Tomorrow's News Today

Please visit our Sponsor

RSS Feeds

• Anandtech

• CNET News

• CrankyGeeks

• DailyTech

• Endgadget

• Security Now

• TechARP

• TGDaily

• Winsupersite

Information on the "Nimda" worm.
Posted: 09/28/2001  Source: Microsoft Added by: Kim Heise

The word on the "street" is that the Nimda virus is set to strike again shortly so Microsoft has posted a web site dedicated to protecting your servers and workstations from this nasty new web assault. Network and web administrators may wish to peruse the checklist to make sure the next attack can be minimized or stopped.

Web hackers and virus/worm developers had better watch out since Uncle Sam is no longer in the "passive" mood. (See posting below).

Unfortunately, expect various strains to be circulating the internet shortly.

A new worm, officially called W32/Nimda@MM, is circulating on the Internet and affecting large numbers of customers using Windows operating systems. Microsoft is working with the anti-virus community and other security experts to thoroughly investigate the worm. If you haven't already installed the appropriate updates and/or patches, your computer can become infected.

Developer encrypts corporate Instant Messenger.
Posted: 09/28/2001  Source: ZDNET Added by: Kim Heise

I wonder why no other company had thought of this before to encrypt instant messages?

One of the most common concerns over the most popular instant messenger services is that messages are simply transferred unencrypted over the network and therefore anybody in theory can eavesdrop on two way messaging.

MSN, AOL and Yahoo instant messenger users should take note that the two way communication is very insecure.

A small Australian security software developer has found itself a niche in the instant messaging market dominated by big-guns Yahoo, MSN and AOL by encrypting a product for corporate use.
In development since the beginning of the year, CIPHERim has entered beta and is being tested by Australian government operations. In addition, its developer, Cleartext, is lining up its first customer, a large Australian IT consulting organization looking to incorporate the IM software for its customer base, according to David Banes, one of the directors of Cleartext.

With people still arguing about which instant messaging hotshot will rule the day, "the market was open for niche players to get out there and make some money," Banes told ZDNet Australia.

Cleartext currently has instant messaging software available that "people are downloading as a freebie and using to chat ... but it's an insecure communications system," Banes said.

“We wanted to apply a manageable, secure solution to current messaging and give a corporate alternative to public instant messaging systems,” he added.

Hackers face life imprisonment under 'Anti-Terrorism' act.
Posted: 09/28/2001  Source: Security Focus Added by: Kim Heise

If you want to create destructive programs be prepared to pay the consequences. When virus/worms destroy sensitive computers - for example in medical facilities that could cost lives - then all bets are off.

Programmers (hackers) who develop malicious software should by all rights receive zero tolerance from the law.

Hackers, virus-writers and web site defacers would face life imprisonment without the possibility of parole under legislation proposed by the Bush Administration that would classify most computer crimes as acts of terrorism.

The Justice Department is urging Congress to quickly approve its Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), a twenty-five page proposal that would expand the government's legal powers to conduct electronic surveillance, access business records, and detain suspected terrorists.

The proposal defines a list of "Federal terrorism offenses" that are subject to special treatment under law. The offenses include assassination of public officials, violence at international airports, some bombings and homicides, and politically-motivated manslaughter or torture.

Most of the terrorism offenses are violent crimes, or crimes involving chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons. But the list also includes the provisions of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act that make it illegal to crack a computer for the purpose of obtaining anything of value, or to deliberately cause damage. Likewise, launching a malicious program that harms a system, like a virus, or making an extortionate threat to damage a computer are included in the definition of terrorism.
 

Speedy Mac OS X upgrade here soon.
Posted: 09/28/2001  Source: Wired Added by: Kim Heise

Frustrated Mac OS X users should be sighing some sort of relief shortly as Apple plans to release the much anticipated update this Saturday.

Hopefully the update will address the several promised features that were omitted from the original OS X release.

I'm surprised Apple doesn't offer the download update free via the internet but that might be the end result.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A major upgrade to Apple's Mac OS X -- the company's six-month-old operating system -- is ready and will be available in stores on Saturday, said Apple's CEO Steve Jobs at this week's Seybold Conference for media professionals.

