Red Hat Launches Open-Source Exchange

16 March 2007

Red Hat Launches Open-Source Exchange
BusinessWeek - 21 hours ago

Ever since its launch in 1993, Red Hat (RHAT) has kept a laser-like focus on one thing: creating software capable of competing with tech giants Microsoft (MSFT) and Sun Microsystems (SUNW). In fact, the No. 1 distributor of Linux—the operating system for PCs and server computers—has done quite well for itself. Red Hat's revenues for the year ended Feb. 28 are expected to top $400 million, up 40% from fiscal 2006. And the Raleigh (N.C.) company just introduced the first new version of its flagship product in two years, which is expected to stir a fresh wave of growth.


Red Hat Makes Virtualization Push In Enterprise Linux
InformationWeek, NY - Mar 14, 2007

Red Hat on Wednesday introduced the latest version of its Enterprise Linux platform, adding technology that reflects a major push on the part of the open-source vendor into virtualization.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 incorporates Xen virtualization software, which has been integrated with the Linux kernel. Red Hat has been working on Xen for the last two years with IBM and the development community of the open-source technology.


Microsoft: 'financial incentives' for Live Search data
InfoWorld, CA - 50 minutes ago

In an apparent attempt to boost its disappointing Web search market share, Microsoft is giving financial incentives to large enterprise customers whose employees use Microsoft's Live Search engine.
All Lenovo computers worldwide will soon come bundled with Microsoft's Windows Live software, the companies announced Wednesday.


Lenovo loads up on Windows Live Search
ZDNet - Mar 14, 2007
By April, the Windows Live Search portal will be the default Web search service of Lenovo PCs. Installed browsers will also include the Windows Live Toolbar, which uses the Live Search engine, the companies said.

Campaigner vows to "Make Spammers Pay!"
Reuters.uk, UK - 9 hours ago
LONDON (Reuters) - An Internet consultant who won damages in a Scottish court after he received a single unwanted e-mail has launched a campaign to help people tackle "spammers".
Gordon Dick, 30, has set up a Web site with the motto "Make the Spammers Pay!" that tells people how to take legal action against those who send unsolicited e-mail.


Court winner launches anti-spam campaign
iT News, Australia - 3 hours ago

A man who won £750 ($1,840) in compensation from a UK firm after receiving a single spam email has set up Scotchspam.com to help other internet users bring spammers to court.

Edinburgh's Sheriff Court ordered Transcom Internet Services to pay a total of £1,369 ($3,360) including costs to 30 year-old Gordon Dick.

"If you are fed up with increasing amounts of spam email in your mailbox then make a legal claim now and make the spammers pay for their actions," Dick states on his website


Voice SMS Patent Granted to Kirusa
TMC Net, CT - 11 hours ago

Imagine being able to use your voice to enhance the way SMS messaging has worked in the past on your mobile device. Well this is what Voice SMS technology from Kirusa will bring to subscribers.

The company's move to provide functionality beyond what text SMS capabilities offer is now backed by a patent, the company announced today.

Google Aims to Bolster Privacy of Web Surfer Data

15 March 2007

Google Aims to Bolster Privacy of Web Surfer Data
PC Magazine – Mar 14, 2007

Google Inc., faced with a mountain of data on its users' Web search habits, is taking steps to bolster consumer privacy protections in coming months, the company said late on Wednesday.

The world's leading provider of Web search said it is taking steps to anonymize, or obscure details, after 18 to 24 months on the surfing habits of tens of millions of Web users that could potentially be used to identify individuals.

Google adding search privacy protections
ZDNet – Mar 14, 2007

Google is changing its data retention practices to make it harder to identify the specific computers used in searches.
Google's servers log information every time someone conducts a Web search, keeping data such as the keywords used, the Internet Protocol address or unique number assigned to that person's computer, and information from Web cookies, which are small bits of data exchanged between a server and a Web browser each time the browser accesses the server. Cookies are used to authenticate the user and maintain information such as the user's site preferences.

A la Mobile platform supports dual-mode phones
InfoWorld, CA - 6 hours ago

Linux-based mobile phone software package makes convergence and integration on mobile devices a much simpler process.A la Mobile is hoping to help fuel the supply of converged Wi-Fi and GSM phones with a new version of its Linux-based mobile phone software package.


VoIP Linux Stack for Dual-Mode Phones
Cellular-News, UK – Mar 14, 2007

The Linux mobile phone systems supplier, a la Mobile has announced the immediate availability of a complete Voice over IP (VoIP) Linux system stack for WiFi/GSM dual-mode phones. Designed for market entry readiness, it is the first of the company's new Made-Ready Series of Linux software offerings tuned for mobile phones.


Skype Launches Foray Into Online Communities
TMCnet – Mar 14, 2007

Seeking to broaden its reach beyond broadband voice, Skype (News - Alert) has announced online software that enables users to share knowledge with one another.
The programs, designed to run under Skype 3.1 for Windows, include SkypeFind and Skype Prime. According to Skype, the programs will enable its users to go beyond simple voice and video calls into markets where access to expertise and knowledge are essential.


