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25th October 2010 Archive

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  • Java guru quits over Oracle 'disregard'

    Giant denies JCP plant

    A top Java programming guru has quit Java's governing body, the Java Community Process, over Oracle's heavy handedness, as Oracle denied it is trying to pack the group with sympathizers. In a fiery resignation letter, Doug Lea, an authority on concurrency in Java, wrote here: "I believe that the JCP is no longer a credible …

    Developer 25 Oct 2010, 03:42

  • Adobe AIR 2.5 adds Flash to Android, TV and RIM tablets

    Adobe MAX 2010 App store middleman unveiled

    Adobe today announces AIR 2.5, which will enable Flash-based applications and services for Google's Android, RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook and Samsung 'smart' TVs. Preview editions of the next Flex Framework, Adobe's Flash Builder design and development environment, the Flash Catalyst design tool, and version 2.5 of its Adobe …

    Developer 25 Oct 2010, 04:00

  • HD Webcams

    Product Round-up Video chat with greater clarity

    With World+Dog now using Skype or an IM app to video-chat to friends and family across the globe, it's worth remembering that how you look to the world at large is dependent on the quality of the webcam you are using. If you are using a low-end laptop or netbook, the integrated 1.3Mp or even 0.3Mp webcam is not going to give …

    reghardware 25 Oct 2010, 07:00

  • Cray beats six to win Argonne deal

    150 teraflop superbox for life sciences

    Supercomputer maker Cray has high hopes for its XE6 parallel supercomputers, not just in terms of number-crunching performance for its customers, but also financial performance for itself. While a deal announced to put a fairly large XE6 machine into Argonne National Laboratory will not help Cray make its 2010 financial goals, …

    HPC 25 Oct 2010, 07:37

  • ICO reopens Google Street View privacy probe

    Move follows slurp-car confessions by ads giant

    The Information Commissioner's Office is reopening its investigation into Google's collection of unsecured Wi-Fi by its fleet of Street View cars. The change of heart by the regulator comes in the light of tougher stances taken by other countries, and Google's confession on Friday that its cars collected entire emails, URLs …

    Applications 25 Oct 2010, 08:20

  • Seagate sued for 'fraudulently hiring engineer'

    Improper inducement alleged

    Seagate is being sued for $2.7m by a laid-off engineer for allegedly inducing him to take a job that didn't exist. As reported in the St Paul's Pioneer Press, Chandramouli Vaidyanathan was hired by Seagate in February 2008 to move from a senior yield engineering job at Texas Instruments to join Seagate's Advanced Technology …

    Storage 25 Oct 2010, 09:19

  • Facebook comes down hard on Faceporn

    Poke my lawyer

    Facebook is suing Faceporn for alleged trademark infringement. The social networking giant claims Faceporn copied its logo, aspects of its blue and white page design and other trademarks. A statement on faceporn.com says: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, faceporn is down until further notice. We are doing our best to come …

    Law 25 Oct 2010, 09:24

  • 'Warpigs' VXer pleads guilty

    Evil minds that plot, um, malware scams

    A veteran Scottish virus writer faces a likely spell behind bars after pleading guilty to computer crime offences. Matthew Anderson aka Warpigs, 33, a franchise manager from Drummuir, Aberdeenshire, admitted his key role in a malware for profit scam at a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on Friday. Anderson distributed spam …

    Crime 25 Oct 2010, 09:41

  • NEC cranks fault-tolerant servers with Xeon six-shooters

    Pitting Hyper-V plus hardware FT against VMware virty FT

    Fault-tolerant server maker NEC today rolls out an upgraded FT Series box sporting Intel's "Westmere-EP" Xeon 5600 processors and is also delivering support for Microsoft's Hyper-V server virualization hypervisor, setting the stage for fight between VMware's software-based fault tolerance and the hardware-based fault tolerance …

    Servers 25 Oct 2010, 09:42

  • The Hardware mid-life crisis

    Workshop Upgrade or refresh?

