18th February 2011 Archive

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Big, distributed, and fast: Ehcache sucks up search

Java for the NoSQL generation

Open sourcers running the Ehcache distributed Java cache can now search their data in near real-time by harnessing lashed-together servers. Terracotta, which bought the Ehcache project in 2009, has released Ehcache 2.4. It features an API extension that lets you perform object-level queries of data held in memory. The API is …

Software 18 Feb 00:13
HP reinvents self as data center designer

Mission Critical Facilities

After a freeze in the construction of new data centers in the past couple of years, the market is starting to thaw a bit. And Hewlett-Packard wants to provide more than servers, storage, and networking. It also want to design and manage the construction of the candy coating that wraps around all that gear. That was the idea …

Servers 18 Feb 04:00
Brits luv broadband. True

Fast net access most important innovation of the last decade

Britons believe broadband connectivity to be the product that has most changed their lives over the past ten years. So says a survey of 2243 adults "weighted to represent UK population" carried out by a marketing consultancy you've never heard of on behalf of a management consultancy you've also never heard of. Punters placed …

reghardware 18 Feb 05:00
Windows 8 squeezed to fit 2012 Dell fondleslab?

So much OS, so little time

Will Microsoft deliver Windows 8 in time for OEMs to ship product in 2012? Yes, according to some supposedly leaked Dell slides showing a roadmap that has a Dell tablet running Windows 8 arriving in January 2012. The tablet is codenamed Peju. The Windows-8 device is almost an afterthought om a roadmap that's dominated by …

Operating Systems 18 Feb 05:00
Unprecedented domain seizure shutters 84,000 sites

Feds' Operation Powergrab slammed

The federal government's unprecedented practice of confiscating internet domain names in secret court proceedings took a new and ominous turn last week when it resulted in the closure of as many as 84,000 website addresses. The power grab came last Friday, when the mooo.com, an address a service called Free DNS used to resolve …

Security 18 Feb 06:00
Ten... over-ear headphones

Product Round-up Surround sound

Personal music is an everyday part of most people's lives and at at the end of the chain, it's the gear we use to pump out the audio that impacts most obviously on the listening experience. If you want to raise your game from the freebies given out with a PMP or just fancy a quality set of headphones for the home, then where to …

reghardware 18 Feb 07:00
Sepaton changes CEO

From Mike W to Mike T

Sepaton's CEO and president Mike Worhach has stepped upstairs to vice chairman of the board and the Exec VP for sales and marketing, Mike Thompson, is the new CEO and president. Thompson joined Sepaton in August last year in what then looked like a step down the career ladder, but now looks like part of a set of choreographed …

Channel Register 18 Feb 08:57
Pitiless teen burglar murders three witnesses

Dead fish don't talk

An Illinois teenager is facing residential burglary and cruelty to animals raps after killing a trio of potential witnesses to an Arlington Heights burglary - three goldfish. On 24 January, the unnamed 16-year-old and two accomplices, aged 15 and 17, targeted an apartment in a block which had been evacuated following a fire on …

Bootnotes 18 Feb 09:49
Does service centric IT deliver better value?

Webcast Joined up ops, joined up thinking

IT is increasingly being challenged by end users and the business to deliver more - be it flexible working, increased responsiveness, 24 hour availability or reduced costs. For many, it can feel like fire fighting against a constant tide of unrealistic expectations that seem to shift over time while being under-appreciated for …

Data Centre 18 Feb 10:20
South African dam sluices 609 elephants per second

That's an awful lot of Olympic-sized swimming pools

Regular readers know that we at the El Reg Bootnotes bureau are big fans of alternative units of measurement, so we'd like to raise a pint today to South African engineer Danie van der Spuy, who recently quantified the amount of water passing through the sluice gates of the Bloemhof dam as the equivalent of "609 elephants every …

Bootnotes 18 Feb 10:24
No small iPhone 5, says mole

Sources spin and counter-spin

Apple isn't working on a smaller iPhone, contrary to previous rumours, but it is trying to make the handset less expensive. So claim the inevitable unnamed sources "briefed on Apple’s plans" - our assumption would be Apple PR people speaking off the record, but that is just an assumption - who spoke to the New York Times. Why …

reghardware 18 Feb 11:08
Inventor of the Workmate dies

Also designed the Lotus Elan

Ron Hickman, the inventor of the Black & Decker Workmate, has died in Jersey, where he had a design factory. Hickman died after a long illness that followed a serious fall five months ago. Hickman, who lived in Jersey, was 78. His design for the wood-and-steel foldable workbench and vice was rejected by several tool companies …

Bootnotes 18 Feb 11:14
Lenovo to press LePad on LeWorld

Global release for erstwhile 'China only' Android tablet

Lenovo will bring its entry into the Android tablet arena to a world audience, but not before it has released the gadget in its native China. The tablet, called the LePad and which, like HTC's Flyer tablet, will run Android 2.2 Froyo, will go on sale in China in March, around the time that its competitors begin selling Android …

reghardware 18 Feb 11:21
Romanian middleman pleads guilty to $2.7m auction scam

'Buy it now' scammer going down

A Romanian native faces jail in the US after pleading guilty to participating in a $2.7m online marketplace scam. Adrian Ghighina, 33, of Bucharest, admitted conspiracy, fraud and money laundering charges at a hearing at a US District Court in Illinois on Thursday. Ghighina acted as a middleman collecting cash and bank …

