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Tech News for Wednesday January 24th 2001

30GB hard drive on a platter.
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: ZDNET  Added by: Kim Heise

This is fantastic news because we can expect cheaper drives to be showing up on the market with more drive space. Not to mention that the drives have less moving parts since there are less rotating platters it leads to more reliable storage systems.

Western Digital has introduced the industry's first hard drive that offers 30GB of capacity on a single platter, which translates into two words that consumers love to hear: bigger and cheaper.

A hard drive's main--and incidentally most expensive--components are the platters, or disks, where information is stored, and the heads, which read the data from the platters.

Western Digital's new WD Caviar 5400 RPM, announced Monday, will come in three capacities: 30GB, 40GB and 60GB. The 30GB version will come with one platter and two heads; the 40GB will come with two platters and three heads; and the 60GB will come with two platters and four heads.

Until now, the most capacity on any platter was 20GB.

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Infineon Sample 1GB DDR SDRAM.
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: Infineon  Added by: Kim Heise

Another fantastic improvement in the computer industry especially since operating systems (referring to Microsoft) are consuming more and more memory. I remember not to long ago 128MB of RAM being the standard memory size configuration for any new PC but now any less than 256MB is pushing the limit.

Infineon Technologies announces that it is sampling the highest-density 1-GB DDR module, a registered DIMM organized 128Mbit x 72. The PC1600 module is made using 36 components of 256 Mbits each, and employs stacking to achieve the highest density available today for DDR modules. Infineon also announced that its 256MB DDR SDRAM module has been validated for use in DDR platforms based on devices from Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

The Infineon 256-MB DDR DIMMs have been validated for use with the AMD-760(TM) chipset by AMD and AMD's validation partner, SMART Modular Technologies, Inc. AMD has undertaken a major enabling effort for DDR memory for use with its Athlon-based platforms, and has created the validation program, which will contribute greatly to enabling the steep volume ramp of DDR memory in the PC, Workstation and Server industry expected for this year.

Samples of 256-Mbit DDR parts in the DDR200 and DDR266 versions are available immediately, along with samples of the related 256-MB unbuffered and 256-MB and 512-MB registered DIMMs. Samples of the 1-GB DDR registered DIMM will become widely available in the course of the second quarter 2001.

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Sony Discusses the PlayStation 3.
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: ZDNET  Added by: Kim Heise

I'm not sure where Sony's management or marketing division is driving with this one. Typically it is not very productive to mention a new product to replace the current product that has just barely hit the market. People tend to think that the new product is imminent and therefore decide to hold off. Then again I may be wrong in this case.....

Since the official unveiling of the PlayStation 2, Sony has occasionally alluded to the development of the console's successor. During a keynote speech given around the time of the PS2 unveiling, Shinichi Okomoto, senior vice president of R&D at SCEI, said that the company has already begun research on the PlayStation 3, with hopes of making the next PlayStation 1,000 times as powerful as the PlayStation 2. Around the same time, Ken Kutaragi, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment, said that he already has specific plans for developing advanced graphics chips for the next PlayStation console. Further information regarding the PlayStation 3 has been brought to light in an article in the November issue of Scientific American magazine. Although the scientific community may be familiar with some of the information in the publication, it comes as news to the gaming community.

First Successful Linux Virus Reported.
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: BetaNews  Added by: Kim Heise

The "un-hackable" operating system has finally seen it's first public virus and you can be rest assured that anti-virus companies are going to be releasing various products to protect you from these nasty bugs. 

The reason why we see so many viruses on Windows machines is because 80% of all computers are driven by the OS and of course the operating system is less robust than any of the UNIX OS's.

Kaspersky Lab, the Russian anti-virus specialist, has warned about a new Internet worm that attacks Linux-based computers.

The worm, which executes under Red Hat Linux, is called Ramen, and represents a surprise for what had been considered to be one of the most protected platforms available today.

Kaspersky said that Ramen, which affects Red Hat Linux 6.2- or 7.0-based systems, exploits three security breaches named "in.ftpd", "rpc.statd" and "LPRng", which were previously detected and closed, between June and September 2000.

All of these breaches, the firm said, are from the "buffer overflow" category and allow a malicious person to send a remote system an executable code and run it without the user's permission.

The Moscow-based company said that the way the worm works is rather sophisticated.

