Hardware and Software Forum

Spam is annoying, resource consuming, malware driven and often offensive. It is also nothing if not responsive to market needs. This can be seen in the market driven swing from pharmaceutical and health related spam which has pretty much dominated the landscape during the last couple of years, to the …

[URL="http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/197442/intel-not-ruling-out-shortages-after-chinese-earthquake.html"]PC Pro is reporting[/URL] that Intel hopes that its Chinese manufacturing plant is back in production by next week, but following the earthquake disaster has to admit that the situation could best be described as being 'dynamic.' The chip packaging plant in Chengdu, some 60 miles away from the earthquake …

Before I tell you about Bill Gates’ speech at CEO Summit 2008 today, I’d like to share one more story from my trip to Orlando for STAR EAST last week. And then I’ll tie the two together. In [my May 10 post](http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry2434.html) from the conference, I mentioned “Testing Dialogues—In the …

Microsoft continues to reach out and touch mobile device makers and their carriers. The company today announced a deal with Research in Motion that will enhance integration between Microsoft’s Windows Live services and Blackberry 7000 and 8000 series devices as well as the [URL= http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry2443.html]BlackBerry Bold[/URL], a brand-new model unveiled …

Welcome back to Crystal Ball Sunday. This week in the Crystal Ball are my predictions for OpenSolaris vs. Linux. The release of OpenSolaris on May 5th has caused quite a stir. Many say that it will replace Linux on the Desktop and in the Data Center. My first prediction is …

Of course. That's the answer. Easy. Japan has sorted it all out. They're planning to [URL="http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/05/07/ipod_tax_japan/"]put a tax on MP3 players[/URL]. This will be an interesting move not because a single country is planning such a tax - let's be honest, I'm in the UK, the chances are most readers …

ASUS announced that their new EEE 900 PC sporting Windows XP (Vista won't run on it) will cost $50 AUD less than its Linux counterpart. I am no economist but I can figure out quickly that a computer that comes with Windows XP Home and Microsoft Works pre-installed is going …

An employee of the Northern Trust Bank in Naples, California apparently stole a number of bank owned computers which he then either sold to his co-workers, pawned or auctioned off on eBay. The 34 year old man pleaded to a felony fraud charge and sentencing has been deferred until it …

Microsoft has launched a new add-in, designed specifically to simplify the process of creating content that is accessible for visually impaired and what it refers to as 'print disabled' individuals. The new [URL="http://www.openxmlcommunity.org/daisy"]Save as DAISY XML[/URL] add-in is open source, being developed in conjunction with the [URL="http://www.daisy.org"]Digital Accessible Information System …

Yesterday Sun Microsystems officially released OpenSolaris and suggested that it's going to go head-to-head with Linux as a Desktop Operating System. Solarisx86 is nothing new and has been around about as long as Linux but it is historically proprietary and closed source. It was also very hardware-finicky and performance was …

Rather aptly located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the [URL="http://www.computerhistory.org"]Computer History Museum[/URL] will open its doors to the Charles Babbage Difference Engine Number 2 on May 10th. One of only two such working devices in existence, the first being housed within the Science Museum in London, the Babbage Engine …

Speaking at the [URL="http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/eforum/default.aspx"]Westminster eForum[/URL] on Web 2.0 in London, the VP of legislative affairs with AT&T, Jim Cicconi, has claimed that without investment the Internet's current network architecture will be at full capacity by 2010. That's just 24 short months from now, and with the ever increasing volume of …

According to [URL="http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/04/28/allergies-caused-ipods-mobiles"]some online reports[/URL] it seems that those of us who suffer from seasonal allergies, which we politely refer to as hayfever over here in the UK, might have more than just pollen and plants to blame for our runny noses, watering eyes and itchy skin. One [URL="http://www.vitals.com/focus/allergy"]medical evaluation …

This is the first post in my new series called Crystal Ball Sunday. These Sunday posts are where I take out my Linux, and related technology, crystal ball and give you my predictions for the coming months. This week I am focusing on corporate conversion to Linux. I foresee companies …

Last night on Craig Crossman’s [URL="http://www.computeramerica.com"]Computer America[/URL], America’s longest-running nationally syndicated radio talk show about computers, Craig and crew interviewed Jason Perlow (rhymes with Merlot) about all things Linux. You may recognize Jason from his long-running stint as a regular columnist for [URL="http://www.linux-mag.com"]Linux Magazine[/URL], his popular food blog site [URL="http://www.offthebroiler.com"]offthebroiler.com[/URL], …

How stupid do you have to be to get caught by spam email with the subject line of 'we caught you naked [your name] - check the video' is a question I have been asking myself today. Not because I have been caught naked, and if I had my only …

I'm no Microsoft basher, but I've never hidden my personal loathing for Vista. Yet even I was surprised to learn this week just how cynical Microsoft appears to be regarding Vista. It started the other day when a Steve Ballmer speech to the [URL="http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/"]Microsoft MVPs [/URL]leaked out. According to several …

