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11th November 2008 Archive

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  • HP missionaries convert 250+ mainframe shops

    Have you seen the Itanium light?

    For all the talk about the competition between server platforms, very few machines are in play at any given time. And this is particularly true of big iron, like high-end RISC/Unix servers, proprietary midrange gear, and mainframes. But when times get tough, those venerable back office systems start looking expensive, and that's …

    Servers 11 Nov 2008, 00:04

  • Denial, exposure and online security

    Five top tips

    Web applications have huge attack surfaces. Most sites have hundreds of URLs, and each function has plenty of parameters, form fields, cookies, and headers for attackers to play with. One simple way to make your web application more secure is to minimize your attack surface. Let's look at five simple ways to do this. Tighten …

    Developer 11 Nov 2008, 00:24

  • VMware launches someone else's mobile hypervisor

    It takes two to Trango

    VMWare has extended its virtualization mojo to mobile phones. Today, the software abstracter told the world it's now offering handset makers something it likes to call the VMWare mobile virtualization platform. MVP, for short. "By abstracting the applications and data from the hardware itself, we expect that virtualization …

    Mobile 11 Nov 2008, 02:20

  • Vintage IBM tape drive in Apollo moon dust rescue

    40-year-old data recovery

    An Australian scientist hopes to restore a vintage, refrigerator-sized IBM tape drive stored in a museum to recover Apollo moon mission data the space agency misplaced nearly 40f years ago. NASA's only means of measuring moon dust during its Apollo missions has gone largely unappreciated until recently, reports Australia's ABC …

    Vintage 11 Nov 2008, 06:37

  • SpringSource buys Groovy and Grails specialist

    Java meets dynamic languages

    SpringSource hopes to attract Java developers in the enterprise and dynamic languages fans with its acquisition of Groovy and Grails specialist G2One. The company is today expected to announce that it's buying G2One's team of six experts for an undisclosed package comprising cash and stock. G21 may be small but customers …

    Developer 11 Nov 2008, 06:40

  • Reding maps out mini-super-regulator

    Trial sized

    EU Commissioner Viviane Reding has been mapping out how the new super-regulator will look, and the answer is rather less super than originally envisioned. Instead of the 130 staff, appointed by the EU and able to ride roughshod over the interests of national regulators, the "Body of the European Telecoms Regulators" will …

    Broadband 11 Nov 2008, 07:02

  • Open source fanciers finger Beeb's Win 7 'sales presentation'

    Takes a dig at the Rory and Rob show

    The Open Source Consortium (OSC) has slammed the BBC’s recent coverage of Microsoft for providing a “sales presentation” about its forthcoming operating system, Windows 7. A written complaint from the OSC about the coverage has winged its way to the Beeb’s Fair Trading Unit, which has already deemed the openista group’s …

    Operating Systems 11 Nov 2008, 07:02

  • Hauppauge myTV Pocket Freeview PMP

    Review Media player with built-in digital telly tuner

    Pocket TVs have thankfully come on a ways since the world went 'er.. what?' at the unveiling of the Sinclair MTV1 back in 1977. The myTV Player from TV tuner specialist Hauppauge is a fresh attempt to bring you telly on the move, this time wrapping a DVB-T receiver - Freeview, basically - and a PMP into a single, affordable …

    Hardware 11 Nov 2008, 09:02

  • Mars lander has probably carked it, says NASA

    Phoenix robot won't rise again

    The Phoenix robot lander, situated in the arctic dune seas of Mars, has ceased communicating and NASA does not expect to hear from it again. The onset of autumn in the chilly polar plains of the Red Planet has, as was expected, meant that the probe's solar panels can no longer supply sufficient power to keep it running. …

    Science 11 Nov 2008, 09:22

  • Law Commissions want to keep UK consumers' refund rights

    Slam European Commission's actions

    UK consumers should be able to demand refunds for faulty goods despite attempts by the European Commission to undermine that right, the Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission have said. The Commissions have been asked by Government to undertake a consultation on consumers' rights when goods are faulty, and they have …

