IT Week (UK) articles from August 2005

IT Week (UK) archives from August 2005

Comment - Law and disorder on the wireless LAN. Are easily-accessible unsecured wireless LANs turning mobile surfers into law-breaking hackers?(Column)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Neil Barrett. I have a friend, let's call him "Mark", who decided to move out of his comfortable flat and live on a narrow boat. The greatest wrench for him was the loss of his broadband access. But within days he was back online,...

Special Report - Mobile Communications - Need for speed leaves GSM in the past. In the first of a two-part report, IT Week looks at the rapidly-changing world of mobile communications.
August 1, 2005... Even through the sluggish economy of the past five years, the mobile communications industry has been characterised by rapid change and heavy investment as suppliers have sought the next big thing to unlock wallets. The pitch to businesses is...

Special Report - Mobile Communications - Talking the talk in a changing world.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Martin Veitch. GSM Global System for Mobile communications, developed in the late 1980s. SMS text messaging over GSM has been a huge, unexpected success but now there is a demand for greater bandwidth. Edge Enhanced Data GSM...

Enterprise Week - Oracle falls short of a perfect 10.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Roger Howorth. Many of the security problems with the latest release of Oracle's database software, version 10, are unlikely to cause difficulties for firms, because most Oracle sites use version 9 and so will not be affected,...

Enterprise Week - Latest StarTeam eases development process.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Roger Howorth. Software development tool specialist Borland last week released StarTeam 2005 Release 2. The update is designed to help large development teams manage the entire lifecycle of projects, from initial specification to...

Enterprise Week - Comment - Vendors slip up on flaw polish. Software vendors say security is top of their agenda, but do they really do all they can to check code?
August 1, 2005... Byline: Roger Howorth. I guess one of the computer industry's dirty little secrets is that writing software is not really as difficult as it sounds. Vendors try to dress it up with buzz words such as "paradigm" and "rocket science", but in...

Enterprise Week - Sun buys content control strength. Document management Analysis by Martin Banks.
August 1, 2005... The acquisition of StorageTek will give Sun more credibility in storage and more tools for content management. But integration of the two lines poses a challenge. Sun Microsystems' decision to spend $4.1bn on the acquisition of StorageTek...

Enterprise Week - Delays hit next Firefox.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The next version of the open-source Firefox web browser will be delayed until September, the Mozilla Foundation announced last week. The browser update will be labelled version 1.5 and codenamed Deer Park. Version 1.4, which is due in...

Internet Week - Comment - Is your company ready for web 2.0? A new generation of interactive sites and applications has important implications for business.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Tim Anderson. Google is there. Yahoo is on the way. Microsoft is trying hard to be there but is weighed down by a ton of legacy baggage. What I am talking about is web 2.0, a new perception of the internet characterised by...

Client Week - Renamed Longhorn beta arrives.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Daniel Robinson. Microsoft last week released the first beta of its next Windows client, formerly codenamed Longhorn but now named Vista. The release, aimed primarily at developers, is designed to improve security, deployment,...

Client Week - Comment - Is Eiger really a thin-client Windows? The Eiger version of Windows will run on old hardware and promises security equivalent to XP SP2.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Daniel Robinson. If surveys are right, many companies still use Windows 98 or even Windows 95 on desktops. Typically, they run on older kit, and an upgrade to Windows XP would require newer hardware - an expense that many firms are...

Network Week - Mobile phone for GSM and WLAN.(Global System for Mobile Communications)(wireless LAN)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Phil Muncaster. Cisco and Motorola announced last week that they have joined forces to develop a dual-mode GSM and voice over wireless LAN (VoWLAN) phone, which could boost staff productivity and make it easier for systems...

Network Week - Comment - Sympathy for the network manager. As more staff troubleshoot systems at home, the status of network administrators should increase.(Column)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Dave Bailey. Lots of staff have done it. Arrived at work, switched on the computer, grabbed some coffee from a vending machine, fired up the browser, only to be greeted by "The page cannot be displayed". Howls of frustration and...

Network Week - WLANs gain RF sensors.(Network Chemistry, Redwood City, CA, introduces radio-frequency sensors)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Carmen Nobel. Wireless vendor Network Chemistry last week announced plans to make its radio-frequency (RF) sensor software available for several wireless LAN hardware platforms, allowing third-party access points to work as RF...

Network Week - Ethereal 0.10.11 packet analyser Review - Packet analyser proves free and easy. Ethereal is a versatile open-source tool that can run on most operating systems.(Product/Service Evaluation)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Dave Bailey. Released in early May, version 0.10.11 of the Ethereal packet analysis software is technically still a beta release. It is an open-source system released under the GNU General Public Licence (GPL). The software runs on...

