31st March 2004 Archive

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Hardware will be (almost) free – Chairman Bill

Gates hears speech, sees ink

Rather than software becoming commoditized, hardware will be almost free in ten years, says Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. "Ten years out, in terms of actual hardware costs you can almost think of hardware as being free - I'm not saying it will be absolutely free - but in terms of the power of the servers, the power of the …

Applications 31 Mar 2004, 01:25
Google developer doesn't fear pay-for APIs

Alerted not alarmed

Can small software developers who use Google's APIs avoid being crushed by the giant? It's become a familiar story elsewhere in the industry. If you create a popular utility for Windows, there's a strong likelihood that Microsoft will bundle a rival in with the operating system, removing your market. And Apple once told …

Software 31 Mar 2004, 01:26
Vonage sues AT&T

Stop stealing our brand!

Vonage is suing the phone giant AT&T because it says its new VoIP service launched this week confuses customers. Long distance carriers such as AT&T have the most to lose from Internet telephony, which is why they're offering similar services. AT&T has said it wants to sign a million subscribers to its $39 a month a service by …

Music and Media 31 Mar 2004, 01:28
Virgin Mobile goes to Canada

The land of beards and maple syrup

Virgin is teaming up with Bell Mobility for a joint venture in Canada. Both companies are investing £29m to get the company off the ground. Virgin is hoping to pick up 2m to 3m customers within the first few years, according to the Financial Times. Mobile penetration in Canada is below 50 per cent. The agreement is similar to …

Mobile 31 Mar 2004, 08:39
Orange boss makes the long walk

New bum on the hot seat

The chief executive of Orange, Solomon Trujillo, is to leave the company after just one year. His replacement, Sanjiv Ahuja, joined Orange last April as COO. Trujillo was made CEO in March 2003 having served on the board since 2001. Prior to this he was chairman of regional telco US West Communications. A company spokesman …

Mobile 31 Mar 2004, 08:40
Teach yourself Regular Expressions in 10 minutes

Site Offer 30 per cent off guide to essential tool

Regular expressions are a powerful tool used for manipulating text and data. They are found in all major editors and development environments, and are a must-know technology for all programmers and Web developers. Every JavaScript developer should be using regular expressions, but most don’t as it has never been taught to them …

Site News 31 Mar 2004, 08:41
Microsoft UK confirms MD

Canny Scot takes the helm

Microsoft has a new UK managing director, as exclusively revealed last week in The Register. Alastair Baker is now managing director of the UK and a vice president of EMEA. He was previously general manager of small and mid-market solutions and partners. His predecessor Neil Holloway is now vice president for sales, marketing …

Channel 31 Mar 2004, 08:55
Spain to host Internet Traffic Observatory

Europe in Brief And Danes to enjoy first standard-cum-VoIP wireless phone?

The Basque Country and Navarra in northern Spain are to host what is apparently the world's first Internet Traffic Observatory. It is a network made up of 50 nodes - or traffic-measurement computers - distributed throughout Europe. The PCs, fitted with traffic-generation cards and synchronised via satellite, send traffic between …

Music and Media 31 Mar 2004, 08:57
Sony ships second PSX update

Long-awaited DVD+RW support arrives at last

Sony has updated the software on board its PSX PlayStation 2-based personal video recorder - the second network-borne upgrade the consumer electronics giant has released since the machine shipped last December. The latest update takes the PSX's system software to version 1.2, and adds a number of feature tweaks. As expected, it …

Consoles 31 Mar 2004, 09:44
EMI to axe 1500 jobs, 300 artists

Exit from CD, DVD manufacturing paves way for online future?

British 'top five' music company EMI will rid itself of 1500 employees and 20 per cent of its artist roster - some 300-odd acts - it admitted today. And in what could be seen as a acceptance of a download-centric future for the music market, the company said it plans to cease pressing its own CDs and DVDs in Europe and the US …

Financial News 31 Mar 2004, 09:55
C&W chases five ex-staff for £25m fraud

We want our money back

Cable & Wireless is launching legal action to recover £25m allegedly syphoned from its insurance unit. Five ex-employees are named in the action. Legal action has also been started against another individual outside C&W and five other companies it believes were involved in the fraud. The company said: "Following an extensive …