    The Channel 11 Nov 2008, 09:58

  • Hitachi touts greenest 500GB laptop hard drive

    Very secure too, apparently

    Hitachi's Global Storage Technologies division today punted what it claimed is the industry's least power-hungry mobile hard drive in its capacity class. The Travelstar 5K500.B is a half-a-terabyte, dual-platter boy that packs its 500GB of raw storage into the laptop-friendly 2.5in form-factor. It runs at 5400rpm. Touting the …

    Hardware 11 Nov 2008, 10:45

  • Banks to share data on promiscuity

    Clamp down on over-exposed 'credit tarts' to follow

    If you want credit, be prepared to hand over a little bit more personal info to the data inquisition in future. That looks like being the inevitable end-result of an announcement by UK banks that in order to help you manage your credit more responsibly, they are planning to expand the range of data that they will share with one …

    Financial News 11 Nov 2008, 10:47

  • Dutch plan 'Energy Island'

    Dyke ring 'leccy pumpage to smooth bursty wind

    A Dutch company has proposed an interesting new kind of pumped-storage energy station. Normally, such facilities work by pumping huge uphill reservoirs full of water and letting it flow out through hydro-power turbines later on to release the stored energy. This one, however, works by emptying a huge reservoir. No little boys …

    Science 11 Nov 2008, 10:53

  • US Navy hacker avoids Romanian jail

    Sharp contrast with McKinnon extradition saga

    A Romanian hacker who broke into systems run by the US Navy, NASA and the Department of Energy has avoided a custodial sentence in a trial at home but may still face extradition to the US. Victor Faur, 28, was convicted of hacking into US government systems between November 2005 and September 2006. He received a 16-month …

    Security 11 Nov 2008, 10:59

  • Vodafone tightens belt by £1bn

    Plans to exploit the less exploitative customer

    Vodafone's half-year results show profits on the slide and any increase in revenue largely attributable to currency fluctuations, prompting a change of strategy and a new round of cuts to shave £1bn off costs by 2011. Overall revenue for April to September 2008 is up by 17.1 per cent, to £19.9bn, but the company admits that …

    Mobile 11 Nov 2008, 11:20

  • Half of Brits abuse apostrophe's

    Cant tell they're it's from their elbow's

    Linguistic doommongers look away now: A survey has shown that almost half of Brits haven't got a clue how to use the possessive apostrophe correctly, with the most common lapse being the inability to "punctuate a possessive plural". That's according to the Telegraph, which cites an independent poll of nearly 2,000 carried out …

    Bootnotes 11 Nov 2008, 11:21

  • Intel intros hi-tech digital doctor

    Is there a Core 2 Duo in the house?

    Intel has launched an in-home medical gizmo that’ll not only monitor your vital signs and store all your medical details, but which can even get a doctor on the blower for you. Intel's Health Guide PHS6000: doctor in the house The Intel Health Guide PHS6000 is an all-in-one health station which patients can use at home to, …

    Hardware 11 Nov 2008, 11:23

  • Digicam gift card launched

    Gift card that takes pictures

    Register Hardware is comfortable with the idea of store gift cards, and with compact cameras. But we have to admit that the launch of a gift card with an integrated camera took us by surprise. Target's Digital Camera GiftCard The Digital Camera GiftCard, launched by US retail giant Target, sports a 1.2-megapixel camera and …

    Hardware 11 Nov 2008, 11:26

  • Company That Can't Be Named slams critics

    Telco 2.0 Twitter ye not

    STL Partners' twice-yearly Telco 2.0 conference is held under Chatham House rules, which means the press can't attribute quotes to speakers without their permission. It's all about telcos finding new revenue opportunities, and it returned this week. One session starred a Well Known Web Advertising Intermediary very well known to …

    Broadband 11 Nov 2008, 11:31

  • 'Jaguar' Cray hypercomputer beats 1.3 petaflops

    World's fastest machine not working on atom bombs

    US government boffins at the Oak Ridge national lab in Tennessee are chuffed as ninepence to announce that they have upgraded their Cray "Jaguar" supercomputer to petaflop performance. "Jaguar is one of science's newest and most formidable tools for advancement in science and engineering," said Dr Raymond L Orbach, under …

    Servers 11 Nov 2008, 11:39

  • Panasonic to buy Sanyo?