At a keynote speech on Tueasday morning, Jobs said version 10.1 of Mac OS X will bring the operating system into the "mainstream."

The upgrade makes the operating system faster and adds more functionality, Jobs said, and addresses the many complaints the company has heard from the system's early adopters.

"If you're not a Mac OS X user," Jobs said, "now is the time to become one."

The software will sell for $129, but people who have already purchased a previous version of OS X can get an update CD from retailers for free during the next month. After that, the update CD will cost $20 for shipping costs.

Nimda worm may reactivate.
Posted: 09/28/2001  Source: CNET Added by: Kim Heise

Apparently the Nimda virus has a built in timer to reactive itself and wreak more havoc on the evening of September the 27th.

Since it is Friday now the impact of the second potential attack will unveil itself shortly.

Computer virus researchers are on the lookout for a new outbreak of the Nimda worm that may be set to propagate through e-mail systems exactly 10 days after its first occurrence.

Researchers at the Attack Registry and Intelligence Service (ARIS) have found code in the worm that could reactivate Nimda on Thursday evening, 10 days from the start of the original attacks on Sept. 18, according to Oliver Friedrichs, director of engineering at ARIS, which is sponsored by SecurityFocus.

ARIS is not the only virus watchdog group on the lookout for the latest Nimda threat.
"We are keeping an eye on this," said Roger Thompson, technical director of malicious code at TruSecure. "There is definitely some timer code within the worm, but I have not broken it down enough to get a close enough look to see exactly when" it is set to spread again.

The severity of the outbreak will depend on how many information-technology professionals and individual computer users have patched and cleaned up infected systems since the first Nimda attack, Thompson said.

"It will bang some people who aren't prepared, but nothing as traumatic as what happened last time," he said.

New virus disguised As vote on war.
Posted: 09/28/2001  Source: Information Week Added by: Kim Heise

One or more "good-for-nothing low-life scumbags" have decided to release a virus that attacks unsuspecting users who are interested in responding to issues about the recent insane attacks in on September the 11th in USA.

The amount of emotional and physical abuse that this tragic attack has created is staggering and anybody who makes use of the situation for personal gains is simply despicable.

New virus poses as program to collect votes about whether the United States should respond militarily to Sept. 11 attacks. But instead of collecting votes, it deletes files.

Some antivirus software vendors are warning of a new virus posing as a program to collect votes about whether the United States should respond militarily to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Instead of collecting votes, the virus deletes computer files.
The Trojan, sent via a mass mailing from Microsoft Outlook, currently appears with the subject line "Peace between America and Islam" and carries an attachment named WTC.exe, said an advisory from Computer Associates. The body of the E-mail contains the message: "Hi. Is it a war against America or Islam? Let's vote to live in Peace."

Both antivirus vendors Computer Associates and Trend Micro Inc. are reporting the Trojan as a medium-risk virus, but it still carries a destructive payload. Infected users will have their systems' C drive formatted. The virus also deletes certain antivirus products, and drops the files WTC.exe and mixDaLaL.vbs. The virus also replaces HTM and HTML files with the message: AmeRiCa . . . Few Days WiLL Show you What We Can Do ! ! ! it's Our Turn >>> ZaCkEr is So Sorry For you. The Trojan requires that the Visual Basic Runtime Library MSVBVM50.DLL be available on the targeted computer system.

A spokesman for antivirus vendor McAfee Corp. says there haven't been many infections related to the new Trojan, and most antivirus products offer protection against it. Says the spokesman, "The only news here is that the virus writers are using interest in the recent attacks as a social-engineering tactic."

Yahoo! offers virtual conferencing.
Posted: 09/28/2001  Source: Internet News Added by: Kim Heise

Yahoo will be offering a online virtual conferencing system shortly - take a look at the details below. The company is smart to keep moving into diverse internet technologies instead of simply relying on their popularity as a search engine.

