1st May 2008 Archive

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Cloud computing hysteria paralyzed by bolt of reality

Interop 2008 Compliance? No, we do Cmplynz

We've seen more than enough folks all atwitter and wetting their shorts over cloud computing at Interop 2008 Las Vegas. So it was a bit of a surprise to catch a panel at the show with Google and Amazon reps discussing what keeps businesses from embracing the technology. The four-man panel, moderated by BitCurrent analyst …

Servers 1 May 00:22
HP pulls memory Missing Link from bottle of beer

Better than flash

More than 35 years ago, when the world assumed that circuits were crafted from three basic building blocks, a man named Leon Chua predicted the existence of a fourth. The capacitor, the resistor, and the inductor, he said, would be joined by something called the memristor. Today, scientists at HP Labs announced that this …

Servers 1 May 00:41
Adobe lifts Flash and AIR development restrictions

Handsets go royalty free

Adobe Systems is throwing open its Flash and AIR file formats to speed delivery of Rich Internet Applications to billions of mobile devices with its tools and players. The company is expected to announce that - as of today - all restrictions on SWF for multi-media and vector graphics and FLV/F4V, for video on Flash, have been …

Applications 1 May 04:02
Google readies for action against Dutch smut site

We're not googling, we're ogling

Google is girding its loins for action against Pornoogle.nl, a Dutch site which indexes 26,000 movies from 11 Dutch online porn companies and shows previews. Site owner Ruben Doctor has several porn sites under different names. He claims name Pornoogle actually means porn ogle (to stare at porn) and is "just a joke". Jeroen …

Law 1 May 06:02
Regulator slams MoS premium rate promo

Entering competition trickier than Super Sudoku

Telecom Express, who ran the premium-rate line for the Mail on Sunday's Great British Treasure Hunt, has been slapped by PhonepayPlus for making the competition too difficult to enter. PhonepayPlus, the regulator formerly known as ICSTIS, got involved when members of the public began complaining about the promotion, which …

Law 1 May 07:02
Get an A+ on your A+ with Register Books

Come top of the class

Register Books is offering big discounts on a range of A+ Certification titles that cover everything you need to know to pass the CompTIA A+ Certification exams. This certification delves into the workings and maintenance of the humble PC and its associated peripherals, making for a useful addition to any CV. Taking experience …

Developer 1 May 07:02
Whitehall kick starts digital strategy

Minister juggles responsibility for e-inclusion and Wales

A new Cabinet committee on IT and information security is aiming to publish a digital strategy for government this summer. In his first speech as minister for digital inclusion, Paul Murphy MP said: "We are going to be working very hard between now and the summer recess to see if we can come out with government plan which all …

Government 1 May 08:54
Texas man tries to cash $360bn cheque

Cue cops, cuffs, etc

Forth Worth police earlier this week slapped the cuffs on a 21-year-old music biz wannabe who decided the best way to raise some venture capital was to cash a dodgy cheque for $360bn, NBC 5 reports. Charles Ray Fuller (pictured), of Crowley, made his move at a branch of Chase Bank with said cheque made out to "Fulla Comp and …

Bootnotes 1 May 08:56
'Space gemstone' meteorite crashes at auction

Buyers shun $2m rock for dino dung

A "magnificent" 420kg meteorite crammed with "spectacular olivine crystals" failed to move buyers at Bonhams New York yesterday and went unsold, Reuters reports. The 4.5 billion-year-old "Stony Iron Pallasite*" Fukang meteorite - discovered in China in 2000 - had been expected to attract bids in excess of $2m. Its attraction …

Space 1 May 08:58
Every Italian's tax bill published online

Makes UK government look like amateurs

The British government might be useless at keeping our data safe, but the outgoing Italian government has gone one better - it has published the tax details of every single Italian on a website and made them available to anyone interested. The Italian revenue deliberately published the information in an effort to increase …

Government 1 May 09:20
iTunes to offer movie downloads on day of disc release

Apple brings almost all major studios on board

Apple will today announce that almost all of the major movie publishers will begin offering new titles as iTunes downloads on the day the films are released on disc. So claims US Home Media Magazine citing unnamed sources. Apple has been selling movie downloads for some time, but it's yet to gain widespread studio support. …

