P2P-Zone - View Single Post - The Newspaper Shop -- Tuesday edition

walktalker · 04-12-01, 05:09 PM

'Goner' worm spreading fast
A mass-mailing e-mail worm started to spread quickly Tuesday, prompting antivirus software makers to advise their customers to upgrade their virus definitions. Dubbed Pentagone, Goner or Gone, the Visual Basic Script program spreads via e-mail and the messaging system ICQ. On infected computers, it stops most antivirus and security programs. MessageLabs has captured more than 23,000 e-mails containing copies of the worm, said Sunner, adding that the rate, now at about 100 messages per minute, is increasing.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp01

AOL pledges allegiance to Liberty
AOL Time Warner has joined a coalition of technology companies creating a common online registration and identity system to counter Microsoft's ambitions with its Passport service, an AOL spokesman confirmed Tuesday. AOL will become a founding member of the 34-company Liberty Alliance Project. The group will hold a governance meeting later this week to map out the steps it plans to take to establish this new technology.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Could XP allow hackers into your fridge?
Microsoft's release of a version of Windows XP that can squeeze into all sorts of devices, from slot machines to set-top boxes to cash registers, has a catch: If you're not careful, you could find that a virus has crashed your video recorder, or a hacker has invaded your refrigerator. With Windows XP Embedded, the software company is aiming to give makers of so-called "embedded" devices -- basically, any digital device that isn't a PC -- an easy way of building machines that are compatible with the software of the PC world, while including only as much complexity as is needed.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Microsoft urges EU to accept settlement
Microsoft is asking for European competition regulators to dismiss their investigation into the software company's business practices, arguing they should accept the settlement Microsoft has reached in the U.S. antitrust case. In a confidential 102-page court filing obtained by the Associated Press, Microsoft said that "all of the areas" of Europe's investigation are covered by the U.S. settlement, which has not yet been approved. Critics have said that the U.S. settlement will do nothing to limit Microsoft's monopolistic practices, which have already been ruled illegal. And EC officials have said that the investigation in Europe will continue, unaffected by Microsoft's settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

Bluetooth shipments start to take off
Three separate market reports are giving encouraging news for Bluetooth, suggesting that the wireless technology is at last beginning to catch on. Analysts projected that chipset shipments of Bluetooth, the short-range radio technology for connecting PCs, consumer gadgets and peripherals, will push above 5 million this year, with some estimates topping 13 million units. While the numbers are a fraction of what Bluetooth is eventually expected to achieve, analysts said they show the technology is on track to becoming ubiquitous.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02

States to sharpen claws in Microsoft case
A group of nine states plans to propose stiff sanctions against Microsoft that could include further opening the Windows source code and could extend to technologies not directly covered by the landmark antitrust case, sources say. The states are preparing to deliver a remedy proposal to U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on Friday to meet a court-imposed deadline. Microsoft has until Dec. 12 to respond to the legal filing. The remedy, if accepted, could go well beyond last month's settlement between the company and the government, which includes the Justice Department and half the states that were co-plaintiffs with the federal agency.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200...html?tag=mn_hd

Gateway wins White House
Gateway has won another term in the White House. The PC maker announced Tuesday that it has signed a deal to provide systems to the Office of Administration, whose duties include managing PC hardware for the White House. The deal is a blanket purchase agreement -- valued at $1.7 million -- to place Gateway PCs and other equipment throughout the White House, including the president's office. Gateway PCs are already used inside the West Wing, along with hardware from other manufacturers. This time the company was able to win top spot in an open bidding process against Dell Computer, a source familiar with the bidding process said.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200...html?tag=mn_hd

RealNetworks plugs in MusicNet
RealNetworks launched its much-anticipated subscription service for online music Tuesday, offering a major test of consumer demand for paid content on the Web. The service, known as RealOne Music, comes amid a flurry of similar announcements -- and a chorus of skepticism about the prospects for paid subscriptions in the face of free songs available on file-swapping services popularized by Napster. As reported earlier, RealNetworks said it will charge $9.95 a month for the service on its own, or $19.95 a month as part of a larger package of content that includes exclusive sports, entertainment and news programming.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=mn_hd

Mixed reviews for EchoStar-DirecTV deal
Lawmakers said on Tuesday they were split over whether satellite television provider EchoStar Communications' purchase of rival DirecTV would decrease competition in the pay-television market and lead to higher prices. While EchoStar Chief Executive Charlie Ergen admitted the deal would result in less competition in some areas, he added that it would offer new services such as high-speed Internet access that otherwise would not be readily available.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200...html?tag=mn_hd

