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10th August 2010 Archive

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  • Penguin program promises license vaccination

    Phone and device makers get enterprise input

    A program to help keep software and device makers on the right side of open-source licensing law has been unveiled by the Linux Foundation. The Open Compliance Program includes tools, training, consulting, and self-assessment to help you comply with the myriad of open-source licenses. Linux Foundation executive director Jim …

    Operating Systems 10 Aug 2010, 04:02

  • How an ancient printer can spill your most intimate secrets

    Needles and pins

    Researchers have devised a novel way to recover confidential messages processed in doctors' offices and elsewhere by analyzing the sounds made when documents are reproduced on dot-matrix printers. This so-called side-channel attack works by recording the “acoustic emanations” of a confidential document being printed, and then …

    Hardware 10 Aug 2010, 05:31

  • Microsoft digs Macs in back-to-school ads

    The mouse works differently

    Microsoft has dusted off some hoary anti-Apple chestnuts in a new "Macs-suck-we-don't" web-based ad effort. It must be back-to-school computer-buying time — and Microsoft's marketeers aren't going to let the Mac's sales surge continue without a fight. Redmond floats a few reasons why a Windows PC is superior to a Mac on its …

    Hardware 10 Aug 2010, 06:02

  • Garmin Asus Nüvifone M10

    Review Satnav meets smartphone

    Smartphones and satnav are a pretty good combination, and there are plenty of configurations to choose from. You can use a free service like Google Maps or Nokia’s Ovi Maps, or buy an add-on like CoPilot Live. Typically, smartphones often come with at least one option pre-installed, but there is a third way. Charting success …

    Phones 10 Aug 2010, 08:02

  • Sunday Times avoids punitive damages over unauthorised Hendrix CD

    Pays interest on $5.8m

    When an edition of the Sunday Times newspaper included a free CD of a Jimi Hendrix concert without the permission of Hendrix's estate it deprived the estate and two film-makers of potential profits for a year, the High Court has found. The paper believed it had permission from the concert's rights holder to distribute the CD …

    Law 10 Aug 2010, 08:12

  • Does FCoE really need TRILL?

    Comment Cisco says no - so?

    Does Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) require TRILL (Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links)? Brocade and NetApp say or imply it does. A distinguished engineer from Cisco says it doesn't. The background to the issue is that FCoE is going to run over Ethernet networks and these run at layer 2 in the OSI 7-layer network …

    Storage 10 Aug 2010, 08:19

  • Toshiba shows off self-deleting, self-encrypting drive

    Unique, but not for long

    Neat idea: if you could delete the security key on a self-encrypting drive (SED) then for all practical purposes the data is lost for ever. That's what Toshiba has done, adding a key wipe facility to its SED products. The Toshiba SED drives, such as the 2.5-inch, 7200rpm models announced in July, are designed for use by …

    Storage 10 Aug 2010, 08:19

  • Tory MP's email fail stirs up bloggo-fury

    Snowed under

    A big-chinned Tory MP has caused a blogosphere storm by removing his email address from his blog and several other sites like theyworkforyou.com Dominic Raab, International lawyer, Author and Tory MP for Esher & Walton (according to his blog), complains that he and his staff can't deal with the quantity of communications …

    Government 10 Aug 2010, 08:24

  • Private lessons

    Sysadmin blog A secure browser means a happy sysadmin

    Securing your browser is not an easy task. There is a lot to understand about how a modern web browser works, and what about them leaves us vulnerable to malware, privacy threats and other attacks. The browser itself is not the only problem; browsers play host to software such as Flash or PDF readers that are vulnerable to …

    Servers 10 Aug 2010, 08:27

  • Tektronix buys DDoS mitigation firm Arbor Networks

    Boosts network security credentials

    Telecoms test and network intelligence firm Tektronix Communications has acquired DDoS mitigation firm Arbor Networks. The terms of the deal, announced Monday, remain undisclosed. Arbor's Peakflow is widely used by carriers as a DDoS prevention platform, while its eSeries platform is used for broadband service optimisation. …

    Security 10 Aug 2010, 08:35

  • Perseid meteors - brace for endazzlement

    This is going to be a good one, we promise

    Scientists are pulling their annual trick of promising a dazzling Perseid meteor shower, although seasoned Brit skygazers know only too well just thinking about the possibility of being treated to a spectacular lightshow is enough to provoke 10/10 cloud cover and torrential rain. The Perseids are set to peak on Thursday night …

    Science 10 Aug 2010, 09:03

  • Seagate pushes HAMR as next big thing

    Killer tech may arrive in 2015

    Seagate is bigging up HAMR (Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording) as the replacement to take us beyond the disk capacity limits of current PMR technology. PMR (Perpendicular Magnetic Recording) involves the magnetisation of tiny bits of magnetic material, made up of grains, oriented vertically in the recording medium. As the size …

