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4th June 2007 Archive

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  • Sun explores parallel universe with Studio 12

    Targets Linux developers with gateway IDE

    Sun Microsystems today releases Sun Studio 12, its latest IDE (integrated development environment) for C, C++ and Fortran. It's freely available for Solaris and Linux software platforms and the update will be useful for developers building multi-core and multi-threaded applications, the company says. Sun hopes that a …

    Servers 4 Jun 2007, 04:02

  • AccuRev streams ahead

    Stream-based tool for software configuration management

    Think streams, not files. That is the key concept of AccuRev, a source-code management system which is winning praise for its innovative and effective approach. "Streams are high-level objects almost like containers for versions of files, but they are the main objects in the system," says vice president of technology Brad Hart …

    Developer 4 Jun 2007, 07:02

  • Orange simplifies data by capping at 30MB

    New low in 'unlimited' definition

    Orange has launched its unmetered-mobile-data tariff for the UK - but unexpectedly capped it at 30MB a month. The tariff is available to pre-paid as well as contract customers, and costs a fiver for evening and weekend use, or £8 for anytime unmetered data access. Only it's not as unmetered as one might hope. When we covered …

    Mobile 4 Jun 2007, 07:02

  • Not happy with PC World's customer service?

    Go next door and buy its stock from Currys instead

    DSG employees are like one big happy family. In fact, when one of its retail operations lives next door to another - as is the case for PC World and Currys in sunny Crawley - it appears that it is not averse to sharing stock to get a sale. Such was the situation for one El Reg reader who set off on a computer shopping trip to …

    Channel Register 4 Jun 2007, 08:02

  • Google acquires Panoramio

    Adds photo-sharing to its panoply of services

    Google continued its attempts to offer every service imaginable online by purchasing a Spanish photo-sharing website. Panoramio's technology allows user to pin pictures to Google's online maps to show where they were taken. The site boasts more than one million photos and more than 300,000 registered users. The two firms …

    Financial News 4 Jun 2007, 09:28

  • Raytheon inventions are programs and not patentable

    High Court backs Comptroller General in patent denial

    The High Court has backed the Comptroller General of Patents in refusing a company a patent for inventions which were computer programs. The ruling in the appeal followed the lead of a recent landmark case. US defence giant Raytheon wanted to patent an inventory management system which used images as well as text to help …

    Law 4 Jun 2007, 09:39

  • Apple's iPhone available on June 29

    iSore or iCandy? iDunno...

    Apple has announced that its much-anticipated iPhone product will launch on 29 June in the US. The date was given in a series of television adverts broadcast on Sunday, and was later officially supported in a statement by a spokesman for the California-based company. The device - which combines the features of a mobile phone …

    Reg Hardware 4 Jun 2007, 09:58

  • Killer Wi-Fi panics London's chattering classes

    Naturopaths mobilise to combat wireless death rays

    Recent revelations that Wi-Fi may provoke spontaneous abortions in cattle, raise storms and tempests, curdle milk and fry children's brains have had the desired effect among London's chattering classes, with panicked parents mobilising to contain the wireless menace. According to The Independent, London-based Scooter Computer's …

    Wireless 4 Jun 2007, 09:58

  • Boffins reveal yet more of Titan's secrets

    Plenty to see here

    Scientists were dismayed when, as they watched the Huygens probe fall to the surface on Saturn's moon Titan, one of its key experiments failed. At the time, it looked like vital science would be lost, but now, after two years of painstaking reconstruction, the teams have been able to piece together an astonishingly detailed …

    Space 4 Jun 2007, 10:01

  • Paris Hilton goes down for 23 days

    'Scared' heiress caged in celebrity chokey

    Paris Hilton yesterday began her 23 day sentence for violating probation on a drink-drive rap, the BBC reports. The highly-talented "heiress-turned-pop singer" presented herself at Century Regional Detention Centre in Lynwood, California, shortly after bidding a temporary farewell to her public at the MTV Movie Awards. She …

    Entertainment 4 Jun 2007, 10:03

  • Computer Associates - has the worm turned?

    Can CA reinvent itself?