    The good old PC, along with the phone, is today the main, if not only, interface that users have to IT systems and services. The experience that people have of their personal system often colours their perception of how well IT does its job, regardless of how well run the rest of IT is. Most PCs get to have a long life in …

    Server Management 25 Oct 2010, 09:53

  • Skype throws off Nimbuzz in ad-revenue smackdown

    VoIP monster tells Nimbuzz to Fring off

    Identity aggregation client Nimbuzz has joined Fring in the does-not-Skype pile, as the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) behemoth continues trimming back the parasites. Nimbuzz tells us it has been asked to remove all Skype and SkypeOut functionality from its mobile and desktop clients, just as Fring was cut off from the …

    VoIP 25 Oct 2010, 10:13

  • Two-year wait for Windows 8, MS blurts

    Console yourself with a Windows 7 SP

    A posting on Microsoft's Dutch site suggests we'll have to wait until 2012 for the next release of Windows. Microsoft declined to comment and the message was rapidly deleted, but was grabbed by Ina Fried at CNet and a host of bloggers. The post, celebrating the first birthday of Windows 7, said that Microsoft was hard at work …

    Operating Systems 25 Oct 2010, 10:14

  • Google debuts Music Search

    Bollywood-boasting Baidu-botherer

    Google has lifted the lid on a streaming music service called Music Search. Frankly described as a "trial", it finds and streams Bollywood music - full track streams are hosted by two third parties. But what about YouTube, you ask? Google has the world's most popular jukebox in the shape of YouTube; but almost all of the …

    Music and Media 25 Oct 2010, 10:23

  • Mixing business and pleasure

    Sysadmin blog Mobile device management's getting better, and about time too

    The uptake of smartphones has placed pressure on network administrators to work out Mobile Device Management (MDM) beyond Blackberry Enterprise Server. Microsoft has made a few half-hearted attempts at MDM that have steadily improved with age, but there is little to see from the vendors of the phone platforms themselves. This …

    Sysadmin blog 25 Oct 2010, 10:50

  • Gemalto leaps into anti-Android fray

    Java as a little OS, we own that!

    Security chip maker Gemalto has launched its own attack on Android, claiming to own patents essential to the use of Java as a mobile OS. The suit, filed in patent-friendly Texas, accuses Google, HTC, Motorola and Samsung of infringing Gemalto's patents which, according to the company, cover techniques essential to the use of a …

    Mobile 25 Oct 2010, 11:00

  • UK gov vets the vetting process

    Overzealous checks on workers and volunteers may ease

    After a bit of a false start earlier this month, the official Coalition review of the current vetting and barring system (VBS) – as well as the associated criminal record checks – kicked off last week. According to a release from the Home Office on Friday, the review will consider the fundamental principles and objectives …

    Policing 25 Oct 2010, 11:21

  • Cameron promises boost for tech companies

    Best broadband in Europe pledged

    Prime Minister David Cameron promised improvements to British broadband and more support for smaller, high tech companies as he outlined the Coalition government's "national infrastructure plan". Speaking at the CBI Annual conference, Cameron promised the best broadband in Europe by 2015 thanks to investment of £530m. He noted …

    Small Biz 25 Oct 2010, 11:23

  • How average is your sex life?

    Bags of bonking (and other) data show normal is relative

    Last week was a fairly average week – and Wednesday a fairly average day. Hardly surprising, since Wednesday was actually World Statistics Day. This was, however, no ordinary statistics day. Sponsored by the UN, it was the very first such day, dedicated, according to the official site, to encouraging "the international …

    Bootnotes 25 Oct 2010, 11:34

  • Comments added to Reg Mobile sites

    Forums on the move

    Unlike some websites - we do not force people using mobile browsers to read our mobile version. But we think it's a better read on most phones. And it just got better. Late last week we added Comments - the reading and writing of - to mobile versions of The Register, Reg Hardware and Channel Register. We have also tweaked …

    Mobile 25 Oct 2010, 11:45

  • BlackBerry App World goes online

    Innovating, or aping?

