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13th August 2009 Archive

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  • Vuln exposes eBay developer accounts

    Password changes ordered

    eBay security officials are requiring members of its developer program to change their passwords following the discovery of a vulnerability that could allow attackers to intercept sensitive account details. "eBay has recently identified a means by which someone could gain access to eBay Developers Program account information …

    Security 13 Aug 2009, 00:18

  • Microsoft at a loss in Word patent case?

    Comment Texas hold 'em

    Time to take a breath following the "landmark" injunction against Microsoft over alleged infringement of an XML patent in Word. Never mind a US jury has found that Microsoft willfully violated an XML patent in its ubiquitous Word application and the case judge fined the company $200m. Microsoft's no stranger to patent …

    Applications 13 Aug 2009, 00:35

  • Microsoft catches 11 UK pirate retailers

    Keelhauls companies across the country

    Microsoft has reached settlements with 11 companies accused of selling dodgy copies of its products. The 11 computer retailers all faced court action and admitted illegal hard disc loading and selling illegal software. Christine Throup, from PC Support in Worcester, said: “We recognise that we weren’t installing Microsoft …

    The Channel 13 Aug 2009, 07:02

  • Nokia exec denies Symbian Maemo swap claim

    Doesn't quite address original allegation

    A Nokia executive has pooh-pooh'd claims that the Finnish phone giant is dropping support for Symbian in favour of its Maemo mobile incarnation of Linux. “Nokia is not replacing Symbian with Maemo," Peter Schneider, Head of Marketing for Maemo Devices at Nokia, Twittered yesterday. "Symbian and Maemo will continue to co-exist …

    Phones 13 Aug 2009, 08:47

  • Blaster anniversary recalls network worm heyday

    Remembrance of flaws past

    It's six years since the infamous Blaster worm crippled Windows systems worldwide. The most damaging variant of Blaster (AKA Lovesan) first started spreading on 11 August 2003, reaching its peak on 13 August. Security researchers reckon the original malware was created by Chinese VXers after they reverse engineered a …

    Security 13 Aug 2009, 08:55

  • Ditching ID cards would save £3bn

    Stick that in your manifesto lads

    If the Tories win the next election and stick to their promises to cancel the ID card scheme, they will save the UK economy over £3bn. Some of the scheme will need to be kept in order to support upgraded passports, but even so the potential savings are huge. The Tories, if they win in June 2010, could cancel adding …

    Government 13 Aug 2009, 08:55

  • Just how Virtual are your servers?

    Reader Studies Server virtualization poll

    For all the talk about server virtualization, it would be easy to get the impression that for many organisations it’s already a done deal – servers have been virtualized, workloads have been consolidated, challenges have been overcome, benefits achieved, yadda yadda. However, we know - not least from this workshop series - that …

    Software 13 Aug 2009, 09:13

  • Next-gen Intel mobile processors out next month

    Developer Forum launch

    Intel's upcoming Nehalem-class mobile quad-core processors - codenamed 'Clarksfield' - may debut a little sooner than expected. Originally anticipated in October, the three CPUs - two mainstream parts and an Extreme gaming-centric chip - will actually be launched on 23 September, according to Intel documents website Xbit Labs …

    Hardware 13 Aug 2009, 09:21

  • Patriot provides 'Mac-specific' SSD series

    The real Mac Koi

    Patriot Memory has introduced a Mac-specific solid-state drive it claims was specifically designed for the platform. The company didn't say how the drive - dubbed the Koi - has been tweaked to be more Mac friendly, so we'll just have to wait for independent tests to see whether sticking one of these into your MacBook Pro is …

    Hardware 13 Aug 2009, 09:56

  • Samsung cameras get second screens for self-portraits

    Updated Man in the mirror?

    Taking self-portraits using a compact camera can be tricky: extending your arms far enough so that your nose doesn’t fill the shot, for example. But Samsung may have solved the problem by building a user-facing screen onto it two latest models. Samsung's second screen: perfect for posers? In addition to the ST500’s 3in rear …

    Hardware 13 Aug 2009, 10:02

  • Is LTO-5 the last hurrah for tape?