Firstly, a target computer receives data that overflows the system's internal buffer, so a worm code gains the root privileges and starts the command processor that executes the worm's instructions.

At this stage, Ramen creates the "/usr/src/.poop" folder, launches the Lynx Internet browser and downloads the worm's archive "RAMEN.TGZ" from a remote computer.

After this, Ramen opens the archive and executes its main file "START.SH". The worm has no additional payload except for changing the content of "INDEX.HTML" files found on the system.

When the affected HTML-files are run they display a message of "RameN Crew - Hackers loooooo00000000000ve noodles."

MarketMarks.com - Find Out Before You Shop.
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: BetaNews  Added by: Kim Heise

Before you decide to purchase a product online you may wish to read up on the companies track record at MarketMarks.com.

A new Web site has hit the net that could potentially make your online shopping experience better and easier. MarketMarks.com is a site where users can go rate different eCommerce sites and "Leave Your Mark" with reviews and comments. It has a great user interface, and is easy to understand and navigate around the site. Dubbed "The Online Shoppers Best Friend," MarketMarks.com has potential to be a really great stop on the Web before you buy that item from some place you've never heard of. For more information visit MarketMarks.com.

DOJ concerns shuts down "FreeDrive".
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: CNET  Added by: Kim Heise

It's not too difficult to see why FreeDrive was a haven for software pirtates.

Justice Department concerns, a popular Web site has shuttered a file-swapping service created for sharing personal files such as family photos but which instead became a haven for software pirates.

Like other online storage services, FreeDrive was intended as a site where people could keep personal files such as office documents or baby photos. But some members began using it to trade illegally copied software and music files, eventually raising copyright concerns similar to those that have dogged services such as Napster and Scour.

In a letter to customers, FreeDrive said it was taking the unusual step because it had "determined that significant abuses of our Public Share utility are occurring by individuals who are selling illegally obtained software to others."

So-called online storage services have become extremely popular in the past year, with numerous sites that can be accessed only by others who have passwords.

Sega May Give Up Dreamcast Production.
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: Yahoo  Added by: Kim Heise

This is unfortunate news if Sega decides to stop Dreamcast production. I did consider purchasing one several weeks ago but the rumors regarding the console's demise made me nervous. I settled on a Playstation One console system in the end and decided the PS2 was overpriced with few titles.

If Sega would have shipped the Dreamcast when announced the company would have had a more significant foothold on the gaming market. Not because it would have been available longer but because the timing would have been more appropriate with only the N64 and PS1 to compete with. The Dreamcast release was a little too close to the PS2.

Struggling Japanese video game maker Sega Corp. said on Wednesday it may stop production of its Dreamcast (news - web sites) console and focus on its software operations, a move analysts applauded as a key step for the firm's revival.

Its shares surged more than 15 percent on media reports that it would abandon the loss-making Dreamcast machine by the end of March in the face of stiff competition from its major rival Sony Corp and its popular PlayStation 2 (news - web sites) console.

``We are considering restructuring Dreamcast hardware operations worldwide for the next business year and ending Dreamcast console production is one of the options,'' a company spokesman said.

A final decision would be made as soon as possible, possibly by the end of January, he said. He added Sega would continue to service its existing Dreamcast users through customer support and new software titles notwithstanding any strategy change.

Sega added it was in talks to supply software to its two major rivals -- Sony and Nintendo (news - web sites) Co Ltd. -- for their PlayStation 2 and Gameboy Advance machines.

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Cisco Device Puts Voice, Data On One Network.
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: TechWeb  Added by: Kim Heise

The future is apparent with voice, video and internet streaming over the same cable. Cisco is gearing up for tomorrow's combined communications medium.

Cisco Systems Inc. is promoting a new device for service providers that allows them to supply small and medium-sized businesses with a converged network combining voice and data.

Service providers using the Smart Integrated Access Device 2400 can install the box-like device at the business site. It allows the business to have high-speed Internet access with voice and data on one network, said officials at the San Jose, Calif., company.

As Cisco officials see it, the device gives service providers a chance to reach the great number of smaller businesses that still rely on dial-up Internet access. And the device can enhance a business's image if it is sold to them with other Web-related services such as e-mail and Web hosting, they say. The device would handle local telephone calls over the network but the business would still have to have a long-distance carrier.