As broadband internet connections become more available the ability to offer more sophisticated online services such as video/voice conferencing will be become more attractive.

Seeing an increasing demand for alternatives to traditional in-person business meetings, Internet portal Yahoo! Inc. launched new Internet broadcasting packages that will be available through the broadband services unit of its business communications division.

The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company (NASDAQ:YHOO) avoided mentioning the events of Sept. 11, but said that with travel and meeting costs rising and the recent travel restrictions, it is introducing Virtual Conference services and launching an Executive Communications Center.

"Yahoo!'s solutions will allow companies to continue vital communications that were centered around large scale meetings and maintain critical and focused outreach to customers, sales forces and business partners," said Jim Fanella, senior vice president of Yahoo!'s Business and Enterprise Services division.

It's also a step in the direction of monetizing the franchise, which Yahoo! has been working hard to do in the face of a decline in Internet advertising. It recently upgraded its other corporate offerings,, for example, and recently launched two new fee-based packages at its GeoCities unit -- GeoCities Pro and GeoCities Webmaster.

Consumer groups blast Windows XP in report.
Posted: 09/28/2001  Source: IDG.NET Added by: Kim Heise

Several consumer groups are shooting flak at Microsoft's upcoming Windows XP even before the new OS is available for sale. From my perspective, the user needs to personally decide if he/she is offended by Microsoft's polices and examine alternatives if the format proves "unsavory".

Microsoft Corp.'s upcoming Windows XP operating system will cause "significant harm" to consumers, said four consumer advocacy groups in a report released Wednesday.

Windows XP's tight integration with other software and restrictive licensing terms "not only mimic Microsoft's previous violations of antitrust laws, but also significantly add to them," the groups said in a prepared statement. The organizations' report -- "Windows XP/.Net: Microsoft's Expanding Monopoly" -- was written by Mark Cooper of the Consumer Federation of America and Christopher Murray of the Consumers Union. Media Access Project and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group also signed the analysis.

The organizations also sent a letter to several federal and state officials connected with the U.S. government's antitrust case against Microsoft, urging them to enact suitably severe measures to curb Microsoft's behavior and to appoint a special master to aggressively enforce the chosen remedies.

"Without severe penalties for failing to comply with the consent decree, Microsoft -- as evidenced by past behavior -- has no incentive to obey the law. Financial penalties for noncompliance should be sufficiently large as to be meaningful to a company with billions of dollars of cash on hand garnered through abuse of monopoly power," the groups wrote. "Break-up should be a continual threat available to the Court should it determine that Microsoft fails to comply with the conduct remedy."

Microsoft's Windows XP/.Net bundle contains commingled code, proprietary programming languages, restrictive licensing terms and obstacles to thwart users from taking advantage of competitors' products, according to the report. It also charges that Microsoft uses its software and services to deliver "misleading messages," suggesting that products other than its own might not provide adequate functionality and security.

Microsoft's Passport service of linked Web sites also poses risks to consumers, the authors said, noting the depth of data it allows Microsoft to gather -- data that includes credit card numbers, transaction and Internet usage data and personal information such as nicknames, address books, calendars and Web site bookmarks.

AMD to shut two Austin fabs and cut 2,300 jobs.
Posted: 09/28/2001  Source: EDTN Network Added by: Kim Heise

This is most unfortunate news since AMD is the last defense against Intel's strong arm tactics in the computer hardware market. The current and next generation CPU's from AMD are outstanding additions to any PC system for relatively low cost.

It is easy to throw rocks at Microsoft for monopolistic business practices but yet everybody ignores Intel's "bullying" business tactics.

From my personal opinion the difference between Microsoft and Intel in terms of monopoly is that Microsoft mostly announces any intentions whereas Intel "slips" the changes under the table. With all the scrutiny Microsoft receives the company cannot get away with introducing new "features" that may be considered questionable.

If AMD leaves the CPU market or decides to close it's doors for good expect the price of Intel CPU's to skyrocket and maintain unreasonable long periods of high cost.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. --Advanced Micro Devices Inc. said today it will shut down two of its fabs in Austin, Texas, and lay off 2,300 employees, or 15% of its workforce, by the end of the second quarter of 2002.