    Imation to make 1.6TB LTO-5, but is it tape's last stand?

    Imation will soon be making the industry's first terabyte-plus raw capacity tape, in the LTO-5 format, with delivery in early 2010. The Linear Tape Open (LTO) consortium has three technology-providing members: HP, IBM and Quantum. It defines tape formats against which the three members build drives and independent licensed …

    Storage 13 Aug 2009, 10:11

  • Orange repeals unpopular price changes

    Customer stampede forces grudging change of heart

    Orange has scrapped plans to increase out-of-bundle call rates, as well as the cost of web access from handsets, after customers started deserting the network in droves. The changes included almost tripling the cost of minutes beyond the bundle, from five pence to 14.7 pence, as well as changing the way web access was charged …

    Mobile 13 Aug 2009, 10:19

  • China scales back censorship plans

    Green Dam to now be voluntary

    The Chinese government is scaling back plans for compulsory net filtering for all citizens. China's minister of industry, information and technology said Green Dam Filtering software would be compulsory for all computers in schools and public internet cafes, but not for individual PCs. The government originally demanded that …

    Government 13 Aug 2009, 10:21

  • AMD rolls out overclockable 'Intel beater'

    Often faster, always cheaper than arch-rival's CPUs, firm claims

    Claiming performance to beat or at least match equivalent chippery from Intel yet at a lower price, AMD today pitched its latest Black Edition processor at gamers and enthusiasts. The Phenom II X4 965 is clocked at 3.4GHz, the highest speed at which any current desktop processor is set to run, AMD claimed, though historically …

    Hardware 13 Aug 2009, 10:31

  • Underground forum r00t-y0u.org gets pwned

    S'kiddie defacement or law enforcement sting?

    A notice on underground cybercrime forum r00t-y0u.org on Thursday suggested the site had become part of a law enforcement sting operation. However hacker hijinks and mischief making seem equally likely explanations for the incident, at the time of writing. r00t-y0u.org's home page has been replaced by an jpg image notice …

    Security 13 Aug 2009, 10:45

  • On2 investors bemoan 'unfair' Google buyout

    Files lawsuits, claims deal was 'rigged'

    On2 Technologies shareholders are protesting Google’s approach to buy the video software maker for $106.5m. Investors at the company have filed separate lawsuits in New York and Delaware, reports the New York Post. They claim the deal undervalues On2’s regular investors, while benefiting the Clifton Park, New Jersey-based …

    Financial News 13 Aug 2009, 10:56

  • Boffins develop 'Hidden gateway to Hogwarts girls' loos'

    Actually more of a raygun-proof forcefield barrier

    Attention-seeking boffins in China claim to have created a "tunable electromagnetic gateway" which "can realize functionalities that were thought to be possible only in science fictions". Sadly they seem not to be aware of the difference between science fiction and the enormous, derivative, fist-eatingly turgid Billy Bunter/Meg' …

    Science 13 Aug 2009, 10:56

  • Publishing giant hits delete on internal IT staff

    Job cuts ahoy

    Business publisher Reed Elsevier is outsourcing its IT support staff. Their jobs will go to HCL Technologies, a leading Indian offshorer. The move has not gone down well, in part because TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Regulations - essentially moving staff from one employer to another) will not cover staff's increasingly rare …

    Financial News 13 Aug 2009, 11:04

  • Ofcom taps sailors for new fees

    Ship to shore, I can't afford you any more

    Ofcom has published proposals for charging those at sea for radio communications, but would like everyone to note that it's not planning to screw the lifeboats this time. The regulator has been bitten before, when it casually suggested that lifeboats might like to pay market rates for radio spectrum. This time not only are …

    Mobile 13 Aug 2009, 11:13

  • Google's Caffeine splutters off interwebs

    Mountain View cleans up data centre coffee machine

    Google's heavily hyped new Caffeine system, that world+dog has been wetting their pants over since its testbed launch earlier this week, is currently offline. Anyone attempting to play with the firm's new search architecture will be greeted with a message titled "System maintenance" that reads: "Please try your search again in …

    Applications 13 Aug 2009, 11:22

  • London desperately seeking Strategy Boutique

    LogoWatch Brandgasm imminent - can you help?