Online kiosks aid abused women
Women who are victims of domestic violence will soon be able to turn to technology for help. London women who suffer mental and physical abuse by their spouses or partners will be able to find and contact support services via the net-connected kiosks that dot some of the capital's streets. The project has the backing of charities working to end domestic violence.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci...00/1691434.stm

Ameritrade glitch stops some Web trades
Weeks after Ameritrade bought National Discount Brokers, corporate customers whose accounts were automatically transferred to the new company can't make stock trades or get account information online because of a data transfer problem. Ameritrade spokeswoman Donna Kush said they got the customer information in an unusable form from AST StockPlan, which administers the accounts and acted as a middleman between NDB and NDB's corporate clients.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200...html?tag=cd_mh

Will DSL benefit from Excite@Home fiasco?
A major cable provider is dead. Long live DSL. That's the message from some leading digital subscriber line (DSL) companies, which are offering free installation and other perks to customers without high-speed Internet access because of Excite@Home's bankruptcy proceedings. Since Saturday, when Excite@Home terminated service to AT&T customers, cable companies have migrated more than half of Excite@Home's 4.1 million customers to their independent networks.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200...html?tag=cd_mh

Army nominee stresses high-tech needs
Claude Bolton, nominated to head acquisitions, logistics and technology for the U.S. Army, on Tuesday underscored the importance of science and technology and maintaining a qualified work force. Bolton, a trained fighter pilot with 22 years of active duty with the U.S. Air Force, told the Senate Armed Services Committee one of the biggest challenges facing the Army is its effort to become an innovative and flexible high-tech force.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh

Vivendi trims staff in new division
French media giant Vivendi Universal said Tuesday that it is restructuring a recently created online business unit, cutting 20 percent of the division's work force. Vivendi Universal Net USA Group will eliminate 130 jobs, focusing on redundant positions in finance, human resources, marketing and sales, Vivendi said. Staff members, who will be given compensation packages, are being notified this week. The company said the cuts are intended to move the unit toward profitability. Vivendi further said that GetMusic Chief Executive Andrew Nibley will leave the company to pursue other interests. Nibley is not among the 130 employees who will be laid off.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh

Online-ad sales continue to slide
U.S. Internet-advertising sales hit $5.55 billion for the first nine months of 2001, slipping 8.4 percent from the same period last year, according to a report released Tuesday. Advertising revenues totaled $1.79 billion in the third quarter, off 4.1 percent from $1.87 billion in the previous quarter, according to industry trade group the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). The decline is the industry's third straight dip in quarterly sales. The IAB's quarterly report, the Internet Ad Revenue Report, is conducted independently by PricewaterhouseCoopers' New Media Group.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh

FBI builds cybercrime division
The FBI announced Monday that, as part of its latest reorganization, the agency is forming a Cybercrime Division to handle intellectual-property, high-tech and computer crimes. The new organization shifts 11 existing divisions into four new units, said spokeswoman Deborah Weierman. The Cybercrime Division will be paired with the Criminal Investigation Division under Ruben Garcia Jr., the new executive assistant director for Criminal Investigations. The three other divisions are Counterterrorism / Counterintelligence, Law Enforcement Services, and Administration.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh

United Online cuts off some paying customers
United Online said Monday that it has stopped providing Internet service to some paying subscribers in a move to keep afloat through the economic storm. The Internet service provider, formed earlier this year through the merger of NetZero and Juno Online Services, said it sent termination notices to "a small percentage" of paying subscribers Friday. "Based upon certain factors, including the cost of telecommunications services in (those customers') area and their pattern of usage of our service, it has become cost-prohibitive to continue providing their current service," the company said in a statement.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh

Devices keep finger on wearer's pulse, place
It sees you when you're sleeping and knows when you're awake -- and it can keep track of your heart rate, body temperature and geographic location. No word yet on whether that means it knows if you've been bad or good. Applied Digital Solutions is launching a new line of products under the "Digital Angel" name that allow the monitoring of a person's whereabouts and vital statistics. The company began testing the devices last month and is launching a national campaign in southern Florida.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200...html?tag=cd_mh

Kodak, Sanyo go organic in screen venture
Sanyo Electric, Japan's third-largest consumer electronics maker, and photo film giant Eastman Kodak on Tuesday unveiled plans for the world's first mass production of ultrathin, next-generation displays. A joint venture, targeted for total investment of $400 million, would expand cooperation between the two in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays and aims to get a head start on a slew of rivals in the hot new technology.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200...html?tag=cd_mh

