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21st July 2010 Archive

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  • 1984's MacPaint source code hits web

    Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

    Apple has donated the source code of the groundbreaking graphics app, MacPaint, to Silicon Valley's Computer History Museum, located in Mountain View, California. Accompanying MacPaint is the source code for its underlying graphics-display library, QuickDraw. You can download both from the Computer History Museum here — and …

    Applications 21 Jul 2010, 00:04

  • PC consultant pleads not guilty to malware 'sextortion' plot

    Unknowing victims shot in some sort of undress

    A California computer consultant has pleaded not guilty to federal charges he engaged in an insidious “sextortion” scheme in which he hacked into scores of computers and used the personal information he found to extort sexually explicit videos from female victims, many of whom were juveniles. Luis Mijangos of Santa Ana, …

    Security 21 Jul 2010, 01:16

  • Consolidation to a super-silo

    One storage facility from HDS

    Hitachi Data Systems' chief scientist Claus Mikkelsen presents an HDS pitch talking about consolidation of multiple storage silos to one; the ultimate consolidation. Mikkelsen talked of "A common virtualised platform for all data, content and information." The idea seems to be that a single storage controller presents a …

    Storage 21 Jul 2010, 04:19

  • Disaggregating the storage controller

    Xiotech makes storage blade a better citizen

    Xiotech has upgraded its ISE (Intelligent Storage Element) management software and introduced a new array controller, highlighting the divide between suppliers who believe in integrated arrays and controllers and those, like Hitachi Data Systems, who do not. The new Emprise 9000 is a storage array built from an Emprise 9000 …

    Storage 21 Jul 2010, 04:42

  • Mac sales tripled since 2005

    Jobsian wave sweeps Asia

    Amid all the ballyhoo and whoop-de-doo about Apple's resurgence being a result of the consecutive successes of the iPod and iPhone — and the promise of the iPad — one Cupertinian money-maker has been flying under the radar: Mac sales have tripled in the past five years. During the company's recently completed $15.7bn third …

    Laptops 21 Jul 2010, 04:48

  • Raumfeld multi-room wireless music system

    First UK Review From Wi-Fi to Hi-Fi

    If you want a wireless music system with a trick remote control you have two options: spend a lot of cash and get a Sonos set up, or spend a lot less and get a Logitech Squeezebox Duet. Both rigs require your music library to be housed on an PC or Nas drive, and with the Logitech you also need some hi-fi kit to hand. Raumfeld …

    Hardware 21 Jul 2010, 07:02

  • Apple lays claim to expired patents

    Cheap pops at Cupertino

    A Texas IP attorney who spotted Apple laying claim to expired patents is planning to see the company in court, or get a few dollars anyway. It's not just Apple at fault – the suit names Sprint, Samsung and Cellco too - but the Apple patents are the most obvious, with four of those referenced in the iPod documentation expiring …

    Mobile 21 Jul 2010, 08:07

  • IT delays cost HMRC £33m

    Tax & pensions system plagued by issues

    The National Audit Office (NAO) says that delays to a single tax and pensions system cost HM Revenue and Customs £33m in procurement costs. In a report (pdf) published on 20 July 2010, the accounting watchdog says that difficulties with the National Insurance and PAYE Service system led to it being deferred twice before it was …

    Government 21 Jul 2010, 08:49

  • Cops taser Somerset chap's nether regions

    Accidental discharge narrowly misses Beemer owner's 'nads

    A Somerset man pulled on suspicion of "driving a BMW without insurance"* ended up with a groinful of Taser after an officer accidentally discharged the electric law enforcer into his nether regions. According to the BBC, 49-year-old Peter Cox was going about his business in Bridgwater on 13 July, when he spotted a patrol car …

    Bootnotes 21 Jul 2010, 08:50

  • Europe outlines snoop laws

    What you need to know, about what they need to know

    The European Commission has outlined what information is swapped across borders and how and why it is stored. Cecilia Malmstrom, Commissioner for Home Affairs, said people should know what information is stored about them and why. The overview aims to provide an understanding from which a wider review can come. It outlines …

    Government 21 Jul 2010, 08:53

  • Perv scanner code of practice still a balls-up

    Comment Privacy concerns hand-waved

    A blog reader asked me to look at the code of practice on the acceptable use of body scanners to enhance security at UK airports. The consultation period associated with the code ended four weeks ago, so I apologise for a severe case of “better late than never”. In summary, the code still ignores several key issues. However, …

