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26th April 2013 Archive

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  • SkySQL nabs Monty Program to form MariaDB powerhouse

    Merger unites veteran MySQL developers, consultants

    Open source database consultancy SkySQL has announced a merger with Monty Program Ab, the company that develops the MariaDB database, in a move that reunites key members from the original MySQL development and services teams. The merged company, which will keep the SkySQL name, will continue to market MariaDB, a drop-in …

    Developer 26 Apr 00:29

  • Study suggests US companies use overseas workers to cut wages

    Skills shortage? What skills shortage?

    An extensive study of the US labor market has shown that the skills shortage which technology firms are constantly complaining about is overstated and firms may instead be using overseas workers to drive down wage costs. In a paper for the Economic Policy Institute by Hal Salzman of Rutgers University, Daniel Kuehn of American …

    Jobs 26 Apr 00:43

  • Amazon's cloud on track for $2bn in revenue in 2013

    Analysis AWSome cloud swells with cash, objects

    Bezos & Co's cloud looks likely to turn over at least $2bn in 2013 and potentially much more – a fact sure to put the frighteners on traditional IT suppliers scrabbling to come up with their own as-a-service infrastructure products. Amazon recorded revenues of $750m within its "Other" category in the first quarter of 2013, up …

    Cloud 26 Apr 00:47

  • NetApp taps Oz cloud lab for federation exploration

    University of Melbourne's Cloud Lab cooks up SLAs for ops in multiple public clouds

    NetApp has approached the University of Melbourne's Cloud Computing and Distributed Systems (CLOUDS) Laboratory, seeking collaboration around the Labs' research specialties in federated public clouds. The Reg has learned that senior NetApp employees from outside Australia visited the Lab last February. Now the Lab's Director, …

    Cloud 26 Apr 03:11

  • Apple loses again in Chinese App Store copyright case

    Beijing judge throws the book at Cupertino as writers triumph

    Apple has lost another copyright case in China after it was held responsible for content third parties uploaded to the bookish corner of its App Store. The company was ordered to pay three Chinese writers more than 730,000 yuan (£76,600) in compensation after allowing their content to be uploaded and sold on the App Store …

    Law 26 Apr 03:56

  • Avoid nasty plugins with this extension, says Google

    Boost to cloudy collaborators offers chaste hugs for Office

    Google's ongoing attempts to harry Microsoft by nipping at the heels of the cash cow that is Office have thrown up some new irritants, and a new definition of "additional software". Chrome Office Viewer is one of the ad giant's new tricks and allows those who use Beta versions of Chrome to open Microsoft Office documents …

    Software 26 Apr 04:50

  • Reg hack to starve on £1 a day FOR SCIENCE

    Signs up for 'Live Below the Line' charity subsistence challenge

    As of next Monday, this hack will live for five days with just £1 a day to spend on food, having rather recklessly signed up for the "Live Below the Line" challenge. Inspired by the news that Ben Affleck will starve himself for charity - and also we presume in penance for his part in cinematic outrage Pearl Harbor - I decided …

    SPB 26 Apr 05:02

  • Pirate Bay docks in Iceland

    Low odds on legal whack-a-mole resuming in Reykjavik real soon now

    The Pirate Bay has found a new home in Iceland. The tectonically-challenged nation has network information centre, ISNIC, which tends the .IS domain and also performs other unglamorous work necessary to keep bits flowing around the country. TorrentFreak reports that ISNIC does not concern itself with the activities of those …

    Networks 26 Apr 05:43

  • Samsung to block mobile app store in Iran as sanctions bite

    Tells users 'legal barriers' are reason for canning Farsi service

    Samsung is blocking access to its mobile app store in Iran from next month, an action believed to be part of international sanctions over the Islamic republic’s nuclear program. Customers of the Korean tech giant in Iran received notification on Wednesday night by email that the online marketplace would be out of action as of …

    Policy 26 Apr 05:52

  • Announcement of 'churnalism detector' gets furiously churned

    From the secretive mob who gave you the Min of Truth

    "Churnalism" - it's terrible stuff, isn't it? When so-called journalists pick up a press release or announcement from an organisation and simply reprocess it (perhaps even cutting and pasting chunks or the whole thing verbatim), adding nothing and doing no useful analysis or investigation before placing it in front of their …