How cool is that? A financial software programmer has put his coding skills to good use by hacking into a popular video game and adding an Easter Egg with a twist. Hold on a minute, you are probably thinking, surely you are not condoning the illegal hacking into a commercial …

When he took the reins almost two years ago, new Novell President and CEO Ronald Hovsepian, was going to lead the charge in driving the Linux acceptance and conversion. Recently he said that the Desktop Linux market, in the next 3 to 5 years, is mainly enterprise-related and that the …

[URL="http://www.itpro.co.uk/news/187851/apple-iphone-vulnerable-through-safari.html"]According to IT Pro[/URL] the Apple iPhone is vulnerable to Denial of Service attacks. These can occur when an iPhone user opens a JavaScript containing HTML page which triggers the vulnerability. An application Denial of Service attack can then crash the Safari browser on the phone, and quite possibly the …

[URL="http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=11463"]Reports are emerging[/URL] that according to a Gartner analysis, albeit a controversial one, Windows is on the verge of collapse. The conclusion being that unless something is done soon then it is only a matter of time before a competitor that is more able to tackle the problems it has …

New Scientist magazine has compiled a pretty darn interesting list of what it says are the [URL="http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn13656-ten-weirdest-computers.html?DCMP=ILC-hmts&nsref=news1_head"]top ten weirdest computers[/URL] ever. Some are weirder than others, like the chap at the University of Illinois who has developed a method of creating 3D optical waveguides out of photonic crystals, with the …

Rather surprisingly, Kaspersky Lab has forecast that the security threat landscape will increase by more than 20 million programs by the end of 2008 when compared to the 2007 year-end figures, a ten-fold increase no less. That is worth repeating: the number of [B]new[/B] malicious applications in circulation by the …

Security provider Webroot has today published its [URL="http://www.webroot.com/En_GB/land-sois-home.html"]State of Internet Security: Protecting Business Email[/URL] research report and estimates that every single business email account will receive some 42,000 spams during the course of 2008. Or 116 junk messages every single day if you prefer. That is an increase of some …

Oh the irony. According to [URL="http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/03/30/sony-bmg-sued-nicking-software"]The Inquirer[/URL] and [URL="http://www.zeropaid.com/news/9362/Sony+BMG+Sued+for+Software+Piracy+-+Assets+Seized"]others[/URL] it would appear that Sony BMG, you know the same Sony BMG that has fought such a high profile and bitter legal war against individuals for copyright violation by using music file sharing sites, is itself in trouble on charges of …

As [URL="http://www.macrumors.com/2008/03/28/3g-iphone-in-bidding/"]rumored[/URL] around the web, the Apple iPhone with 3G support is coming out soon! The iPhone has been a revolutionary tool for consumers, corporate America, and users around the world. I held back from purchasing an iPhone largely in part because it lacked stable support for the 3G network. …

Researchers at web gateway security specialists [URL="http://www.finjan.com"]Finjan[/URL] have uncovered an underground crime data exchange service which is highly sophisticated in nature. The exchange, known as SellCVV2, promotes the sale of fraudulent credit card data, offering not only volume discounts for fraudsters with bigger ambitions, but guarantees as well. According to …

Computerworld is [URL="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9071638&source=rss_news6"]reporting the possibility[/URL] of a worm or bot in the wild that is specifically targeting D-Link branded routers. It refers to a three year old vulnerability which Symantec security researchers believe is being exploited by a new exploit. Apparently, the Symantec security response team has seen an increase …

[URL="http://www.itpro.co.uk/news/181083/microsoft-offers-free-vista-sp1-support.html"]According to IT Pro[/URL] Microsoft has done a u-turn when it comes to charging users for installation or compatibility support with regard to Vista SP1. It says that Microsoft is now "offering free support to any Windows Vista SP1 user experiencing problems." Quoting Microsoft MVP Brandon LeBlanc, it reports "you …

According to [URL="http://www.news.com/8301-13578_3-9899151-38.html"]recent reports[/URL] the FBI has been using honey-trap hyperlinks which claim to lead to child pornography in order to entice offenders into clicking them. Last year, it seems, armed raids were carried out on homes in Nevada, New York and Pennsylvania as a direct result of such link …

[URL="http://po-ru.com/about/"]Paul Battley[/URL] is a software developer from London who can probably lay claim to being the biggest thorn in the side of the BBC right now. No sooner had the mighty British Broadband Corporation [URL="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7293988.stm"]announced[/URL] that his hack which allowed people to download iPlayer TV streams meant for an iPhone …

This is rather belated news, but I figured it was worth posting anyways. Apple has recently unveiled larger capacity versions of the iTouch and iPhone. The iTouch, originally only available in 8 gig and 16 gig versions, now boasts a whopping 32 gig version with a $500 pricetag. The iPhone …

