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17th October 2008 Archive

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  • Microsoft's 'ordinary Joe' promises Windows 7 bliss

    Workers, not managers, in charge

    Windows chief Steven Sinofsky has wheeled in an "ordinary" developer to re-assure folks that Microsoft won't repeat the mistakes of Windows Vista in Windows 7. Microsoft employee Larry Osterman has been brought out to say Windows 7 won't slip, and it won't contain the kinds of bugs that dogged Windows Vista with hardware and …

    Operating Systems 17 Oct 2008, 00:23

  • Daily Mirror trapped in Wikicirclejerk

    Journo seduced by cult of nonsense

    Yes, Virginia, Wikipedia is a trusted source for journalists the world over. Just ask David Anderson of The Daily Mirror. In late August, after the draw for this season's UEFA Cup, someone calling themselves godpants decided he would add a few words to the Wikipedia page detailing a Cypriot football club known as AC Omonia. "A …

    Media 17 Oct 2008, 05:19

  • HP-EDS combo makes General Motors 'uncomfortable'

    Too much in one bucket?

    HP commands one third of General Motors' $15bn annual technology budget, following its takeover of EDS. And GM doesn't like it. Ralph Szygenda, chief information officer at GM, told Bloomberg that the takeover made his company "somewhat uncomfortable. The question is, do I have too much in one bucket? Down deep, economics …

    The Channel 17 Oct 2008, 06:53

  • RFID remotes have line-of-sight in their sights

    Batteries schmatteries

    Taiwanese electronics specialist Favite has been demonstrating its latest remote control module using RFID technology to remove the need for batteries - at least for those prepared to bathe their living room in a two-watt energy field. Using a passive RFID tag to communicate with a TV might seem strange, but at 433MHz the …

    Broadband 17 Oct 2008, 07:02

  • Toshiba gets tough with for customers

    New Portégé models made tougher so they'll sell

    Toshiba has admitted that the flexi construction employed on its super-slim Portégé R500 was just too bendy, and it's toughened up its latest laptops in case punters think they're too flimsy. In a frank interview with Register Hardware, Thomas Teckentrup, Toshiba's European General Manager for Computer Systems Marketing and …

    Hardware 17 Oct 2008, 07:49

  • AMD stems the bleeding in Q3

    Profits are out there somewhere

    AMD posted revenues of $1.78bn for the third quarter of 2008, up 14 per cent on 2007, and made a net loss $67m - a massive improvement on the $1.19bn it lost in the second quarter. But the soon-to-be ex-chipmaker warned of concerns looking forward. It expects no increase in revenue for the fourth quarter. According to CEO …

    Hardware 17 Oct 2008, 08:23

  • NASA's nuclear Mars tank is go

    Podule for hover-rocket 'sky crane' lander shipped

    NASA's plans to land a large nuclear-powered robotic tank on Mars are back on track, with the first section of its "sky crane" hovering lander module delivered from the makers and funding problems ironed out. US aerospace titan Lockheed Martin announced yesterday that they had shipped the "backshell" for the Mars Science …

    Science 17 Oct 2008, 09:13

  • Computacenter reports profits slide, warns on market

    Sticks to targets for full year

    Computacenter posted decent revenues for the six months ended 30 June 2008 but warned that current trading wasn't that great. The reseller made £1.25bn in sales compared to £1.16bn in the first half of 2007. But profits before tax were down 14.2 per cent to £11m. Earnings per share, however, were up 10.6 per cent thanks to a …

    The Channel 17 Oct 2008, 09:47

  • NASA spots 'gamma ray-only' pulsar

    No radio broadcasts from neutron star

    NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (formerly known as GLAST) has spied the first "gamma ray-only" pulsar - a 10,000 year-old stellar remnant which uniquely doesn't appear to emit pulses at either radio, visible light or X-ray wavelengths in common with the 1,800 or so similar objects catalogued to date. The pulsar - a …