    Media 26 Apr 06:04

  • Titsup 2e2's data centre dustup gave UK users the CLOUD FEAR

    Vendors struggling to reinflate the bubble

    When 2e2 Group suddenly collapsed earlier this year, owing over £400m to trade creditors and stranding a rake of customers from NHS trusts to the Bank of England, a gigantic question mark instantly formed over the cloud. Many customers already had concerns about keeping control of their assets in the cloud. 2e2's rapid …

    The Channel 26 Apr 06:29

  • 'Facebook, Twitter, Google: Ad companies masquerading as tech ones'

    Says cross advertising man (not pickled herring)

    The boss of Britain's largest advertising company has slammed Google, Facebook and Twitter for being "media owners masquerading as tech companies". Speaking at the FT Digital Media Conference in London today, Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, said his company spent $2bn on buying advertising from Google last year, up …

    Media 26 Apr 06:58

  • Mosaic turns 20: Let's fire up the old girl, show her the web today

    Grandmother to IE and Firefox, the web's first popular browser

    NCSA Mosaic - marking its 20th anniversary this week - was not the first web browser, but it was the first to be widely used. Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the web, describes its early days in his book Weaving the Web. Berners-Lee states that the first browser - WorldWideWeb - was text-based, and he had an early version …

    Applications 26 Apr 07:28

  • DARPA looks for a guided bullet with DEAD reckoning navigation

    Not only has your name on it, but your address too

    Madcap Pentagon tech shop DARPA is looking again at the Global Positioning System (GPS, which makes almost all the world's satnav systems work) in a bid to reinvent the tech which used to be cutting edge military gear but these days is tracking dogs and finding golf balls. DARPA's director Arati Prabhakar has announced that …

    Science 26 Apr 07:59

  • Even world's most MASSIVE distie takes punch to wallet

    Profits down by over 40% but sales boosted by acquisitions

    Restructuring costs, higher taxes and aggressive pricing on both sides of the pond throttled Ingram Micro's profits for calendar Q1 but acquisitions allowed the world's largest tech distie to post double-digit sales gains. Turnover climbed 19 per cent to $10.26bn including a $1.1bn contribution from Brightpoint and $75m from …

    The Channel 26 Apr 08:31

  • Caldicott: NHS workers should 'have the confidence to share information'

    'As important as duty to protect patient confidentiality'

    Dame Fiona Caldicott, who is scrutinising the government's plan to hand NHS patient records to private companies, today gave the proposals the thumbs-up - with a few caveats, naturally. The noted psychiatrist's review [PDF] of the data-sharing scheme was published just minutes ago. Her report, drafted in March, follows Health …

    Cloud 26 Apr 09:07

  • El Reg drills into Google's search biz offer to Europe

    Analysis Mountain View wants to choose its EU inspector

    Google's formal offer of concessions to European Commission competition officials - over allegations that the ad giant had abused its dominance of the search market in the EU - have finally been made public. As we reported on Thursday, rivals now have one month to scrutinise Google's proposals and then tell antitrust chief …

    Media 26 Apr 09:24

  • 'Your infernal cable pipes come up from Hell, Virgin!'

    Quotw Plus: 'I suspect some DDoS skid on his Mum's Windows box'

    This was the week when Virgin Media was forced to grovel publicly after a deceased man's family posted the firm's demand for a £10 "late payment" when his direct debit was denied because of his death. The new bill clearly states that the direct debit was denied because the payer was deceased, but that didn't stop Virgin from …

    Cloud 26 Apr 10:04

  • Hunt on NHS data sharing: Obviously we HAVE TO let people opt out

    Patients who've already said no will be safeguarded... How? Who knows

    Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt insisted this morning that NHS patients who have refused to give consent to existing data-sharing mechanisms would be safeguarded under the government's new plans to open up information across the service. The Cabinet minister confirmed to The Register that the 750,000 patients throughout England …

    Government 26 Apr 10:25

  • Review: Nokia Lumia 520

    At last - an alternative to Landfill Android

    A few years ago the late music magazine The Word coined the phrase "landfill indie" to describe the thousands of generic groups it encountered. Today the shops are full of "landfill Android": utterly generic, non-too-inspiring handsets. It’s into this Valley of Death that Nokia tosses its new Lumia 520. In the UK, the average …

    Phones 26 Apr 10:45

  • Can't find your motor? Apple patents solve car park conundrums

    Cupertino to enable world+dog to find its lost Ladas

    Apple has filed a series of patents which will help people find their motors in a crowded car park and then open the doors without using a key. The patents that emerged today are called "method for locating a vehicle" and "accessing a vehicle using portable devices". The first sets out a system for anyone who wants to leave …

    Hardware 26 Apr 11:04

  • Master Beats: Why doesn't audio quality matter these days?