    RIM has opened an online portal for BlackBerry users who want to browse for apps on a larger screen, as the company moves to better emulate its hero Apple. The BlackBerry store may not be bursting at the seams, but while RIM claims it has no interest in filling the shelves with tat it would still like to copy the rest of Apple …

    Applications 25 Oct 2010, 11:53

  • Vanquish

    Review Programmed to kill

    If Vanquish had been made around 150 years ago, Shinji Mikami would have had to commit seppuku, the Japanese ritual of suicide by disembowelment. All right, Mr. big shot Like many artists and scholars during Japan's Bakamatsu period, the legendary producer of Resident Evil, God Hand and Bayonetta would have sliced open his …

    reghardware 25 Oct 2010, 12:00

  • Vulture 1 rolls out of fab bunker

    Get yer final construction snaps here

    The Paper Aircraft Released Into Space team are delighted to bring you the final construction snaps of the Vulture 1 aircraft. You can check out the first two build phases here and here. Since we've already covered the techniques and materials used in some detail, you're advised to refer back if you've got any doubts about …

    PARIS 25 Oct 2010, 12:27

  • ICO concerned over interception modernisation programme

    Commissioner worried over gov plans to keep our data

    Information commissioner Christopher Graham has said that he is concerned about government plans to allow enhanced storage of people's internet data. Graham said his sceptical stance on the £2bn interception modernisation programme, which would allow the police and security services greater abilities to access the internet …

    Government 25 Oct 2010, 13:02

  • Firesheep flames cookie capture risks

    Add-on makes sidejacking simple

    A developer has released a Firefox extension that illustrates just how vulnerable users of open wireless networks are when they log into websites that rely on cookies for authentication. It is well understood that cookies sent over insecure connection can easily be captured and replayed to allow a mischief maker or hacker to …

    ID 25 Oct 2010, 13:04

  • Sony hits stop on Walkman tape players

    Japanese consumers no longer wired for (analogue) sound

    Sony is ditching the groundbreaking Walkman cassette player in its home market, 30 years after first launching its assault on the hearing of teens and the patience of the people sat next to them. The electronics giant said that demand for the serial crinkly recording format had nosedived in Japan. "There is still demand in …

    Bootnotes 25 Oct 2010, 13:14

  • Facebook investor aims for $5.7bn float

    Russia's biggest web firm shares ahoy

    Mail.ru, which owns a stake in Facebook, has set the price it hopes to get for its shares when it floats on the London Stock Exchange. The Initial Public Offering was announced earlier this month. Today's filing with the London Stock Exchange shows an indicative price range of between $23.70 and $27.70 per share, actually a …

    Financial News 25 Oct 2010, 13:21

  • Microsoft opens online PC gaming shop-front

    Points in store

    Microsoft is opening the Games for Windows Marketplace - an online store that integrates Xbox Live and Windows Live services to make it easier to buy PC games. Some 100 top titles are on offer at launch,including Fable, Grand Theft Auto III and Max Payne, along with newer titles such as Dead Rising 2 and Lost Planet 2. Gamers …

    reghardware 25 Oct 2010, 13:35

  • Americans whisk up 106 software jobs in Northern Ireland

    Recent grads required

    A US software firm is creating 106 jobs in Northern Ireland. Market Resource Partners, based in Philadelphia, makes sales and marketing software to help companies judge the success - or failure - of marketing campaigns by analysing conversion rates. The company told the BBC the jobs would be high quality and would pay above …

    Channel Register 25 Oct 2010, 13:59

  • US raygun jumbo fluffs another test missile-blast attempt

    Blaster-biggun in Nork shot splash cockup

    The United States' enormous jumbo-jet-mounted raygun, the Airborne Laser Testbed (ALTB), has suffered another embarrassing test failure. During an attempt to beam down a target missile off the Californian coast last week, a technical hitch saw the 747's blaster cannon fail to fire up. It was all going to be so cool ... …