Management Week - BI and BPM vendors join forces.
August 1, 2005... Byline: James Murray. New acquisitions in the business intelligence (BI) and business performance management (BPM) software sector promise to make it easier for firms to deploy the technologies and allow more staff to access them. BI...

Management Week - Consolidation frenzy simplifies IT purchasing.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: James Murray. Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity among European IT companies soared to a five-year high in the first half of 2005, indicating growing financial stability among leading IT providers, according to a new report. ...

Management Week - Government hits back over ID costs.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Phil Muncaster. The government has denied claims by the London School of Economics (LSE) that it massively underestimates the cost of its proposed identity card scheme, but experts warned that firms deploying related technology are...

Management Week - Comment - SAP joins hosted CRM bandwagon.
August 1, 2005... Byline: Ken Young. How are the latest developments at SAP and its rivalry with Oracle likely to affect customers? Are SAP customers about to get a better deal? Last week SAP announced what it had once said was not needed - it is to...

Management Week - IT security Interview - Online crime fighters call for action. The CSIA's chief explains how standards, technology and education can fight IT crime.(US Cyber Security Industry Alliance)(Interview)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Phil Muncaster. IT Week: As executive director of lobbying group the US Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA), how do you think Europe's approach to IT security differs to that of the US? Paul Kurtz: I think Europe has a more...

Next-generation Windows arrives in beta.
August 1, 2005... Byline: James Murray and Roger Howorth. Last week's beta release of Microsoft's long-delayed Windows Vista operating system, formerly called Longhorn, has persuaded few experts that firms will rush to upgrade when the full release arrives...

Electric shock for IT bill payers.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... As soaring electricity prices lead to big bills for IT, experts are urging buyers to restate usage policies and consider low-power technologies. Powergen is to raise consumer electricity prices by over seven percent from September. It said...

Cisco lawyers gag flaw disclosure.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: David Neal. Controversy surrounded the Black Hat IT security event in Las Vegas last week after a researcher gave details of how to hack Cisco router software, causing the firm to issue a gagging order to stop further disclosure....

Fence-sitting leaves HP's future in the air.
August 1, 2005... HP's plans remain unknown despite recent announcements from its new chief executive, Mark Hurd. In this case no news might be bad news. So, almost four months after Mark Hurd took over from Carly Fiorina in the corner office of HP, what...

Scheme to call fraudsters' bluff.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Last week 192.com Business Services launched an international online ID verification system to help e-traders reduce the risk of online fraud. Ian Green of the identity authentication specialist said his firm has compiled a master database...

Apple boosts core models.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Apple has upgraded its Mac Mini and iBook ranges, with better wireless capabilities and extra memory. The Mac Mini's memory has grown from 256Mb to 512Mb, and the 1.42GHz model now includes built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networking...

Hackers gain cash for flaw info.(iDefense)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Madeline Bennett. Security vendors iDefense and TippingPoint last week announced new and improved vulnerability-disclosure schemes, offering financial rewards to hackers who provide them with details of newly-discovered flaws. ...

Many happy returns on Intel's 64bit anniversary.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Martin Veitch. One year after entering the market for 64bit-extended processors, Intel is outselling its old rival AMD but few buyers are taking full advantage of the chips' capabilities. Intel introduced its first Xeon with...

Back-office host links more apps.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Back-office systems host NetSuite has rolled out a new release, adding capabilities that can extend the platform to accommodate third-party software. NetSuite's new Custom Centers capability in release 10.6 can be used with the firm's...

IBM reveals virtualisation plans.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Martin Veitch. IBM made its big push on virtualisation last week, announcing an imminent mainframe product, detailing new partitioning capabilities and setting up a group to support its blade server effort. For collaborative...

Smartphones get lighter.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Daniel Robinson. Motorola has announced a new smartphone that it claims is the world's thinnest and lightest handset with a qwerty keypad. The Q phone, due early in 2006, is designed to deliver a mobile office experience. "With...

CA purchases anti-spam nous.(Computer Associates purchases Qurb Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Computer Associates (CA) bolstered its security portfolio last week by announcing the acquisition of anti-spam specialist Qurb. CA has licensed Qurb products since last year, but will now fully integrate the technology into its own eTrust...

Microsoft checks to combat piracy Phil Muncaster.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Microsoft has launched an anti-piracy initiative, under which Windows software will be put through a certification process before updates can be downloaded. Windows 2000 and XP Professional, Home and Tablet editions are all affected by the...