    Something for the Weekend, Sir? Hear, there and everywhere

    Returning from a school trip to New York, my son handed back most of the $350 spending money we’d given him. Yes, I too thought it was a lot of dosh for a four-day tour but then I have no experience in the matter. When I was a kid, a school trip involved walking up to the pond to catch tadpoles for biology class, not …

    Hardware 26 Apr 11:08

  • Apple fanbois get one last chance to see spectre of Steve Jobs

    Extra tickets printed after WWDC 2013 sells out in SECONDS

    Apple has taken pity on fanbois who were too slow to buy a ticket to its 2013 Worldwide Developer Conference, which sold out in seconds. The iPhone giant has now coughed up a few more passes to keep its choked-up coders sweet. Software programmers hoping to attend this year's annual love-in were floored after all the $1,599 …

    Developer 26 Apr 11:19

  • AT&T debuts 'Digital Life' robo-home and security tech

    Step into Internet of Things: Give us keys to homes in 15 US cities

    AT&T is pushing into home automation and security with Digital Life, a new service rolling out across 15 cities, which should carve out yet another niche for the US telecom giant. The initial sell for Digital Life is security, but the upsell is home automation, all managed through an AT&T website and an AT&T hub connected over …

    Security 26 Apr 11:37

  • Hey, monkey: Just 'cos your mates eat FOUL corn, YOU have to eat it too?

    Science: Um, well... yes

    Monkeys are just as prone to peer group pressure as humans, according to new research. Boffins at the University of St Andrews found that primates are heavily influenced by the behaviour of their peers, just as humans are. The discovery has been hailed as a rare example of "cultural transmission" in non-human animals. …

    Science 26 Apr 12:04

  • HP's StoreVirtual gets a bit older, decides it needs some Fibre

    LeftHand turn for Palo Alto

    HP is adding Fibre Channel connectivity to its previously iSCSI access-only StoreVirtual range of arrays. These are the re-branded LeftHand Networks iSCSI arrays and HP is introducing a new mid-range product as well as adding Fibre Channel access. The new StoreVirtual models are: 4630 for the mid-range with 6Gbit/s SAS, a …

    Storage 26 Apr 12:18

  • PEAK iPHONE? Apple mobe growth slumps to ‘lowest in its history’

    What won't appear on Tim Cook's WWDC 2013 slides

    Samsung has extended its lead over Apple by shifting considerably more smartphones than its adversary during the first quarter of 2013. The South Korean giant also managed to ship 56 per cent more mobes in those three months than it did in the same period a year ago. Among the world’s top five smartphone vendors, Apple - …

    Phones 26 Apr 12:39

  • Texan stitches stratosphere into stunning panoramas

    One mighty orb and six vid cameras for fully spherical imagery

    Take one mighty hydrogen-filled orb, six panoramic vid cameras, hours of image-stitching jiggery-pokery and you too can produce fully spherical panoramic imagery from the stratosphere... The 360 degree view at 29,000m ...or capture a 360 degree movie of your balloon burst at a breathtaking 29,378m (96,383ft): The …

    SPB 26 Apr 12:58

  • You hear that, Mr Cook? Samsung's profits have gone UP

    Remember when Apple's used to do that?

    Samsung Electronics is toasting a massive hike in its Q1 profits fuelled by sales of smartmobes and tabs but warned cheaper kit flooding the market may "dampen" its next quarterly numbers. Sales for the period ended 31 March climbed by 16 per cent to 52.87tn won (£30.7bn), boosting operating profits by 50 per cent to 8.78tn …

    The Channel 26 Apr 13:23

  • CURSE you, EINSTEIN! Humanity still chained in relativistic PRISON

    'Collapsar jump' from Forever War seemingly not on cards

    Disappointing news on the science wires today, as new research indicates that a possible means of subverting the laws of physics to allow interstellar travel apparently doesn't work. Curses! Can nothing pierce this damned rubber sheet? As we are told in a new paper just published in hefty boffinry mag Science: Neutron …