Java-Based WAP Microbrowser For Palm PDAs Debuts.
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: Newsbytes  Added by: Kim Heise

It is not surprising the Palm OS is doing so well. It is simple to develop for, flexible and does not require insane hardware requirements. I finally put my old Palm IIIxe to pasture and upgraded to a sporty new Visor Prism with 64k colors which I am very satisfied with.

Digital Airways has taken the wraps off the first Java-based WAP (wireless application protocol) microbrowser for Palm [NASDAQ:PALM] PDAs and Palm operating system-based compatibles.

Known as Wapaka, the full microbrowser builds on earlier technology of the same name that is downloadable to users' PDAs as a Java applet.

That technology, the firm said, was introduced in July 2000; since then, several hundred Web sites are using the software to offer WAP-based services.

Because the new WAP microbrowser has been written in Java, Digital Airways said that it can work across most communications protocols, including infrared, standard GSM data, GPRS (general packet radio service) and Bluetooth PAN (personal area network) connections.

The new version of Wapaka has been coded entirely in Java, using Sun Microsystems' KVM Java virtual machine, which means that the microbrowser technology can be ported to any platform offering KVM.

Unusually for WAP microbrowser, Wapaka allows several WAP windows to be open at once, just like on a regular desktop Web browser. This is thanks to the software's multi-session and multi-windows environment, the firm said.

Thanks to this multi-session approach, Wapaka also allows direct access to other Palm OS-based applications, including handwriting recognition services.

Intel to slash chip prices by over 40 percent.
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: ZDNET  Added by: Kim Heise

Intel is being attacked from two fronts: Finally we have some very impressive competition from AMD and secondly the PC consumer market is slowing down. The price cuts do not come as any surprise.

Intel will kick off aggressive chip pricing this weekend amid high PC inventories and slow sales.

The chipmaker, sources close to the company say, will cut prices by more than 40 percent on some desktop chips. Many chips in its mobile arsenal will fall by more than 30 percent.

Prices on the Pentium 4 will fall by more than 20 percent, pushing the chip deeper into the mainstream desktop PC market. That cut, along with Pentium III and Celeron discounts, will also bring Intel's (Nasdaq: INTC) chip prices more in line with those of rival Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD). In recent months, prices on similarly configured AMD systems have been on average about $150 cheaper than their Intel counterparts.

Intel will reduce the price of its 1.5GHZ Pentium 4 chip by 21 percent, from $819 to $644. The chipmaker will cut its 1.4GHz Pentium 4 by 23 percent, from $575 to $440, sources said.

Meanwhile, sources added, Intel will slash the price of the 1GHz Pentium III chip from $465 to $268, a 43 percent reduction.

In-Depth Guide To RAID Technology.
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: System Logic  Added by: Kim Heise

In the past RAID storage systems were only available in very expensive server systems but now generic motherboard manufacturers are adding the capability for minimum cost. RAID configurations typically provide more data reliability and overall performance depending on the RAID configuration.

So what exactly is RAID? Nope, it's not the bug spray I'm talking about here. It is a technique that was developed to provide speed, reliability, and increased storage capacity using multiple disks, rather than single disk solutions. RAID basically takes multiple hard drives and allows them to be used as one large hard drive with benefits depending on the scheme or level of RAID being used. Depending on your needs, there are many different RAID variations and implementations available with prices ranging from less than $100 to over $25,000. Of course, the better the RAID implementation, the more expensive it's probably going to be. There is really no one best RAID implementation. Some implementations are better than others depending on the actual application.

Weekly CPU Price Chart.
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: Tech-Review  Added by: Kim Heise

It's been sometime since I've posted any CPU price charts and decided this one was worth posting since the price for 1ghz CPU's has almost fallen below $300.00

Check out those 950 and 1000 MHz Athlon prices hit some nice price jumps. There's only a $24 price difference between the normal Athlon 1 GHz and the Pentium III 1 GHz. What's going on here??? Thankfully we have the Thunderbird 1 GHz which holds a nice $138 advantage over the Pentium III 1 GHz. Looks like the original Athlon is definitely on its way out as the Thunderbird is the only Athlon chip you should be considering.

And speaking of the Pentium III 1 GHz, it's nice to see that the chip is finally coming down in price almost hitting below the $300 barrier.

