The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

1st October 2010 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • The last storage array you will buy

    Shhh. Don't tell the vendors

    If you are currently in the market for a new storage array, take a moment to reflect on the significance. Your new storage array is probably the last one you buy in the form that we currently think of as 'a storage array'. The turning point, of course, is flash memory, but that technology is just so 'one dot oh' at the moment …

    Storage 1 Oct 2010, 00:01

  • Google punts url shortener to world+dog

    Standalone goo.gl

    Google is now offering its url shortener to world+dog. Dubbed Goo.gl, the service was previously available only with certain other Google services, including the Google browser toolbar, FeedBurner RSS service, News, Blogger, and Maps. But it now has its own website – http://goo.gl/ – where it can be used all by itself. Google …

    Media 1 Oct 2010, 03:00

  • Internet tethering spotted in iPad iOS beta

    US users not invited

    Today's iPad rumor is that when iOS 4.2 is released for the iPad later this year, it may include the ability for 3G-capable versions of the "magical and revolutionary device" to provide internet tethering. But only for some users — and not for stateside fanbois suffering the spotty slings and unhurried arrows of their …

    Broadband 1 Oct 2010, 04:00

  • AutoCAD bear hugs interwebs, Apple iOS

    Spreads 'Butterfly' wings

    Autodesk has released a web service and an iOS app for viewing, updating, and sharing AutoCAD designs when AutoCAD isn't handy. With the help of a plug-in for the desktop incarnation of AutoCAD, you can upload files to the web service — known as AutoCAD WS — and the files can then be viewed from a browser or, thanks to the …

    Software 1 Oct 2010, 05:00

  • HP strikes back at Oracle with SAP CEO pick

    Comment Apotheker more Hurd than Hurd

    Let's see, now. If I was a big Oracle partner and I really wanted Larry Ellison to go ballistic, what's the worse thing I could do? How about elect the former CEO of SAP – one of his most hated rivals – as my CEO? Well, that's what Hewlett-Packard has done in what looks an awful lot like a strike back at Ellison after he …

    Software 1 Oct 2010, 05:09

  • RIM: 'We don't need 200 fart apps'

    Quality not toots and poots

    RIM has announced that its BlackBerry App World now contains over 10,000 apps. That count may seem paltry compared with the Apple App Store's quarter million or the Android Market's estimated 70,000-plus. But that doesn't bother RIM, which claims that its goal is quality, not quantity. "We don't need 200 fart apps in App World …

    Mobile 1 Oct 2010, 06:00

  • Ryder Cup in a flap over Twitter ban

    No birdie for you. Oh go on then. Actually don't

    Captains of the two Ryder Cup teams will ban golfers from using Twitter and Facebook during the tournament, but there is much flip-flopping afoot. After two European golfers went against team orders, a compromise has been struck so that golfers may continue to tweet providing they avoid discussing team tactics or anything else …

    Media 1 Oct 2010, 07:00

  • EFF backs political site's Righthaven counter-suit

    'Copyright troll' under fire

    A political discussion website has launched a court action against so-called copyright troll Righthaven, the company which is demanding website operators pay it when material from a Nevada newspaper is posted online. Righthaven is reportedly part-owned by Stephens Media, the publishers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Stephens …

    Law 1 Oct 2010, 07:51

  • WIN a Synology DS110+ Nas and 2TB WD hard drive

    Competition Media streaming powerhouse up for grabs

    Need a nice place to your media files on your network? Look no further. Nas server maker Synology and hard drive company Western Digital have come together with Reg Hardware to offer one lucky reader the latest in easy-to-use network storage. What we have here is Synology's DS110+ units equipped with the first multi-tasking …

    reghardware 1 Oct 2010, 08:00

  • Pentagon out to 'destroy' Wikileaks, founder says

    Assange strikes back

    Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on Thursday accused the Pentagon of setting out to destroy the whistleblower website and struck back at news organizations that he said bought in to the smear campaign. Speaking to an audience in London, the 39-year-old defended the decision to release some 77,000 classified documents related …

    Security 1 Oct 2010, 08:00

  • Everything Everywhere axes 1,200

    Let the synergies commence

    The newly-combined Orange and T-Mobile will be laying off more than 1,200 people whose work it reckons is replicated between the two companies - 7.5 per cent of the combined staff. The cuts will be in the back offices; retail and customer support staff will keep their jobs. But departments whose work is replicated by both …

    Mobile 1 Oct 2010, 08:15

  • Sony Bravia KDL-46EX403 46in LCD TV

    Review Big name, big screen, budget price?