    Firms enter into talks

    An electronics super giant may soon be created - if Panasonic’s recently announced acquisition negotiations with Sanyo prove fruitful. It’s estimated that – if the deal goes through – Panasonic will pay around $8.8bn (£5.6bn/€6.9bn) for Sanyo. According to numerous online sources, Panasonic would become a majority shareholder …

    Hardware 11 Nov 2008, 11:43

  • China to offer detox to net junkies

    Recognises addiction as 'clinical disease'

    China's ministry of health is set to recognise net addiction as a "clinical disease" and will next year formally define the condition, the Telegraph reports. The ministry classifies an addict as someone who spends "at least six hours" a day glued to the internet, and who suffers symptoms such as "irritation, difficulty in …

    Bootnotes 11 Nov 2008, 12:00

  • DARPA inks $2m deal for vat-grown artificial blood tech

    'Blood pharming' to replace US troops' spilt claret

    An American biotech company has been awarded a $2m deal to produce "blood pharming" technology for the US military. The proposed kit would allow US forces to grow large supplies of genuine human blood in tanks, for use in transfusions to help wounded troops. The "pharming" programme is being run, of course, by renowned …

    Science 11 Nov 2008, 12:12

  • Blogger to plead guilty for Guns N' Roses leak?

    November rains on cuffed US man

    The 27-year-old American blogger who was arrested by the FBI in August for leaking some unreleased Guns N' Roses tunes to the interweb has reportedly agreed to plead guilty to one federal count of copyright infringement. According to Wired, Kevin Cogill – the man at the centre of the G N’ R storm – is required to appear in the …

    Media 11 Nov 2008, 12:17

  • Modem maker to supply white-box Android smartphones

    Huawei goes Google

    Modem maker Huawei, best known in the UK as the manufacturer of various carriers' HSDPA 3G dongles, has unveiled plans to make smartphones based on Google’s Android OS. During a media tour in Shenzhen, China last week, the company confirmed plans to produce Android devices, which will be branded and sold by network operators …

    Mobile 11 Nov 2008, 12:18

  • The US and the impossible green revolution

    Book Review A dream beached by the economy

    Feel a little pity for Thomas L Friedman's Hot, Flat and Crowded, his new book on what must be done to deliver a green revolution in America. With the economy collapsed, political will in the United States is now decisively hostile to almost everything in it. Nevertheless, Friedman's premise is easy to absorb and reasonable. …

    Government 11 Nov 2008, 12:23

  • DNA convictions fall as database doubles in size

    Magic database finds 0.36% of crimes

    The number of crimes solved thanks to the DNA database is actually falling despite the ever-growing number of people it contains. Figures given to Parliament show that even though 7 per cent of the UK population are now on the DNA database it helped solve only 0.36 per cent of crimes, down from 0.37 per cent last year. In the …

    Law 11 Nov 2008, 12:30

  • AVG slaps Trojan label on core Windows file

    Second false alarm creates consternation

    Some users of AVG were left with unusable Windows systems after the popular AVG security scanner software slapped a Trojan warning on a core Windows component. AVG tagged user32.dll as a banking Trojan following a signature update issued on Sunday, advising users to delete the "harmful file". Users following this advice would …

    Security 11 Nov 2008, 12:36

  • World's ugliest mutt pops paws

    RIP, three-legged, one-eyed hound of hell

    The three-legged, one-eyed hairless Chinese crested known as Gus, and internationally famous as the world's ugliest mutt, succumbed on Monday to skin cancer at the age of nine, Florida's St. Petersburg Times reports. Owner Jeanenne Teed, of Gulfport, rescued Gus when he was a puppy. His hideous bald countenance was perfectly …