    Science 25 Oct 2010, 14:10

  • Nigerian airline ticket fraudster gets 8 years

    Scammer earns one-way trip - after stealing over $400,000

    A West African fraudster has been jailed for more than eight years over his role in an airline ticket scam following his extradition to the US back in June. Ademola Ismaila Adegoke, 43, a Nigerian-born resident of Accra, Ghana, was jailed for 102 months on Friday after he was convicted of using stolen credit card numbers to …

    Crime 25 Oct 2010, 14:33

  • Hurd fingered in HP bribe case after probe

    Ghost of HP bribe allegations follows Hurd to Oracle

    Mark Hurd, former chief executive of HP, has been named in a court case brought against the ink giant. The case concerns allegations that HP paid bribes to secure US government contracts. Documents claim Hurd, now at Oracle, won $97m in contracts thanks to the illegal payments. Ten other directors are named and accused of …

    Channel Register 25 Oct 2010, 15:10

  • Students cluster for fame and glory at SC10

    SC10 Go Hard or Go Home

    SC10 Student Cluster Competition: Go Hard or Go Home This is cool: eight university teams from around the world descend on the SC10 supercomputing show in New Orleans next month to take part in the Student Cluster Competition (SCC). The students bring their own self-designed and built clusters to the show, re-assemble them, …

    HPC Blog 25 Oct 2010, 15:33

  • Teradata pumps data warehouses with six-core Xeons

    Flashy BI box cures performance anxiety

    Teradata might be the pioneer of data warehousing on cheap x64 server clusters and the use of appliance packaging to tune machines and their software to attack specific workloads, but Oracle and IBM want to eat Teradata's lunch. And its breakfast and dinner, too. That means Teradata has to keep upgrading its hardware and …

    Servers 25 Oct 2010, 16:21

  • Wikileaks taunts Pentagon with server mirrors in USA

    Iraq War Logs hosted by...Amazon

    WikiLeaks is using US-based servers run by Amazon.com to mirror its controversial data stash, including the classified "Iraq War Logs" released on Friday afternoon, according to internet records. Since at least Friday night, the famous whistle-blowing site has been hosting data on Amazon's AWS infrastructure cloud, both in the …

    Networks 25 Oct 2010, 17:13

  • Nielsen cops to iPad stat cock-up

    Fewer iPad download virgins

    The customarily competent media-survey firm, The Nielsen Company, has backtracked on its startling claim that one-third of all iPad users have never download an app. The company now says that the number of download virgins is fewer than one in ten. "This article and the related download have been amended to reflect updates to …

    Mobile 25 Oct 2010, 20:06

  • Google boss: 'Creeped out by Street View? Just move'

    Latest Schmidt gaffe vanished by CNN

    Google CEO Eric Schmidt has said that if you don't like Google Street View cars photographing your house, you can "just move." “Street View. We drive exactly once,” Schmidt said during an appearance on CNN's “Parker Spitzer" late last week. “So, you can just move, right?” Schmidt's words were broadcast across the net on …

    ID 25 Oct 2010, 20:36

  • Facebook pages very much public, even when set as private

    Privacy theater

    Facebook settings that are supposed to cloak user profiles can easily be bypassed to reveal the friends, pictures, and other attributes of users who have configured their accounts to be private. The inability to keep profile pages private would seem to contradict Facebook's promise that "The settings you choose control which …

    ID 25 Oct 2010, 20:50

  • Ubuntu demotes Gnome for Unity netbook look

    Desktops wanna be touched too

    Ubuntu's netbook look is coming to desktop PCs, as the Linux distro demotes its long-standing default Gnome interface. Natty Narwhal, aka Ubuntu 11.04, due next April, will set the Unity multi-touch interface as the Linux's default interface, Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth says. Unity was introduced only this month with …

    Operating Systems 25 Oct 2010, 20:51

  • Googlenet traffic now 6% of interwebs

    Dwarfs all ISPs but one

    Google now handles more interwebs traffic than all but one of the world's ISPs, after gaining more than one per cent of the net's total traffic over the past nine months, according to data from network-security outfit Arbor Networks. In a blog post, Arbor chief scientist Craig Labovitz dubbed this a record traffic gain. "In …

    Networks 25 Oct 2010, 23:50