    Science 17 Oct 2008, 10:06

  • Nokia hands Qualcomm €1.7bn to close patent dispute

    Not a secret anymore

    Nokia has finally revealed the price it paid to settle its acrimonious patent dispute with Qualcomm three months ago. The firms finally buried their long-running trademark dispute in July, but at the time refused to disclose the price of the deal. Yesterday Nokia finally confirmed that they had struck a 15-year agreement …

    Mobile 17 Oct 2008, 10:13

  • Apple MacBook

    Review A complete overhaul only improves this neat notebook

    It was no secret that Apple was planning to update its laptop range this month, but the early betting was on a new, budget-priced MacBook to win over even more consumers to the platform. Macs have been selling extremely well over the last year or so, edging towards ten per of the market in the US, compared to Apple’s …

    Hardware 17 Oct 2008, 10:19

  • Ofcom confirms three Freeview HD channels 'by end of next year'

    If you live near Manchester

    The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 will each offer a Freeview high-definition channel over an upgraded terrestrial TV platform by the end of 2009, broadcasting regulators said today. Viewers who want to watch the new services will have to buy a new set-top box compatible with the as-yet incomplete DVB-T2 standard, and with MPEG-4. The …

    Media 17 Oct 2008, 10:26

  • FBI's fraud site spawns UK arrests

    Sting nets cybercrooks

    Police have arrested five people in the UK in the last few days in connection with a web forum used to trade credit card details and personal information. Some 56 people have been arrested worldwide - 11 in total in the UK - in connection with the DarkMarket forum. The Serious Organised Crime Agency ran the UK part of a …

    Security 17 Oct 2008, 11:16

  • Brit chemist conjures smell of outer space

    Fried steak and hot metal

    NASA has commissioned a British chemist to recreate the fragrance of outer space - variously described by astronauts as resembling "fried steak, hot metal and even welding a motorbike", the Daily Mail reports. Steven Pearce of Omega Ingredients has taken to the lab in order to "help astronauts prepare for the conditions they …

    Science 17 Oct 2008, 11:18

  • Hoon: Not building überdatabase would be terrorist licence to kill

    Fear? Hyperbole? He's heard of them

    Transport secretary Geoff Hoon said last night that if the government is not able to harvest details of all internet communications, society will have granted terrorists a licence to kill. Appearing on BBC One's Question Time*, the journeyman minister was asked by Liberal Democrat MP and fellow panellist Julia Goldsworthy how …

    Government 17 Oct 2008, 11:21

  • Google says sorry as Gmail plummets out of the cloud

    Raindrops keep falling on my head

    Google yesterday apologised to Gmail users whose email was out of action for more than a day. The world’s largest ad broker confirmed in a Google Apps discussion forum late Thursday it was restoring the service for a “small number” of peeps affected by the outage. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t reveal how many people were unable …

    Applications 17 Oct 2008, 11:33

  • UK in 80% emissions slash pledge

    Aviation exemption could see flying cars at last

    The UK will reduce its carbon emissions by 80 per cent from 1990 levels by the year 2050, the Brown government has pledged. Plans to subsidise household wind turbines and solar panels were also announced, and a warning was given to energy companies to stop overcharging poorer customers and those with no access to gas. The …

    Science 17 Oct 2008, 11:44

  • US judge rejects lawsuit against God

    Cites impossibility of serving legal papers

    A US judge has dismissed a lawsuit against God on the grounds that "a plaintiff must have access to the defendant for a case to proceed", the BBC reports. Sadly for Nebraska state senator Ernie Chambers, who'd sought a permanent injunction to put an end to the Almighty's "death, destruction and terrorisation of millions upon …

    Bootnotes 17 Oct 2008, 11:48

  • Tech gadgetry brings about pet-o-geddon

    It's true - Steve Jobs kills kittens

    The nation's pets are at risk of coming a cropper through run-ins with the latest tech toys, according to shock new research. A survey of 3000 irresponsible morons pet owners conducted by Petplan pet insurers found that careless gadget fans are injuring their animal companions on a daily basis with their expensive plastic …

