward long service with lavish gifts and extended paid leave in sun-kissed tropical locations. Indeed, those of us who are creeping paragraph by paragraph towards 10 years at Vulture Central look forward with relish to big cheese Linus "Fish Fingers" Birtles handing us the …

Channel Register 25 Apr 2007, 13:21
Irish kids' literacy hit by txts

SMS 'a significant threat to writing standards'

The fatal attraction between Irish young 'uns and mobile phones poses "a significant threat to writing standards in English", according to the chief examiner of Eire's Department of Education. The problem was highlighted in a review of standards in last year's Junior Cert, The Irish Times reports. The anonymous examiner …

Mobile 25 Apr 2007, 13:23
AMD aids Dell tree-planting fund

Cash-strapped AMD has given Dell $16,000 to plant trees. That's just $1 for each of the chip maker's $16,000 employees. Well, times are hard for the chip maker at the moment... The money will go to Dell's Plant a Tree for Me fund, the PC giant's attempt to reduce the carbon footprint of its customers. Launched in January this …

Reg Hardware 25 Apr 2007, 13:48
Sun re-resellers launch OFT complaint

Grey marketeers see red

An alliance of resellers has launched an official complaint against Sun Microsystems in the UK, alleging that the manufacturer is unfairly stifling the trade in used Sun products. The Association of Service and Computer Dealers International (ASCDI) filed its members' grievance with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) on Monday. A …

Channel Register 25 Apr 2007, 13:53
WMG settles with Bertelsmann over Napster

German firm coughs up $110m but 'admits no liability'

Warner Music Group (WMG) has settled a long-running dispute with media giant Bertelsmann over the latter's relationship with Napster. Both firms have resolved legal claims relating to WMG's recorded music and music publishing businesses. According to a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Bertelsmann will cough up $ …

Financial News 25 Apr 2007, 14:07
SAP swears off buying binge

Sapphire Steady as she grows

SAP has assured investors and competitors it can achieve double-digit revenue growth without succumbing to an M&A rampage. Chief executive Henning Kagermann told media attending his company's customer and partner event that SAP would reap success by making it easier for customers to consume enterprise services, not by …

Financial News 25 Apr 2007, 14:22
Collabnet fills its boots

Acquires Sourceforge

Collabnet has acquired VA Software's Sourceforge enterprise edition business. As part of the deal, announced yesterday, VA Software has gained an equity ownership stake in Collabnet. VA is the firm behind the slashdot.org website, amongst others. Both firms announced the deal yesterday and said they had also agreed to work …

Developer 25 Apr 2007, 14:26
Anti-Apple lawsuit cites 20-year-old patent

Xerox UI technique dusted down, sent to court

Apple is facing a jury trial over allegations it ripped off a US patent filed by Xerox way back in 1987. At issue: Mac OS X 10.4's use of tabs and other UI elements to flip between different panels within a single window. The lawsuit was filed on 18 April in the Texas District Court by intellectual property holding company IP …

Reg Hardware 25 Apr 2007, 14:27
ISPs to 'strengthen ties' with UK government

24-hour customer details hotlines for law enforcement

ISPA, the internet service providers' trade association, is calling on its members to provide law enforcement agencies with a 24-hour contact point. A new "best practice" document says ISPs should make information available for current investigations as quickly as possible, and ideally be on call at any time. ISPA says the …

Public Sector 25 Apr 2007, 14:38
Aliens exoskeletons for Japanese old-timers

Wrinkly-minding droids to staff nursing homes in 20 years

Designers in Japan have developed a working Aliens-style powered exoskeleton, and intend to market it next year. The Japan Times reports that Yoshiyuki Sankai, a professor at the University of Tsukuba, has teamed up with Daiwa House Industry Co to manufacture "400 to 500 suits annually", from 2008. The motorised exoskeleton, a …

Science 25 Apr 2007, 14:59
Do Microsoft's EULAs have any real legal basis?

Asking the question is easy...

I've just had an anonymous comment added to an irrelevent topic with the excuse: "The Drink or die thread seems to be closed so let's continue this here." Well, I can't find this "Drink or die" thread anyway - it's this one, perhaps. However, I'm posting the orphan comment as a blog entry so you can all comment. It's all about …

Developer 25 Apr 2007, 15:37
UK spooks offered 10Gig wire-speed processor

Bivio runs deep packet inspection apps in the network

Specialist hardware developer Bivio Networks is now targeting UK spooks and service providers with its latest 10Gbit/s programmable deep packet inspection (DPI) engines. The Linux-based Bivio 7000 boxes sport multiple PowerPC processors, and Bivio claims they can be turned to just about any DPI purpose, from security onwards …

Hardware 25 Apr 2007, 15:40
BT drives unified comms downmarket with upmarket chef