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Plagiarism Issue a serious problem.
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: RojakPot  Added by: Kim Heise

Adrian has sent me email regarding another websites blatant plagiarism of his excellent BIOS optimization guide. The site http://www.hardware.no has simply ripped off the guide written by Adrian and changed the language into Norwegian. 

Please send the stealing author Sonicmind@hwking.com an email expressing your anger at this sort of behavior. If you plan to steal another persons work then at least have the common decency to include the persons name including the URL for the original document. Of course after you have notified the author and she/he has agreed.

You can refer to the stolen document here and compare it to Adrian's original document here.

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Rev. 5.6 of the BIOS Optimization Guide Posted.
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: RojakPot  Added by: Kim Heise

Adrian sent word that his BIOS optimization guide has been updated to version 5.6. If you are confused by all the "mumbo-jumbo" that shows up by your system BIOS then this is the article for you.

Changing BIOS setting without understanding the consequences is synonymous to playing Russian Roulette.

Adrian's Rojak Pot (http://www.rojakpot.com/) has just posted rev. 5.6 of the BIOS Optimization Guide! Here are the new additions to the guide :-

- AGP Driving Control
- AGP Driving Value

AMD to ship 1.3GHz Athlon Monday.
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: The Register  Added by: Kim Heise

Just another FYI for those of you who are having a difficult time deciding which processor speed to choose. Remember that it will be at least 2-3 weeks (or more) before you can actually find a 1.3GHZ Athlon on the street.

AMD is believed to be preparing to launch a 1.3GHz Athlon on Monday.

The chip is expected some time this quarter - CEO Jerry Sanders said as much at a Q4 financials conference call this week - but a Monday launch would nicely follow Intel's price cuts, which are expected to be implemented the day before.

Certainly one Register reader, when last week attempting to order a 1.2GHz part from a UK supplier, was told he'd have to wait two weeks for it and "by then the 1.3 will be out".

Sanders' roadmap pegs Q2 as the release timeframe for 1.4 and 1.5GHz Athlons, with a 1.7GHz part coming in the second half of the year.

Swedish Airline SAS Will Test In-Flight Internet.
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: Internet News  Added by: Kim Heise

It would be music to my ears to see Internet access available on commercial airliners to help pass the time while sitting cramped for several hours. I wonder what it will cost.

Swedish airline SAS announced Wednesday it will test a wireless Internet system developed by Seattle-based Tenzing Communications that runs on-board aircraft.

Claiming it as a "world's first," SAS will also work with Telia Mobile in getting the system up and running. Telia Mobile has already installed networks for wireless services at airports and other public places so that travelers can be online at various stages of their trip.

Jan Olson, head of SAS products and service development, said the new wireless technology creates possibilities for SAS passengers to gain access to e-mail and Internet both on-board and on the ground.

"During 2001, all SAS lounges will be equipped with this wireless network. In future, we will also offer innovative services to make the customer's travel easier. Telia and Tenzing play key roles in this effort," said Olson.

U.S. Senate reintroduces permanent R&D tax credit.
Posted: 01/24/2001     Source: Silicon Strategies  Added by: Kim Heise

Fantastic news for a change from the White house regarding a tax break for people wanting to spend time in R&D (research and development) innovating new products.

One of the U.S. electronics industry's most cherished legislative goals, a permanent extension of the research and development tax credit, was swiftly reintroduced in Congress on Monday (Jan. 22).

President George W. Bush has said he supports a permanent extension of the credit that currently must be renewed on an annual basis.

Senate legislation was introduced by Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Max Baucus, D-Mont. Companion House legislation was introduced by Reps. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., and Robert Matsui, D-Calif.

Congress voted last year to extend the R&D tax credit for five years. Industry groups at the time called that action a "down payment on permanent extension."

The reintroduced Senate legislation also would amend the U.S. tax code to increase the rates for alternative incremental research credits collected by industry.

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Tech News for Monday January 22nd 2001

Site News Update.
Posted: 01/22/2001     Source: N/A  Added by: Kim Heise

Hopefully one of these days I will get to complete the "PC Industry" article that I'd promised last week. Work has been keeping me busy but I will try to complete it sometime shortly.