    Bootnotes 17 Oct 2008, 12:01

  • Netbooks take ten per cent of Euro PC market

    'Explosive' growth a year on from Eee PC's arrival

    First Gartner and now IDC has highlighted the rise of the Small, Cheap Computer as one of key product categories keeping the European PC market afloat. Laptops too are helping keep vendors' heads above water, and together with the SCCs helped shipments of all types of personal computer grow 27 per cent year on year during Q3, …

    Hardware 17 Oct 2008, 12:04

  • Zuckerberg flirts with record labels, eyes digital music biz

    Gimme a slice of that pie... bitch

    Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg wants a slice of the digital music biz action, since the other boys (MySpace) have their own portion. According to the New York Post the fact that News Corp launched MySpace Music just last month means boydroid Zuckerberg also wants in on the whole shebang. He’s in discussion with a …

    Media 17 Oct 2008, 12:32

  • Bee Gees belter may help cheat death

    Party ditty restarts hearts?

    The Bee Gees' 1977 falsetto stomper Stayin' Alive could be the latest tool in the fight against people dying, according to a new study. Bloomberg soberly relays that the slouchy beat of the squealy white-men-big-hair disco evergreen was found to help medical students attain the correct pace for chest compressions. The …

    Bootnotes 17 Oct 2008, 12:44

  • What are your tech priorities for the next year?

    Reg Tech Panel Hearing plans being ripped up?

    The Reg Technology Panel Barometer study, our annual trawl through your priorities in tech, returns this week with a batch of questions to map your focus, concerns and initiatives for the next 12 months. (You can see past studies here.) As ever, your help is needed. You tell us - anonymously - what you're doing and then we'll …

    Tech Panel 17 Oct 2008, 12:49

  • Tesla axes jobs, temporarily clamps 'affordable' electric car

    'Leccy Tech Founder back in the driving seat

    With even the Detroit Big Three staring into the financial abyss it's not surprising that the global fiscal meltdown is hitting smaller players. Electric sportscar developer Tesla has revealed it will be cutting its workforce. The company is also abandoning its Rochester Hills R&D base in Detroit to hunker down in San Jose, …

    Science 17 Oct 2008, 12:57

  • Invest in Britain, it's fingerprinting good

    UK intros biometric business visitor visas

    From next month, business travellers coming to the UK for up to six months will be fingerprinted for a biometric visa, and will have to prove that their visit is genuine, according to new rules announced yesterday by immigration minister Phil Woolas. The new rules do not affect visitors from the EU or countries - such as the …

    Government 17 Oct 2008, 13:06

  • Right-on Radiohead - the union busters?

    Band is quids in, but collective bargaining is the loser

    The internet has been great for millionaire music performers and amateurs - it's everyone else in between who gets screwed. Now we have Radiohead's publisher Warner Chappell helping confirm the trend. The publisher's head of business affairs Jane Dyball has divulged some information on the band's "name your own price" offer last …

    Media 17 Oct 2008, 13:17

  • Hustler demands to know Who’s Nailin’ Paylin?

    NSFW Alaska's fave MILF gets down and dirty

    US pornmonger Hustler has released a trailer for Who’s Nailin’ Paylin?, a "parody" starring Lisa Ann as Alaska's fave MILF who entertains a couple of Russian soldiers and gets jiggy with Hillary Clinton and Condoleeeezza Rice: It remains to be seen what US voters make of this shameless sexploitation of Sarah Palin's …

    Bootnotes 17 Oct 2008, 13:19

  • Java in the cloud: hardware-free miracle drug?

    Cross platform hits its limits

    Despite huge spending and a never ending supply of new products, enterprise IT is no less complicated than it was a few years ago. Cloud computing with all of its promises is still more of an aspirin for your headache than a cure for your infrastructure disease. The cloud is still relatively virgin territory with effectively …

    Developer 17 Oct 2008, 14:02

  • The netbook newbie's guide to Linux

    Episode One 'We're the Fukarwi'

    Thanks to their design as appliances, you can get down to useful work straight away with any of the new breed of Linux-based netbooks. But sooner or later, a fair few folk come up against the unfamiliarity of Linux. And, like the legendary tribe of pygmies, you may find yourself jumping up and down in the head-high long grass …