Crime 18 Feb 11:24
Microsoft won't pursue keyword trade mark users in US

Ach, fill your boots

Microsoft will no longer investigate complaints that words used to trigger search adverts constitute trade mark infringement in the US. The change to its search advert policy in the US mirrors Google's existing policy. The rules governing search adverts in the UK remain unchanged and forbid the use of keywords in a way that …

Music and Media 18 Feb 11:26
US scientists build laser-killing device

Anti-sophisticated heat beam badness

Yale boffins have built a laser light cancelling device roughly analogous to noise-cancelling headphones. Laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) beams are made by pumping electricity or light into a device composed of two opposing mirrors and a so-called gain medium, such as gallium arsenide, between …

Physics 18 Feb 11:47
FTC and DoJ toss-up on Apple subs plan 'probe'

Who wants to load the torpedoes?

Apple's take-it-or-leave-it subscription platform for content producers and publishers has attracted the attention of regulators in the US and Europe, according to reports. Cupertino launched the fair and balanced plan this week, giving producers of magazines, video, etc, the ability to sell subscriptions through Apple's App …

Music and Media 18 Feb 11:48
India backs off RIM, starts on local operators

Do this thing you can't do, yeah?

India's government has given up pestering RIM and is now asking the country's network operators to provide lawful intercept capability, despite their inability to do so. Having demanded that Research In Motion provide access to BlackBerry communications, and seen several deadlines pass without the issue resolved, the Wall …

Mobile 18 Feb 11:56
Mobile network 'guilty' of 'charging for stuff'

Payment creates a 'Digital Divide', claim activists

Over in the US the debate over pre-emptive internet regulation, created by academics and interest groups, has now firmly entered the territory of the Frankly Bizarre. Take the example of the cheap-and-cheerful mobile operator MetroPCS, hugely popular for its unlimited pay-as-you-go voice plans and cheap call rates to Mexico. …

Mobile 18 Feb 12:02
Countries where Facebook is not, yet, king

Not just China

Facebook has conquered western Europe, Australia and the US, but it is not king of the castle everywhere. A study from Pingdom looked at 130 countries to find where Facebook is not in the top five most visited websites – from sixth place downwards there is normally a sharp drop-off. Facebook is blocked in China – so that's …

Applications 18 Feb 12:12
4 in 5 surfers open to browser exploits from fixed flaws

Patchy patches provide pretty paltry protection

Eight in 10 browsers remains vulnerable to attacks targeting already patched bugs, with the majority of problems stemming from plug-ins such as Java. The figures come from real world scans by users of Qualys's BrowserCheck service, a free of charge consumer-focused scanning utility released last year. The web-based service …

Enterprise Security 18 Feb 12:14
Panasonic brings Skype to Blu-ray boxes

Sensible call?

Panasonic has introduced Skype to its range of 3D Blu-ray players, so those without the video-conference tool built into their TV set can still utilise the service on the big screen. The tool also allows users to set up voicemail, which the company demonstrated at its annual dealer convention this week with some cheesy …

reghardware 18 Feb 12:43
Intel seeks connected home for Atom

Vodafone to provide the needed connectivity

Vodafone and Intel have banded together to push Atom chips, and Vodafone connectivity, into cars, fridges and toasters – the humans already being adequately equipped. The two companies reckon it is the complexity of development that is stopping manufacturers connecting up our washing machines and cookers, and will thus release …

Mobile 18 Feb 12:53
Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds

Review Comic moments

The decision to resurrect the Marvel vs Capcom series is a logical choice for Capcom. After the success of Street Fighter IV and Super Street Fighter IV, it makes sense to capitalise on a general appetite for comic book movies by exhuming the ten-year-old crossover franchise. Americaa... thud, yeah! But where Street Fighter …

reghardware 18 Feb 13:00
Stealing photographs for fun and profit – snappers respond

Adopt and die

Imagine finding a car outside your house, with no numberplate, but with the keys in the ignition and the engine running. Few of us would seriously think about climbing in for a joy ride. Few of us would suppose that the lack of a numberplate turns the unattended car into public property; we know that sooner or later, if we took …

Music and Media 18 Feb 13:01
Last.fm 'f*cked over' by Apple, says founder

Music services prepare to flee Jobs tax

Apple has "fucked over" Last.fm with its new 30 per cent subscription tax, according to co-founder Richard Jones. The former CTO of the music website made the point in an IRC chat session. Other music services are considering their options after the introduction of the subscription requirement, which explicitly covers movies and …

Music and Media 18 Feb 13:05
Florida lag packs prison survival kit up jacksie

Deputies extract pills, cig, matches, syringe, paperwork ~~kitchen sink~~

A Florida lag was last week relieved of the substantial prison surival kit he attempted to smuggle into Sarasota County jail in the time-honoured manner - packed in a condom up his jacksie. On Friday, homeless Neil Lansing, 33, was hauled before a judge on an unspecified charge, and promptly dispatched to prison. There, " …