SAP joins hosted CRM bandwagon.
August 1, 2005... SAP joins hosted CRM bandwagon How are the latest developments at SAP and its rivalry with Oracle likely to affect customers? Are SAP customers about to get a better deal? Last week SAP announced what it had once said was not...

Online crime fighters call for action.(Cyber Security Industry Alliance's Paul Kurtz interviewed)(Interview)
August 1, 2005... Online crime fighters call for action The CSIA's chief explains how standards, technology and education can fight IT crime IT Week: As executive director of lobbying group the US Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA), how do you...

Packet analyser proves free and easy.
August 1, 2005... Packet analyser proves free and easy Ethereal is a versatile open-source tool that can run on most operating systems Released in early May, version 0.10.11 of the Ethereal packet analysis software is technically still a beta release....

Vendors slip up on flaw polish.
August 1, 2005... Vendors slip up on flaw polish Software vendors say security is top of their agenda, but do they really do all they can to check code? I guess one of the computer industry's dirty little secrets is that writing software is not really...

Sun buys content control strength.
August 1, 2005... Sun buys content control strength The acquisition of StorageTek will give Sun more credibility in storage and more tools for content management. But integration of the two lines poses a challenge Sun Microsystems' decision to spend...

Delays hit next Firefox n The next version of the open-source Firefox web browser will be delayed until September, the Mozilla Foundation announced last week. The browser update will be labelled version 1.5 and codenamed Deer Park. Version 1.4, which is d.
August 1, 2005... Delays hit next Firefox n The next version of the open-source Firefox web browser will be delayed until September, the Mozilla Foundation announced last week. The browser update will be labelled version 1.5 and codenamed Deer Park. ...

Is your company ready for web 2.0?
August 1, 2005... Is your company ready for web 2.0? A new generation of interactive sites and applications has important implications for business Google is there. Yahoo is on the way. Microsoft is trying hard to be there but is weighed down by a ton...

Sympathy for the network manager.
August 1, 2005... Sympathy for the network manager As more staff troubleshoot systems at home, the status of network administrators should increase Lots of staff have done it. Arrived at work, switched on the computer, grabbed some coffee from a...

Latest StarTeam eases development process.
August 1, 2005... Latest StarTeam eases development process Roger Howorth Software development tool specialist Borland last week released StarTeam 2005 Release 2. The update is designed to help large development teams manage the entire lifecycle of...

Oracle falls short of a perfect 10.(Brief article)
August 1, 2005... Oracle falls short of a perfect 10 Roger Howorth Many of the security problems with the latest release of Oracle's database software, version 10, are unlikely to cause difficulties for firms, because most Oracle sites use version 9 and...

Is Eiger really a thin-client Windows?
August 1, 2005... Is Eiger really a thin-client Windows? The Eiger version of Windows will run on old hardware and promises security equivalent to XP SP2 If surveys are right, many companies still use Windows 98 or even Windows 95 on desktops....

Renamed Longhorn beta arrives.
August 1, 2005... Renamed Longhorn beta arrives Daniel Robinson Microsoft last week released the first beta of its next Windows client, formerly codenamed Longhorn but now named Vista. The release, aimed primarily at developers, is designed to improve...

Consolidation frenzy simplifies IT purchasing.
August 1, 2005... Consolidation frenzy simplifies IT purchasing James Murray Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity among European IT companies soared to a five-year high in the first half of 2005, indicating growing financial stability among leading IT...

BI and BPM vendors join forces.
August 1, 2005... BI and BPM vendors join forces James Murray New acquisitions in the business intelligence (BI) and business performance management (BPM) software sector promise to make it easier for firms to deploy the technologies and allow more...

Government hits back over ID costs Phil Muncaster n The government has denied claims by the London School of Economics (LSE) that it massively underestimates the cost of its proposed identity card scheme, but experts warned that firms deploying related te.(Brief article)
August 1, 2005... Government hits back over ID costs Phil Muncaster n The government has denied claims by the London School of Economics (LSE) that it massively underestimates the cost of its proposed identity card scheme, but experts warned that firms...

Mobile phone for GSM and WLAN.
August 1, 2005... Mobile phone for GSM and WLAN Phil Muncaster Cisco and Motorola announced last week that they have joined forces to develop a dual-mode GSM and voice over wireless LAN (VoWLAN) phone, which could boost staff productivity and make it...

Smartphones get lighter.
August 1, 2005... Smartphones get lighter Daniel Robinson Motorola has announced a new smartphone that it claims is the world's thinnest and lightest handset with a qwerty keypad. The Q phone, due early in 2006, is designed to deliver a mobile...