    Computer Associates (CA) have had a pretty miserable time over the past few years. I guess they felt like the underpaid and overworked airport staff at New York's JFK airport as I came through on a flying visit to catch up on their latest news. Having lost a chief executive, chief salesperson, chief financial officer, and …

    IT Director 4 Jun 2007, 10:10

  • All you need to know to get agile

    Book review Part 1: Agile planning books round-up

    In the last couple of articles I wrote about the problems addressed by agile planning, and the sometimes problematic nature of the approach itself. Perhaps it's not so surprising that for such a relatively new subject, much has been written about it. The following books are either specifically about agile planning, or are …

    Developer 4 Jun 2007, 10:22

  • Space elevator business plan crashes to Earth

    Cease, and desist

    Today we bring you the surprising news that space elevators are not yet a viable business concern, as the Department of Financial Institutions Securities Division (DFISD) in the state of Washington issued a cease and desist order against LiftPort. The LiftPort Group (motto: Change the world or go home) was founded in 2003 with …

    Space 4 Jun 2007, 11:15

  • PartyGaming talks to US Dept of Justice

    Better the enemy you know

    Online poker firm PartyGaming is in talks with the US Department of Justice (DoJ). The firm stopped taking bets from US citizens when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) came into force in 2006. This cost PartyGaming almost three quarters of its customers and knocked 60 per cent off the price of its shares. …

    Financial News 4 Jun 2007, 11:19

  • McCain wants Ballmer as ambassador to China

    'Your government is like Linux'

    Irascible chair-flinging corporate tyrant Steve Ballmer could be in the running for a top government job, it was revealed last week. Presidential hopeful John McCain, speaking at the D: All Things Digital conference, announced plans to co-opt various tech industry luminaries in the event of reaching the White House. According …

    Software 4 Jun 2007, 11:30

  • Flying car sells for $505k

    Plenty of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for your bucks

    One of the cars built for 1968 kids' fave Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has sold for a cool $505,000 (£255,000), the BBC reports. Florida resident Ralph Spencer, who already owns a Batmobile, snapped up the vehicle at an auction in Indiana. It had previously been displayed in a Chicago restaurant and subsequently kept in storage. …

    Entertainment 4 Jun 2007, 11:31

  • iSoft sets lawyers on CSC

    Blocking takeover unreasonable

    iSoft said today it has started legal action over CSC's refusal to consent to its takeover by Aussie health provider IBA Health. CSC, as the main contractor installing iSoft's products, had the right to object to management changes at iSoft, but iSoft believes its objections are unreasonable. The company said CSC agreed in …

    Channel Register 4 Jun 2007, 11:36

  • Oracle extends lawsuit against SAP

    Violations aplenty, alleges database giant

    Oracle has amended its theft lawsuit against SAP to include claims of infringed copyrights and breached contracts. In March, the database giant sued Texas-based SAP subsidiary Tomorrow Now, alleging the firm had illegally copied thousands of its customer support documents from a password-protected website. But it has now …

    Developer 4 Jun 2007, 12:35

  • Vita Audio R2 DAB/FM stereo radio

    Review Who said radio was dead..?

    The concept of DAB in the UK has been dogged a little by new entrants into the radio sector introducing some indifferent products looking to cash in on an expanding market. The Vita R2 is a genuinely good product with a sensible and simple approach to design, but with a few surprises up its sleeve as well. Following hot on …

    Reg Hardware 4 Jun 2007, 12:38

  • Astronomer traces Zodiac's time and place of birth

    Calculating its horoscope any minute now

    An astronomer has traced the origins of the earliest known descriptions of what would become the constellations of today's Zodiac to the region which once held the Assyrian cities of Ninova and Asur. The descriptions, which include more than 200 astronomical observations, are written in cuneiform on a collection of clay tablets …

    Space 4 Jun 2007, 12:40

  • Google feasts on FeedBurner

    Blogtastic

    Hot on the heels of its purchase of photo-sharing website Panoramio, Google has bought FeedBurner for an undisclosed amount. FeedBurner allows bloggers, or anyone else with a website, to better manage RSS feeds. As well as offering ways to get blogs more widely read, FeedBurner provides statistical tools so you can see where …