    Science 26 Apr 13:54

  • Ubuntu without the 'U': Booting the Big Four remixes

    Review Raring Ringtail without the OS X/Unity stuff

    It's the end of April, so that means that there's a new release of Ubuntu. Well, actually, no - it means that there are eight of them. Don't like standard Ubuntu's Mac-OS-X-like Unity desktop? Here's where to look. There are umpteen "remixes" alongside the eponymous distro. These mostly differ by having a different desktop - …

    Operating Systems 26 Apr 14:24

  • Scan Source lifts cover off 'disappointing' Euro numbers

    Workers pushed out door to improve profits

    Scan Source sucked down on some bitter tasting fiscal Q3 numbers last night with both its top and bottom lines taking a knock. Sales dropped 3.5 per cent to $683m in the quarter to 31 March and net profit fell to $14m from $14.8m in the same period a year ago. Business was driven by North America said Mike Baur, CEO, who …

    The Channel 26 Apr 14:49

  • T-mobile US in invisible handset handcuff contract smackdown

    'No restrictions' ads caused nose growth, pant fires - AG

    T-Mobile USA's no-restriction contract turns out to have restrictions, and while they might seem obvious to some the state Attorney General in Washington feels they weren't obvious enough. The tariffs are designed to separate airtime and handset subsidy, which T-mobile described as coming without a two-year commitment. But …

    Mobile 26 Apr 14:56

  • Microsoft off the hook for billions in Motorola Mobility payout

    Court case hinges around patents used in Xbox

    Microsoft has triumphed in a court battle after a judge dismissed claims it owed Motorola Mobility billion-dollar royalties for technology used in the Xbox 360. The judge broke new ground by determining specific royalty fees to be paid for the use of standard-essential patents, which he said should amount in the millions rather …

    Law 26 Apr 16:06

  • Senate clears bill to block warrantless email searches

    But CISPA still trumps it

    The Senate Judiciary Committee has cleared the way for an amendment to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) that will require the police to get a warrant before rummaging through your emails. Under the existing terms of the 1986 EPCA legislation, police investigators only need a subpoena, which can be issued …

    Policy 26 Apr 18:13

  • Lenovo deal to buy IBM x86 server biz moving along fast

    Time for Ginni to make a call to GloFo or TSMC for fab spinout

    It is becoming increasingly clear that IBM CEO Ginni Rometty is annoyed with the performance of the company's systems business. Annoyed enough to spin off all or part of its System x server business to China's Lenovo Group, according to rumors that surfaced last week. The US channel trade rag CRN broke the story of an …

    Servers 26 Apr 18:45

  • What work? Tablet owners prefer to slack off with their slabs

    Their kids like to play with them, too

    Tablet owners love their fondleslabs, but hardly anybody thinks of them as tools for business, according to a new report from JD Power and Associates. The study, based on a survey of 1,857 tablet owners that was conducted in February 2013, found that just 20 per cent of them admitted to using their devices for "business …

    Tablets 26 Apr 19:35

  • Police arrest suspect in BIGGEST DDoS ATTACK IN HISTORY

    Dutch suspect snatched in Spain

    The Dutch police have confirmed the arrest of man suspected of taking part in a massive DDoS attack against the anti-spam group Spamhaus back in March. The 35 year-old man is a Dutch national but was arrested at his home in Barcelona under a European arrest warrant, the Netherlands National Prosecution Office told the BBC. His …

    Security 26 Apr 20:04

  • New Google Play terms ban non-store app updates

    Rug pulled from under Facebook's auto-updates

    Google has amended the policies of its Play app store for Android to prohibit third-party app update mechanisms, in a move seemingly designed to put the kibosh on a contentious feature being tested by Facebook. As of Friday, the "Dangerous Products" section of the Chocolate Factory's Google Play Developer Program Policies - …

    Applications 26 Apr 22:04

  • If you spend THIS much on cloud, perhaps you need a rethink

    Cloud makers reveal tipping point from public to private

    There's only so much you should spend on commodity cloud services before you consider other options like getting a discount, moving back to your own servers, or to a private managed cloud, according to cloud providers and customers. If you're spending more than $10,000 (£6,500) a month or so, then it's probably worth …

    Cloud 26 Apr 22:40

  • LivingSocial admits major hacking attack on customer database

    Credit card info is safe, company insists

    Up to 50 million customers of the Amazon-funded daily deals site LivingSocial are getting an apologetic email from CEO Tim O'Shaughnessy explaining that their information may have been stolen. "LivingSocial recently experienced a cyber-attack on our computer systems that resulted in unauthorized access to some customer data …

    Security 26 Apr 22:46