IBM reveals virtualisation plans.
August 1, 2005... IBM reveals virtualisation plans Martin Veitch IBM made its big push on virtualisation last week, announcing an imminent mainframe product, detailing new partitioning capabilities and setting up a group to support its blade server...

Microsoft checks to combat piracy.
August 1, 2005... Microsoft checks to combat piracy Phil Muncaster Microsoft has launched an anti-piracy initiative, under which Windows software will be put through a certification process before updates can be downloaded. Windows 2000 and XP...

Fence-sitting leaves HP's future in the air.
August 1, 2005... Fence-sitting leaves HP's future in the air HP's plans remain unknown despite recent announcements from its new chief executive, Mark Hurd. In this case no news might be bad news So, almost four months after Mark Hurd took over from...

Next-generation Windows arrives in beta.
August 1, 2005... Next-generation Windows arrives in beta James Murray and roger howorth Last week's beta release of Microsoft's long-delayed Windows Vista operating system, formerly called Longhorn, has persuaded few experts that firms will rush to...

Cisco lawyers gag flaw disclosure.
August 1, 2005... Cisco lawyers gag flaw disclosure David Neal Controversy surrounded the Black Hat IT security event in Las Vegas last week after a researcher gave details of how to hack Cisco router software, causing the firm to issue a gagging order...

Electric shock for IT bill payers.
August 1, 2005... Electric shock for IT bill payers n As soaring electricity prices lead to big bills for IT, experts are urging buyers to restate usage policies and consider low-power technologies. Powergen is to raise consumer electricity prices by...

Many happy returns on Intel's 64bit anniversary.
August 1, 2005... Many happy returns on Intel's 64bit anniversary Martin Veitch One year after entering the market for 64bit-extended processors, Intel is outselling its old rival AMD but few buyers are taking full advantage of the chips' capabilities....

Hackers gain cash for flaw info.
August 1, 2005... Hackers gain cash for flaw info Madeline Bennett Security vendors iDefense and TippingPoint last week announced new and improved vulnerability-disclosure schemes, offering financial rewards to hackers who provide them with details of...

dud -do not use.
August 1, 2005... Law and disorder on the wireless LAN Are easily-accessible unsecured wireless LANs turning mobile surfers into law-breaking hackers? I have a friend, let's call him "Mark", who decided to move out of his comfortable flat and live on a...

New Symantec tiptoes towards integration.
August 8, 2005... Byline: Martin Veitch. The new Symantec will take a step-by-step approach to integration to avoid disrupting customers, but that careful progress will also apply to licensing complexity inherited through its merger with Veritas. ...

Linux makes a date with IT giants.(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... Byline: Roger Howorth and Martin Veitch. This week's LinuxWorld conference in San Francisco will see open-source heavyweights Red Hat and Novell contending for space with Microsoft, as it presents for the first time at the event. Bill...

Comment - Anxious staff crave work fix on holiday.(Column)
August 8, 2005... Byline: Madeline Bennett, madeline_bennett@vnu.co.uk. While banished from the office for their summer break, some staff find the lack of email access too much to bear. So should firms dole out the IT kit? As the hordes escape on summer...

Groups team up for Wi-Fi spec.(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... Three competing groups have agreed to work together on the proposed 802.11n wireless protocol, in a move that could speed up ratification of the standard. 802.11n has gathered much industry interest since it was first proposed in late...

WebLogic eases SOA deployment.(service-oriented architecture)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... BEA Systems will today launch version 9.0 of its WebLogic apps server to improve manageability of firms' IT systems and aid service-oriented architecture (SOA) deployments. The product complies with the J2EE 1.4 standard and offers enhanced...

Data directive may add to IT load.
August 8, 2005... Byline: Phil Muncaster. Companies may have to take more responsibility for storing and retrieving the communications data of their staff when data retention laws now being drawn up are introduced across the European Union. A draft of...

Novell discards open app in groupware reshuffle.(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... Byline: Martin Veitch. Novell is rationalising its collection of collaboration software offerings through plans to stop selling Open-Xchange, an open-source communications system. The firm said last week that it will discontinue the...

Mozilla goes commercial.(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... Mozilla Foundation, the developer of the open-source Firefox browser and Thunderbird email client, is to create a corporate entity to pursue new commercial avenues. The organisation said that although its products will remain free, the new...

Newsweek - Oracle buys into banking sector.(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... Byline: James Murray. Oracle continued its spending spree last week, confirming plans to acquire a majority stake in Indian software specialist I-flex, and purchasing content integration technology from software developer Context Media....

