24th December 2007 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

AOL plays nice, pays developers

Hard lesson

Remember AOL and the "walled garden"? Today, when you meet what used to be the world's number one, and rather standoffish, consumer internet service provider they are talking about working with others and not re-inventing the wheel. In early 2008, AOL will focus on the company's recent commitments to support Google's …

Applications 24 Dec 2007, 00:02
IE's Acid trip back to conflict

'nam all over again

On the face of it, rendering a simple smiley on a screen seems pretty straightforward. So Microsoft's excited revelation that the yet-to-launch Internet Explorer (IE) 8 has passed the Acid2 test might seem like a lot of fuss about nothing. The reality is that - assuming Microsoft's claim is genuine - it is quite an achievement …

Applications 24 Dec 2007, 00:02
Tories offer NHS IT rescue plan after major patient data losses

Propose switch to decentralised, interoperable databases

The Tory party has put forward a rescue plan for the NHS IT system in the wake of the latest government data losses, which were revealed over the weekend. Nine English NHS trusts have owned up to large scale losses of personal data, and although in most cases the nature of this data has yet to be revealed, City & Hackney Primary …

Public Sector 24 Dec 2007, 08:33
Pantone cranks up the whalesong

'Anchoring and meditative' colour of the year

In case you thought common-sense outfits like Pantone - the "global authority on colour" - were immune to rebranding madness, symptomised by the overwhelming desire to give forth in Strategy Boutique Newspeak, it's our sad duty to bring to your attention this announcement regarding the company's "colour of the year": Pantone …

Bootnotes 24 Dec 2007, 10:34
FBI preps $1bn biometric database

'Next Generation Identification' awaits you

"If someone steals and spoofs your iris image, you can't just get a new eyeball." Paul Saffo, technology industry observer Quality science fiction has often provided the prism through which we view, for good or ill, the effects of technological and scientific evolution on human life in all its moral and ethical disarray. No …

Government 24 Dec 2007, 10:35
Devolo dLAN Wireless Extender

Review Spread wireless goodness with powerline

Powerline Ethernet specialist Devolo's latest offering is the logical next step in bridging the worlds of mains power networking and Wi-Fi. You can link a standard access point and a router over a powerline link, allowing to fill your house with wireless goodness despite its radio-unfriendly walls - or you can plug one of these …

Reg Hardware 24 Dec 2007, 11:02
Rendition lawsuit targets aerospace giant Boeing

Should the state secrets doctrine be used to protect government contractors?

Alone, in the middle of the night and nowhere, Khaled El-Masri discovered himself once again to be a free man. He had been left on a hilltop in Albania by his CIA captors, after nearly six months of torture in squalid detention at one of the CIA's black site prisons. The German citizen eventually sued the CIA and lost after the …

Law 24 Dec 2007, 12:02
Dell's laptop customisation options not very customisable

Memory, all alone in the moonlight

Forward-thinking Dell customers who want to make cash savings on pre-loaded memory cards in the firm's latest range of laptops could be in for a hard time. El Reg reader Paul contacted us after problems he had when attempting to customise a Dell XPS M1530 on the PC giant's website. He was hoping to get a laptop loaded with a …

Channel Register 24 Dec 2007, 12:31
Queen's Speech hits YouTube

One would like to wish you all a Happy 2.0 Christmas

She may be an octogenarian but Queen Elizabeth has joined the Web 2.0 jamboree just in time for Christmas. The 81-year-old monarch, who annually delivers a televised Christmas day message to her subjects, will this year also see her festive chinwag posted to video sharing website YouTube. Last year's message from the Queen …

Music and Media 24 Dec 2007, 13:01
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our readers

Bah!

That's it, we're done. The Register Hardware team will now join our El Reg co-conspirators to analyse Web 2.0 trends... er... decorate the mahogany, before heading home to friends and family. Register Hardware will be posting reviews throughout the Festive Season, but our usual service will be resumed in the New Year. In the …

Reg Hardware 24 Dec 2007, 13:02
Presenting the inaugural Vulture Central Hall of Lame™

Quotations 2007: Year of the dingbat

It was the Greek dramatist Sophocles who once wrote: "A short saying often contains much wisdom." And Marlene Dietrich said: "I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognised wiser than oneself." Hmmm. What guff. Here at Vulture Central we …

Bootnotes 24 Dec 2007, 13:03
Wipro seeks firepower for Capgemini bid

'Hectic negotiations' with bankers

Capgemini shares moved up 11 per cent today on reports that Wipro, the Indian IT services giant, wants to buy the company. Wipro is in "hectic negotiations" with bankers over financing a deal which would value Capgemini up to $7bn, the Hindustan Times reports. A bid for the French IT services firm is expected by the end of …

Channel Register 24 Dec 2007, 19:57