Business 31 Mar 2004, 10:10
Mandrakesoft exits bankruptcy protection

Linux sales propel distro to escape velocity

Increased Linux sales have enabled Mandrakesoft to emerge from bankruptcy protection. A French Commerce Court yesterday accepted Mandrakesoft's exit plan from 'redressement judiciaire' (Chapter II-like bankruptcy protection). The plan provides for the payment of creditors over a period of nine years. Mandrakesoft's return to …

Hardware 31 Mar 2004, 10:11
BT fire: ‘situation improving’

Wednesday update

The chaos caused by Monday's underground cable fire in Manchester appears to be easing, according to the latest update from BT. As of 7.00am this morning, seven of the 41 cables destroyed by the fire have been repaired and a couple more are nearing completion. Others are expected to be repaired throughout the day. BT engineers …

Data Networking 31 Mar 2004, 10:13
SCO vs. IBM vs. SCO: Is the end in sight?

Big Blue seeks declaratory judgement

IBM has asked the US courts to absolve it of any claims of copyright infringement made by SCO, a year into the court battle over the ownership of sections of UNIX code. The company has filed papers with the US District Court in Salt Lake City, seeking a judgement similar to that Red Hat asked for in its countersuit to SCO’s …

Hardware 31 Mar 2004, 10:29
Zodiac Game Boy Advance emulator released

But minus... er... GBA emulation

Firestorm, the Nintendo Game Boy emulator for Tapwave's Zodiac handheld games console, has gone on sale despite the threat of legal action from the Japanese video game company. The $20 emulator was posted earlier this week and is available from developer Crimson Fire's web site. That said, the software is incomplete. Currently …

Mobile 31 Mar 2004, 10:36
PeopleSoft sued for $510m over ‘vapourware’

'Concealments were willful, malicious, and done with ill will and spite'

PeopleSoft is being sued for fraud and breach of contract over its agreement to provide software to Cleveland State University. The suit, lodged by Ohio State attorney general, complains that PeopleSoft software was missing promised features and did not run properly on IBM's DB/2 database - despte assurances from the company …

Hardware 31 Mar 2004, 11:22
SUSE reaffirms vows with HP and IBM

Linux polygamy in Salt Lake City

Last week the SUSE Penguin marched into Salt Lake City and announced significant extensions in its relationships with two of the organisations leading the promotion of Linux into the Enterprise - HP and IBM, writes Bloor Research analyst Tony Lock. The announcements Novell BrainShare in Utah kicked off with news of a joint …

Hardware 31 Mar 2004, 11:24
SAS 9 on intelligence-gathering mission

Who integrates wins

SAS Institute has set its sights on extending beyond its traditional marketplace with the release of SAS 9, writes Bloor Research analyst Philip Howard. SAS is the largest vendor within the business intelligence market. It has not, however, historically been considered as a business intelligence vendor in the same way that you …

Applications 31 Mar 2004, 11:25
Telstra backs down in BB pricing row

Fair dinkum

Telstra has buckled to industry and regulatory pressure and slashed the cost of its wholesale broadband service. Australia's dominant telco had faced the threat of legal action and the possibility of multi-million dollar fines after being accused of anti-competitive behaviour. But today it announced that broadband punters would …

Telecoms 31 Mar 2004, 11:29
MS preps new Shared Source challenge to OSS?

'Community' - we've heard of it...

Microsoft seems to be planning an expanded, and perhaps more sophisticated, crack at open source models, following on from general and widescale disinterest in its Shared Source Initiative. According to a Computerwire report, Microsoft "is preparing to shift its stance by releasing code to the open source community". Which is …

Software 31 Mar 2004, 12:08
UK Xbox price cut? Wait and see

MS keeping mum

Although a price cut in Australia has followed yesterday's cuts in North America for the Xbox console, Microsoft UK has no imminent plans to change its pricing here - with the company adopting a "wait and see approach" on future cuts. That’s the word from a senior industry source close to Microsoft, who told GamesIndustry.biz …

Personal 31 Mar 2004, 12:19
Smartphones not up to scratch: official

Quality, functionality and customer service way below par

Research among business Smartphone user focus groups has shown that many have concerns about quality, functionality and customer service. Mobile software specialist Intuwave's investigation found that inadequately tested devices, product returns and services simply not working were key factors in IT managers' lack of confidence …

Mobile 31 Mar 2004, 12:21
Security: educating the unwashed masses

Users, not technology, must lead anti-virus war

If you ask the average Internet user about security for their computer, and they either look blankly at you, or mumble something about anti-virus and firewalls, most often without any real idea of what these things are or what they do. In fact, many of the people who have these products installed on their computer still open …

Security 31 Mar 2004, 12:22
Oracle counters EC competition claims

Don't forget the little guys...