    Bootnotes 11 Nov 2008, 12:41

  • Quantum finds UK customers reluctant to buy

    Longer sales cycles and cheaper kit wanted

    UK customers are finding it harder to justify IT purchases, according to Quantum reseller research. They are delaying buying decisions and looking for cheaper kit to buy or own. Quantum wants to convince customers they still need backup products and keep the long-term in mind. No price-cutting yet then. Yes, customers are …

    The Channel 11 Nov 2008, 12:46

  • Boffin finds gene for coke addiction

    Boring sniffler? It's not your fault

    A German researcher has found a gene linked to cocaine addiction - coke addicts were 25 per cent more likely to have the gene than those who do not use the drug. Rainer Spanagel, a professor at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Germany, said: "If you are a carrier of this gene variant, the likelihood of getting …

    Science 11 Nov 2008, 12:52

  • LG Renoir eight-megapixel cameraphone

    Review Serious alternative to the you-know-what

    LG’s successor to its Viewty focuses on imaging capabilities with a centrepiece eight-megapixel camera. The KC910 - or Renoir, as it's artistically labelled - doesn’t only have an eyebrow-raising cameraphone resolution, though. The device, built around a large, 3in touchscreen, is packed with a roll-call of the latest must- …

    Phones 11 Nov 2008, 13:02

  • Parallels opens Windows on the Mac desktop

    Mix'n'match OS for Intel-based cross dressers

    Parallels has popped out its next version of the software firm’s virtualisation platform, Desktop for Mac 4.0, which includes the ability for customers to run Windows on their Apple machines. The company is keen to capitalise on a steady but growing market: frustrated Vista customers who are making the switch to Apple but are …

    Virtualization 11 Nov 2008, 13:25

  • US senator demands clamp down on Obama ticket touting

    Make inauguration an e-commerce free zone

    A US Senator is urging websites like eBay not to accept for sale touted tickets for Barack Obama's swearing-in as president. Dianne Feinstein is running the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies and is hoping to get a bill passed which would make such ticket touting a federal crime. Tickets for the …

    Government 11 Nov 2008, 13:36

  • US spec-ops get robot whispercopter kill fleet this month

    Droid choppers can also carry passengers

    The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) secret military forces are receiving their first robotic whisper-mode helicopters, according to reports. The plan is for the you-never-saw-us-we-aren't-even-here brigade to receive a ten-strong fleet of Boeing A160T "Hummingbird" droid kill-choppers, under an extended demonstration …

    Government 11 Nov 2008, 13:51

  • Ofcom exempts road users

    But only if they're saving lives

    Ofcom has proposed that intelligent traffic radio systems be licence-exempt, but initially only where it improves the the safety of the driving experience. The EU has already mandated that 30MHz of spectrum, between 5875 and 5905MHz, be reserved for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), but while Viviane Reding seems to think …

    Mobile 11 Nov 2008, 13:53

  • Lads from Lagos target Facebook

    Beware 'friends' bearing begging bowl

    The ever-resourceful Lads from Lagos have been hanging around Facebook hoping to extract a few bucks from the unwary, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Aussie Karina Wells was last Friday targeted via the social networking site by a Nigerian scammer claiming to be her friend Adrian. His message said he was stuck in Lagos and …

    Security 11 Nov 2008, 13:59

  • Geek gets Blackberry Storm tattoo

    For the love of...

    We love our tech here at Register Hardware, but we’d never get the vulture tattooed onto our forearms. However, one phone fanatic was so desperate to bag himself a free BlackBerry Storm that he had the handset etched onto his body. The man won a free Storm for his efforts A man dubbed 'T.J', from Ohio, opted to have a life- …

    Phones 11 Nov 2008, 14:14

  • Targeted attacks to add to ISP woes

    As if brute-force DDoS assaults weren't enough

    Hacking attacks are growing more sophisticated and more prevalent, with hard-pressed ISPs facing a wider range of threats. The large-brute force denial of service attacks of yesteryear have been joined by service-level and application-targeted attacks, DNS poisoning and route hijacking assaults that are more difficult to deal …

    Security 11 Nov 2008, 14:18

  • Nokia seeks helpers for real-time traffic survey

    Finnish phone maker wants you... and your mobile

    Nokia has launched a project to study ways to create a more detailed real-time picture of road traffic conditions. And it wants you to take part. The Mobile Millennium scheme will collect and study traffic data from GPS-enabled mobile devices, and has been planned in conjunction with the University of California, Berkeley. …

    Science 11 Nov 2008, 14:41

  • Agassi: free electric car, anyone?