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Miramax to show full-length film online.
Posted: 01/22/2001     Source: CNET  Added by: Kim Heise

It's not too difficult to predict that in the not too distant future several movies will be released online. Once broadband access becomes more accessible more companies are going to provide online cinema releases. On the other hand it is not too much fun to sit and watch a cinema release on a 3 by 2 inch display.

A major Hollywood studio will begin an experiment next week making full-length feature films available for download over the Internet.

On Jan. 22, Miramax will allow its 1999 release "Guinevere," starring Sarah Polley and Stephen Rea, to be downloaded for $3.49 for a 24-hour viewing license. The 500MB file will take about 30 minutes to download over a high-speed Internet connection.

Movie studios are struggling to develop an Internet strategy, hoping to have workable alternatives available before a Napster-like program makes swapping pirated films as easy as downloading the latest Britney Spears ballad. Last year, the studios succeeded in shutting down Scour.com, a file-sharing Web site that allowed people to swap digitized films.

Earlier experiments with producing original short films and animation for the Internet failed, leaving studios wondering how to use the new technology and also protect their valuable copyrights.

AMD sales rose 21% year-over-year.
Posted: 01/22/2001     EDTN Network Added by: Kim Heise

The first numbers are rolling in on AMD's big dent into Intel's market share. You can thank AMD for the low prices on CPU's due to fresh competition moving into the x86 processor market.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. claimed it snatched market share from arch-rival Intel Corp. in the December quarter, during which its revenue rose 21% and net income soared 173% on a year-over-year basis, although it declined sequentially.

In a conference call today with analysts, chief executive Jerry Sanders took a jab at Intel, saying that "price may be the only weapon Intel has to compete against us."

AMD's net income rose to $178 million, or 53 cents a share, in the quarter ended Dec. 31, from $65.1 million, or 21 cents a share, in the fourth quarter of 1999. The company's revenue rose to $1.12 billion from $968.7 million in the year-ago comparable period.

The PC processor and flash memory devices manufacturer said it expects first quarter 2001 sales will be “no better than flat sequentially from the fourth quarter of 2000,” because of slowing demand for PC processors.

Overall, however, AMD sees strong growth for the rest of 2001 based on what it expects will be a resurgence in demand for PC processors and flash memory components in the second half of 2001. In addition, the company said it expects to gain additional market share from Intel as it implements plans to market only one gigahertz or higher Athlon processors by the end of the current quarter.

“AMD had record sales, record operating income, record net income, and record earnings per share in 2000,” said W.J. Sanders, chairman and chief executive of the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company. “Our technology and manufacturing organizations distinguished themselves from the competition by executing nearly flawlessly.”

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AMD and Palm Sign Flash Memory Supply Agreement.
Posted: 01/22/2001     Source: Electic Tech Added by: Kim Heise

Not much to add here other than a FYI for those who are watching the AMD and Palm market.

AMD and Palm, Inc. today announced that Palm has named AMD its primary provider of Flash memory devices through 2003.

"Since the introduction of our first handheld computer in 1996, Palm has shipped more than 11 million handhelds, including 2.1 million units in our last fiscal quarter. This new agreement with AMD represents an important step forward in our continuing efforts to obtain increasing volumes of best-of-breed components to support our planned growth," said Dinesh Raghavan, vice president of Global Supply Chain Operations at Palm, Inc. "AMD's industry-leading Flash technology will help Palm(TM) products remain among the most competitive handheld solutions on the market and provide Palm handheld users with the ability to upgrade their handhelds with future editions of the Palm OS(R)."

"AMD is extremely excited about our alliance with Palm, the pioneer and leader in the handheld marketplace," said Walid Maghribi, group vice president of AMD's Memory Group. "AMD's innovative chip-scale packaging and advanced power management will help Palm deliver platforms with a smaller form factor and longer battery life. This agreement underscores AMD's strategy to diversify its penetration into the highest growth markets for Flash memory."

Seagate Announces Drives With "V" Optimized Code.
Posted: 01/22/2001     Source: Electic Tech Added by: Kim Heise

Seagate will be developing a new hard drive technology for "minimizing the fluctuations that can occur when reading or writing bandwidth-intensive data such as digital video". What this means is that the drive reads/writes data differently depending on what type of data is being transferred. I suspect the drive "fragments" data significantly less for video/audio data which in turn increases the data throughput.