    Financial News 4 Jun 2007, 12:42

  • Brit uploaders teach Yanks man-hug techniques

    Culture 'Egg sucking for elderly ladies' next, presumably

    British web-vid upload site VideoJug launched yesterday in the States, offering a striking example of reverse cultural colonisation. VideoJug is a sort of how-to version of YouTube, offering short instructional clips on diverse topics such as tying a Windsor knot and coping with cancer. But, as Reuters tech hacks in New York …

    Entertainment 4 Jun 2007, 12:56

  • 2012 Olympics logo debuts to whalesong

    LogoWatch Rebranding madness infects 'star-studded' launch

    Olympics minister Tessa Jowell clearly spent too much time in the chill-out room absorbing whalesong from her iPod at the "star-studded" launch of the 2012 Olympics logo in London's Roundhouse earlier today, since she described the rather frightening graphic as both "an invitation and an inspiration" as VIPs battled to verbally …

    Entertainment 4 Jun 2007, 13:00

  • OGC shreds identity scheme documents

    Drastic measures to bar scrutiny

    The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) has taken to treating its "Gateway" reviews of government IT projects like classified official documents as pressure mounts to have them opened to public scrutiny. The OGC, HM Treasury's procurement sheriff, has ordered civil servants to "securely destroy" all copies of Gateway reviews of …

    Government 4 Jun 2007, 13:10

  • Computerland hires new exec

    Eyes market expansion

    Computerland has appointed Keith Edward Wilson executive director. It is hoped that Wilson will push up sales as well as "maximise the growth potential" at the IT managed services firm. He joins Computerland with over 30 years' experience in the IT services sector. Previously, he worked at Unisys in the UK infrastructure …

    Channel Register 4 Jun 2007, 13:20

  • Command Windows with Powershell

    Books Master Microsoft's long-awaited technology

    Microsoft has finally answered the prayers of system administrators and developers everywhere with the introduction of Windows PowerShell, a new scripting technology that enables the automation of system management tasks and the creation of system management tools. PowerShell runs on Windows XP, 2003, and Vista. Exchange …

    Developer 4 Jun 2007, 13:41

  • No Zune in Europe until 2008

    Zzzz...wake me when it arrives

    Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told German business and economics magazine Wirtschafts Woche in an interview that the Seattle-based behemoth will delay the European launch of its moderately-awaited Zune MP3 player until next year. According to the interview, Ballmer cited the fact that Microsoft was losing money due to …

    Reg Hardware 4 Jun 2007, 13:55

  • BT declares ceasefire in broadband speed wars

    Users don't care about speed, telco claims

    BT is aiming to push access speed down the broadband agenda as the copper wires which carry data into homes swiftly approach their technological limits. The firm, which announced record profits last month, is maintaining its party line on fibre to the home, that it is a "UK PLC issue", rather than a matter for the national …

    Telecoms 4 Jun 2007, 14:12

  • EMC swallows security firm Verid

    Authentication based on knowledge, not ignorance

    Software glutton EMC today announced its latest toy as Florida-based security outfit Verid. Privately-held Verid makes authentication software to run on top of another EMC acquisition: $2.1bn RSA. Financial details of the much smaller Verid deal will be kept under wraps. EMC describes Verid's contribution with the …

    ID 4 Jun 2007, 14:57

  • Brit gamer shot in armed robbery out of hospital

    CounterStrike hero goes home

    Adam Mapleson, the British gamer who was shot after intervening to help security guards facing armed robbers, has been released from hospital. A spokeswoman for Southend Hospital told The Reg that Mapleson returned home today after a week of treatment. Mapleson was on his way to work in IT support on Friday 25 May when he saw …

    Law 4 Jun 2007, 15:18

  • Dutch boffins tout green petri-dish synthetic meat

    Look to eliminate pig-fart methane hazard

    Dutch bio-boffins are seeking to sate modern consumer lust for animal flesh by growing artificial pig tissue from stem cells. According to a Reuters report, academics at Utrecht University reckon that vat-grown synthi-pork would benefit the environment and involve less cruelty than current methods. In particular, methane …

    Biology 4 Jun 2007, 15:46

  • Staring at the surface of an alien star

    Squashed, fast and cool

    Scientists have taken the first ever pictures of the surface of an alien Sol-like sun. The team, led by astronomers at the University of Michigan, made the observations of the relatively nearby (15 light years away) star Altair. They used four of the six telescopes at Georgia State University's Centre for High Angular …