Approximately 1,000 of the positions are associated with the fabs in Austin, which largely represent AMD's foundry business. The balance of the cuts will result from realigning and restructuring operations in Penang, Malaysia, the company said today.

"These actions will allow us to reduce costs without impairing our new product development activities in pursuit of long-term growth opportunities," W.J. Sanders III, AMD's chairman and chief executive, said in a released statement. "We will treat all employees affected by these actions with fairness and respect, consistent with our values and our commitment to our people."

AMD will take a one-time charge of between $80 million and $110 million to cover the cost of restructuring activities and pay for other special charges in the current quarter. Ultimately, the cuts are expected to result in an overall annual cost reduction of approximately $125 million, the company said.

Qualcomm, Sega in deal for mobile phone games.
Posted: 09/28/2001  Source: EDTN Network Added by: Kim Heise

Like I had said the first time this was announced is that all we need is automobile users to be playing games as well as chatting on cell phones while driving down the freeway at 55-60mph.

I must admit that the release of classic gaming titles for the Palm PDA is rather exciting.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Japanese video game publisher Sega Corp. on Wednesday said it would develop video games for cellular phones based on a platform developed by Qualcomm Inc.

Qualcomm's BREW, which stands for Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless, is a system for bringing interactive, downloadable content to third-generation (3G) cellular phones.

Sega said it would have games ready for BREW-compatible handsets by December.

The deal is Sega's third foray into the handheld arena in the United States. The publisher announced earlier this year that it would abandon hardware to focus on developing games.

Sega also has announced deals to put its games on Palm OS and PocketPC handhelds, though none of those games are available yet. Sega already provides games for three different cell phone platforms in Japan.

Intel goes global with Via lawsuits.
Posted: 09/28/2001  Source: CNET Added by: Kim Heise

Intel has not been able to stop the rapid market expansion of Via in the motherboard chipset industry so now it is up their lawyers to stop the tidal wave. Using lawyers to stomp the competition is abuse of our legal system unless there are genuine legal reasons.

I would hardly imagine VIA would take the risk of stealing proprietary engineering technology from Intel - that would be far to risky.

Intel expanded its legal fight with Via Technologies on Wednesday by filing patent infringement suits in Germany, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.

The suits primarily revolve around a chipset released by Taiwan-based Via earlier this year that can be matched with Intel's Pentium 4 processor. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel claims Via's chipset, called the P4X266, violates eight of its patents.

Intel earlier this month filed a case in the U.S. District Court of Delaware against Via and S3 Graphics after licensing negotiations broke down.

For its part, Via disputes the contention and has filed its own patent infringement case in Texas. In its suit, Via, along with its Austin, Texas-based subsidiary Centaur Technology, claims the design of the Pentium 4 violates patents underlying its own microprocessors.

While the suits filed today are similar to Intel's first lawsuit, Intel has added causes of action alleging that Via's C3 microprocessor violates patents owned by Intel. To date, Intel has primarily sued Via over its chipsets.
 

Tyan's Tiger MP: Affordable Multiprocessing.
Posted: 09/28/2001  Source: Anandtech Added by: Kim Heise

It appears that Tyan will be rolling out the first generation of AMD dual processor motherboards utilizing the new Palomino CPU architecture. Very impressive for under $250.

Anand takes the new Tyan Tiger MP for a test drive.

Price difference between DDR and SDRAM narrowing significantly.
Posted: 09/28/2001  Source: Digitimes Added by: Kim Heise

I can hardly imagine the price of memory falling any lower but yet it still does. Maybe one day retailers will be giving away free RAM with the purchase of trivial items such as  printer paper or screen cleaners.

With the memory prices at a all time low there is very little excuse not to upgrade a system with as much memory as the motherboard will hold. If you are a Windows user figure on requiring at least 256MB of RAM for Windows 2000 or Windows 9x and as much as you can afford for Windows XP.