    Freeview HD TVs are fairly common these days, and Sony has put the necessary DVB-T2 tuners in most of the models in its range. The Bravia KDL-46EX403 is, as far as these things go, one of its budget models – it lacks the LED backlighting of the higher end units, which in turn makes it bulkier and less sexy, though from the front …

    reghardware 1 Oct 2010, 08:49

  • Samsung shuts out Symbian

    No more Mr Dithering guy

    Samsung is pulling its support for Symbian developers and content ahead of the Windows Phone 7 launch, leaving Nokia even more isolated in supporting the world's most popular smartphone OS. A mail sent out to developers schedules the development lab to close at the end of October, while the the Forum lasts until December 30. …

    Mobile 1 Oct 2010, 09:12

  • ToryDems nearly swallow Labour blueprint of equality for all

    Employers aghast at discrimination by association

    The former Labour government's Equality Act 2010 mainly came into force today, prompting howls of pain from employers' groups. It's hard to imagine the ToryDems like the whole of the act, but they've decided to lump most of it. Indeed they shelved the original timetable for the act, keeping back key parts they disagree with. …

    Small Biz 1 Oct 2010, 09:14

  • Adobe readies critical Reader update

    Root cause of PDF complexity hairball remains

    Adobe has promised to release a patch for a critical hole in its Adobe Reader and Acrobat PDF software next Tuesday (5 October). The updates will address a zero-day cross-platform vulnerability first discovered three weeks ago that creates a possible mechanism for hackers to take over vulnerable PCs. The software developer …

    Security 1 Oct 2010, 09:29

  • New GM worms mean large scale spider-silk production

    Boffins sidestep difficulties of farming spiders

    Scientists in Indiana have announced success in producing a genetically modified abomination-style combo creature which is part spider and part silkworm. They believe that their creation will be handy for the production of next-generation bulletproof vests, among other things. The cunning thing about the new arachno-worms is …

    Science 1 Oct 2010, 09:54

  • Gov Applications Store prototype due next year

    'G Cloud to bring public sector IT savings'

    The first services to be offered through the Government Applications Store (GAS) are expected to become available at some time next year. A Cabinet Office official has said that work on the G Cloud and the GAS is continuing despite a lull in the months after the general election. The G Cloud will provide an internet …

    Channel Register 1 Oct 2010, 09:56

  • Fruit bat fellatio team crowned Ig Nobel laureate

    Whale snot gathering helicopter also honoured

    A crack Sino-British team of scientists last night deservedly secured an Ig Nobel for demonstrating that fellatio in fruit bats prolongs copulation time. A proud Gareth Jones of Blighty's Bristol Uni was on hand at the 20th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony at Harvard's Sanders Theatre to accept the coveted biology award. …

    Science 1 Oct 2010, 09:59

  • £180 7in Android tablet launched

    Disgo fever

    Another day, another 7in Android tablet. This one's from Disgo and follows the usual pattern. So we have a 7in, 480 x 800 touchscreen; Android 2.1; 1GHz ARM CPU - an iMap X200 - 256MB of memory; 2GB of storage which can be augmented with Micro SD cards; 802.11n Wi-Fi; a pair of mini USB ports; 3.5mm headphone socket; and a …

    reghardware 1 Oct 2010, 10:22

  • Panasonic preps camera-branded blower

    Lumix Phone to debut next week

    Panasonic is to bring its Lumix camera brand into the phone market this month. The Japanese giant has posted a teaser site for the "Lumix Phone", which, it says, is coming soon. Beans will be spilled on 5 October. Snippets revealed this far indicate it will have Wi-Fi, DLNA medai streaming, Micro SD slottage, Wi-Fi and the oh …

    reghardware 1 Oct 2010, 10:39

  • GPUs: Sharing good, islands bad

    GPU Video Blog New words needed!