    Law 21 Jul 2010, 08:58

  • Microsoft prices up cheapo Xbox 360, Kinect bundle

    Wii-style pricing for new console

    Microsoft today announced the Xbox 360 4GB console, along with Wii-type pricing to tempt new punters to buy the Kinect hands-free motion sensor. Going a bundle The two products are bundled along with Kinect Adventures, a games show case for Kinect's capabilities, for £249.99 and they go on sale on August 20. Separately, …

    Games 21 Jul 2010, 09:07

  • Dell warns on spyware infected server motherboards

    Updated Windows snoopware buried in server firmware

    Dell is warning customers that there is malware on some of its server motherboards. The PowerEdge R410 Rack server has spyware within its embedded systems management software. The direct seller is sending customers letters warning of the danger and also telephoning those affected. A post in a support forum says customers …

    Security 21 Jul 2010, 09:14

  • 'Howling lesbian gangs' greet jailed Lindsay Lohan

    'Terrifying' first night for bespeckled thespiatrix

    Bespeckled thespiatrix jailbird Lindsay Lohan probably won't survive the estimated 23 days she'll spend in chokey, if the Sun is to be believed. Lohan was greeted yesterday at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, California, by "the screams of lesbian gangs desperate to get a piece of her". An "insider" said: " …

    Bootnotes 21 Jul 2010, 09:36

  • Cameron asks Obama for McKinnon compromise

    Please sir

    Supporters of Gary McKinnon have praised the Prime Minister for raising the Pentagon hacker's long-running extradition case during a meeting with President Barack Obama on Monday. Speaking after the meeting, David Cameron said he hoped "a way through" can be found in the case, The Guardian reports. McKinnon, who suffers from …

    Security 21 Jul 2010, 09:41

  • Oakland green lights 'industrial' marijuana cultivation

    'Silicon Valley' of dope for medical use

    The Californian city of Oakland yesterday gave the green light to the "industrial" cultivation of marijuana for medical use, and will next year issue up to four permits to create a "Silicon Valley" of dope. The city council's decision, Reuters explains, aims "to bring medical marijuana cultivation into the open and allow the …

    Science 21 Jul 2010, 10:02

  • eBay Earl beats rap for punting Parliament tours

    Ermine-clad tour guide is awfully sorry

    The 20th Earl of Caithness will not be punished for offering US tourists trips around the Palace of Westminster and the chance to meet "various colleagues" including the Speaker. The House of Lords Commissioner for Standards Paul Kernaghan said the Earl had clearly breached the rules on use of Westminster facilities but he had …

    Government 21 Jul 2010, 10:05

  • Wanted: Killer app for Bluetooth SIG (still)

    $23,500 reward, citizens

    The Bluetooth SIG is looking for applications that use the wireless technology in more interesting ways than wireless headsets or keyboards, and is offering at least $23,500 as an incentive. The idea is to make use of the Bluetooth technology, already embedded in phones and PCs, to do something interesting. The best …

    Mobile 21 Jul 2010, 10:17

  • Panasonic updates Lumix line with five models

    Creative compact, yes indeedie

    Five Panasonic cameras make their debut today - the links to all the specs are below. But the pick of the bunch for enthusiasts is probably the DMC LX5, a so called creative, or premium, compact. Getting creative with compacts Any roads, this is the one that Panasonic is pushing hard and this is what the specialist camera …

    Hardware 21 Jul 2010, 10:27

  • Zuckerberg admits working for man claiming Facebook ownership

    Claims of frivolity looking more frivolous

    So it may not be "completely frivolous" after all. A lawyer for Mark Zuckerberg has admitted he did have a contract with Paul Ceglia, a New York wood fuel salesman who claims he owns 84 per cent of Facebook as a result. "Mr Zuckerberg did have a contract with Mr Ceglia," Facebook lawyer Lisa Simpson told a federal court …

    Financial News 21 Jul 2010, 10:52

  • Firefox update guards hen house

    It's browser update time. Again

    Mozilla has pushed out a new version of Firefox that fixes numerous security holes, some critical. Firefox version 3.6.7 addresses 14 vulnerabilities, eight of which are described as critical. The most serious flaws involve the handling of malformed PNG images, memory bugs and other code execution risks, as explained here. …