    We're delighted to inform those of you who're reading this to the sound of whalesong, whilst enveloped in thick joss-stick-generated fug that the Greater London Authority needs your help in defining the capital's identity paradigm, via a "brand engagement process" with the "widest range of stakeholders possible", leading to a …

    Bootnotes 13 Aug 2009, 11:24

  • Microsoft gobs up SQL Server 2008 R2 public preview

    Developers get mitts on database

    Redmond has dished out a community test preview of SQL Server 2008 R2 to developers. Earlier this week, Microsoft dropped the test code into the laps of MSDN and TechNet subscribers. The final product is expected to be available in the first half of 2010. Features include application and multi-server management, SMP scale …

    Developer 13 Aug 2009, 11:29

  • Stargazers spy retrograde planetary bloater

    Bigger than Jupiter, and orbiting backwards

    Astronomers have spotted what they claim is the first exoplanet in a retrograde orbit around a star - a bloated body which is also the "least-dense planet currently known". Dubbed WASP-17b, the body measures 1.5-2 Jupiter radii but weighs in at just half its mass, meaning it's about a dense as polystyrene and "if you could …

    Science 13 Aug 2009, 12:07

  • iGoogle baptised in Web 2.0 finger bowl

    Mountain View gets in your Facebook

    Google has added "social gadgets" to its customisable user homepage. The company slotted Web 2.0 features into iGoogle, which first launched in 2005, yesterday. Mountain View search veep Marissa Mayer and iGoogle product manager Rose Yao said in a joint blog post that the search giant had added 19 social gadgets to the …

    Applications 13 Aug 2009, 12:15

  • Virus arms race primes malware numbers surge

    Half malware strains are junked after less than a day

    Half (52 per cent) of new malware strains only stick around for 24 hours or less. The prevalence of short lived variants reflects a tactic by miscreants aimed at overloading security firms so that more damaging strains of malware remain undetected for longer, according to a study by Panda Security. The security firm, based in …

    Security 13 Aug 2009, 12:20

  • US Marines' Afghan robocopter-supply contest down to two

    Unmanned air haulage could be cheaper than trucks

    Ambitious plans by the US Marines which might reshape tomorrow's battlefields - and even upset civilian logistics in some circumstances - have moved ahead. A competition to select an unmanned aircraft for delivery of supplies to isolated outposts in Afghanistan by 2010 has now eliminated all but two contenders. In the black …

    Science 13 Aug 2009, 12:34

  • BlackBerry Curve 8520

    Review Rim drops ball

    Research in Motion's latest offering in the BlackBerry Curve range is described as an entry-level model. Indeed, it doesn't have a touch screen, GPS, or even a 3G network connection. However, it is a slim and efficient little work horse at a reasonable price with Wi-Fi, a 2Mp camera and all of Blackberry's push email know-how …

    Phones 13 Aug 2009, 12:41

  • When is an operating system not an operating system?

    Reader workshop Challenging traditional ideas

    It used to be the case that the role of the operating system (OS) was pretty well defined as a layer of software responsible for controlling the use of and access to physical machine assets such as CPU, memory, disk, network, and so on. As the industry has evolved, however, so too has the role of the OS. Today, for example, …

    Software 13 Aug 2009, 14:14

  • Australian police charge banking Trojan suspect

    Alleged perp also faces drug and botnet herding charges

    Australian police have charged an as yet unnamed 20 year-old man on suspicion of creating a banking Trojan that infected an estimated 3,000 computers worldwide, as well as building up a 74,000 strong botnet of compromised machines. The name of the suspect will not be revealed until he faces magistrates in Adelaide, South …

    Security 13 Aug 2009, 14:22

  • Twitter is mainly pointless babble and other rubbish

    Analysts pinpoint self promotion, then self-promote

    Most of Twitter is pointless babble, spam and self promotion, a bunch of Texas-based marketing analysts with improbable nicknames has declared. The study by Pear Analytics categorised a sample of US Twitter traffic into seven categories: news, spam, self-promotion, pointless babble (what it called the “I am eating a sandwich …