Reg Hardware 1 May 10:28
Watchdog bares teeth at mobile premium rate scams

Text 'STOP', 'STOP', oh please just 'STOP'

Dodgy premium rate mobile services are to face a probe by PhonepayPlus, after the watchdog this year saw a big increase in the number of complaints it receives and the fines it slaps on operators. PhonepayPlus received more than 4,500 complaints about ringtones, games, competitions and other premium mobile services in the …

Mobile 1 May 10:31
Holes in London Mayor websites leave them open to 'e-gaffes'

New levels of XSS for Boris'n'Ken

Ethical hackers have discovered potentially serious vulnerabilities on the websites of the two principal candidates in today's London Mayoral election. Both Boris Johnson’s and Ken Livingstone's campaign websites suffer from ‘cross-scripting’ (XSS) vulnerabilities that make it possible for hackers to redirect users to their …

Enterprise Security 1 May 10:34
RIM clamshell BlackBerry spied on web

Ready to 'Kickstart' sales?

Research in Motion (RIM) has developed a clamshell BlackBerry - and pictures of the new email handset have already been pushed onto the web. Codenamed 'Kickstart', the handset uses the SureType keyboard that’s already used on the Blackberry Pearl. The Kickstart’s internal display looks to about 2.5in and there’s a smaller …

Reg Hardware 1 May 10:35
How many staff has HMRC caught snooping on records?

Noses out of our tax files, please

Over 610 civil servants at HMRC have been disciplined or dismissed for inappropriately accessing tax records since the department was formed by the merger of Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue three years ago. Refreshingly, none have been caught reading HMRC personnel files, though more than 600 have been caught …

Government 1 May 10:43
MS misses restart button on desktop auto-updates

Vista SP1 auto distribution downed by bug too

Microsoft has been forced to halt automatic updates to Vista service pack one (SP1) because of glitches with its Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS), which has already laid waste to XP SP3. The Dynamics RMS bug delivered a nasty shiner to the software giant late Tuesday. Now it’s emerged that Vista SP1’s auto distribution …

Applications 1 May 10:56
NFC fails to find its killer app

Competition generates ideas, but not Eureka!s

VingCard and Lancaster University have been crowned winners of the NFC Forum's Touch the Future competition, to reward the most compelling NFC applications around the world. Announced last night, the winners were selected from 50 entries from 21 different countries. The competition was split into commercial and research …

Mobile 1 May 10:59
Micro Focus buys NetManage

Berkshire goes to Cupertino

UK enterprise application company Micro Focus is buying a Silicon Valley rival for $73.3m. Micro Focus, based in Newbury, Berkshire, extends the life of legacy applications still in use at large corporations. NetManage is in a similar business - getting old applications to work as web-delivered software. Micro Focus is …

Applications 1 May 11:01
Kodak EasyShare M893 IS compact camera

Review Cheap cheerful compact

Kodak founder George Eastman coined the phrase 'You press the button, we do the rest', and his slogan remains spot on when it comes to digital cameras like the Kodak EasyShare M893 IS. Like many compacts, the M893 offers lots of automatic features with some semi-manual settings thrown in for good measure. Our first impressions …

Reg Hardware 1 May 11:02
Converting Groovy to Ruby

A different spin on Java

In this post, Glen Stampoultzis posts a very interesting and clever sequence of steps by which he converts a piece of Java code into idiomatic Groovy code. I thought it was a nice article, so I'll do a very short spin on it: taking Glen's final Groovy code and converting it into idiomatic Ruby. (I'll probably get my pants …

Applications 1 May 11:02
AT&T goes with the FLO for mobile TV

Service goes live this Sunday

AT&T is to launch its mobile broadcast TV service this Sunday, with a couple of new handsets to receive it and coverage in 58 markets including all the usual suspects. The service will be much like Verizon's V Cast Mobile TV service, not least because both are using Qualcomm's MediaFLO service to deliver broadcast video to …

Mobile 1 May 11:59
Pain ray really killer ray gun, many goats dead, says 'expert'

Pentagon, liberal media to blame, apparently

The US military's pain ray, aka the Active Denial System, is a certified excrement magnet. In March Reg readers learned that the US Air Force wonder weapon is still being pitched as a game changer in Iraq, a prediction that's never even been close to being tested. ADS defenders claim the Pentagon, afraid that using it would be …