Oracle will defend itself against European Commission claims that its takeover of PeopleSoft would damage competition - by pointing to smaller competitors. The EC has said there a takeover would result in insufficent competition, reducing the number of companies offering enterprise software from three to just two: SAP and …

IT Director 31 Mar 2004, 12:25
Circuit City buys InterTAN for $284m

In brief Big in Canada

Circuit City, the US electronics superstore chain, is buying Canadian retailer InterTAN's for $284m cash. Intertan operates 500 stores of its own and stocks another 480 or so through franchise agreements. It rades under RadioShack, Rogers Wireless, The Communications' Store Express, and Battery Plus. Circuit City expects to …

Channel 31 Mar 2004, 12:37
Magnetic fields may cause childhood cancer

No causal link, however, and research continues

Despite some evidence that magnetic fields may be linked to certain cancers in humans, scientists say that no causal link has been established. Indeed, more research is needed into the effect of magnetic field on the human body, says the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB). The organisation, which provides advice and …

Science 31 Mar 2004, 12:41
Danish paedo dragnet snares 100+

US-supplied intelligence aids crackdown

More than 100 people were arrested yesterday in a massive crackdown on child porn in Denmark. Police seized 149 computers in 119 dawn raids across the country. "Twenty-six persons immediately admitted buying child porn through the Internet," said Danish police spokesman Frank Jensen. Most of the offenders will likely receive …

Music and Media 31 Mar 2004, 12:48
ATI CEO anoints successor

Orton in the ascendant

ATI boss K Y Ho is to relinquish his role as company CEO on 1 June, making way for president and COO Dave Orton to assume the position. Ho will stay on as chairman of ATI's board, a position he already fills. The move comes as no surprise, since Orton has been groomed to take up the CEO's job ever since he joined ATI in 2000. …

Channel 31 Mar 2004, 12:59
Capacity ain't everything, says Hitachi

Pitches reliability ahead of size in the mobile market

Hitachi is taking its foot off the capacity accelerator and instead coming up with hard drives that last longer and are cheaper to make. The company's pitch for its revised 40GB Travelstar 4K40 laptop hard disk is reliability, rather than capacity. Key changes include a more rugged spindle motor and an uprated head loading …

Storage 31 Mar 2004, 13:01
Look out spam, here comes spim

Buddy, can you spare a dime for some penis growth pills?

After nearly ruining the usefulness of email with billions of spams, unscrupulous marketers are now turning their attention to instant messaging (IM). In recent weeks, several reports have been released detailing the emergence of spim, or spam-laden instant messages. The numbers vary, but one thing is clear, spim is making …

Security 31 Mar 2004, 13:44
Ofcom starts ‘urgent’ investigation into BT tariffs

Allegation over 'abuse of dominant position'

BT is to face an "urgent" investigation into allegations that its new phone tariffs are anti-competitive. In its first major test as the new communications regulator, Ofcom confirmed that it has launched an investigation under Chapter II of the Competition Act into BT's new residential retail tariff packages for line rental and …

Telecoms 31 Mar 2004, 13:47
Harvard prof scams $600,000, then hands it to 419ers

Criminal mastermind collected money for 'SARS research'

A US scientist who collected $600,000 for SARS research in China from students, colleagues and friends, actually handed the money over to Nigerian 419ers, the Boston Herald reports. Former Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researcher and Harvard University professor Weldong Xu, 38, was contacted by the lads from Lagos and promised $ …

Music and Media 31 Mar 2004, 13:48
Intel channel summit

Vamos a Espana!