Seagate today announced the addition of exclusive new "V" optimized code on its large-cache Cheetah and Barracuda disc drives. Designed to meet the demanding requirements of professionals working with digital media, "V" optimized code allows 16-Mbyte cache-equipped disc drives to go to the next level of performance by minimizing the fluctuations that can occur when reading or writing bandwidth-intensive data such as digital video. The results? Large uncompressed video files can be stored, retrieved, and edited without fear of dropouts, screen freezes or data loss, delivering the most professional and highest quality results available today.

Plextor Announces PX-W1610A (16/10/40) CDR-W Drive.
Posted: 01/22/2001     Source: CDR-Info Added by: Kim Heise

Maybe it is high time to replace my aging 8x Plextor CD ROM recorder drive. To be able to record an entire CD in around 4 minutes does sound very appealing. If you are looking for a new CD ROM recorder or planning on purchasing your first model then you should seriously consider any of the Plextor series drives. Plextor drives do cost slightly more than the average CD-ROM recorder but the quality and reliability is unsurpassed.

Do not worry about getting a SCSI VS. a IDE CD-ROM recorder. It makes no difference in the performance and SCSI does typically cost more. In the early days of the 1x or 2x recorders SCSI did make a significant difference.

Plextor, one of the leading companies for the development and production of CD-ROM drives, CD-Recorders and CD-ReWriters is expanding its range with the PlexWriter 16/10/40, which writes CD's at 16-speed, rewrites at 10-speed and reads at 40-speed. The PlexWriter 16/10/40 is the ideal instrument for both professional and private users who want to copy CD's, archive large files, or create multimedia productions.

The PlexWriter 16/10/40 comes in internal version with a Tray load mechanism. The Retail package contains: PlexWriter 16/10/40A ,1 blank CD-R disk, 1 blank CD-R/W disk, CD-Recording software WinOnCD + DirectCD, Plextor Utility software (PlexTools), manual in 16 languages, mounting screws, E-IDE (ATAPI) cable, audio cable.

IBM touts new Napster-proof music locks.
Posted: 01/22/2001     Source: ZDNET Added by: Kim Heise

You can be rest assured that every hacker on the planet is going to direct their energy at IBM's new "unbreakable" music lock. Also you can bet that the protection system will be broken in a very short span of time and IBM will appear rather foolish.

IBM will release a new version of its anti-music piracy technology Monday that it says could help block song traders who use services such as Napster or Gnutella.

Big Blue is one of the oldest players in the so-called digital rights management business, in which companies create software to block or deter would-be pirates from downloading music online without permission. A 1999 test conducted with most of the major label record companies led many analysts to put IBM (NYSE: IBM) in a leading role in the young industry.

Even IBM admits that its technology stands some chance of being hacked, although Burnett called his company's model "among the most secure, if not the most secure" versions on the market. But he, along with many analysts, predict that only a small proportion of consumers will try to break through copy protection once it's used.

"All this stuff is crackable," Weintraub said. "But there is a level of technology that will keep people honest. I believe that putting some constraints around it will make most people think about what they're doing."

That may be. But other analysts believe that the anarchic distribution of music and other media through peer-to-peer services such as Napster is here to stay.

Yahoo, Microsoft traffic 'hijacked'.
Posted: 01/22/2001     Source: ZDNET Added by: Kim Heise

An FYI for those of you were experiencing interesting things this weekend while surfing the internet. I can't say I noticed any problems.

A computer glitch is being blamed for cutting off Web traffic headed for Yahoo.com and Microsoft.com on Saturday. For about 12 hours, thousands of Internet users trying to visit those two popular Web sites and dozens of others were instead sent to a Web page owned by MyDomains.com. The president of the Web hosting company, Richard Lau, said he was “a little bit in shock at the ease with which this has gotten out of control.” He added that the episode proves a computer criminal could “easily” hijack all traffic on a part of the Internet.

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Copy protection on Whistler easily cracked.
Posted: 01/22/2001     Source: The Register Added by: Kim Heise

The Register posted news on how easy it is to crack Microsoft's new "Whistler" operating system. Microsoft is planning on creating a digital copy protection for the next generation of their operating system to minimize piracy. The company has two major hurdles to overcome: The average hacker and privacy advocates.

The Register posts instructions on how to circumvent the new copy protection under the latest beta from Microsoft.