Government 1 May 12:21
Shell pulls out of Thames Estuary mega-windfarm

Project could supply a thousandth of UK's energy

Oil giant Shell has pulled out of the world's biggest windfarm project, in a move which has cast doubt over the scheme's future. The £2bn London Array, intended to be built in the Thames Estuary, will need to find a new backer in order to proceed. For the London Array Project, Shell was partnered with UK power operator E.ON …

Environment 1 May 12:34
HD media future may be Blu, but it's not rosy

Analysis Blu-ray demand low despite format war win

Sales of Blu-ray Disc players have not benefitted from the end of the format war, it seems. This week US retail market watcher NPD said player sales grew just two per cent in the month after Toshiba tossed in the towel. The Japanese giant's decision to abandon HD DVD came on 19 February. That month, NPD said, Blu-ray Disc …

Reg Hardware 1 May 12:45
3G LG clamshell opened for scrutiny

LG keeping mum

Details of an upcoming 3G clamshell handset from LG have been revealed through the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website. LG's 3G clamshell has a camera built-in Although initial tech specs are scarce, documents filed by LG with the FCC state that the phone supports dual-band connectivity and has a camera of …

Reg Hardware 1 May 12:48
BSI faces High Court challenge over OOXML U-turn

No formal appeal to ISO yet, though

The UK's Unix User Group (UKUUG) has convinced the High Court to carry out a judicial review of the British Standard Institute's decision to vote in favour of Microsoft's controversial Office Open XML (OOXML) specification. The UKUUG is calling for the BSI to reverse its vote at the International Standards Organisation (ISO), …

Applications 1 May 13:02
30 years of Spam - and we ain't finished yet

Many unhappy returns

Spam celebrates its 30th birthday on Saturday (3 May). On that day in 1978, 393 Arpanet subscribers were sent what's reckoned to be the first ever spam email1 in history (the message itself was written on 1 May 1978). DEC marketing rep Gary Thuerk came up with the wheeze which produced a fierce backlash from Arpanet (military …

Spam 1 May 13:31
Motorola movie-making banana phone arrives in UK

Mobile movie madness

Motorola has finally launched its Z10 movie phone into the UK, over four months since the Z8 "kick-slider" successor first appeared, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The handset retains the same basic size and shape and the Z8, which was the first Motorola handset to feature an angled slider mechanism point that …

Reg Hardware 1 May 13:33
Nokia puts brave face on 'Comes Without Profits'

It does make money, really

Nokia has defended its "Comes With Music" giveway and insists it will make money from the promotion. Somehow. "We expect to make money both from our traditional device sales, as well as from the 'Comes With Music' service," music boss Liz Schimel told Reuters. "I can assure you that we are looking out for everyone's interests …

Mobile 1 May 13:35
Police likely to ignore Brown's cannabis changes

Left hand meet right hand

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) wants to keep flexibility in how it deals with people caught in possession of cannabis, despite Gordon Brown's apparent desire to reclassify it. In a statement today, ACPO said: "We would seek to retain the flexibility in dealing with instances of simple possession on the street …

Government 1 May 14:59
DARPA reveals 2009 hyperplane test schedule

NZ weekend getaways to spread choc-cheese slice fad worldwide?

Further details of the US military hypersonics programme have emerged, with confirmation of planned tests above the Pacific in 2009. Flight International reports that there will be two trials next year, in May and October. These will use Hypersonic Technology Vehicles (HTVs) fired up to speed aboard Minotaur solid-fuel rockets …

Science 1 May 15:04
Songwriters score victory over AOL, Yahoo! and Real

Pay up

Songwriters could be as much as $100m better off after a court ruled they should be paid more money for online performances of their music. A New York rate court determined what the foot-dragging license holders could afford to pay: Yahoo! has 18.7 per cent and AOL 9.1 per cent share of internet advertising revenue, worth …

Music and Media 1 May 15:06
GTA IV PS3 fights off resolution woes in the UK

PS3 or Xbox? 630p or 720p?

