4th April 2003 Archive

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RIAA attacks the future of America

Students under siege

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has attacked again, and this time against some of our most promising young minds. The Pigopolist mob has filed lawsuits against four university students for setting up music-sharing P2P networks at their respective institutions of higher education. Two students attend the …

Music and Media 4 Apr 2003, 03:04
Thus complains to Oftel over BT ADSL ‘margin squeeze’

Not happy bunnies

Thus - the alternative telco best known for its Demon Internet brand - has joined the chorus of critics opposing BT's decision to cut the cost of some of its wholesale ADSL services. It is calling on telecoms regulator Oftel,to investigate the "margin squeeze" created by BT, following the dominant telco's new broadband pricing …

Telecoms 4 Apr 2003, 08:51
JEDEC to drive DDR 2 to 800Mbps

Devising versions for notebooks and handhelds too

Memory standards organisation JEDEC has founded a team to investigate how to extend the current DDR 2 SDRAM spec. to 400MHz and a per pin data throughput of 800Mbps. It has also approved a preliminary specification for a DDR 2-based mini-DIMM replacement for today's notebook-oriented SO-DIMM format. It is looking to expand the …

Channel 4 Apr 2003, 08:53
Wanted: One boat to go to Rockall

Charity appeal Fearless oceanic expedition seeks support

Some pretty weird and wonderful stuff has appeared on El Reg over the years, but we reckon that this may be among the most unexpected. We at The Rockall Times are obliged this morning to Vulture Central for allowing us to post this appeal for support for our 2003 charity assault on Rockall — the snappily-titled Rockall Ho!. …

Bootnotes 4 Apr 2003, 08:53
Oftel fingers BT over dial-up price cut

More complaints

Oftel claims BT should cut the cost of wholesale unmetered narrowband Net access by 17 per cent. Launching a consultation - prompted by a complaint from Cable & Wireless and later supported by Energis - the telecoms regulator reckons the cut is necessary because BT is charging operators for certain call routing and call …

Data Networking 4 Apr 2003, 10:08
EU investigates MS, EU buys scads more Windows servers

Monopoly leveraging - a Commission Do it to Yourself guide...

The European Commission is currently deciding what it can do to stop Microsoft using its dominant position on the desktop to carve itself a similar monopoly in the server market. But at the same time, the European Commission's IT purchasing policies are supporting that very process. The Commission uses Windows clients, is …

Software 4 Apr 2003, 13:29
BT green lights rural broadband scheme

Sponsors

BT is to push ahead with a scheme that could help bring ADSL to areas currently deemed not commercially viable for investment in broadband. The initiative, known as ADSL Exchange Activate or Community Broadband, uses "sponsors" such as development agencies and local authorities to help subsidise the cost of rolling out the ADSL …

Telecoms 4 Apr 2003, 13:41
OFT to clamp down on misleading online travel deals

Regulator talks tough

Many UK-based online travel sites are breaking the law by making misleading price claims. Forty per cent (54 out of 135) of UK-based websites visited during an investigation by trading standards officials contained potentially misleading claims, the UK's Office of Fair Trading (OFT) announced this week. The OFT and 55 local …

Music and Media 4 Apr 2003, 13:45
Tech firms climb on flexi-working bandwagon

ADSL 'dangerous business tool'

Government legislation coming into effect this weekend will give nearly four million working parents the right to work away from the office. The Government's Work-Life Balance Campaign has brought about a change in the law that will allow parents of children under six, or of disabled children under 18, the right to request that …

Small Biz 4 Apr 2003, 13:47
Eclipse, PlusNet cut ADSL prices

Others to follow

Eclipse Internet has confirmed that it is to pass on wholesale price cuts announced by BT yesterday. It's cutting the cost of services for SMEs in line with cuts announced by BT, which will see price of its ADSL Connect 500, 1000 and 2000 services reduced by almost half. The price of its ADSL 1000 service falls from £95 to £52 …

Telecoms 4 Apr 2003, 13:48
Media players hit by buffer overflow glitch

RealOne and QuickTime updating time

Users of popular media player packages from RealNetworks and Apple have been urged to update their software in the wake of separate warnings of potentially troublesome security problems from both companies. In an advisory updated last week, RealNetworks warns that by creating a specifically-corrupted PNG (Portable Network …

Security 4 Apr 2003, 15:08
Reg Kit Watch

HP releases sub-£400 five megapixel digicam

Digital Imaging HP UK has launched a five megapixel digital camera for under £399. The Photosmart 935 features 3x optical zoom and 7x digital zoom. It ships with 64MB of on-board memory and a 32MB SD/MMC card. Fully automatic, the 935 also features on-camera Wizards to walk users through manual mode. HP also launched the …

Personal 4 Apr 2003, 15:10
Habeas sues haiku abusers

Allegations of counterfeit and spamming

Habeas, the company that fights spam with poetry and the law, filed lawsuits yesterday against five entities which "improperly" used the Habeas trademark to get their email past spam filters. The first suit, against Avalend and Intermark Media, alleges infringement of the Habeas trademark in attempts to get junk mail delivered …

Security 4 Apr 2003, 15:51
Orange pushes for ‘pocket money’ SPV cert costs

'$10-20'...

Orange is pushing to cut smartphone application certification costs to "pocket money" levels, and having opened the gates for small developers by providing an unlock/lock procedure for the SPV (Unlocks all round! Orange frees SPV developers), it does not propose to slam them shut again. The company didn't make any clear …

Mobile 4 Apr 2003, 16:15
NAI buys Entercept for $120m

Completes intrusion protection line-up

Network Associates (NAI) today announced a definitive agreement to acquire intrusion protection firm Entercept Security Technologies for $120 million in cash. Entercept provides host-based intrusion protection products designed to detect and stop security attacks before they cause damage. Entercept's products use a combination …

Security 4 Apr 2003, 22:25