Gordon Ramsay-fronted push is go

BT mounted its big push this week to drive uptake of wholly-IP-based voice and IT communications downmarket, to small and medium sized businesses. Ahead of its Business Experience Day on Wednesday, BT drip fed national newspapers earlier this week with the news it had engaged the services of professional shouter Gordon Ramsay …

Networks 25 Apr 2007, 15:56
US to fund 'man-made lightning' raygun tech

$10m for quasi-lethal cattleprod blasters

The US Navy will put nearly $10m into development of "man-made lightning" blaster weapons. In a release dated yesterday, Arizona-based company Ionatron announced that it had won a contract worth $9,839,094 to develop its Laser Induced Plasma Channel™ (LIPC) technology. The funds were supplied by the Naval Surface Warfare Centre …

Science 25 Apr 2007, 18:32
Lumeta mines routers for network discovery

You can't secure what you don't know about

High-end network discovery developer Lumeta has opened up in Europe, citing security needs as the biggest driver today for finding out what's really on your network. The company said its UK office will support existing multinational users, as well as pushing its IPsonar software through European resellers and partners. "Our …

Data Networking 25 Apr 2007, 18:35
Cryoserver back from the dead

Sealed box merges regulatory compliance and email archiving

Email archiving system Cryoserver is back, and now it's an appliance. The software has been bought up by Dublin-based developer FCS (Forensics & Compliance Systems) which has used it to build a tamper-proof sealed system able to archive all one's messaging, both for regulatory compliance and for storage management. "It's a …

Storage 25 Apr 2007, 18:41
IBM lines up MySQL blue corner against rivals

Frenemies forever

IBM has teamed with database rival MySQL in a deal illustrating how far it's prepared to go to reach open source developers and stuff Oracle and Microsoft. IBM will re-sell MySQL subscriptions through its massive reseller network, ensuring MySQL slips into IBM shops and channel partners, serving ISVs that need a low-cost, small …

Software 25 Apr 2007, 18:54
Texan researchers cheer tera-op chip endurance test

'We'll rock 2012'

The University of Texas plans next week to wow processor aficionados with a new chip that can chew through software at an unprecedented clip. The easily excited, however, will want to temper their enthusiasm, since the so-called TRIPS (Tera-op Reliable Intelligently adaptive Processing System) project seems to move at an un- …

PCs & Chips 25 Apr 2007, 19:49
Phishers add call forwarding to their arsenal

The evolution continues

The folks at SecureWorks have observed a new phishing technique that uses call forwarding to route a victim's incoming phone calls to a number controlled by the attacker. Victims are told to confirm their phone number with their bank by dialing *72 followed by a series of numbers. In the US, the sequence will cause most phones …

Spam 25 Apr 2007, 19:55
Man learns bombs not best way to raise tech stocks

Even if Satan tells you it's OK

Manners suggest when corresponding with a financial firm regarding sagging tech stock prices, it's best to avoid threatening a senior officer with his fiery end at the hands of the Prince of Darkness. More importantly, sending a disarmed pipe bomb to emphasize your point is — while often compelling — frowned upon in high …

Crime 25 Apr 2007, 20:19
Sun throws new switch and three racks of metal at video

Bechtolsheim's YouTube plea

At long last, Sun co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim's super secret switch has become not so secret. Sun Microsystems today unveiled the x4950 streaming switch – the crucial component to a new video serving system. The technology behind the box dates back to Bechtolsheim's start-up Kealia, which Sun acquired in 2004, bringing …

Data Networking 25 Apr 2007, 21:45
RegisterFly fire sale at hand?

Offer for beleaguered registrar

Could troubled domain registrar RegisterFly be up for sale? The Register has seen a copy of a letter of intent from Cogit, a technology-focused consulting group based in New Jersey, offering to buy out RegisterFly’s CEO and sole shareholder Kevin Medina for $1.15 mil. Whether or not Medina has indicated any interest in selling …

Law 25 Apr 2007, 23:26
Frank plots US Internet gambling ban repeal

House of Cards No slam dunk

U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank's press office has confirmed that Thursday at 10am Frank will introduce legislation to repeal the controversial Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Frank's opposition to the UIGEA has been public ever since socially conservative …

Law 25 Apr 2007, 23:38
Apple board backs Jobs against ex-CFO allegations shock

Sales rise despite Apple

Apple's Board of Directors is backing CEO Steve Jobs after former CFO Fred Anderson accused Jobs approving the company's stock option backdating. Anderson settled civil charges against him Tuesday without admitting any guilt, but agreeing to pay back approximately $3.5m to make up for personal gains in the scandal. Anderson's …

Financial News 25 Apr 2007, 23:43