Gamers from the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 camps rejoiced when it was confirmed that Grand Theft Auto IV would be available on both consoles. But fans have begun complaining that the game’s resolution on the PS3 is lower than it is the Xbox 360. It’s been claimed that GTA IV runs at a resolution of 630p (1120 x 630) on the PS3 …

Reg Hardware 1 May 15:09
Boffins develop OLED screen life extender

New film dramatically reduces oxygen penetration

A Singapore research firm has invented a plastic film that it claims boosts the durability of OLED displays by reducing the penetration of oxygen and water - both which can shorten a screen’s lifespan. OLED screens are a sandwich of different components, but the top layer is a protective coating that limits the number of …

Reg Hardware 1 May 15:17
Virgin Media distances itself from Phorm 'adoption' claims

Memorandum of (mis-)understanding?

Virgin Media today sought to publicly clarify its relationship with Phorm, amid concerns that spin from the controversial ISP adware company has worried many of its customers. Virgin Media has extensively rewritten information on its website about the "Webwise" advertising targeting system to make it clear that it has not …

Telecoms 1 May 15:40
US warez sitemaster jailed for 30 months

Big Fish hooked

A US man has been jailed for 30 months for copyright infringement over his involvement in the warez scene. David M. Fish, 26, of Woodbury, Connecticut, was further sentenced to three years on probation this week after he pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement and circumvention offences. The computer equipment used …

Crime 1 May 15:45
EMC's Mozy storage service is going global

A cloud on the move

EMC's Mozy operation is building out a global set of inter-connected data centres to support multi-national enterprise customers and others. Mozy was acquired by EMC recently after building a successful online backup service for consumer and small business PCs. It was one of the first backup-to-the-cloud service suppliers and …

Storage 1 May 15:59
Linux-guru's conviction fuels ReiserFS debate

Can software live without its maker?

Linux developer Hans Reiser's conviction for first-degree murder has re-ignited the debate about the future of Linux's various file systems. Prior to his arrest in 2006, Reiser was best known for devising the ReiserFS file system, which was included with several Linux distros. Reiser's contributions to open source are now …

Operating Systems 1 May 17:42
eBay declassifies classifieds-happy Craiglist suit

Tainted Love

You could say that eBay has declassified its Craigslist lawsuit. But that might cause some confusion. Yesterday, the world's largest online auction house removed the seal from its legal complaint against Craigslist, revealing that the two companies are squabbling over their competition in the online classifieds market. This …

Financial News 1 May 17:56
Storm worm botnet turns into April shower

Shrinking away

The Storm worm botnet shrank in April to just five per cent of its original size, according to MessageLabs, which conducts a monthly analysis of malware trends. New tools that remove Storm infections are responsible for the huge fall in Storm-infected machines, the net security firm says. By the end of Aprl the Storm Worm …

Anti-Virus 1 May 19:25
Ballmer's board broaches beefier bid

Microhoo For you know what

Microsoft's board of directors has at least toyed with the idea of increasing its bid for Yahoo!. Earlier this week, according to an unnamed insider whispering to The New York Times, the board discussed raising its bid from $29.06 a share to $32 or $33. And, the paper says, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer personally phoned some …

Financial News 1 May 20:35
Your personal data just got permanently cached at the US border

Fact or fiction? US Feds won't say

Now that US customs agents have unfettered access to laptops and other electronic devices at borders, a coalition of travel groups, civil liberties advocates and technologists is calling on Congress to rein in the Department of Homeland Security's search and seizure practices. They're also providing practical advice on how to …

Government 1 May 21:11
Intel puts another foot into 10GbE

Interop 2008 Punts server adapter that supports 1Gb and 10Gb speeds

With a sweep of the Interop 2008 Las Vegas show floor, it's clear that vendors are confident that 10 Gigabit Ethernet technology is moving beyond the early adoption phase and into more storage networks and data centers. Intel is among the big vendors at the conference embracing the transition, today announcing a stepping-stone …

Data Networking 1 May 22:12
Sun cushions slumping Q3 with layoffs

America (and possibly Reverend Wright) to blame

A rather humbled Sun Microsystems blamed waning US technology spending for its third quarter loss. Sun's third quarter revenue dipped half a per cent to $3.283bn, as the company struggled to close large deals in the US. The slow quarter pushed Sun back to red ink with the vendor posting a $34m loss, which compares to a $67m …

Servers 1 May 23:28