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Server hole lets Win XP preview go free 
A security hole in servers run by Conxion, Microsoft's Web hosting partner, allowed people to download a testing version of Windows XP without paying for it for the second time in two weeks. The glitch, reported Monday by people attempting to download the software and confirmed by CNET News.com, underscores ongoing problems Microsoft has encountered in delivering preview versions of the new operating system to more than 100,000 testers. Those people paid between $10 and $20 for the right to get the software. Microsoft launched the Windows XP Preview Program on July 2 and ran into trouble right away. A problem discovered during the first week of the program created a back door that allowed free downloads of Windows XP for about 30 hours before it was patched.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...chkpt=zdnn_tp_
Easy season for open source
The day-traders are gone from the Linux scene, the hype is down to manageable levels, yet the news still indicates increasing momentum for open-source-based projects and businesses. Within the last few months we have seen the emergence of new distribution releases based on the Linux 2.4 kernel as well as new releases of XFree86, KDE, Samba, and other packages. When 2.4.0 was released in January I said it wasn't time to cheer yet. Well, that time has come. Red Hat, SuSE, and Caldera all have released major upgrades. Corel and Storm are gone, but Progeny seems more than capable of filling in with a capable Debian-based commercial OS. Even Slackware received a major update recently.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/co...784056,00.html
Time to hack for human rights
Human rights activists put out a call to hackers here to help get the word out about their cause -- not by having them deface sites, but by creating applications that can help the organizations manage data. Greg Walton, a freelance human rights researcher, spoke to hackers at the Def Con conference in support of the Hacktivismo project, an attempt to create an anonymous, private way of getting human rights information across the Internet while protecting the identities of those who report the abuses. "We are talking about more constructive, more positive ways of dealing with human rights abuses," said Walton, who is studying how the Chinese government is censoring the Internet for its citizens. "It's not ethical to own someone's Web site as a way of getting the message out."
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...094156,00.html
Def Con wears a white hat now
Is hacking starting to lose its culture? Though black clothing still dominated and clusters of hackers exchanging information was still the norm, the crowd at this year's Def Con was older and appeared to be far more professional. "It is more laid back this year," acknowledged Jeff Moss, the founder of the conference, now in its ninth year. "It is more a reflection of what is going on in the hacking community." While the hacking counterculture was still in attendance, its members seemed in the minority at the gathering of 4,500-plus people. Professional security consultants made up a large percentage, and law-enforcement and military officers padded out the majority.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...094189,00.html
Microsoft's MP3 deal requires users to pay
Consumers looking to rip MP3s using Windows XP's media player will have to pay as much as $30 extra for the capability. Microsoft has changed its mind on MP3 support for its upcoming Windows XP operating system. The company originally planned to ship Windows XP with low-quality MP3 recording capabilities, leading to charges that the company favored its own Windows Media Audio (WMA) format instead. On Monday, Microsoft said it will work with third-party companies to deliver Windows XP's MP3 ripping and DVD playback capabilities. The company announced two Windows XP add-on packs, one providing full MP3 support and the other DVD playback.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...094161,00.html
Microsoft moves to appease the DOJ
Microsoft Corp. contacted a top Justice Department official last week to propose new settlement negotiations in the long-running antitrust suit, people close to the case said. The Redmond, Wash., software giant called Charles James, the Justice Department antitrust chief, shortly before the company announced plans to ease certain license restrictions in its dominant Windows operating system. That move was separate from the private effort to restart talks, and wasn't taken in consultation with U.S. officials, those close to the case said.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...787076,00.html
Russian Mafia threatens Net
Organized crime rings in Russia and the rest of the former Soviet Union are increasingly hacking into U.S. e-commerce and banking Web sites, posing an enormous economic threat. Hackers have launched computer viruses and disruptive denial-of-service attacks, but the biggest danger comes from hackers with ties to organized crime breaking into computers, FBI officials said. Spearheading the organized hacking rings is the Russian Mafia, security experts say. The Russian Mafia has infiltrated many businesses in the former Soviet Union, and is becoming increasingly sophisticated in computer crimes.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...784950,00.html
A new beginning for Microsoft?