    Storage 10 Aug 2010, 09:27

  • iTunes disses doctorates

    Irate PhD demands explanation

    It appears that PhDs have joined pornography and Flash on the list of things Apple doesn't approve of, if the experience of Reg reader Stuart Thomason is anything to go by. Stuart explains: It seems that Apple have something against those of us with higher degrees. My title on my iTunes account has always been 'Dr', but a …

    Bootnotes 10 Aug 2010, 09:52

  • Did Hewlett-Packard overreact on Hurd's Fishergate?

    Comment Dell, Intel and high-tech's ski lodges

    After its tumultuous time under president and chief executive Carly Fiorina followed by the journalist spying scandal that cost chairman Patricia Dunn her job, you can't blame Hewlett-Packard's board for being a little jumpy about a sex scandal and padded expenses. Or maybe you can, especially if cutting the cord on CEO, …

    Management 10 Aug 2010, 10:02

  • Simplest Ethernet storage validated

    ESG sees shocking simplicity and incredible cost-efficiency

    Coraid's simpler-than-iSCSI Ethernet storage protocol has been validated by ESG which found it could install and use it in less than two minutes, and get better-than Fibre Channel performance at a fifth of the cost. Coraid's EtherDrive SAN storage uses the lightweight ATA-over-Ethernet (AoE) protocol to link servers and …

    Storage 10 Aug 2010, 10:05

  • Aussie parties trade blows over fast broadband

    Opposition gags on high-fibre diet

    Australia's outgoing Labor government has a Very Big Idea: to get ultra-fast broadband (up to 100MBps), mostly delivered by fibre, into nearly every home. They think the National Broadband Network (NBN) will cost $43bn, about $5bn a year over eight years. Australia's conservative Federal Opposition, the Coalition, say this is …

    Broadband 10 Aug 2010, 10:08

  • UK set for eBook pricing showdown

    Waterstones misfires?

    With Amazon taking pre-orders for the latest Kindle and opening a dedicated UK store, an investigation by Reg Hardware has revealed big differences in the pricing strategies of some of the major suppliers of ebooks in the UK. Waterstone's, probably the highest profile UK seller of ebooks, has announced that the price of the …

    Tablets 10 Aug 2010, 10:16

  • Germany bans BlackBerrys and iPhones on snooping fears

    Closed proprietary system not safe for gov

    The German government has advised ministers not to use BlackBerry and iPhone devices due to “a dramatic increase of attacks against” its networks. A general ban on the use of smartphones in certain German ministries is also being considered, Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière confirmed to the country’s business daily …

    Broadband 10 Aug 2010, 10:24

  • Beeb deploys ISS as unit of measurement

    Your orbital height in one-dollar coins

    It's hats off to the Beeb today for creating the "most marvellously pointless measurement", as our informant Alex Cooksey puts it. In a bold challenge to the linguine, the double-decker bus and the brontosaurus, Auntie has calculated that the estimated $1.1bn in dollar coins currently languishing in US government vaults would …

    Bootnotes 10 Aug 2010, 10:25

  • Managing a virtual desktop environment

    Workshop Still searching for best practice

    In a previous article in this series we highlighted growing interest in deploying virtual desktop solutions of a variety of flavours. Interest is fine, but any organisation looking to utilise such systems to a significant degree knows that it requires good management tools and, more importantly, excellent management processes …

    IT at the coalface 10 Aug 2010, 10:26

  • Wikileaks falls out with human rights groups

    Exposing Taliban informants not cool, says Amnesty

    Wikileaks faces criticism from human rights groups over its publishing of the names of intelligence sources in Afghanistan. Organisations including Amnesty International wrote to the site's spokesman Julian Assange urging better redaction of Secret files, both already public and planned to be released, according to the Wall …

    Law 10 Aug 2010, 11:01

  • Pesky ISS cooling pump: NASA has a plan

    Isolate ammonia, unbolt unit, beers all round

    NASA reckons it's nailed a way to safely disconnect the failed ammonia cooling system pump which on Saturday refused to play ball with spacewalkers Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Doug Wheelock. The pair were tasked with removing the clapped-out unit and slotting in a replacement. However, "due to a leak in the fourth of four ammonia …

    Science 10 Aug 2010, 11:01

  • Malware gang steal over £700K from one British bank

    Cybercrooks scoop cash from thousands of accounts

    A banking Trojan attack has led to the fraudulent withdrawal of more than $1m from online banking accounts maintained with a UK bank since the start of July, according to security researchers. Web-based malware based on the infamous Zeus cybercrime toolkit is being used to steal money via the unnamed bank's online banking …