    'Leccy Tech Unlikely to be a Tesla

    Better Place CEO Shai Agassi has outlined his ideas for the electric car future, and the good news is that we all get free cars. Well, up to a point. Agassi was elaborating on his 'leccy car as mobile phone' concept, according to which the consumer would purchase a contract for power and in return get a heavily subsidised car …

    Science 11 Nov 2008, 15:15

  • German boffins plan frictionless liquid crystal lubricant

    'Sliding rod' slips in easily with right orientation

    German boffins at the Fraunhofer Institute say they are working on an "almost frictionless" lubricant made from liquid crystals like those used in flat-panel displays. They think that the LCD lube could be ready for market as soon as 2011. As any fule kno, liquid crystal molecules can be made to point the same way under the …

    Science 11 Nov 2008, 15:23

  • Grand Theft Auto creator prevails in strip-club clash

    Virtual venue doesn't infringe real one's trademark

    A US court has dismissed claims made by the owner of a Los Angeles exotic dance venue that a virtual gentlemen’s club in Grand Theft Auto is based on his trademarked joint. GTA: San Andreas doesn't infringe on the Play Pen's (above) trademark Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain ruled that because GTA: San Andreas is a parody of East …

    Games 11 Nov 2008, 15:38

  • Police vet live music, DJs for 'terror risk'

    Locking down garage...and RnB, basement

    A dozen London boroughs have implemented a "risk assessment" policy for live music that permits the police to ban any live music if they fail to receive personal details from the performers 14 days in advance. The demand explicitly singles out performances and musical styles favoured by the black community: garage and R&B, and …

    Law 11 Nov 2008, 15:43

  • UK lists preferred occupations for immigrants

    Bring us your huddled fish filleters

    The Home Office has confirmed the list of preferred jobs for would-be immigrants to the UK - and non-EU techies need not apply. The points-based immigration system starts at the end of the month. If people from outside the EU wish to work in the UK then having qualifications for one of the listed occupations will increase …

    Small Biz 11 Nov 2008, 15:46

  • Farmers demand 'special' climate deal for flatulent cattle

    'Limited in how much they can cut emissions'

    The International Federation of Agricultural Producers has asked for a "special deal" in climate negotiations, insisting there are "limits to what farmers could do to curb emissions" from the flatulent, burping cattle which contribute a fair whack of the 20 per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions attributed to …

    Science 11 Nov 2008, 16:02

  • Love bug worm inspires Asian film

    Chick flick with computer viruses. Sounds truly dire

    Asian film makers have completed filming about a movie inspired by the infamous Love Bug worm. The celluloid outing, entitled Subject: I love you, stars US actress Briana Evigan and has finished filming on the streets of Manila, in the Philippines, ahead of an expected release next year. The title of the film is the same as …

    Bootnotes 11 Nov 2008, 16:26

  • Hotmail holdouts grumble about 'pathetic' new interface

    MS scrambles to fix distorted views

    Microsoft isn’t having much luck with the redesign of Hotmail, which is currently playing havoc with thousands of user’s emails. The software giant has, er, “thanked” nearly 2,000 frustrated Hotmail peeps who have complained about the new interface. Some are unable to view their inbox, while others have lost their sent items …

    Applications 11 Nov 2008, 16:38

  • Amazon UK pulls Scientology exposé for 'legal reasons'

    Silences former member of church's 'secret army'

    Amazon UK has barred the sale of a new Scientology exposé penned by a former member of the church's "elite paramilitary group." The British incarnation of the world's most popular etailer is no longer offering The Complex: An Insider Exposes the Covert World of the Church of Scientology, a 318-page tome from John Duignan, who …