Bootnotes 18 Feb 13:07
Nintendo takes 3DS on UK testing tour

Try before you buy

Nintendo has announced it will take the 3DS on the road to give ganmers a chance to try the handheld console ahead of launch. The "believe your eyes" tour, which kicks off on a week today, on Friday, 24 February 24, will spend four days at each location. Folk who attend an event will be given a 3DS hands-on experience with …

reghardware 18 Feb 13:08
Nokia: free phones for developers

WinPho 7 handset COULD BE YOURS

Nokia is to give all its registered developers an E7 smartphone. And if a Symbian-based handset doesn't appeal - as well it might not given last week's announcement - it's going to give them a Nokia Windows Phone 7 handset too. There's no confirmation from Nokia itself of the deal, which was made public by mobile games …

reghardware 18 Feb 13:37
Stephen Fry explains ... How Christmas Tree Lights Work

Competition Where you get to be a National Treasure™

Following the example set by National Treasure™ and ubiquitous luvvie Stephen Fry, who excelled himself by explaining how GPS works, we invited you to submit similar Fry-esque explanations. It's a tough challenge to be as patronising and idiotic as Fry, but we have three cracking contenders. Here's the first of these. …

Bootnotes 18 Feb 14:53
EU agency calls for clear consent on indelible and zombie cookies

Don't just go shoving them down people's throats

New, more persistent cookies pose an increasing risk to the privacy of consumers online, according to an EU security agency report released on Friday. The advertising industry is pushing the adoption of new, more "persistent and powerful cookies" which profile users, often without users' awareness about what's happening. …

Applications 18 Feb 15:38
Lawsuit loot helps Overland cut loss

$3m keeps wolf from door

Overland Storage has reported a reduced quarterly loss, helped by a $3m gain from a lawsuit. Overland, which supplies NEO physical and REO virtual tape libraries and Snap iSCSI SAN, filer and unified storage products, has reported its second quarter fiscal 2011 results, ending 31 December 2010; both revenue and net loss …

Storage 18 Feb 15:46
EMC recruits Sepaton's chief operating officer

Fidelma Russo heads to Hopkinton

EMC has recruited Sepaton's highly-regarded chief operating officer Fidelma Russo. It is so recent that Russo's LinkedIn entry hasn't been updated. She has, though, been wiped off the Sepaton management team webpage. Fidelma Russo (Sepaton image) Russo joined Sepaton in September 2007, as EVP for engineering and …

Storage 18 Feb 16:31
Intel boss searches planet for post-Nokia MeeGo spouse

'If you were gonna leave us, Nokia, you should left for Android'

Intel has vowed to find another buddy for its mobile Linux effort Meego, after Nokia shacked up with Microsoft on smart phones. According to Reuters, Chipzilla chief executive Paul Otellini has claimed that MeeGo remains a worthwhile cause because carriers need an alternative ecosystem. Otellini added that Nokia's chief …

Mobile 18 Feb 18:34
US gov mulls changes to popular hashing algorithm

Tweaking SHA-2 for high performance systems

The US government's custodian of cryptography standards has released two proposed changes to the SHA-2 hashing algorithm that are designed to boost performance on 64-bit systems. The tweaks, published this week (PDF) by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, would update the 512-bit version of SHA-2, which was …

Security 18 Feb 20:08
Google opens curtain on 'manual' search penalties

Whitelists still hidden in Mountain View dungeon

When the world learned that EU antitrust regulators were investigating claims that Google unfairly manipulated its search results at the expense of competitors, Google's European corporate counsel was unequivocal in her defense of the company. "We don’t whitelist or blacklist anyone,” Julia Holtz told journalists in Brussels …

Music and Media 18 Feb 21:38
Internet use disrupted in Bahrain as protests turn bloody

Missing: 20% of country's traffic

Internet traffic in and out of Bahrain showed a marked decline that coincided almost precisely with this week's start of citizen protests demanding government reforms in the small Persian Gulf country. Internet backbone traffic measured by Massachusetts-based Arbor Networks dropped by as much as 20 percent beginning on Monday, …

Government 18 Feb 22:54
Google 'Arctic Sea' – Chrome native code, ahoy!

Mozilla spies 'threat' to interwebs future

Google has released the first official version of the software development kit for Native Client, its controversial plug-in for running native code inside the browser. In a blog post, Google product manager Christian Stefansen called the release an "important milestone" in Google's efforts to make native code as portable and …

Developer 18 Feb 23:28
Death by 30% cut: Apple app tax must change

Open...and Shut Pole dancers need not apply

Mobile is no longer about selling devices, but rather about selling ecosystems, and payment services are a critical component of those ecosystems. It's too bad, therefore, that Apple, GroupOn and others may be wrong in their various approaches to getting paid. The ecosystem vendors have been in a mad rush to add payment …

Developer 18 Feb 23:54