Skype Goes Beyond Voice and Introduces SkypeFind and Beta Version ...
Business Wire (press release), CA – Mar 14, 2007

Skype today announced Skype™ 3.1 for Windows, introducing SkypeFindTM and Skype PrimeTM (Beta), giving people new ways to share knowledge with one another. These new additions take Skype beyond simple voice and video calls into new markets where access to expertise and knowledge are essential commodities.


Broadband subsidy cut-backs guarantee intense competition
Computerworld Australia, Australia – Mar 15, 2007

Broadband subsidy cut-backs guarantee intense competition
ISPs forced into the commercial battlefield
Koala Telecom today declared it has not received one red cent from the government's Broadband Connect program proudly stating that it is business as usual at the Adelaide-based Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Effective spam-blocking can save $$ millions

14 March 2007

Effective spam-blocking can save $$ millionsARNnet, Australia - By David Frost, CEO PR Deadlines Pty Ltd

Image spam, botnets, attacks by fast-evolving Trojans that are followed so closely by waves of spam that these elude Web defences before the anti-virus vendors have time to issue fixes for the Trojans… These are all current news items.

Stories about spam-borne threats to email users have a common thread – malware eludes the filters used by almost all data security vendors.

Stonewalled by spamITWorld Canada, Canada – March 13, 2007

For a long time now it's been a tough slog for anti-spam software companies, whose offerings never seem to have the impact they should.

Some low-technology workaround is developed that soon enough licks whatever protective shield vendors try to put in place – and spam continues unimpeded until the next "dream" product is announced and the cycle starts all over again.

China To Tighten Internet ControlAll Headline News – March 13, 2007
State press reports that China will be drafting new regulations to impose stricter control on Internet blogs and webcasts that allow users to bypass government censorship.
"Advanced network technologies such as blogging and webcasting have been mounting new challenges to the government's ability to supervise the Internet," Press and Publication Administration head Long Xinmin said, according to Xinhua news agency.

Chinese Government to tighten control on blogsiTWire, Australia – March 13, 2007

The Chinese Government is to regulate blogs more tightly, a move foreshadowed over six months ago.
The Peoples Daily quotes Long Xinmin, deputy of the Beijing delegation to the National People's Congress and director of the Administration of Press and Publication saying that at present, the Administration of Press and Publication is working with other departments to formulate regulations for the internet. Once decided, these regulations will help monitor online publishing such as web books and newspapers.


Microsoft fixes OneCare, but it's too late for some usersComputerworld, MA – March 13, 2007

Microsoft Corp. quietly deployed a patch to its Windows Live OneCare security suite earlier than expected to fix a bug that has erased some users' e-mail.

"On Sunday, March 11, the Windows Live OneCare team released a new antimalware engine that will fix the issue of OneCare erroneously quarantining certain Outlook .pst or Outlook Express .dbx files when infected files were detected within them," a Microsoft representative confirmed today. "Windows Live OneCare customers whose PCs are connected to the Internet will automatically get this fix."


Microsoft: Sorry for OneCare fiascoZDNet.com.au, Australia – March 14, 2007

Microsoft Australia has apologised to users who have lost their entire Outlook and Outlook Express e-mail archives due to a flaw in Windows Live OneCare.

The product is Microsoft's antivirus and security application for consumers and small businesses which was released locally over a month ago and last June in the US. According to recent postings on Microsoft's OneCare forum, users were complaining that the security suite had been accidently deleting their e-mails.


Dual Mode Handsets for VoIP & PSTN UsersTMCnet – March 13, 2007

Voice over IP (VoIP) is becoming increasingly popular, both with business customers as well as consumers. With each passing day, more and more people are realizing the benefits of VoIP — the cost savings, the features, the flexibility… but mostly the cost savings, at least in the consumer market.

Seagate debuts the world's most secure laptop drive

13 Mar, 07

Seagate debuts the world's most secure laptop drive
Computerworld, MA - March 12, 2007

Seagate Technologies today announced the availability of the first laptop hard drive with native encryption capabilities, which is aimed at protecting data if a machine is lost or stolen.
Seagate's Momentus 5400 FDE.2 drive, with native 128-bit AES encryption, can also be purchased with Wave Systems Embassy Trust Suite management software from Wave Systems Corp., which will allow IT administrators to manage data encryption, keys and passwords at the enterprise level.

Seagate's encrypted hard drives on route
BusinessWeek – Mar 12, 2007

Seagate Technology LLC, the world's largest hard drive maker, announced Monday the first manufacturer to sell laptop PCs with its new built-in encryption technology.
The hard drives, to be available in laptops made by ASI Computer Technologies, will include a chip that makes it impossible for anyone to read data off the disk, or even boot up a PC, without some form of authentication.