    Media 11 Nov 2008, 17:48

  • F5 Q4 revenues up, income down

    Pulls Acopia out of the dumps

    F5 sold more gear in fiscal 2008 but earned less profit than last year. The enterprise networking and storage firm was held back by a late inability to ship product. Despite this it has pulled its Acopia file virtualisation business out of the mire caused by a collapse in sales to the financial sector. F5 sells application …

    Storage 11 Nov 2008, 18:00

  • IBM slashes chip animation, new server prices

    'Please spend now. Not later'

    It is pretty safe to say that IT shops are a little hesitant to spend money these days. And getting companies to open up their checkbooks before 2009 is going to be something of a challenge. But no matter how bad the economy gets, you can always convince someone to spend now rather than later - so long as the deal is good enough …

    Servers 11 Nov 2008, 18:07

  • Judge OKs lawsuits seeking Dubya's lost email

    225 days of missing messages

    A federal judge upheld lawsuits pressing the Bush administration to recover millions of potentially missing emails just two-and-a-half months before it leaves office. US District Judge Henry Kennedy rejected the government's request to throw out lawsuits filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the …

    Law 11 Nov 2008, 18:14

  • Virgin Media wields mighty jobs axe

    Waves goodbye (but not yet) to 2,200 staff

    Virgin Media, the UK cable giant, is cutting 2,200 jobs - about 15 per cent of the workforce. The cuts should mean savings of £120m a year by 2012 and come in the wake of a strategic review begun earlier this year. Most jobsd will go in the last quarter of 2009 or 2010. Virgin said the implications of the proposals for …

    Broadband 11 Nov 2008, 18:19

  • Mac Parallels goes fourth

    Faster and slicker Windows-on-Mac

    The already-excellent Mac virtualisation software Parallels received a major update today. The new version adds support for 64-bit addressing, multiple CPUs or cores, 3D support, and has a spruced up UI. The company reckons the multicore support and other optimisations offer performance improvements of 25 per cent over earlier …

    Hardware 11 Nov 2008, 18:21

  • Microsoft rethinks open source CodePlex site

    Devil, meet details...

    Microsoft's CodePlex site could be revised before the year's out to signpost genuinely open-source projects, after the company got itself in hot water. Sam Ramji, senior director of platform strategy, told The Register that Microsoft hoped to wrap up internal discussions over what to do about CodePlex and resolve the issue …

    Developer 11 Nov 2008, 19:20

  • Microsoft ups search engine bribe

    Extends exercise in futility

    As part of its ongoing effort to shrink the Google gap with shameless bribery, Microsoft is now offering 25 per cent off eBay purchases made by way of its Live Search engine. Previously, Redmond's eBay cashback offer was around 10 per cent. "Christmas presents to be purchased? Budget a bit tight? Microsoft Live Search has a …

    Media 11 Nov 2008, 21:27

  • IBM Lotus preps small biz software appliance

    Domino, Symphony, idiot-proofing

    It's pandemonium out there. Cats are living with dogs. There's chocolate in my peanut butter. Software units are selling servers and calling them appliances. Late yesterday, IBM's Lotus collaboration software unit, one of the key pillars in the company's Software Group, lifted the veil a bit on its next-generation of Lotus …

    Servers 11 Nov 2008, 21:59

  • Ode to the Phoenix Mars Lander

    In your last dying throes/observed that it snows

    ollow the water' they told you, and rocketed you out there alone. 'You'll comb the terrain, for snow, ice, or rain, and we'll grock what you see back at home.' More than seven-score days since they sent you, shoveling months in dark, frigid cold. Yet true to your name, the Phoenix's flame burned far longer than NASA …

    Bootnotes 11 Nov 2008, 22:07

  • Microsoft marks Windows' anniversary with Windows 7

    Big, dumb icons

    Past is prologue. So said Joe Biden during a vice presidential debate slap-down to Sarah Palin after she'd chided him about him going on and on about the past eight years. It is significant, then, that Microsoft chose the anniversary of Windows to evangelize the new Windows 7 user interface with nods to Windows 1.0, Windows 95 …

    Operating Systems 11 Nov 2008, 22:40