Nihon Keizai Shimbun has reported that the price of DDR SDRAM is now dropping quickly due to the terrorist attacks in the US and the oversupply resulting from semiconductor manufacturers shifting production from SDRAM to the more profitable DDR SDRAM.

Currently, the spot price of 128Mbit DDR SDRAM is US$1.50, down 25% from the end of August while that of 128Mbit SDRAM has declined 7% over the same period. The price difference between DDR SDRAM and SDRAM has narrowed from 60% to 10% since the spring.

Facial recognition systems mulled For U.S. airports.
Posted: 09/24/2001  Source: NewsBytes Added by: Kim Heise

In another related article I read that airlines were also considering a facial recognition system in the cockpit. This could prevent unauthorized passengers from commandeering the aircraft.

I'm curios to learn how well the system works with simple disguises such as fake beards or changing hair color.

Government and aviation officials are poised to begin using facial recognition systems to scan airport terminals for suspected terrorists, possibly including Reagan National Airport when it reopens, according to people involved in deliberations about how to improve security.
A government committee, which was appointed by Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta to revamp airport security, received a briefing Thursday from the inventor of a leading facial recognition system, who said equipment could be installed and operating within a few weeks.

Joseph Atick, president of Visionics Corp. of Jersey City, N.J., described to the committee how his FaceIt system could be linked to cameras at security checkpoints and transmit information about suspected terrorists to government officials via the Internet, creating what he called a "nationwide shield."

The committee, in a draft of a report to be presented to Mineta by Oct. 1, has included a recommendation to deploy such systems, a committee official said. Committee members also began considering Reagan National Airport as "an excellent prototype site," said the official, who requested anonymity.

There is no timetable for the reopening of Reagan National. Officials are also considering Boston's Logan International Airport and another international airport for initial deployment of facial recognition systems.

"It's a technology that holds a tremendous amount of promise," the committee official said. "We were impressed about how the technology works."

Stock market set to rally.
Posted: 09/24/2001  Source: Internet News Added by: Kim Heise

Now is the best time to pickup stock options that you have been considering due to the value of most stocks being at a all time low. If I had some spare change I would most certainly pick up some major stocks.

After the worst week for the market since 1933, stocks are set to gap up 3% or more this morning.

As we said on Friday, the odds for a rally are high here, and that rally could be a strong one. The market is deeply oversold here, and a rally to relieve some of those oversold conditions is to be expected.

However, even if this is the bottom, some sort of retest should be expected at some point. For starters, last week's plunge in the Dow may have completed a third wave down out of a likely five-wave Elliott move (see first chart below). That means that some sort of retest, either with a higher low or lower low, is the most likely scenario after a multi-day or multi-week rally.

Microsoft Corp. said on Friday that it would delay the launch of its XBox video game console by one week to Nov. 15 but declined to clarify exactly how many units it will have available at launch.

The decision was made ``after going through a review -- obviously doing a lot of reviewing this past week -- of our integrated systems for launch,'' said Robbie Bach, chief XBox officer for Microsoft.

Microsoft still plans to ship between 1 million and 1.5 million units to retailers by the end of the calendar year, Bach said.

When asked if Microsoft was sticking by its initial projection of 600,000 to 800,000 units at launch, or lowering it as had been speculated this week, Bach would not provide a figure, saying ``we've just moved on to not focusing on the day one number.''

Analysts, retailers, and game publishers have said that the number of consoles available on the launch day could be closer to 300,000.

Rev. 6.40 of The Definitive BIOS Optimization Guide posted.
Posted: 09/24/2001  Source: RojakPot Added by: Kim Heise

Arian Rojak Pot has sent me an email indicating that his much praised BIOS Optimization guide has been updated to version 6.40.

Adrian's Rojak Pot ( http://www.rojakpot.com/ ) just posted rev. 6.40 of
the definitive BIOS Optimization Guide! Here is the list of new BIOS features

- Refresh Interval
- Refresh Mode Select
- SDRAM Idle Limit

Win XP to debut on new PCs.
Posted: 09/24/2001  Source: ZDNET Added by: Kim Heise

Several major computer companies will be shipping new PC's preloaded with Windows XP. Not to sound like a Microsoft salesman (which I am not) I am very impressed with Windows XP performance and the improved GUI.