    Security 10 Aug 2010, 11:02

  • Quake Live shoots out of beta with a charge

    more bang for your buck

    Quake Live id Software's free online First Person Shooter for PC, Mac and Linux, has introduced two payment plans to raise revenue and keep the game afloat. Since February 2009, Quake Live has been available free as open beta, partially funded by advertising. It soon became clear that this did not cover costs, and so a …

    Games 10 Aug 2010, 11:02

  • DWP goes old school - loses paper docs, hangs onto e-data

    Accidental paperless office

    The Department for Work and Pensions has reported data leaks from paper but none from electronic devices over the year. Its resources accounts for 2009-10 (pdf) reveal that in April 2009 it lost paper documents from its offices which contained the names, dates of birth, national insurance numbers and bank details of 145 people …

    Government 10 Aug 2010, 11:03

  • Commission defends data protection review timetable

    Long wait for new law

    The European Commission has confirmed that it will publish its plans for a review of the Data Protection Directive this year, but will not publish the proposed new law itself until next year. French data protection authority the CNiL said last week that pressure from national data protection regulators has pushed the …

    Law 10 Aug 2010, 12:00

  • Korean cops raid Google

    Street View snoop search

    Police raided Google's South Korean offices today as part of their probe into the firm's Street View Wi-Fi data harvesting operation. The country is one of many running criminal investigations into the practice, which was revealed in June. "[We] have been investigating Google Korea on suspicion of unauthorised collection and …

    Law 10 Aug 2010, 12:01

  • The pain and promise of x86 servers

    Reader Study What's it been like for you?

    Advances in x86 server technology have been relentless. Year-on-year improvements in price-performance and advances in power efficiency have driven down the costs of commodity-based infrastructure. At the other end of the spectrum, you can now pretty much build your own virtual supercomputer or mainframe with modern x86 clusters …

    Server Management 10 Aug 2010, 12:02

  • First SMS Trojan for Android is in the wild

    Updated Premium rate scam will cost Google phoners dear

    The first text message-based Trojan to infect smartphones running Google's Android operating system has been detected in the wild. Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer-A poses as a harmless media player application and has already infected a number of mobile devices, Russian security firm Kaspersky Lab warns. Prospective marks are …

    Security 10 Aug 2010, 12:04

  • UK.gov drops Home Access scheme

    Laptop, broadband for poor pupils prog canned once cash dries up

    The government will ditch the £300m Home Access scheme overseen by soon-to-be-dead IT education quango Becta once the money for the plan runs out. In the meantime it has shifted funding for the scheme away from providing laptops and broadband to poor households over to applications from families with children with disabilities …

    Hardware 10 Aug 2010, 12:07

  • Accenture denies British Gas 'millions of errors' billing system claim

    'Exceptions' not glitches

    Accenture has hit back at British Gas by saying allegations that a billing system, implemented by the consultancy firm, was riddled with “millions of errors” were “inaccurate”. As we reported yesterday, a preliminary appeal brought by Accenture against British Gas was rejected on 2 August, after a High Court judge ruled that a …

    The Channel 10 Aug 2010, 12:10

  • Air steward resigns via emergency chute

    Abuses passenger, grabs beers and slides into net celebrity

    The internet has wasted no time in celebrating the dramatic resignation of air steward Steven Slater. Slater, 39, took exception to a jetBlue passenger who "refused to apologize after accidentally striking him with luggage" as Flight 1052 from Pittsburgh taxied to a halt at New York's JFK airport yesterday. Instead of an …

    Bootnotes 10 Aug 2010, 12:43

  • University launches Google-gaming and Twitter course

    A 'new paradigm for information searching'

    Exciting news from the world of academia, which is sweeping away old, elitist notions of learning and making itself more relevant by the day. The University of Salford is launching a course in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) skills and how to game social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. The ten-week Search & Social …

    Bootnotes 10 Aug 2010, 13:18

  • Independent bigs up the 'Wanky Balls festival'

    Massive Attack of Wikipedia cobblers

    It is a truthiness universally acknowledged that a single journalist should not use Wikipedia as a source without independently checking its veracity. Nevertheless, examples of howling wikifacts make it to print with unerring frequency, with the result that such errors are now largely ignored as "dog bites man" tales of the …

    Bootnotes 10 Aug 2010, 13:41

  • Memory shortage could spike PC prices

    Can't get the tools guv

    PCs could cost more in the months ahead because memory will be in short supply. The iSuppli trackers reckon that DRAM supply could undershoot demand because some manufacturers won't be able to get the semiconductor lithography tools they need. They note that ASML Holdings NV, the main supplier, should be able to supply 33 …