    Security 21 Jul 2010, 10:57

  • Grauniad faces offshoring strike

    Father of the chapel's on Facebook and everything

    Guardian Media Group*Guardian News & Media is facing strike action from techies and possibly journalists if it pushes ahead with plans to start outsourcing technical staff. Although the paper has been an occasional critic of offshoring, the media group (GNM) desperately needs to save money after running up serious losses in …

    Management 21 Jul 2010, 10:59

  • Fujifilm claims most compact 18x optical zoom cam crown

    Latest bridge unveiled

    Fujifilm has taken the wraps off what it claims is the world's smallest 18x optical zoom camera. The FinePix S2800HD is a classic bridge design that incorporates a 14Mp mechanically stabilised 1/2.3in sensor. The lens placed before it will run from the 35mm camera equivalent of 28mm to 504mm, and F3.1-5.6. Activate the …

    Hardware 21 Jul 2010, 11:03

  • Microsoft hits stubborn volume licensing site with more updates

    Interface with this

    Microsoft has once again tweaked its volume licensing website, just seven months after its disastrous makeover in December last year. In February the software vendor finally admitted to The Register that its overhauled but hamstrung volume licensing site was still only slowly processing customer and partner details. Worse …

    The Channel 21 Jul 2010, 11:20

  • Fujifilm intros compacts with DSLR-style autofocus

    AF hybridised

    Fujifilm's roll out of new cameras continues with a couple of compacts. First up, the FinePix F300EXR, a 12Mp, 15x optical zoom premium model that introduces what Fujifilm calls a "hybrid auto-focus system". Fujifilm's FinePix F300EXR: first "hybrid-AF" compact It combines a scan of the image to detect areas of high …

    Hardware 21 Jul 2010, 11:22

  • Raptor over Blighty: Watch the stealth fighter in infrared

    Farnborough Tail-balancing 'thermos' jet outclasses Eurofighter

    This week the Reg flying car, killer robot and general military crazytech desk has been attending the Farnborough Airshow. One of the show's highlights this year is the reappearance of the US F-22 Raptor ultrafighter, previously seen publicly in the UK for just one brief Monday display at Farnborough '08. This time the …

    Science 21 Jul 2010, 11:25

  • Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro

    Review Keyboard gives the edge?

    Sony Ericsson reckoned it was on to a winner with its impressive Xperia X10 handset, which in one swoop helped us to forget the pain of flawed Xperias past. Then it squeezed the formula into the tiny palm-sized X10 Mini - reviewed here - which offered smart functionality in a handbag-sized package. Sony Ericsson's X10 Mini …

    Phones 21 Jul 2010, 12:02

  • Toshiba Australia boss waves tablet around

    Beaut

    And now Toshiba's in on the act. Yes, the Japanese laptop pioneer has an iPad-style tablet in the works, set to debut in a few months' time and running Android and/or Windows 7. Toshiba this week took the wraps off its new Portégé R700 skinny laptop, its Libretto M100 dual-screen netbook and the AC100 Arm-based 'smartbook' in …

    Tablets 21 Jul 2010, 12:03

  • Harbinger brands wannabe US LTE network LightSquared

    $7bn needed for new American network

    Harbinger, the wannabe-LTE-wholesaler, has raised another $1.75bn, but still falls short of the $7bn it has agreed to pay Nokia Siemens to build the network over the next eight years. The wholesaling venture now has a name: LightSquared. Nokia Siemens will build 40,000 LTE base stations, providing coverage to 92 per cent of …

    Mobile 21 Jul 2010, 12:06

  • IT council chiefs ditch Sadville after splurging £36k

    Virtual town hall demolished

    Saddo IT bosses at Tameside Council in Greater Manchester splurged £36,000 on a virtual town hall in Second Life in an effort to use “modern ways” to communicate with citizens. However, the council scrapped it after one year because very little interest was shown in the service. Liam Billington put in a FoI request to the …

    Government 21 Jul 2010, 12:19

  • James Bond's autogyro revived by Brit spec-ops pilots

    Farnborough Whirly-wing 1930s protocopter 'ideal' for covert ops

    Former British Army pilots, drawing on military experience carrying out covert surveillance with secret special-forces units, have decided to revive the autogyro - a long-lost aircraft design of the 1930s, probably most famous for its use in the James Bond movies. One of only a few post-WWII flying autogyros. British …

    Science 21 Jul 2010, 12:48

  • Postcard App has stamps licked

    Wish you were here with me and my phone!