If you plan to purchase any new PC or laptop from this point forward that does not ship with Windows XP make sure you inquire with the place of purchase or manufacture for Windows XP upgrade deals.

If you plan to use Windows XP on a laptop or desktop computer install as much memory in your system that can possibly afford. Windows XP certainly does require plenty of memory space.

Hewlett-Packard, Compaq Computer and other PC makers will come out with new and fairly inexpensive Windows XP systems for the consumer market Monday, both in the United States and internationally.

At a minimum, PC manufacturers will bundle Windows XP on existing models. Dell Computer and Gateway, for example, have been taking preorders on existing machines loaded with Windows XP.

Prices for new desktops will start around $750 sans monitors, while Compaq will launch a notebook for $999. Rebates will further cut the actual retail price.

Officially, Windows XP won't debut until Oct. 25, but Microsoft is permitting PC makers to sell computers with the new OS on Monday. Initially, Microsoft instructed PC makers to soft-pedal the prelaunch. But subtlety appears to be falling by the wayside. And roughly 30 days after the Oct. 25 release, Windows XP will become the near-exclusive OS for consumer computers, according to sources in the PC industry.

Whether Windows XP will prompt consumers to buy new PCs has been one of the major debates in the industry this year.

Sony unveils palm-sized camcorder.
Posted: 09/24/2001  Source: CNET Added by: Kim Heise

Leave it to Sony to develop and ship impressive consumer electronics. Sony's new digital camcorder is about the size of a Palm Pilot or Windows CE PDA and only weighs 11 ounces.  While the price is not cheap at $1,720 give it a couple of months for the price to drop well below $1,000.

Another feature of the camera is the ability to surf the web or check email.

Sony has unveiled what it claims is the world's smallest network digital camcorder, measuring the length of a handheld computer and weighing less than 11 ounces.

Called the DCR-IP7E Network Handycam IP (Image Portal), the camcorder will be available in stores across Asia by November for $1,720 (2,999 Singapore dollars).

The unit allows video buffs to surf the Web and send e-mails with video attachments when used with a compatible Bluetooth-enabled cell phone or Sony's Bluetooth 56kbps modem adapter.

The camcorder can hold up to 50 e-mail messages and addresses. The device accepts JPEG, TIFF and MPEG attachments, which are automatically stored on the Sony Memory Stick when received as e-mail.

"This next generation of Network Handycams will give our customers the power to be mobile and the power to connect wirelessly to the Internet anywhere without a PC," said Andrew Chew, manager of visual network marketing at Sony Singapore.

The camcorder also doubles as a camera to record digital stills.

The Handycam comes with a 2.5-inch liquid-crystal display viewfinder. It has a USB connection for video downloads to PCs, as well as FireWire cables for two-way communications between the camcorder and a TV or PC.

New DSL standard offers faster speeds.
Posted: 09/24/2001  Source: CNET Added by: Kim Heise

Just days after the cable modem consortium announces a new and improved protocol, updated DSL standards are released that promise significant performance gains. If you are fortunate to receive DSL services in your neighborhood you will most certainly be pleased.

An emerging high-speed Internet standard in Europe holds potential for faster download speeds and broader availability for many U.S. businesses--if they're willing to wait a while.

Although DSL speeds vary widely, the new G.SHDSL could be two to three times faster than most versions of DSL targeted at business customers. The G.SHDSL standard also can deliver data farther than earlier DSL technologies, which are limited to a relatively short distance.

Some European communications carriers are using the faster DSL (digital subscriber line) technology on a limited basis.

VIA Donates $1 Million to aid Victims of Terrorist Attack in the US.
Posted: 09/24/2001  Source: Via Technologies Added by: Kim Heise

Not only do local companies donate significant amounts of money to help with the tragic event in the US but foreign companies that have benefited from the solid US economy have offered to help out - the latest from VIA.