Remember those X-Ray Specs you could order as a kid from the newspaper classifieds that promised the ability to see through clothes to the undergarments below? I do, and I can report that they most certainly did not work - much to my disappointment as a 10 year old kid. …

In an effort to compete with the Blackberry, and gain momentum in the business world, the iPhone now has full support for Microsoft Exchange, one of the major factors holding the professional back from splurging on an iPhone. While Apple is now going full force trying to make the iPhone …

Well, it looks like the latest installment of Microsoft's browser, IE8, is now [url=http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/ie/ie8/readiness/Install.htm]available for download[/url] in beta status. While I'm not daring enough to give it a go myself, word on the street is that, while Microsoft boasts it passes the ACID2 test, it renders most sites rather awkwardly, …

A hearty slap on the back must go to authorities in South Korea who have [URL="http://www.sophos.com/news/2008/03/lee-shin-ja.html"]arrested and charged[/URL] the 41 year old ex-CEO of an antivirus software company with distributing fake security scareware. Lee Shin-ja was formerly CEO with security outfit Media Port, and stands accused of distributing the 'free' …

According to the [URL="http://www.timesonline.co.uk"]Sunday Times[/URL] one couple got more than they bargained for courtesy of the almost extortionate charges that mobile phone companies are allowed to levy in Europe when it comes to sending text or data while 'roaming' away from your home country. Although the case in question might …

Businesses are snapping their wallets shut, at least when it comes to software spending - usually a good leading indicator of economic growth. One key benchmark, the ChangeWave corporate software spending survey, has seen a shift into negative territory for the first time in years. In its January, 2008 survey …

The Cult of the Dead Cow, the infamous hacking collective, has released a Google hacking utility called Goolag Scan that brings the ability to search the information engine for web-based data that is normally hidden to anyone wannabe with a web browser and half a brain. It does this by …

The [URL="https://www.blackhat.com/"]Black Hat[/URL] security conferences are always good for a crowd pleasing demonstration or two, and security researcher Adam Laurie was happy to oblige at the latest DC based event. In a 'look no hands' fashion, he was able to pull up account data including name, account number and expiration …

Nobody has ever accused Microsoft of not knowing how to play hardball. From its history of monopolistic practices, of elbowing competitors out of the marketplace (hello, Netscape!), or lifting ideas it likes from adversaries like Apple without shame, Microsoft is more than ready to throw the first punch. With that …

How long before [URL="http://www.skype.com"]Skype Ltd[/URL]. ends up as an item for bid on eBay? Ever since its acquisition by the Internet auction site, Skype has been a rudderless boat — and without a captain, following the departure of cofounder Niklas Zennstrom, who took £2.8 billion of Skype’s £5.2 billion value …

It has been estimated that something in the region of 70 percent of the ATMs in current use are based not on the proprietary hardware, software and communication protocol platforms of old but instead on PC/Intel hardware and commodity operating systems, the most popular being Windows XP embedded. In fact, …

So it would appear that the long and bloody war between the next-generation of high definition DVD formats is coming to a close, with word on the grapevine suggesting that the HD DVD commander-in-chief Toshiba is ready to surrender. While there will be the inevitable continuation of small skirmishes, mainly …

For many people, the word "[B]encryption[/B]" invokes images of spies, clandestine operations and World War II, or [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nsa"]NSA[/URL] code breakers feverishly working to decipher enemy messages. Actually, encryption is a priceless security tool that any business can easily use to keep sensitive information confidential and safe from prying eyes. Unfortunately, …

[B]Rumors and speculation about why five undersea cables to the Middle East have been severed — and what it means for IT security[/B]. Since [B]Jan. 30, 2008,[/B] there has been a troubling pattern of underwater anarchy. At first, it was reported that two, then three, then five undersea [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiber-optic"]fiber-optic[/URL] cables …

When you think of security, it's a good bet that some of your thinking drifts to hackers and crackers. These are both security threats that you have to take into account. But do you know the difference? Well, some people do, and although many of them don't want their names …

[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicodemo_Scarfo,_Jr."]Nicodemo Scarfo Jr[/URL], a well-connected member of the [B]New York[/B] and [B]Philadelphia[/B] organised crime families, knows all about keylogging. But rather than using the technique to steal or launder money, he was brought down by the [B]Magic Lantern[/B] [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keylogger"]keylogger[/URL] that the FBI installed on his computer via a Trojan. It …

If we're honest every one of us imagine what we'd do with a few million in the bank. The yacht in Cannes, the private jet in Nice, possibly our own football team, and maybe a few other high maintenance accessories top our list of must-haves. But of course the question …

It has been a couple of months now since a Russian security researcher, Evgeny Legerov, confirmed that the widely deployed media software RealPlayer was vulnerable to a zero-day exploit. The Russian company, Gleg, is in the business of selling information on such exploits and security flaws. Unfortunately, according RealNetworks's Vice …