    Hardware 10 Aug 2010, 14:01

  • Hotmail still not working? Use Chrome to fix it, says MS

    Advises unhappy users to switch to Google's browser

    Microsoft has advised Hotmail users struggling to access their email accounts to surf via Google’s Chrome browser in order to successfully connect to the recently overhauled service. The software vendor finally rolled out its latest version of Hotmail to its 350 million users last week, but since then the company has faced …

    Applications 10 Aug 2010, 14:11

  • Uncertain future hits Novell's Q3

    Revenues and profits dropping

    What a surprise. A company rejects an unsolicited takeover bid and its board of directors announces that the struggling company is looking at all alternatives, including selling itself or breaking itself up. And then sales unexpectedly go south. It should have been no surprise to commercial operating system supplier Novell …

    Operating Systems 10 Aug 2010, 15:12

  • Voda UK rings up PAYG plans for iPhone 4

    Home for your unlocked phone?

    UK mobile mammoth Vodafone has made the iPhone 4 available on a Pay As You Go (PAYG) basis. An iPhone 4 16GB costs £480, while a 32GB one will set you back £570. You can also get the 3GS 8GB for £385. Tied into the Vodafone network for 12 months, the pre-pay devices cost £20-£30 less than an unlocked version direct from the …

    Mobile 10 Aug 2010, 16:41

  • FalconStor may have morale problem

    Staff turnover normal business events says management

    The Reg' has been told by reputable people familiar with FalconStor that staff are leaving and both morale and confidence in senior management is very low. FalconStor says nothing untoward is happening at all and that it's successfully refocussing the company towards increased sales of branded products through the channel. …

    Storage 10 Aug 2010, 16:42

  • 'Free' laptops - a popular temptation

    Mobile broadband at a price

    'Free' laptop deals are still popular with British consumers, despite heavy criticism and claims that new mobile broadband sales are slumping. ISP comparison site Broadband Genie says half of mobile broadband sales made through its site involve laptop offers, even though dongle-only and pay-as-you-go deals are significantly …

    Broadband 10 Aug 2010, 17:05

  • VMware packs Zimbra into virtual appliance

    Ubuntu collaboration on Windows

    The main reason why VMware took open source core groupware software maker Zimbra off the hands of Yahoo back in January was to have yet one more piece of code to sell to SMB customers and hosting companies adopting its vSphere server virtualization stack. Today, a virtual appliance version of the Zimbra email, calendaring, and …

    Virtualization 10 Aug 2010, 17:57

  • Google, Verizon net pact has 'many problems' says FCC commish

    Interests of consumers versus giant corporations

    If Google and Verizon thought that their "free except when it isn't" internet plan would have smooth sailing through the US Federal Communications Commission, a response by one FCC commissioner should snap them back to reality. "Some will claim this announcement moves the discussion forward," said Michael Copps in a statement …

    Media 10 Aug 2010, 18:22

  • Plane crash kills 'series of tubes' Senator Ted Stevens

    Updated Ex-NASA chief survives

    Former US Senator Ted Stevens was killed when a plane that carried him, ex-NASA chief Sean O'Keefe and seven others crashed in Southwest Alaska on Monday night. He was 86. Both O'Keefe and his teenage son, who was also onboard, survived, bringing the total number of survivors to four. Stevens, who is best known in tech …

    Bootnotes 10 Aug 2010, 18:41

  • Avira owns up to BitDefender Trojan false alarm

    Updated Oops

    German security firm Avira has admitted it falsely warned that a beta version of an upcoming security package from its Romanian rival was contaminated with a Trojan. Few users outside the testing community would be running Avira and BitDefender 2011 beta 4 at the same time, so the incident is notable only as providing an …

    Security 10 Aug 2010, 18:56

  • Microsoft purges Windows of serious SSL vuln

    Balance in the force restored

    Microsoft has updated a broad swath of products to fix a potentially serious spoofing vulnerability in the secure sockets layer (SSL) protocol that secures email, web transactions and other sensitive internet traffic. The software company on Tuesday released MS10-049 to kill the bug in Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 and 12 …

    Security 10 Aug 2010, 21:15

  • Deviant Google Android probes Linux kernel re-entry

    Google power-code reworked

    Google's Android has won partial re-admission to the Linux kernel, but much work lies ahead for a full re-entry. Code written by Linux kernel maintainer Rafael Wysocki has been adopted in the kernel tree that re-implements Android's wake locks feature — to stop a device from completely shutting down — in what has been called a …

    Developer 10 Aug 2010, 22:30