    I’ve talked to several folks at the 2010 GPU Tech Conference about the burgeoning need to be able to dynamically share GPUs across multiple systems without having to re-cable boxes or bog down the system by moving processing from one box to another. Dell put forward a solution with its C410x PCIe extension box that allows eight …

    HPC 1 Oct 2010, 10:44

  • Microsoft caps Ballmer bonus over mobile phone, tablet failures

    Kin hell means Stevie piggy bank still rattles

    Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer missed out on a maximum bonus in the company’s last fiscal year, after he failed to move quickly enough against Apple’s iPad and lost market share in the mobile phone biz. The unsuccessful launch and speedy demise of Microsoft’s doomed social networking mobile device Kin also kept Ballmer’s piggy …

    Software 1 Oct 2010, 10:49

  • Artist crafts Kevin Bacon bacon bust

    'Bacon makes everything better, including art'

    We at El Reg are great fans of bacon - celebrated for its legendary power to cure hangovers - so we're delighted this fine Friday to present a bust of Kevin Bacon lovingly crafted from the connoisseur's pig product of choice: The "Bacon Kevin Bacon" is the work of Mike Lahue, who was commissioned by Justin Esch and Dave …

    Bootnotes 1 Oct 2010, 10:52

  • BOFH: Robot wars

    Episode 11 Just tell us what you (chain)saw

    “I could have been killed!” the Boss whimpers, rubbing a couple of prominent bruises. “I think that’s a little far-fetched,” the PFY sniffs. “What was it going to do, 360-degree-camera you to death?” “It had a circular saw in its hands!!” “Really? It had hands!?” “Well, its claw then!” “IT’S GOT A CLAW!?” “WHATEVER THE …

    BOFH 1 Oct 2010, 11:00

  • Ten... iPhone 4 cases

    Product Round-up Have you got protection?

    Apple successfully put the ‘antennagate’ controversy to sleep when it announced that it would provide all iPhone 4 owners with a free case. Judging by the number of uncovered iPhone 4s I see around London, not many users were that concerned. But even if you're not worried about reception woes, there are good reasons to grab …

    reghardware 1 Oct 2010, 11:01

  • Trucker pulled with DVD and laptop on dashboard

    Cops unimpressed by high-tech accessories

    Central Scotland Police have expressed their incredulity at a trucker who was happily making his way from Aberdeen to Dover with a DVD player and laptop on his Hungarian vehicle's dashboard. The well-equipped driver was pulled by road policing unit operatives at Craigforth weighbridge on 21 September, the Telegraph explains, …

    Bootnotes 1 Oct 2010, 11:12

  • Access all areas

    Sysadmin blog Trevor <heart> OpenVPN Access Server

    First there was OpenVPN community edition, an SSL VPN product popular with enterprises, and a model of open source development. The maturity and staying power of OpenVPN led its developers to create an enterprise version, OpenVPN Access Server (OpenVPNAS), which was an attempt to fund both payware and open source versions. …

    Servers 1 Oct 2010, 11:24

  • Samsung names Galaxy Tab launch date

    D-Day for pricey 7in Android tablet

    Samsung's Galaxy Tab Android tablet will go on sale in Blighty on 1 November, the South Korean giant said today. However, it didn't say how much the thing will cost. Given that the Tab incorporates a 7in, 600 x 1024 touchscreen, 1GHz ARM based CPU with an on-board PowerVR SGX graphics core, a GPS pick-up, a 3Mp camera, 802.11n …

    reghardware 1 Oct 2010, 11:27

  • Papers laud publication of DIY Dalek plans

    Forget that fans have had 'em for years...

    The Daily Telegraph and others are making much of the online publication of a series of build-your-own Dalek blueprints from the 1970s. The plans were apparently sent by the Doctor Who Production Office to a viewer. Reading today's stories, you'd think the blueprints had been missing, presumed lost, for years. But, as any …

    Bootnotes 1 Oct 2010, 11:39

  • Ofcom imposes new rules on silent callers

    Concludes that it was right all along

    Ofcom's consultation on silent calling is over and the regulator has concluded that it was right about almost everything, so companies now have four months to comply with the new rules. These rules (pdf) are almost identical to those presented for consultation in June, but for some clarifications and a fixed typo or two. The …

    Broadband 1 Oct 2010, 11:47

  • Three! Yahoo! execs! quit! purple! palace!