Does Free Domain Registration Promote Malware?
PC World – Mar 12, 2007

Cheap or free registration of new domain names drives the growth in Web sites used for spamming or hosting malicious software, according to research from McAfee.
The study, released Monday, highlights continuing problems concerning how Web sites are registered and the ease with which bad actors can change Web sites to continue online scams

Riskiest web sites are outed
IT Week, UK – Mar 12, 2007

Each month internet users make more than 550 million clicks to risky web sites and even relatively safe domains like Germany (.de) or the UK (.uk) account for millions of risky clicks, according to a survey by McAfee.
McAfee analysed and ranked 265 top-level domains like Japan (.jp), France (.fr) and commercial (.com) based on its web safety tests for spyware, spam, exploits and scams. The report, Mapping the Mal Web, reveals surprisingly large differences in safety from one domain to another.

OneCare users hopping mad at Microsoft over deleted e-mail
Computerworld, MA - March 12, 2007

Users, still angry about Windows Live OneCare's habit of making e-mail disappear, are slamming Microsoft Corp.'s support and claiming that its suggested fix doesn't recover their messages.

Third-party anti-virus products ‘outperform’ Microsoft’s OneCare
ComputerworldUK, UK – Mar 12, 2007

Nearly a year after Microsoft introduced Windows Live OneCare, the company's first foray into the security market is still getting low marks from analysts and users.
A recent report from AV-Comparatives, comparing the antivirus products of various vendors, ranked Microsoft's product at the bottom in terms of detecting potential security threats.
At the same time, users are complaining that OneCare, which includes firewall, antivirus, backup and anti-spyware software, quarantines the entire mail store of their Outlook and Outlook Express programs, making it impossible for them to retrieve e-mail.

Fon lands $13 million more for community Wi-fi
InfoWorld, CA - Mar 9, 2007

Wi-fi startup Fon Technology SL has secured an additional €10 million (US$13.1 million) in funding for its plan to establish a global network of shared hotspots, the company said Friday
The funding came from new and previous investors, which have included Google Inc., Skype Ltd., Index Ventures and Sequoia Capital Operations LLC, Fon said. The new investors were not named. Index and Sequoia invested €18 million in Fon in February 2006.

Microsoft's antivirus deletes users' emails

12 March 2007

Microsoft's antivirus deletes users' emailsZDNet UK, UK - Mar 9, 2007

Microsoft has admitted that its Live OneCare security suite has been accidentally deleting some users' Outlook and Outlook Express emails.

According to postings on Microsoft's OneCare forum, erasures have been caused when the antivirus programme finds a virus in an email attachment. Instead of then quarantining that single email, users have reported that entire .pst or .dbx files — the personal folder where non-Exchange Server users' messages and other details are kept — have been quarantined or, in some cases, even deleted.


Wikipedia Founder Says Intends to Challenge Google, YahooPC Magazine - Mar 9, 2007

The online collaboration responsible for Wikipedia plans to build a search engine to rival those of Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc., the founder of the popular Internet encyclopaedia said on Thursday.
Wikia Inc., the commercial counterpart to the non-profit Wikipedia, is aiming to take as much as 5 percent of the lucrative Internet search market, Jimmy Wales said at a news conference in Tokyo.


Wikia targets Q4 unveiling of open-source search engineComputerworld Australia, Australia – Mar 12, 2007

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales is targeting the fourth quarter of this year for the unveiling of an open-source search engine that he hopes could challenge the dominance of market-leaders Google and Yahoo.

WSJ: Google selling, tailoring cable TV adsZDNet - Mar 10, 2007

Google is working with a small broadband provider in Concord, Calif. to tailor cable television ads to specific audiences. In other words, Google is trying to do the same targeting in cable television that it does with keywords.


Google Testing Cable TV Ads -- ReportForbes, NY - Mar 10, 2007

Google is reportedly testing replicating its success in targeted Internet search ads on cable television. The company has started a pilot program in Concord, Calif., with cable provider Astound Broadband, a division of privately held WaveDivision Holdings, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
VoIP Provider Vonage Reassures CustomersTMCnet - Mar 9, 2007

Losing a $58 million patent suit to Verizon has on the surface not rattled Vonage (News - Alert).

The broadband telephone services provider issued a reassuring statement to its customers after the U.S. District Court found the company infringed on three key Verizon (News - Alert) patents. Besides having to pay Verizon for past damages, Vonage is being forced to pay Verizon a 5.5 percent royalty rate on any sales going forward.


VoIP gets more interesting as it becomes more mobile and usefulCRN Australia, Australia – Mar 12, 2007
Avaya, Cisco, and Microsoft showcase products intended to overcome the technology's drawbacks.

While Voice Over IP is making significantinroads into the workplace, quality problems, expensive equipment, integration issues, and limited mobile capabilities have kept some companies from embracing it. Microsoft, Cisco Systems, and Avaya were among the vendors at last week's VoiceCon conference offering products that look ready to overcome those issues.