IT News Digest

Archive: 03-2008

• Dave? What are you doing, Dave? The legacy of Arthur C. Clarke

  Arthur C. Clarke was one of the greatest science fiction writers of his time, giving us characters like the HAL 9000 to stand as a cautionary tale in the way that we depend on computing as an...

  Posted by Tricia Liebert | March 19, 2008, 3:37 AM PDT

• Microsoft Vista SP1 finally ready

  Microsoft Vista’s first major update will be downloadable at some point today, March 18th. Service Pack 1, a measuring stick that many IT professionals use to plan their rollouts, will be...

  Posted by Andy Moon | March 18, 2008, 3:37 AM PDT

• Should encryption be outlawed?

  Telecommunications Secretary Siddhartha Behura, the top official in the telecommunications ministry, has clarified that India does not intend to ban RIM’s BlackBerry services in the country.

  Posted by Paul Mah | March 18, 2008, 3:03 AM PDT

• P2P networks share business data along with music

  Is it possible that your corporate data is being shared on a P2P network, despite policies that would prohibit such a thing? InformationWeek’s Avi Baumstein decided to find out what he...

  Posted by Tricia Liebert | March 17, 2008, 3:58 AM PDT

• China blocks YouTube in bid to censor Tibet crackdown

  Internet users in China have reported that they have been unable to access YouTube.com starting from Sunday. This happened after dozens of amateur videos chronicling the violence in the Tibetan...

  Posted by Paul Mah | March 17, 2008, 3:09 AM PDT

• Don't worry, the virus is free with purchase

  Using the best methods of personal security isn’t enough when the electronic gadgets you buy come with the virus preinstalled. The current problem seems to be insufficient quality control...

  Posted by Tricia Liebert | March 14, 2008, 3:59 AM PDT

• IBM upgrades OmniFind Enterprise search

  IBM announced an upgrade to its enterprise search product, OmniFind, which includes a new user interface and integration with other IBM collaboration products.

  Posted by Arun Radhakrishnan | March 13, 2008, 4:49 AM PDT

• Does Windows 7 make Vista the new ME?

  Microsoft has taken another step towards the impending release of the desktop OS that will take the place of Windows Vista. A very early version of the new OS, currently code named Windows 7, was...

  Posted by Andy Moon | March 13, 2008, 4:34 AM PDT

• Up to one billion RFID access cards could be affected by hack

  The Dutch government has issued a public warning about the security of access cards based on the Mifare Classic RFID chip.

  Posted by Paul Mah | March 13, 2008, 4:33 AM PDT

• Bill Gates to discuss the need for H-1B visa increase

  On April 1, requests for H-1B visas will be opened to business. Last year, all 65,000 visas available were spoken for in the first two days of availability for the current fiscal year. As Bill...

  Posted by Tricia Liebert | March 12, 2008, 5:00 AM PDT

• Legal applications of BitTorrent

  BitTorrent, the peer-to-peer file sharing protocol, and its implementation software have received much ire from the content creation industries. However, there are certain fundamental aspects...

  Posted by Arun Radhakrishnan | March 11, 2008, 10:08 AM PDT

• Is Apple in for an antitrust fight over the iPhone?

  Apple, probably still feeling some PR fatigue over their decision to “brick” unlocked iPhones, is being taken to task over its tight control of a software developer kit (SDK) that can...

  Posted by Andy Moon | March 11, 2008, 4:41 AM PDT

• MacBook Air results in missed flight

  If you’re the sort who absolutely must have the latest in gadgets or hardware, you might do well to read what blogger Michael Nygard has to say about his experiences last week with his...

  Posted by Paul Mah | March 11, 2008, 3:31 AM PDT

• Blurring the business line -- buying and selling on the Internet

  Today, it is possible to purchase anything you want or need on the Internet. To an extent, the Internet has become the synonym of yesterday’s Main Street, where it matters less if you are a...

  Posted by Tricia Liebert | March 10, 2008, 5:04 AM PDT

• Microsoft praised for interoperability strategy

  In a CNET News.com report just last week, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly praised Microsoft for its interoperability strategy.

  Posted by Paul Mah | March 10, 2008, 4:38 AM PDT

• MBR rootkit Mebroot: A tough threat to security

  Security firm Finjan has raised a warning on rootkit “Mebroot,” which it believes has entered the Release to Manufacturing (RTM) phase.

  Posted by Arun Radhakrishnan | March 7, 2008, 4:02 AM PST

• Ongoing concern over Pentagon network attack

  In June 2007, a network intrusion at the Pentagon resulted in the theft of an “amazing amount” of information. The incident continues to be a national security concern according to Dennis Clem,...

  Posted by Tricia Liebert | March 7, 2008, 3:27 AM PST

• The resurgence of COBOL: Podcast with Arunn Ramadoss of Micro Focus

  On February 20th, I wrote about the resurgence of COBOL as a necessary skill set for a younger generation due to Baby Boomers reaching retirement age. On March 4th, I had the pleasure of speaking...

  Posted by Tricia Liebert | March 6, 2008, 12:53 PM PST

• TechRepublic Exclusive: Elisa Camahort, cofounder of BlogHer

  Elisa Camahort, one of the cofounders of BlogHer, took some time out of her busy schedule to talk a little bit about the different events that BlogHer is hosting in 2008.

  Posted by Sonja Thompson | March 6, 2008, 6:42 AM PST

• Does Microsoft have what it takes to bring you into its mesh?

  Microsoft wants you and everyone you know to join its cloud, or the mesh network it aims to create for all of your devices to communicate with applications and to each other.

  Posted by Andy Moon | March 6, 2008, 6:05 AM PST