    'Stay calm, I have a plan,' says embattled Bartz

    Yahoo! boss Carol Bartz confirmed that the company’s US head and two other execs were leaving the web outfit yesterday. Hilary Schneider’s departure along with the resignations of media veep Jimmy Pitaro and audience wonk David Ko were announced by Bartz to all Yahoo! employees on Thursday, after All Things Digital reported …

    Financial News 1 Oct 2010, 12:02

  • Terry Pratchett computer sniper-scope deal inked

    Makes million-to-one shots hit 9 (well, 6) times in 10

    The US military's project intended to produce miraculous sighting systems for sniper rifles - designed to ensure that million-to-one shots will actually be almost certain to hit their target, rather as in Terry Pratchett's Discworld stories - has moved forward. American weaponry behemoth Lockheed has been awarded a $6.87m …

    Science 1 Oct 2010, 12:05

  • Thieves drive off with 10,800 Western Digital drives

    Parked then unparked

    Brass-necked thieves stole 10,800 Western Digital disk drives from Kuala Lumpur international airport on Sunday by simply driving away a lorry. According to the New Straits Times the eight-tonne lorry, loaded with 524 boxes of drives worth about 1.7 million Singapore dollars, was parked in a forwarding agent's area in the …

    Channel Register 1 Oct 2010, 12:16

  • MoD labels Facebook Places a 'targeting pack' for terrorists

    Exclusive Northern Ireland threat over location data

    Security chiefs have cautioned army, navy and RAF personnel to disable Facebook Places, over fears it could be used by terrorists to identify and track targets. The new service could act as a "one stop shop targeting pack", particularly in Northern Ireland, they warn. The Ministry of Defence is concerned about how it could …

    Applications 1 Oct 2010, 12:26

  • Microsoft releases Windows Live apps suite

    Sucks up to cloud with desktop bloatware bonus ball

    Microsoft slapped a new bunch of Windows Live updates onto the interwebs yesterday in its latest effort to knit desktop and cloud computing together. The company made a set of free apps available to allow Windows 7 customers to connect, create and share docs online. The software updates to Windows Live Essentials 2011 include …

    Channel Register 1 Oct 2010, 12:42

  • Nokia runs all the way to the bank

    Building loyalty among the bankless

    Nokia's move into Mobile Money seems at first to be another one of the firm's many plays in services. Having seen the importance of meshing services with devices and how iTunes supports the iPhone, or BBM the Blackberry, it's not surprising that the company has worked so hard at Ovi and maps. For a technology company, Mobile …

    Mobile 1 Oct 2010, 13:30

  • Canada prostitution laws pulverised: politicians apoplectic

    'I'm going to spank some ass - legally!'

    A Canadian Court has overturned a series of laws regulating sex work, furthering the debate as to whether to decriminalise or clamp down on prostitution. The decision, handed down by the High Court in Ontario, effectively abolished laws banning street soliciting (communicating for the purposes of prostitution), working …

    Law 1 Oct 2010, 13:35

  • Stuxnet worm slithers into China, heralds alien invasion

    Analysis Conspiracy? Cock-up? Or Conspiracy?

    The infamous Stuxnet worm has reportedly begun spreading in China. The worm, which targets supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, has infected "millions of computers" across the country, AFP reports. Local anti-virus outfit Rising International told the official Xinhua news agency that six million …

    Security 1 Oct 2010, 13:40

  • Half-a-billion users don't mean API payola

    Open...and Shut Open-source pain in transition

    Open source is a great way to drive adoption of one's software, but is a generally poor way to monetize that software. The more open one's code, after all, the less compelling the need to pay for it. Unfortunately for Twitter, Facebook, and other new-age, web service developers this same principle holds true for their open …

    Software 1 Oct 2010, 14:00

  • Seat in sexy e-sportster shock

    All-electric IBE 'a looker'

    What's this? Seat in reasonable looking e-car concept shock? Here's the rather flash Seat IBE sports coupé, unveiled at this week's Paris Motor Show, which the company calls an "all-electric vehicle that generates zero local emissions". Inside the 2+2 sits a 75kW motor and 200Nm of torque. There's an 18kWh battery in there …

    reghardware 1 Oct 2010, 14:15

  • F1 2010

    Review Get your engines revving

    Reverse is a gear not often associated with Formula One, a sport entirely focused on hurtling forwards at breakneck speeds of up to 220mph. But it's one the sport had to engage in recent seasons to reverse a seemingly inexorable decline in popularity. Going off grid - the revolutions begin Several factors combined to lift …

    reghardware 1 Oct 2010, 14:25

  • Dot Hill's intros first 10Gbit/E iSCSI box

    Not over the hill then

    Dot Hill has introduced its first 10Gbit/E iSCSI storage array, pitching the box'of'disks at rich media apps. The rackmount AssuredSAN 3420 and 3430 have a 10Gbit/E interface for iSCSI block access, making them well suited, Dot Hill says, for streaming video applications, rich media post-production, servers with lots of …