    Software 17 Oct 2008, 14:12

  • The jury’s in: Effective software delivery

    Reg Reader Workshop Communications and structure lead to quality

    Over the past few weeks, we’ve been running a series of articles, polls and feedback reports on the subject of software development in general, and agile development in particular. A number of major themes have evolved, notably that agility is not some kind of panacea for all software ills - indeed, in many cases it is as much a …

    Workshop 17 Oct 2008, 14:53

  • Sony unwraps dual-dock iPod hi-fi

    And other Xmas goodies

    Never one to let rivalry get in the way of a bob or two, Sony has rolled out its latest iPod-oriented speaker systems. Sony's ICF-CD3iP: plays CDs too Take the ICF-CD3iP - no, please - which is a moon-faced clock-radio with a handy iPod dock attached to the side. If you're an iPod user who hasn't ripped all your CDs, then …

    Hardware 17 Oct 2008, 14:54

  • X64 server virtualization maturing already

    Let the market stats begin

    The box counters at IDC and Gartner know a good thing when they see it, and they both make a pretty good living modelling the economics and shipment rates of all kind of IT hard and softwares. IDC is the first out of the gate, at least publicly, with a model that covers server virtualization. The first pass of the model shows …

    Servers 17 Oct 2008, 15:29

  • Belts tightened in push email

    Visto lays off another 10 per cent

    Data pushing vendor Visto has laid off another ten per cent of its staff, though it won't confirm if that means its development will be moving out of the UK entirely. Visto used to have more than 300 staff around the world, and this latest "modest restructuring," as the company calls it, involves laying off ten per cent of the …

    Financial News 17 Oct 2008, 17:32

  • Company without a name unveils mainframe Solaris

    Sine Nomine gets Sirius

    The OpenSolaris project and Sine Nomine Associates have announced that Sirius - a Solaris port for IBM mainframes - is ready for action. The Sirius variant of Solaris runs atop IBM's z/VM operating system, which is also one of the pioneer virtualization environments for servers. The Sirius code is a 64-bit implementation of …

    Servers 17 Oct 2008, 19:36

  • Microsoft greases collaboration on cloud

    Sync this

    Microsoft had released the first version of the .NET code that'll underpin collaboration services in the company's planned cloud platform. The company has released Microsoft Sync Framework 1.0, first unveiled in December last year. The Sync Framework is designed to let you add roaming, synchronization, and offline access to …

    Developer 17 Oct 2008, 19:41

  • Oz watchdogs howl over 'Cyber-Safety' net filter

    Can you opt-out?

    Aussie civil liberties watchdogs are warning the country's "Cyber-Safety" internet filter plan won't actually let adults choose to opt-out from web censorship. The Australian Labor party's $125.8m proposal is being pitched as a means to prevent children from accessing online pornography. The scheme includes a choice to opt-out …

    Government 17 Oct 2008, 20:10

  • US teen admits to 'Anonymous' DDoS attack on Scientology

    Up to 10 years in the clink

    A New Jersey man has admitted he participated in January's high-profile cyber attack on the Church of Scientology that took its website offline and caused as much as $70,000 worth of damage. Dmitriy Guzner, 18, of Verona, New Jersey, helped carry out the crippling distributed denial of service (DDoS) assault because he …

    Security 17 Oct 2008, 21:52

  • Google ends gambling ad self-denial

    Greed trumps Sanctimony

    Yes, Google's self-denial goes only so far. Four years after telling itself to ban gambling ads across its worldwide collection of websites, Mountain View has suddenly lifted these sanctimonious sanctions in the United Kingdom. The announcement arrived on the same day the ad broker announced that UK revenue growth had slowed …

    Media 17 Oct 2008, 23:20

  • Stardock revises 'Gamer Bill of Rights'

    DRM fine print

    Software publisher Stardock received a hearty round of back pats from PC game enthusiasts when it released "The Gamer's Bill of Rights" back in August. The bill outlined ten "common sense" principles it encouraged game makers to follow. Two items in particular addressed the controversy over Digital Rights Management (DRM) …

    Applications 17 Oct 2008, 23:23