Newsweek - Encryption use increases.(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... Many firms are increasing their use of encryption to boost IT security, new research has found. However, the management of encryption keys is rapidly becoming a burden on administrators and IT budgets. More than a third of firms are using...

Newsweek - Experts call for more IT education.(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... Byline: Phil Muncaster. In response to Scotland extending its Individual Learning Account (ILA) scheme last week, experts have called for the re-introduction of a similar IT training programme in England to tackle skills shortages and...

Newsweek - BlackBerrys take PDA lead.(Personal digital assistants)(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... Worldwide PDA shipments grew 32 percent in the second quarter of 2005, according to new figures from analyst Gartner. The bright outlook for the sector is mainly accounted for by BlackBerry sales rather than traditional PDAs, however. ...

Comment - Software makers still collect bugs.(Column)
August 8, 2005... Byline: George Gardiner. Some software makers seem to believe that flaws are acceptable. What would change their mind? At the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas last month, Michael Lynn, formerly employed by security firm ISS,...

Comment - How can banks stop identity theft?(Column)
August 8, 2005... Byline: Neil Barrett, neil.barrett@btinternet.com. Even after victims of ID theft raise the alarm and stop their credit cards, problems may continue. There are worse crimes than identity theft, but having suffered from it, I view...

Special Report - Mobile Communications - Faster links lie amid a jungle of specs. In the second of two special reports, IT Week looks at the future of a complex mobile communications market.
August 8, 2005... Byline: Interview by Martin Veitch. Many people now have more than one mobile account - which explains how "101 percent" of the British population could have signed up. The next challenge for mobile communications suppliers is therefore to...

Special Report - Mobile Communications - Life in the fast lane can be dangerous.
August 8, 2005... Mobile veteran Nick Hunn takes a sceptical view about the need for more speed. "I'm not sure where it's going but there's going to be a mess on the way," says Nick Hunn, chief technology officer of Ezurio, of the coming glut of mobile...

Enterprise Week Novell rivals SCO's claims to Unix code.(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... Byline: IT Week staff. The long-running court battles over Unix copyrights between SCO and several other firms, including Novell, took a dramatic turn last month when Novell asserted that it owned the relevant copyrights to Unix and that...

Enterprise Week Intel revamps server processors.
August 8, 2005... Byline: Roger Howorth. Intel executives met with UK partners last week to explain its new naming convention for server chips and to further explain its plans to support virtual machine technologies. Late last month Intel announced that...

Enterprise Week EMC mid-range arrays improve manageability.
August 8, 2005... Byline: Roger Howorth. Storage specialist EMC last week announced updates to its Clariion suite of mid-range drive arrays, including new models, updated software, and an enhanced migration tool that can move data from one part of an array...

Enterprise Week Open source Analysis - Eclipse opens up BI tools. Commercial BI offerings face an open-source challenge.(Business Intelligence Reporting Tools)(Eclipse Foundation )
August 8, 2005... Byline: Martin Banks. The open-source Eclipse Foundation recently launched its Business Intelligence Reporting Tools (Birt) - the first component of what could become a complete, open-source business intelligence (BI) system. The question...

Enterprise Week - Comment - Intel plays it cool with blade servers.
August 8, 2005... Byline: Martin Banks. The processor giant's planned low-power-consumption chips for rack servers are likely to prove a big hit with datacentre managers. Intel's plans could help to tackle two of the biggest problems faced by IT...

Internet Week - Filter database ups web security.
August 8, 2005... Byline: Phil Muncaster. Internet security specialist Websense last week announced that its Master Database now holds details of one million executables to help firms protect desktops against web-based threats. The database supports...

Internet Week - Comment - Technology can triumph over disability. Disabled people have typically had a second-class experience on the internet, but things are changing.(Column)
August 8, 2005... Byline: David Neal. When I was a younger man I worked at a hearing aid factory answering the phone. It was not a taxing job, although it was hard on the vocal cords - "I said, HELLO, HOW CAN I HELP YOU?" - and, as well as giving me some...

Internet Week - Deal to boost e-conferencing.(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... Web conferencing tools provider WebEx has extended its offerings with the acquisition of Intranets.com, a provider of asynchronous collaboration products. Through its on-demand suite of tools, Intranets.com has typically focused on the...

Client Week - Memory move for value AMD workstations Daniel Robinson.(Brief Article)
August 8, 2005... AMD last week updated its Opteron 100 series processors with support for error-correcting code (ECC) unbuffered memory - a move that could cut the cost of single-chip workstations and servers. This support will also extend to the dual-core...