More news later on

04-12-01, 05:09 PM	#1
walktalker The local newspaper man Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Montreal Posts: 2,036	The Newspaper Shop -- Tuesday edition 'Goner' worm spreading fast A mass-mailing e-mail worm started to spread quickly Tuesday, prompting antivirus software makers to advise their customers to upgrade their virus definitions. Dubbed Pentagone, Goner or Gone, the Visual Basic Script program spreads via e-mail and the messaging system ICQ. On infected computers, it stops most antivirus and security programs. MessageLabs has captured more than 23,000 e-mails containing copies of the worm, said Sunner, adding that the rate, now at about 100 messages per minute, is increasing. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp01 AOL pledges allegiance to Liberty AOL Time Warner has joined a coalition of technology companies creating a common online registration and identity system to counter Microsoft's ambitions with its Passport service, an AOL spokesman confirmed Tuesday. AOL will become a founding member of the 34-company Liberty Alliance Project. The group will hold a governance meeting later this week to map out the steps it plans to take to establish this new technology. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02 Could XP allow hackers into your fridge? Microsoft's release of a version of Windows XP that can squeeze into all sorts of devices, from slot machines to set-top boxes to cash registers, has a catch: If you're not careful, you could find that a virus has crashed your video recorder, or a hacker has invaded your refrigerator. With Windows XP Embedded, the software company is aiming to give makers of so-called "embedded" devices -- basically, any digital device that isn't a PC -- an easy way of building machines that are compatible with the software of the PC world, while including only as much complexity as is needed. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02 Microsoft urges EU to accept settlement Microsoft is asking for European competition regulators to dismiss their investigation into the software company's business practices, arguing they should accept the settlement Microsoft has reached in the U.S. antitrust case. In a confidential 102-page court filing obtained by the Associated Press, Microsoft said that "all of the areas" of Europe's investigation are covered by the U.S. settlement, which has not yet been approved. Critics have said that the U.S. settlement will do nothing to limit Microsoft's monopolistic practices, which have already been ruled illegal. And EC officials have said that the investigation in Europe will continue, unaffected by Microsoft's settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02 Bluetooth shipments start to take off Three separate market reports are giving encouraging news for Bluetooth, suggesting that the wireless technology is at last beginning to catch on. Analysts projected that chipset shipments of Bluetooth, the short-range radio technology for connecting PCs, consumer gadgets and peripherals, will push above 5 million this year, with some estimates topping 13 million units. While the numbers are a fraction of what Bluetooth is eventually expected to achieve, analysts said they show the technology is on track to becoming ubiquitous. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...kpt=zdnnp1tp02 States to sharpen claws in Microsoft case A group of nine states plans to propose stiff sanctions against Microsoft that could include further opening the Windows source code and could extend to technologies not directly covered by the landmark antitrust case, sources say. The states are preparing to deliver a remedy proposal to U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on Friday to meet a court-imposed deadline. Microsoft has until Dec. 12 to respond to the legal filing. The remedy, if accepted, could go well beyond last month's settlement between the company and the government, which includes the Justice Department and half the states that were co-plaintiffs with the federal agency. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200...html?tag=mn_hd Gateway wins White House Gateway has won another term in the White House. The PC maker announced Tuesday that it has signed a deal to provide systems to the Office of Administration, whose duties include managing PC hardware for the White House. The deal is a blanket purchase agreement -- valued at $1.7 million -- to place Gateway PCs and other equipment throughout the White House, including the president's office. Gateway PCs are already used inside the West Wing, along with hardware from other manufacturers. This time the company was able to win top spot in an open bidding process against Dell Computer, a source familiar with the bidding process said. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200...html?tag=mn_hd RealNetworks plugs in MusicNet RealNetworks launched its much-anticipated subscription service for online music Tuesday, offering a major test of consumer demand for paid content on the Web. The service, known as RealOne Music, comes amid a flurry of similar announcements -- and a chorus of skepticism about the prospects for paid subscriptions in the face of free songs available on file-swapping services popularized by Napster. As reported earlier, RealNetworks said it will charge $9.95 a month for the service on its own, or $19.95 a month as part of a larger package of content that includes exclusive sports, entertainment and news programming. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=mn_hd Mixed reviews for EchoStar-DirecTV deal Lawmakers said on Tuesday they were split over whether satellite television provider EchoStar Communications' purchase of rival DirecTV would decrease competition in the pay-television market and lead to higher prices. While EchoStar Chief Executive Charlie Ergen admitted the deal would result in less competition in some areas, he added that it would offer new services such as high-speed Internet access that otherwise would not be readily available. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200...html?tag=mn_hd Online kiosks aid abused women Women who are victims of domestic violence will soon be able to turn to technology for help. London women who suffer mental and physical abuse by their spouses or partners will be able to find and contact support services via the net-connected kiosks that dot some of the capital's streets. The project has the backing of charities working to end domestic violence. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci...00/1691434.stm Ameritrade glitch stops some Web trades Weeks after Ameritrade bought National Discount Brokers, corporate customers whose accounts were automatically transferred to the new company can't make stock trades or get account information online because of a data transfer problem. Ameritrade spokeswoman Donna Kush said they got the customer information in an unusable form from AST StockPlan, which administers the accounts and acted as a middleman between NDB and NDB's corporate clients. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200...html?tag=cd_mh Will DSL benefit from Excite@Home fiasco? A major cable provider is dead. Long live DSL. That's the message from some leading digital subscriber line (DSL) companies, which are offering free installation and other perks to customers without high-speed Internet access because of Excite@Home's bankruptcy proceedings. Since Saturday, when Excite@Home terminated service to AT&T customers, cable companies have migrated more than half of Excite@Home's 4.1 million customers to their independent networks. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200...html?tag=cd_mh Army nominee stresses high-tech needs Claude Bolton, nominated to head acquisitions, logistics and technology for the U.S. Army, on Tuesday underscored the importance of science and technology and maintaining a qualified work force. Bolton, a trained fighter pilot with 22 years of active duty with the U.S. Air Force, told the Senate Armed Services Committee one of the biggest challenges facing the Army is its effort to become an innovative and flexible high-tech force. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh Vivendi trims staff in new division French media giant Vivendi Universal said Tuesday that it is restructuring a recently created online business unit, cutting 20 percent of the division's work force. Vivendi Universal Net USA Group will eliminate 130 jobs, focusing on redundant positions in finance, human resources, marketing and sales, Vivendi said. Staff members, who will be given compensation packages, are being notified this week. The company said the cuts are intended to move the unit toward profitability. Vivendi further said that GetMusic Chief Executive Andrew Nibley will leave the company to pursue other interests. Nibley is not among the 130 employees who will be laid off. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh Online-ad sales continue to slide U.S. Internet-advertising sales hit $5.55 billion for the first nine months of 2001, slipping 8.4 percent from the same period last year, according to a report released Tuesday. Advertising revenues totaled $1.79 billion in the third quarter, off 4.1 percent from $1.87 billion in the previous quarter, according to industry trade group the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). The decline is the industry's third straight dip in quarterly sales. The IAB's quarterly report, the Internet Ad Revenue Report, is conducted independently by PricewaterhouseCoopers' New Media Group. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh FBI builds cybercrime division The FBI announced Monday that, as part of its latest reorganization, the agency is forming a Cybercrime Division to handle intellectual-property, high-tech and computer crimes. The new organization shifts 11 existing divisions into four new units, said spokeswoman Deborah Weierman. The Cybercrime Division will be paired with the Criminal Investigation Division under Ruben Garcia Jr., the new executive assistant director for Criminal Investigations. The three other divisions are Counterterrorism / Counterintelligence, Law Enforcement Services, and Administration. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh United Online cuts off some paying customers United Online said Monday that it has stopped providing Internet service to some paying subscribers in a move to keep afloat through the economic storm. The Internet service provider, formed earlier this year through the merger of NetZero and Juno Online Services, said it sent termination notices to "a small percentage" of paying subscribers Friday. "Based upon certain factors, including the cost of telecommunications services in (those customers') area and their pattern of usage of our service, it has become cost-prohibitive to continue providing their current service," the company said in a statement. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=cd_mh Devices keep finger on wearer's pulse, place It sees you when you're sleeping and knows when you're awake -- and it can keep track of your heart rate, body temperature and geographic location. No word yet on whether that means it knows if you've been bad or good. Applied Digital Solutions is launching a new line of products under the "Digital Angel" name that allow the monitoring of a person's whereabouts and vital statistics. The company began testing the devices last month and is launching a national campaign in southern Florida. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200...html?tag=cd_mh Kodak, Sanyo go organic in screen venture Sanyo Electric, Japan's third-largest consumer electronics maker, and photo film giant Eastman Kodak on Tuesday unveiled plans for the world's first mass production of ultrathin, next-generation displays. A joint venture, targeted for total investment of $400 million, would expand cooperation between the two in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays and aims to get a head start on a slew of rivals in the hot new technology. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200...html?tag=cd_mh More news later on __________________ This post was sponsored by Netcoco, who wants cookies, cookies, cookies and, you guessed it, more cookies