No one would argue that Microsoft's newly announced concessions to computer makers mark an end to the monopolist threat posed by the Windows operating system. But critics who insisted last week that the concessions were nothing more than a cosmetic change in the company's policy clearly don't understand their full implications. Microsoft has not only changed the rules for computer makers; it has conceded a fundamental tenet of the government's case--that its own right to innovate does not supersede the rights of consumers to benefit from true competition. The only question now is whether Microsoft will apply the same principles to new features in Windows XP.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/co...pt=zdnn_nbs_hl
David Bowie rocks toddlers with Web radio
Now that his fans are getting a little long in the tooth, David Bowie is targeting toddlers, a demographic not generally seen at his rock concerts. Inspired by his baby daughter, Alexandria, the 54-year-old musician has launched an Internet radio station for children, called Kick Out the Jammies, his spokesman said this week. The station, which debuted Thursday through his Web site, offers an eclectic mix of music, befitting Bowie's own unpredictable career. Undemanding urchins will drool over "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Purple People Eater," while sophisticated tykes will surely scream to Mozart, the Rolling Stones and Steven Sondheim.
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/ne...pt=zdnn_nbs_hl
Software download patent refuses to die
A federal appeals court has for the second time breathed life into a patent that could force software vendors to pay licensing fees to sell their products directly over the Internet. A full panel of judges on the Federal Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Friday ordered a lower court that effectively had thrown out the patent to reconsider its scope more broadly. The decision is a setback for software makers including Intuit and AOL Time Warner's CompuServe unit, which have been battling a small Secaucus, N.J.-based company known as E-Data for years over the patent, which dates back to 1985. E-Data's defendants say the company's claim would entitle it to licensing fees for all Internet software downloads.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=mn_hd
Honesty isn't a policy, laid-off techies say
Lies, disrespect, sneak attacks: When it comes to pink slips, few technology companies deliver the news with dignity and truthfulness. That's the conclusion of a survey released Monday by Bloomington, Minn.-based Techies.com, a career portal for information technology workers. Researchers determined that laid-off employees value truthfulness more than any other factor--but only a minority of cost-cutting bosses are willing to be blunt in face-to-face conversations. Two out of five workers received the news directly from their immediate supervisor, while most received the news from a higher-level manager, human resources executive or even a contractor hired specifically to deliver the harsh news. An unlucky 4 percent heard word from media reports, and another 4 percent heard the news via an impersonal e-mail.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200...html?tag=mn_hd
Scour tunes in to Web radio
Scour.com, known as one of the early pioneers of controversial file-swapping services such as Napster, is setting its sights on Internet radio. Scour.com has partnered with online radio-programming provider RadioCentral and on Tuesday will launch three new Internet radio stations, offering music fans a choice of hip hop, electronic and rock music. Scour's move into Internet radio comes as it tries to recover from legal troubles and bankruptcy woes that led to its takeover last year by peer-to-peer company CenterSpan Communications. CenterSpan purchased Scour's technology assets and kicked off a legal version of its service a few months later.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200...html?tag=mn_hd
The legal weakness of Web "terms and conditions"
Every one of us has signed a contract at some point without reading it. Whether it's at a car rental agency or the doctor's office, sometimes we sign on the dotted line because we don't want to be bothered by reading the fine print -- which isn't negotiable anyway, so why bother? In some instances, we don't even get a chance to read the terms of a contract before we pay our due--such as with insurance policies and airplane tickets. The same holds true in the high-tech world, where off-the-shelf software comes packaged with "shrink-wrap" licenses -- agreements printed inside the box or incorporated into the software itself. These agreements, which we can't even see until we've bought the software, contain important terms about what users can -- and can't -- do with the software.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1276-210...html?tag=bt_pr
Why can't Johnny respect copyrights?
If members of the U.K.'s Creative Industries Task Force have their way, British teenagers will soon be cramming for tests on intellectual property law and the legal implications of file-sharing. Schoolkids who download illicit MP3 files, cut and paste newspaper articles or e-mail them, or exchange JPEG files of Britney Spears will learn the error of their ways -- at least according to the copyright officials. Classroom indoctrination is one way of targeting the Napster demographic. But can it work?
http://salon.com/tech/feature/2001/0..._ip/index.html
Government seeks to speed Microsoft case
The government on Friday asked an appeals court to issue an order promptly moving the Microsoft case back to the trial court. If honored, the request would mean that the government could go forward with the case immediately rather than waiting until mid-August. The government would otherwise have to wait 52 days from the Court of Appeals' June 28 decision before the case would return to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The action could be a sign that the government will seek some kind of injunction against Microsoft before the new Windows XP operating system ships in October.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200...html?tag=ch_mh
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