    Applications 13 Aug 2009, 14:32

  • Global Warming ate my data

    We've lost the numbers: CRU responds to FOIA requests

    The world's source for global temperature record admits it's lost or destroyed all the original data that would allow a third party to construct a global temperature record. The destruction (or loss) of the data comes at a convenient time for the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) in East Anglia - permitting it to snub FoIA requests …

    Science 13 Aug 2009, 14:35

  • Sony embraces ePub for eBooks

    No-one should go it alone, except Amazon

    Sony has announced it will be adopting the ePub standard as its only format for electronic books, along with DRM from Adobe, in its continuing battle against Amazon's Kindle platform. Sony runs a book store with protected content for its range of electronic-ink-based readers, and recently added half a million public-domain …

    Hardware 13 Aug 2009, 14:40

  • BlackBerry maker dials in to watchphones

    'Anything LG can do, we can do better'

    Research in Motion clearly isn’t happy with LG’s upcoming GD910 watchphone stealing the limelight. The BlackBerry maker has also announced plans to make a branded wrist accompaniment. The Rim Alpha 1 watchphone, supports voicecalls - but not videocalls Unfortunately – judging by the picture – it doesn’t look like the Alpha …

    Hardware 13 Aug 2009, 15:07

  • Lacklustre N97 mars Nokia phone numbers

    Behind the smartphone stats

    Gartner blames a lacklustre take up of the feature-packed Nokia N97 for failing to please Nokia investors - and says it needs to shake up its high-end. Figures released by the analyst company yesterday show that Nokia has stemmed the haemorrhage in its market share, but failed to capitalise on its rivals geographical limitations …

    Mobile 13 Aug 2009, 15:49

  • MS revives Outlook for Mac

    Entourage for the chop

    Microsoft is to bring back a Mac version of Outlook, a move that will see the end of its current Mac OS X email, PIM and collaboration offering, Entourage. This app will be canned when the next major release of Mac Office ships in late 2010. Entourage was released in 2000, part of Office 2001. Entourage nominally replaced …

    Hardware 13 Aug 2009, 15:51

  • Permabit launches grid in the cloud product

    Cloud Service Providers, for the use of

    Permabit has turned its grid-based archival storage hardware and software into an offering for cloud service providers, by beefing up its I/O performance for multi-tenancy. Permabit is a start-up that has developed its Enterprise Archive System to store enormous amounts of static or reference data for large businesses: up to 4 …

    Storage 13 Aug 2009, 15:58

  • Adobe sounds Apple PowerPC death rattle

    Creative Suite shrugs off old Mac

    Adobe will not support Mac PowerPC-based systems in future versions of its Creative Suite product. It's the latest blow for PowerPC users, who may have bought their Macs as late as 2006 in Apple's pre-Intel days. In June, Cupertino lined up a nail in the coffin of its ageing PowerPC flotilla by announcing that its upcoming …

    Applications 13 Aug 2009, 16:01

  • NASA review: Forget about boots on Mars by 2030

    'Difficult to do anything inspiring with this budget'

    A panel appointed to recommend a way ahead for the US space programme following major funding cuts has rejected the idea of ignoring the Moon and sending astronauts straight to Mars. Trimming its shortlist of plans from seven to four, the Augustine panel has also stated that serious human space exploration is not possible …

    Science 13 Aug 2009, 16:23

  • Outlook (finally) coming to the Mac

    Same as Windows. Except different

    When Microsoft releases its next version of Office for Mac late next year, it will include a capability that will finally bring it into parity with its Windows counterpart: Outlook for Mac. This new application will not be merely an "Outlookized" version of Office for Mac 2008's Entourage - Outlook's weaker sister - but be …

    Applications 13 Aug 2009, 16:37

  • Bloke decapitates horse with chainsaw

    To feed mutts, claims California animal lover

    A California man accused of decapitating his horse with a chainsaw to feed his extensive pack of mutts faces up to three years, eight months hard time if convicted on felony animal cruelty charges, the Press-Enterprise reports. Jack Ziniuk, 64, allegedly beat the equine, named Grizzle, with a sledgehammer before delivering the …