    Postcards that take longer to return from holiday than the sender are a pain for those of us who observe the age-old tradition of holiday hellos. Not to worry. eCard Media, a firm based in Devon, has the solution. The Postcards App, a free download, allows holiday makers to create their own postcards through an iPhone or …

    Phones 21 Jul 2010, 12:57

  • Tablet buffs sift HP site for traces of lost Slate

    Post mortem remains - or sign of revival?

    Claims that HP may have killed of its Windows 7-based 9in tablet, the Slate 500, may have been wrong. PCWorld is lauding the device's apparent return to the HP website. It has found half a dozen entries for the machine - listed as the 500-1001tu, 500-1002tu, 500-1003tu, 500-1004tu, 500-1005tu and the 500-1006tu - in HP's e- …

    Tablets 21 Jul 2010, 13:15

  • HP scores billion dollar GM win

    Big win for EDS, which used to be GM's IT department...

    HP has won a huge contract to supply General Motors with applications and infrastructure support services. The $2bn deal includes managing networks, desktops and mainframes and dealing with application and systems integration in 50 countries. It also covers GM's supply chain technology, financial systems, video conferencing …

    Servers 21 Jul 2010, 13:27

  • HEY ARSEHOLE: STOP SENDING ME ANGRY EMAILS

    Help for the tone deaf

    Been a while since I received an ANGRY EMAIL – and been never since I sent one in return. I do my SHOUTING in person. My advice to ANGRY EMAILERS is this: don’t write drunk, arsehole. But if you must, and you lack all self control, check out this anger-o-meter. It may save you from shame, lost friends, lost jobs and found …

    Software 21 Jul 2010, 14:01

  • YouGov tests the waters on internet snooping

    Mind if we spy on you?

    Participants in a regular YouGov survey were recently confronted with an odd request to download software that would track users' surfing habits. The July edition of the monthly Oracle (as in prediction) survey asked question about recipients' work and employer before concluding with an internet tracking punt that smelled of …

    Security 21 Jul 2010, 14:25

  • IT bods: Cloud won't turn us into dinosaurs

    Base jumping into data centres. Mind how you go, now...

    Cloud computing won’t lead to IT workers giving up the day job, according to a new survey. CWJobs found that 40 per cent of 1,300 IT bods expected to see more jobs becoming available thanks to the arrival of cloud computing, which has garnered interest among UK company bosses over the past year. However, plenty of IT …

    Servers 21 Jul 2010, 14:54

  • Cross-dresser shags mutt at historic castle

    Hot heritage dry moating action

    A lone, predatory cross-dresser has been cautioned for outraging public decency after having sex with a dog in the moat of an English Heritage castle, the Telegraph reports. The incident at Henry VIII's Pendennis Castle, which overlooks Cornwall's Falmouth Bay, took place at "around a quarter to 12" on Saturday 10 July, when …

    Bootnotes 21 Jul 2010, 15:39

  • Canonical, IBM plunk DB2 databases on Ubuntu

    Still talking to Oracle

    Commercial Linux distributor Canonical has won the buzzword bingo for the week by putting Ubuntu, cloud, and appliance in the same sentence in announcing a partnership with IBM. It's meant to bring the latter company's DB2 databases to the latest Ubuntu 10.04 Server Edition Linux. The deal has two parts. First, Canonical has …

    Applications 21 Jul 2010, 15:42

  • Google throws Apps bone to sysadmins

    Not terribly meaty, but hey look, you can suck out the marrow

    Mountain View loosened its grip on Google Apps yesterday by serving up some new tools that should give sysadmins more control over their company’s cloud-based documents. Google said it had recently added multi-domain support, data migration features, SSL “enforcement” resources, more mobile device security controls, as well as …

    Applications 21 Jul 2010, 15:58

  • Sky confirms Easynet sell-off

    Management taps private equity cash

    And lo, it came to pass. Sky has announced it will sell Easynet to private equity house Lloyds Development Capital, which will back its current management. The deal is vauled at £100m, about half what Sky paid for Easynet in 2005. However, the Murdoch empire will retain the Easynet network and LLU infrastructure, which enticed …