    Space 4 Jun 2007, 15:52

  • Sirius and XM's star-crossed merger

    Comment A duck and a turkey don't make a swan

    One man's "merger of equals" is another man's "merger of disasters." In the case of XM and Sirius, US regulators need to figure out just what kind of men they are. And nothing less than your rights to, well, sound will hinge on their decision. It's been 76 days since XM and Sirius filed their merger intentions with the …

    Music and Media 4 Jun 2007, 17:57

  • No goat sex at the Olympics, rules BBC

    Beeb blanches at user generated filth

    The Web 2.0-tastic BBC just loves "user generated content". So when London's Olympic team unveiled its logo for the 2012 games to much mockery earlier today, what could be better than unleashing the Wisdom of the Crowd? After all, anyone can do better than the official expensive design disaster. One entry, submitted by "Sean …

    Bootnotes 4 Jun 2007, 19:05

  • Microsoft makes another Linux friend in Xandros

    There's a Novell idea

    Xandros has become the latest Linux distro to hop into bed with Microsoft, announcing a five-year deal for joint development. The oddball duo will collaborate on systems management, office suite, and server interoperability. Xandros will get protection from Redmond's legal high command, and support for its sales and marketing …

    Servers 4 Jun 2007, 19:09

  • Logicalis buys NC HP reseller

    Beefing up the southeast

    Logicalis, the Anglo-South African reseller, has bought another US computer dealerahip, this time an HP specialist in North Carolina. Terms are undisclosed Its new baby is the Information Technology Division of Carotek, based in Matthews NC. Carotek ITD has 30 staff, expects revenue of $25m over the next year and hangs out …

    Channel Register 4 Jun 2007, 19:31

  • Superstar multi-core start-up MIA

    Have you seen PeakStream?

    Server, software and chip darling PeakStream appears to have entered the start-up protection program. PeakStream, where are you? PeakStream's web site and telephone numbers have turned dysfunctional. Sources tell The Register that's because the software start-up has been acquired. But which vendor would buy PeakStream and …

    Servers 4 Jun 2007, 19:32

  • Four-core Opteron box fiasco crushes Cray's 2007

    Seeing red over Budapest

    Cray has blamed delayed shipments of Opteron-based servers for a likely massive fall in 2007 revenue. The supercomputer maker today warned that its midpoint forecast for 2007 revenue has been lowered to $200m from previous guidance last month of $230m. The revenue drop comes as a result of delayed XT4 system shipments and could …

    Servers 4 Jun 2007, 19:57

  • US Patent Office returns to Microsoft-Eolas fray

    Eight-year IP battle still hot in 2007

    Microsoft is getting another chance to prove to the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) that the disputed Eolas patent for browser plug-ins is invalid. The two companies have fought for eight years over the ownership of running executables in a web browser. US courts have awarded Eolas over $500m in the fight, but the …

    Law 4 Jun 2007, 20:49

  • Private equity firms trump Nortel for Avaya's hand

    $8bn wedding ring

    Avaya is close to selling itself to private equity firms Silver Lake partners and Texas Pacific Group for more than $8bn, bumping Nortel as top bidder. The firms are expected to pay about $17 per share in a deal which may be announced as early as today, reports the New York Times citing unnamed sources. Avaya's shares closed …

    Data Networking 4 Jun 2007, 22:03

  • Book publisher steals Google laptops

    An eye for a copyright

    Angered by Google's attempts to copy their works, publishers have decided to strike back against the ad broker by stealing its technology. Late last week, at New York City’s BookExpo America, the CEO of Macmillan Publishers pilfered two laptops from a booth where Google was promoting its Book Search service, part of an effort …

    Music and Media 4 Jun 2007, 23:24

  • Private investment firm greases Palm

    Elevated by cash, iPod guru and former Apple CFO

    Struggling to regain its edge in the smartphone market, Palm has reached an agreement to sell a quarter of the company to a private equity firm and to place a former iPod guru in an executive seat. Elevation Partners will pay a special distribution of $8.50 per share, or about $940m of convertible preferred Palm stock, to take …

    Financial News 4 Jun 2007, 23:33