    Storage 1 Oct 2010, 14:27

  • Ireland gives Google traditional pogue mahone greeting

    Streetview exposes exposed Jackeens

    Google Maps Ireland went live yesterday, and it took the cream of Ireland's media just minutes to find the first pic of a pair of Dubliners baring their hairy arses to Mountain View's all seeing eye. The Irish Times found this pair of moon-bummed jackeens, who had ambushed the Google car on Dublin's Ballinteer drive. The car …

    Bootnotes 1 Oct 2010, 14:28

  • Google hands number 7 shirt to Chrome browser

    A feature-light 'legitimate work in progress' beta

    Google spun out the first version 7 stable beta of its Chrome browser yesterday. Mountain View updated Chrome to 7.0.517.24 for Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome Frame. But the latest release is light on new features, which has left some Chrome fans a bit nonplussed. “Beta already are you sure?” asked Blaz Pristy in the comments …

    Operating Systems 1 Oct 2010, 14:53

  • Apotheker was HP's sole CEO choice

    Time for HP to merge with SAP and make this interesting

    Leo Apotheker, the ex-SAP CEO and the new president and chief executive officer of IT giant Hewlett-Packard who was appointed to those jobs yesterday, gave his first briefing this morning with members of the HP board. If you were expecting a lot of insight into the CEO search, the selection process, and Apotheker's plans for HP …

    Servers 1 Oct 2010, 15:15

  • Symantec HackIsWack contest packs in

    Peace out, etc

    Symantec's hapless HackIsWack cybercrime rap competition came to a close on Thursday, with 180 entries. The rap competition had the worthwhile aim of raising cybercrime awareness, but will chiefly be remembered for the farcical antics on its dedicated macro-site, hackiswack.com. Interested parties quickly discovered that …

    Security 1 Oct 2010, 15:23

  • IE 'Twitter rolling' attack trivial to launch

    Updated Whose bug is it, anyway?

    An information disclosure threat in Microsoft's Internet Explorer affects all supported versions of the browser and, among other things, makes it trivial for attackers to force victims to post attacker-dictated messages on Twitter, a security researcher said this week. The “Twitter-rolling” attack, which was first described …

    Security 1 Oct 2010, 17:37

  • Opera shrugs off Google Native Client

    Browser native code not a keeper

    Mozilla has no intention of mimicking Google's efforts to run native code inside the browser. And Opera feels much the same the way. In a recent conversation with The Register, Opera chief standards officer Charles McCathieNevile argued that Google's Native Client plug-in — a means of running native code inside the company's …

    Developer 1 Oct 2010, 17:39

  • Multi-touch iMacs prepped in Cupertino?

    Convertible all-in-ones rumored

    Apple is reportedly sampling touch-panel displays for use in its iMac line of all-in-one desktops, in an expansion of the Jobsian desire to create a touchy-feely computing world. This report comes by way of the Taiwanese market-watchers at DigiTimes, whose army of sources have touched off many a rumor flurry over the years. …

    Media 1 Oct 2010, 17:40

  • Microsoft polishes top brass in Ballmer power play

    Has anybody seen our CRM software?

    Microsoft has made some executive job changes that signal a major consolidation of power at the top. The company has named Andy Lees as president of Microsoft's new Mobile Communications Business unit and Don Mattrick as president of the Interactive Entertainment Business unit. The former will lead Windows Phone 7, due to …

    Business 1 Oct 2010, 20:34

  • 5 botnet kingpins busted in $70m fraud ring

    Zeus's bad-hair week

    Ukrainian police on Thursday arrested five people suspected of orchestrating an international fraud ring that siphoned more than $70m out of bank accounts by infecting computers with the Zeus trojan. The action by Ukraine's SBU was part of an unprecedented partnership among law enforcement agencies in the US, the UK, the …

    Security 1 Oct 2010, 20:37

  • Microsoft sends in the tanks against Motorola, Android

    Kicks Android while Oracle holds it down

    Android has a new legal headache - Microsoft is playing hardball and suing Motorola over claimed patent violations in Droid. Microsoft claims the Droid X and Droid 2, along with other handsets, violate nine of the company's software patents. The patents cover functions Microsoft claims are "essential to the smart phone user …

    Mobile 1 Oct 2010, 23:41