Whistler's copy protection is by no means uncrackable, according to various of The Register's shady sources. The hardware-locked key system currently shipping with the Whistler beta seems to be fairly easy to get around, and the inconvenience of the system - if it ships with the production Whistler - will be likely to encourage the widespread use of cracks, and even of doctored installation disks that are entirely unlocked.

AMD-based supercomputer debuts next week.
Posted: 01/22/2001     Source: Silicon Strategies Added by: Kim Heise

The age of supercomputers has changed significantly over the years because users who need more power are using a more distributed model by sharing data for batch processing over the Internet.

The University of Delaware on Jan. 22 will announce the first clustered supercomputer based upon the Athlon microprocessor from Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

Code-named Samson, the supercomputer will initially include 132 1-GHz Athlon CPUs mounted inside chassis manufactured by RackSaver Inc., with an interconnect provided by Dolphin Interconnect Solutions Inc., RackSaver executives said.

According to a statement by the University of Delaware's Bartol Research Institute, the setup is expected to rank among the top 200 fastest supercomputers in the world.

The Samson will be a coup for AMD which so far has been known strictly as a manufacturer of CPUs for desktop and mobile PCs.

Stopping light could lead to quantum advance in computing.
Posted: 01/22/2001     Source: CNET Added by: Kim Heise

Here is a major exciting breakthrough that has occurred last week. Don't hold your breath on when this breakthrough becomes part of a consumer product since it appears to be years away.

This will make for an interesting topic of conversation at any party.

Two teams of scientists have accomplished the seemingly impossible feat of trapping and stopping light--an achievement that could lead to major advances in quantum computing.

The experiments were conducted by two teams working independently of each other in Cambridge, Mass. One team was led by Lene Hau of Harvard University and the Rowland Institute of Science, the other by Ronald Walsworth and Mikhail Lukin of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

The light, composed of particles called photons, essentially lost its zing as the information from the photons was transferred into the spin inherent in the gas atoms. Once paused, it could then be revived to its usual speed of 186,000 miles per second.

The achievement has sparked renewed enthusiasm among advocates of quantum computing.

"It is easy to send a photon from one place to another, but catching it at the other end is what is really hard," Lloyd said. "This is a beautiful way of catching bits stored on light and storing them in a medium. I think it puts us considerably forward in our schedule in building more powerful quantum computers and the quantum Internet."

Traditional drives in today's computers store data in terms of zeros and ones, with different combinations and strings of zeros and ones representing information.

Energy crisis threatens Silicon Valley's growth.
Posted: 01/22/2001     Source: EBNEWS Added by: Kim Heise

I did notice several web and FTP sites over the weekend were not responding due to the rolling blackouts. What boggles my mind is how large companies like Sun (which I couldn't access this weekend) don't have backup power generators and simply leave customers out to dry. Granted they couldn't power the entire company but how about some of the major servers.

The power crisis that plunged Silicon Valley into darkness this week is also casting a shadow over the region's status as the world's technology hub.

After fending off blackouts for weeks, the state finally pulled the plug on millions of users Wednesday and Thursday. Many electronics companies found themselves without power for up to two hours, leaving them wondering how to react to a crisis that seems far from over.

Contract electronics manufacturer Solectron Corp. was hit during both Wednesday's and Thursday's rolling black-outs, with several buildings, including portions of its manufacturing operations, losing power in two-hour blocks, said Kevin Whalen, vice president of corporate communications.

“We weren't able to ship some of the things were supposed to ship today. But we do have the ability to work overtime and over the weekend,” he said. “What is going to be the cost of these outages? I'm sure it will be in the millions of dollars.

IP Satellites Ready For Blast-Off.
Posted: 01/22/2001     Source: TechWeb Added by: Kim Heise

The IP protocol is about to be used on future satellites as a future communications medium. Expect in the future that any form of communications to be utilizing the IP standard.

The Internet age is about to intersect with the space age, and perceptions about what's possible on the Net may change forever. What's driving the increased interest in running IP traffic over satellites is the never-ending search for faster and cheaper bandwidth to expand e-business applications.

Merging enterprise IP networks with satellite networks is more feasible than ever, thanks to the emergence of equipment that lets network managers run IP traffic over satellite networks, improved multicasting standards, last-mile connectivity, and a new generation of higher-bandwidth Ka-band satellites.

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