    Bootnotes 13 Aug 2009, 17:33

  • Phase Change Memory enters new, um, phase

    Numonyx early access programme

    Phase Change Memory has promised much and delivered very little. That might be about to, well, change as a secretive supplier starts to open up on what the technology can do. PCM cells use a Chalcogenide glass substance which can be changed between crystallised and amorphous, non-crystallised states by the application of heat …

    Storage 13 Aug 2009, 17:37

  • Parallels juggles servers for John Q. ISP

    Bare-metal hypervisor approaches

    Server management and virtualization vendor Parallels has put out a beta of a new tool that takes a subset of the complex Plesk Panels system management tools used by large hosting companies and offers it up to smaller ISPs that have much less complex systems but similar management needs. The Plesk tools are now known as …

    Servers 13 Aug 2009, 17:52

  • Open and proprietary ISVs discover love in the cloud

    Fluffy BI

    Software companies from opposite sides of the open-source track have found common ground on the cloud: business intelligence JasperSoft, Talend, Vertica, and RightScale have announced a stack they said will automate the job of integrating and setting up online BI to eliminate manual integration work. The companies said …

    Applications 13 Aug 2009, 18:01

  • Autocad attacks return after four years in wilderness

    The virus makes a comeback

    Viruses attacking users of the Autocad computer assisted design application have recently resurfaced after taking a four-year hiatus, prompting a call from one security watcher for more to be done to done to prevent such outbreaks. And indeed, that's exactly what Autodesk, the California-based maker of the high-end program, …

    Security 13 Aug 2009, 18:25

  • Sun hails rise of self-scaling software

    CloudWorld Like Skynet (without the nukes)

    Lew Tucker envisions a world in which web applications can scale up their own hardware resources. Apps will not only run in the proverbial cloud, he says, they'll have the power to grab more cloudiness whenever they need it. "As we look into the future, we're going to see that applications are going to be increasingly …

    Servers 13 Aug 2009, 19:45

  • Apple to set loose five million ChiPhones

    September D-Day?

    The long-awaited Chinese iPhone will go on sale in September, and it has already added nearly $1.5bn to Cupertino's coffers. Or so says a report out of Beijing in Wednesday's International Business Times, which says that China Unicom has coughed up a cool 10bn yuan ($1.46bn) for 5 million iPhones. Five million ChiPhones would …

    Mobile 13 Aug 2009, 19:58

  • Twitter transformed into botnet command channel

    Victim becomes enabler

    For the past couple weeks, Twitter has come under attacks that besieged it with more traffic than it could handle. Now comes evidence that the microblogging website is being used to feed the very types of infected machines that took it out of commission. That's the conclusion of Jose Nazario, the manager of security research …

    Security 13 Aug 2009, 20:50

  • Novell lands full-time staff on openSUSE

    Yes, that's a first

    The openSUSE project, which creates the development version of Novell's SUSE Linux, is getting a handful of full-time Novell developers. You might find it hard to believe that there were not already full-time staffers dedicated to openSUSE, given the importance of Linux to Novell's future. But apparently, this has been the …

    Operating Systems 13 Aug 2009, 21:03

  • Sony promises clarity on virtualization-free Vaio PCs

    Windows 7 minus XP Mode

    Sony has promised to be more upfront with Vaio customers after blocking their ability to work with hardware virtualization from Intel. Senior manager for product marketing Xavier Lauwaert has told The Reg: "I'll take the action to be clearer on our site that VT will not be enabled." After discovering that Intel's …

    Virtualization 13 Aug 2009, 23:20

  • US state bars sex offenders from 'social networking sites'

    Don't even yelp

    The state of Illinois has barred known sex offenders from Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and just about any other website that gives you a digital account for communicating with others. As reported by The Chicago Tribune, Illinois governor Pat Quinn has signed a new law that makes it a felony for registered sex offenders to " …

    Media 13 Aug 2009, 23:47