Taipei, Taiwan, 19 September 2001, VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of core logic chipsets, microprocessors, and multimedia and communications chips, today confirmed that it is making a donation of US$1 million to aid the unfortunate victims of the attacks that took place in the USA on Tuesday 11 September.

"Like millions of people around the world, we were deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the terrible tragedy that occurred last Tuesday morning and we would like to extend our heartfelt prayers and condolences to all the victims and their families," commented Wenchi Chen, President and CEO of VIA Technologies, Inc. "This donation is the most practical way in which we can help people who have suffered from this horrific event."

The donation will be given to charitable organizations in the US providing relief to victims of the tragedy.

Athlon (Palomino) 1.4GHz Is Athlon XP 1600+!
Posted: 09/24/2001  Source: XBit Labs Added by: Kim Heise

AMD has announced several new versions of the new Athlon (Palomino) CPU and under a new name convention called Athlon XP. For marketing reasons AMD is jumping on board the release of Windows XP by renaming the CPU's accordingly.

Wait for the actual solid test results on the new AMD CPU's before making purchase decisions due to the remarking of the CPU VS. actual clock frequency. I suspect for marketing reasons this marking terminology is being used - I would prefer actual CPU frequencies being used as markers. This will only create confusion.

See the table below to what the new CPU marking entails.....

Desktop AMD Athlon CPUs built on the Palomino core will be launched this October.
These CPUs will be called ... Athlon XP! This is the first awaited "sensation". As you probably understand, the "XP" thing turned out a really attractive marketing trick due to the recent launching of the Windows XP operating system.
The second "sensation" is the introduction of the already mentioned Performance Rating, which seemed to have sunk into oblivion for a while. Athlon XP CPUs will be marked in the following way:

 

Intel expected to introduce 533MHz front side bus.
Posted: 09/24/2001  Source: Silicon Strategies Added by: Kim Heise

If Intel can pull this redesign of the memory architecture on systems in a reasonable amount of time the improved front side bus speed improvement would be rather impressive.

Intel Corp. will shortly introduce a 533-MHz front-side processor bus for the Pentium 4 processor, according to industry sources.

The faster bus is a logical extension of a quad-pumped 133-MHz bus that Intel developed for the previous Penitum III generation. An Intel processor spokesman said only that the firm "hasn't talked about a 533-MHz FSB."

The reported new bus would offer higher performance and take greater advantage of the PC266 double data rate memory, which would have a compatible clock speed match.

Intel is shipping its 845 DDR chipset now for customer qualification, expecting a fullscale production launch in Q1 '02.

The 533-MHz FSB would also benefit Rambus' Direct RDRAM memory. Sources expect Rambus to announce a next-generation 1.06-GHz speed Direct RDRAM at its rescheduled developers conference Oct. 22-23 in San Jose, Calif.

Nimda Virus wreaks havoc.
Posted: 09/24/2001  Source: Symantec Added by: Kim Heise

Although the Nimda virus assault on the internet is somewhat old news it is still creating major havoc overseas.

Below are links to updates/patches to protect your server from this new damaging virus.

W32.Nimda.A@mm is a new mass-mailing worm that utilizes multiple methods to spread itself. The worm sends itself out by email, searches for open network shares, attempts to copy itself to unpatched or already vulnerable Microsoft IIS web servers, and is a virus infecting both local files and files on remote network shares.

The worm uses the Unicode Web Traversal exploit. A patch and information regarding this exploit can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms00-078.asp.

When the worm arrives by email, the worm uses a MIME exploit allowing the virus to be executed just by reading or previewing the file. Information and a patch for this exploit can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS01-020.asp

Users visiting compromised Web servers will be prompted to download an .eml (Outlook Express) email file, which contains the worm as an attachment. This .eml file also uses the aforementioned MIME exploit. Users can disable 'File Download' in their internet security zones to prevent compromise.

Also, the worm will create open network shares on the infected computer, allowing access to the system. During this process the worm creates the guest account with Administrator privileges.