This year's European Intel Solutions Summit is taking place on 17-20 May in Madrid. The event is focussed on emerging technologies in wireless, desktop and server markets and on Intel's "vision of the digital home". There will also be an exclusive "channel showcase" addressed by third party vendors and partners. Maurits …

Channel 31 Mar 2004, 14:57
German resellers are calm bunch

Contextual analysis

German resellers are the least worried in Europe that large retailers could do them out of business and sales. Despite the likes of Dixons going after business customers through initiatives like PC Business World 58 per cent of German resellers see this as "no threat at all". This compares to 69.6 per cent of resellers in …

Channel 31 Mar 2004, 15:12
NSW bans workplace cyber-snooping

Criminal offence

Unauthorised snooping on workers by their employers is to be banned in Australia's New South Wales. Regulations in the Exposure Bill, due out next month, will make it a criminal offence for an employer to carry out covert surveillance on its staff unless a company can show a "reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing by an employee", …

Security 31 Mar 2004, 15:12
Brocade ups the low-end switch ante

$5,000 Fibre Channel switches on the table

Brocade Communications Systems has officially unveiled its first new SAN hardware since October 2002, in the form of 8-port and 16-port Fibre Channel switches. Their key qualities are likely to be their low prices, which Brocade says will start at just $5,000, heating up the competition between Brocade and its rival McData. …

Storage 31 Mar 2004, 16:45
Freeserve airbrushed from history

Wanadoo-branded stationery ready for deployment

Freeserve is to ditch its name and rebrand under the livery of its parent Wanadoo, The Register has learned. According to insiders, the long-talked-about rebranding could begin as early as this week. One insider told us that staff are getting ready to receive calls on the name change from this Friday. Others have told us that …

Telecoms 31 Mar 2004, 16:46
UK must invest in science and engineering

You gotta speculate to accumulate, say SET gurus

The UK must invest public money in exploiting science and engineering research if it is to remain competitive in a global economy, according to a study to be published this evening by the Engineering and Technology Board (ETB). In the draft report, The Frontiers of Innovation: Wealth Creation from Science, the organisation sets …

Science 31 Mar 2004, 16:54
File sharers not guilty of copyright infringement – Canadian judge

Offering files is not the same as distributing them

Sharing files is not an infringement of copyright under Canadian law, a judge has ruled. Justice Konrad von Finckenstein today said the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) - the equivalent of the litigious Recording Industry Ass. of America (RIAA) - could not prove that 29 unnamed file sharers sued by the …

Music and Media 31 Mar 2004, 20:02
Warner Germany waves goodbye to half its staff

More music job cuts

Warner Music Germany will slash a hundred jobs - almost half of its work force of 223 people, in response to volatile sales and illegal downloading. Warner Germany told FT Deutschland it will hire a outplacement agency to help the axed staff. The news came just hours after EMI said it will rid itself of 1500 employees and 20 …

Business 31 Mar 2004, 21:26
Human error blamed for most security breaches

People, huh!

People making mistakes are the major source of security breaches. Eight-four per cent of organisations quizzed in a survey out today blamed human error "either wholly or in part" for their last major security breach. Last year, human error was cited as the cause of 63 per cent of security breaches. So, if anything, the problem …

Security 31 Mar 2004, 21:32
Stop using sub-domains, or cough up

Have patent, will collect royalties

The US patent office has awarded Ideaflood a patent for managing sub-domain names. In double quick-time, Ideaflood, which describes itself as an intellectual property (IP) holding company, has started sending letters to hosting providers in the US. It explained that any further sub-domain service for customers would need a …

Software 31 Mar 2004, 21:37
Black helicopters hover over Manchester A-bomb bunker inferno

Letters Your thoughts, distilled

This week, a BT exchange in Manchester caught fire, depriving millions (alright, hundreds of thousands) of our Friends in the North of modern telephonic communications, including access to the emergency services. Now that repairs are underway, the more interesting question of what was in those tunnels can be addressed. Names …

Letters 31 Mar 2004, 21:39
Brocade's cheaper entry level switches

Disabled fabric features cut costs for small SANs

Brocade has joined the rush to sell storage networking to small and medium-sized businesses, adding two lower-cost Fibre Channel switches. The eight-port SilkWorm 3250 and 16-port SilkWorm 3850 will also be sold by HP, IBM, StorageTek, and Sun. Fibre Channel vendors see rich pickings in the SME market, but this is also a big …

Storage 31 Mar 2004, 21:48
The rise of the white collar hacker

Revolving doors fuel cybercrime

IT pros - not spotty teenagers - are now the most usual suspects in cybercrime investigations, a senior Metropolitan Police officer said today. A new breed of white collar criminal is coming to the fore, Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, the head of Scotland Yard’s specialist crime directorate, told delegates at the …

Security 31 Mar 2004, 22:05