    Broadband 21 Jul 2010, 16:00

  • Developer slips tethering into iTunes

    Oi! Put that light out

    An iPhone developer slipped a tethering application onto the iTunes store: getting past Apple's ban on such applications by disguising it as a pocket torch. The app has now been removed, Cupertino having been alerted by reviews that called for a background-running version of the application, but those who paid a dollar for the …

    Phones 21 Jul 2010, 16:10

  • Net task manager waves cash at devs

    $2,500 prize to christen API

    New York-based outfit Producteev has opened up an API for its cross-platform task management service, and to spark some interest among coders, the company has kicked off a developer challenge throwdown, offering cash prizes to anyone who can impress its panel of application judges. Producteev helps individuals and groups …

    Developer 21 Jul 2010, 17:14

  • Drupal looks beyond open source zealots

    Trade-offs, cocoons, and broken APIs

    Every few years, Drupal violates one of the industry's most sacred rules: don't break your APIs. The next version of the popular open source content management system – Drupal 7 – will do just that. And more. It will offer a redesigned user interface that targets – gasp! – non-technical users. It will hide features that devs …

    Applications 21 Jul 2010, 17:31

  • Apple 'stunned' by iProduct demand

    'We do not create shortage for buzz'

    Apple doesn't have enough iPads and iPhone 4s to meet consumer demand, doesn't know when it will, and doesn't know how many more it needs. And, no, it didn't create an artificial shortage of either device to hype up a buzz storm. "We do not purposely create a shortage for buzz," Apple COO Tim Cook to analysts and reporters …

    Financial News 21 Jul 2010, 18:26

  • Microsoft issues stopgap fix for critical Windows flaw

    'Fix It' for ailing shortcut vuln

    Microsoft has published an automated workaround for the newly discovered Windows vulnerability that criminals are exploiting to seize control of computers, including some used to manage sensitive equipment at power plants and other industrial facilities. The software giant began distributing the Fix It on Tuesday evening, five …

    Security 21 Jul 2010, 19:53

  • Google shutters Nexus One webstore

    Schmidt happens

    Google has shuttered the Nexus One web store, ending its days as a direct phone seller. Last week, the company said it would close the store after unloading one last Nexus One shipment from the manufacturer, and now it's closed. "Sorry, folks," the site says. "The Nexus One is no longer available for purchase directly from …

    Mobile 21 Jul 2010, 22:06

  • Facebook tops half-billion users, wants your innermost thoughts

    400,000 years of lost productivity

    Facebook now has a half-billion active users, founder Mark Zuckerberg announced Wednesday, and he's providing a new service to let each and every one of them "tell their own story." "Half a billion is a nice number," Zuckerberg said in a video statement, but "instead of focusing on numbers," he's instituting a new service …

    Media 21 Jul 2010, 22:20

  • 38 states grill Google on three-year Wi-Fi slurp

    More questions than answers, official says

    A coalition of 38 US states has called on Google to explain in detail how Wi-Fi-sniffing software that surreptitiously collected data over wireless networks was included in its fleet of Street View cars. “We are asking Google to identify specific individuals responsible for the snooping code and how Google was unaware that this …

    Security 21 Jul 2010, 22:31

  • Nokia latest to feel wrath of Jobs

    Inducted into Dropped Bar Hall of Shame™

    Apple has added another mobile phone manufacturer to its online Dropped Bar Hall of Shame: Nokia. During his "There is no Antennagate" press conference last Friday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs conspicuously singled out three popular cell phones in support of his argument that all mobile phones suffer from similar, if not identical, …

    Mobile 21 Jul 2010, 22:58

  • Atrato's adventuresome challenges

    Sales VP resigns as channel changes

    Vulture Central is hearing that Atrato is effectively up for sale, that there is no cash to fund the payroll, and that Jeff Edwards, the VP of Sales has resigned. We heard a couple of weeks ago also that five more people were let go taking the headcount to less than 20. CEO Steve Visconti added a lot of colour to this bleak …

    Storage 21 Jul 2010, 23:11

  • VMware removes bare-metal virt from View

    PC market not ready for naked hypervisor

    If you've been wondering why the bare-metal client hypervisor that was expected with VMware virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) software, View 4.5 has been delayed, wonder no more: it has been dumped. View 4.5 had been originally expected in mid-July, and VMware had even started briefing some analysts and reporters back at …

    Virtualization 21 Jul 2010, 23:13