2nd January 2008 Archive

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AJAX wave evades vendors

Free and independent

Ajax developers are turning away from commercial development tools and opting for free, open source alternatives. That's according to a recent Ajaxian poll that asked developers which Ajax tools they used either in development or in production. Around 75 per cent are using Ajax tools in some form or another for either …

Software & Security 2 Jan 00:02
Fear and loathing in 2008 - tell us about it!

Shape of things to come

Along with each New Year comes hopes and wishes that things will change for the best. Working in IT, though, the realist inside you has a nagging suspicion management will continue to set unrealistic expectations and vendors will - once again - over promise and under deliver. With that in mind, Register Developer presents its …

Software & Security 2 Jan 00:02
California judge says Californian company can infringe patents

At least until 2009

A federal judge in California has ruled that Qualcomm is allowed to sell chips infringing the Broadcom patents, until the end of January 2009 at least, while paying a mandatory royalty to Broadcom during that period. The two companies have been at loggerheads over the patents throughout 2007, though Qualcomm has been on the …

PC Builder 2 Jan 10:20
Nvidia's AMD-aimed nForce, GeForce chipsets due this month

Hybrid SLI, three-way SLI and more

Nvidia is expected to roll out a bumber crop of chipsets during the first three months of 2008, including AMD-oriented versions of its latest nForce 700 series. The release schedule, according to a report on Chinese-language site HKEPC, will also see the arrival of new integrated chipsets for AMD that'll go out under the …

PC Builder 2 Jan 10:56
World outlook worst since dot-com crash

And a very happy new year to you too...

The economic outlook for the UK is looking as bad as at any time since the dot-com crash of 2001. A survey of 55 leading economists by the Financial Times reveals low confidence in the state of the economy and fears that there is little public authorities can do to improve the situation. Almost two-thirds of those questioned …

IT Channel 2 Jan 11:15
Consumers binged on chips in November

But late rush still needed to make full year forecast

The chip industry is banking on a late surge in demand to meet its full year sales forecast, despite the public’s insatiable thirst for silicon-heavy kit in November. Figures released by the Semiconductor Industry Association late on Monday show worldwide sales in November were $23.1bn, up 2.3 per cent on the year, and up 0.7 …

PC Builder 2 Jan 14:10
Barcode faking for fun and profit

Mischief in black and white

The increased use of barcodes in a wider variety of applications has made them a suitable, if unlikely, target for hacking attacks. Having started out as a means to label cans of food in supermarkets, one-dimensional barcodes and two-dimensional matrix codes are now found in systems from pre-paid postage labels and airline …

Software & Security 2 Jan 14:23
US flight authorities tighten rules on gadget battery storage

Regulations cover what you pack and where you pack it

Travelling to the US? Make sure you've packed your gadgets' rechargeable batteries properly, as new rules governing what power cells you can take with you are now in force. The bottom line is don't keep batteries in luggage you plan to check in, unless they're installed within a device. Spare batteries must be packed in your …

Reg Hardware 2 Jan 14:24
China link puts 3Com takeover in doubt

US government extends investigation

There is another cloud over Bain Capital and Huawei Technologies's takeover of 3Com - the US Congress committee into foreign ownership is extending its investigation into the offered buyout. In September Bain and Huawei agreed to pay $2.2bn for the networking company. Despite offering a premium of 44 per cent more than the …

PC Builder 2 Jan 15:02
Office update disables MS files

Service pack says 2003 a very bad year

Microsoft's Service Pack 3 for Office 2003 blocks you from opening certain file formats the software giant deems less secure - including its own. The service pack will block access to files including some Office Excel 2003, MS Office PowerPoint 2003 and MS Office Word 2003, it has emerged, as well as Corel Draw formats. …

Software & Security 2 Jan 15:15
UK gov sets rules for hacker tool ban

Consultants in frame? Definitely Maybe

The UK government has published guidelines for the application of a law that makes it illegal to create or distribute so-called "hacking tools". The controversial measure is among amendments to the Computer Misuse Act included in the Police and Justice Act 2006. However, the ban along with measures to increase the maximum …

Software & Security 2 Jan 15:54
IBM swallows Tel Aviv storage firm

Buys privately-held XIV

Computer giant IBM said today that it has acquired Israel-based storage firm XIV for an undisclosed sum. The buy-out of the privately held company, which has around 40 staff working at its office in Tel Aviv, is the latest in a series of acquisitions IBM has made in recent months as part of a long-term strategy to help give the …

Enterprise 2 Jan 16:08
Information security breaches quadrupled in 2007

Slippy fingers and leaky servers

Personal information leaks reached unprecedented levels last year, according to a brace of studies out last week. Lost laptops, insecure systems and mislaid discs means problems posed by the exposure of customer records are unlikely to disappear anytime soon. As in other areas of information security organisations are often …

Software & Security 2 Jan 17:27
Hitachi, Fujitsu spurn miniature HDDs

Firms left unsatisfied with disks under two inches

Hitachi plans to drop production of miniature hard disk drives used in digital music players and video cameras, according to the Japanese business newspaper Nikkei. The electronics giant has reportedly already stopped making 1-inch drives and will ax shipments of 1.8-inch HDDs next summer in response to manufacturers favoring …

Enterprise 2 Jan 20:04