AMD opens the transistor gates
Advanced Micro Devices has created new high-performance transistors in its labs based on the simple concept that sometimes two are better than one. The chipmaker said Tuesday it has manufactured in its labs a new kind of transistor with two pathways, or gates, for electricity -- instead of one. The new transistor design can double the amount of electricity that flows through a transistor, similar to the way that adding extra lanes can increase the capacity of a highway. AMD is the latest major chipmaker to announce work on so-called double-gate transistors that are based on a design called the Fin Field Effect Transistor (Fin-Fet).
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103-957279.html
Yahoo, ISPs dig in against labels
Yahoo and Internet service providers have sided with Verizon Communications in its legal spat with the recording industry over revealing the identity of an alleged peer-to-peer pirate. In court papers filed late Monday, the groups said that the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has not followed the law in its efforts to learn more about a Kazaa user accused of trading illicit music files. Monday's move highlights the latest battle lines that have been struck in the legal war over peer-to-peer networks. On one side are Internet companies, civil liberties groups and telecommunications providers, an alliance that is opposed by the RIAA and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-957332.html
MS buys security software specialist
Microsoft on Tuesday announced it is acquiring XDegrees, a maker of security software, in a move to further the software giant's goal of improving Windows security. XDegrees, a small company based in Mountain View, Calif., makes products to secure information access across computer systems installed in large companies. The company plans to relocate to Redmond, Wash. Financial terms and the number of employees involved in the deal were not disclosed. The company's technology will likely find a home as part of Microsoft's ongoing projects to secure its Windows operating system and related applications. As Microsoft devises new designs for Web services and data storage systems, the company finds itself still trying to convince technology buyers that it can build secure systems in the face of a long list of security flaws affecting Windows, Internet Explorer, Internet Information Server and other products.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-957366.html
Security pros: Our defenses are down
Though most corporate security professionals see network protection as critical, they have only made modest gains in securing their companies, according to a report published Monday. The Internet Security Alliance's survey of 227 information security professionals worldwide found that nearly 88 percent of participants believed that protecting their business information was essential to their company's survival. But only 56 percent are prepared for cyberterrorism and information threats, up 20 percent since the Sept. 11 attacks.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-957219.html
Faster Wi-Fi standard gets nod
A new wireless standard five times faster than Wi-Fi got an important approval Monday. The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) said Monday that a draft of the standard, 802.11g, passed the first of several votes needed before it's ultimately approved. The IEEE said it intends to finalize the 802.11g standard by May 2003. The 802.11g standard is part of the thicket of wireless networking standards. The most popular is Wi-Fi, or 802.11b, which has been installed in 15 million to 18 million homes and offices worldwide. The networks provide wireless Internet access within a radius of about 300 feet of an access point. The 802.11g network is much faster, although it operates in the same radio frequency as Wi-Fi.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1105-957229.html
RIAA, file-swappers ask for trial's end
Both sides want to end the copyright infringement lawsuit against popular file-swapping services Kazaa, Morpheus and Grokster quickly -- they just disagree on who should win. Attorneys for the record labels, movie studios and music publishers trade groups filed papers Monday asking a federal judge for summary judgment, or a ruling against the file-swapping companies before going to a full trial. The groups submitted sealed arguments they said stemmed from six months of investigation proving the file-swapping companies knowingly contributed to widespread copyright infringement. All three companies have done their best to emulate Napster's success, creating "candy stores of infringement that allow a user to find the most popular music and movies of our time without paying any of the rights holders," the trade groups said.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-957227.html
Is roaming coming to Wi-Fi?
Networking groups around the globe are working on ways for Web surfers to roam on any number of wireless networks -- just as mobile phone users roam on cellular networks. The popularity of Wi-Fi -- which features networking nodes that use the 802.11b wireless technology to broadcast an Internet connection over a radius of 300 feet -- has spawned a number of independent companies that offer wireless services. Yet it is difficult, and prohibitively expensive, for many customers of a Wi-Fi service to use the network of another. The barrier to wireless roaming lies not in technology, but in that carriers have only just started to iron out billing issues. "The bits, the bytes and the hardware exist for roaming. We just need someone to start pulling it all together," said Barry Davis, Intel's director of platform architecture. He's attending a meeting this week of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) in Monterey, Calif., held to discuss how to jumpstart Wi-Fi roaming.
http://news.com.com/2100-1033-957411.html?tag=fd_top
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