W.I.L. Tech-News Highlights for H2 February 2004

Hardware

Demo conference 2004 picks and pans -- link. Wrap-up and slideshow from DEMO 2004 -- link.

Displays at 101st annual American International Toy Fair indicate toymakers betting big on microchips -- link.

Session from Intel Developer Forum showed how to tweak your PC to make it run faster -- link.

The latest high-tech gadgets from Tokyo and what might soon be appearing on U.S. store shelves -- link.

X-bit labs’s February 2004 Hardware News Overview here.

Systems

PC buyer’s guides for February -- Value Gaming; Budget Systems.

AOpen’s XC Cube a quiet, powerful small for factor machine -- review.

PC makers luring businesses with low-price laptops -- link.

What kind of Tablet PC to buy? -- link.

IBM’s ThinkPad X31 ultraportable a good mobile companion -- link.

PCs will be smaller, faster, and more connected, Dell says. PCI Express this year’s big thing -- link.

Azul Systems plans a Java application server running on “industry standard” hardware such as AMD 64-bit machines -- link.

IBM debuts pocket-sized PC -- link.

Genesi selects Motorola 7447A CPU for upcoming Pegasos II G4 line -- link.

Shuttle ST61G4 uses ATI Radeon 9100 chipset (AMD CPU socket) with integrated graphics processor -- review.

ABS Zensation Z3 notebook boasts excellent performance, outstanding design and long battery life -- review.

CPUs/motherboards/chipsets

On Intel v AMD, Intel v Mac, Intel v 90nm -- link.

Intel Yamill and AMD64 instruction sets: Identical twins? -- link.

-- AMD

AMD prunes Athlon XP prices -- link.

AMD cuts prices, power of Opteron chips for blade-server market -- link 1, link 2, link 3, link 4.

AMD executives have their own point of view about Intel’s earlier announcement of 64-32 bit extensions -- link.

AMD Athlon FX-53 benchmarked -- link.

SIS748 chipset for latest generation AMD 32-bit chips review of reviews -- link.

HP calls in Gartner cheerleader for Opteron-based line launch -- link.

AMD’s Alchemy Au1550 and SafeNet make network security affordable -- link.

Scrappy AMD has finally trumped Intel, for now -- link.

-- Intel

90nm “Dothan” to lead consumer Centrino drive -- link. “Centrino 2” to launch next Autumn -- link. Intel describes CPU futures -- link.

Intel says performance at any price (or power) is history -- link.

Intel proposes Centrino-style home PC platform -- link 1, link 2.

Intel pushes Xeon, “Prescott” to 64 Bits. Should be compatible with AMD’s 64-bit extensions to x86 -- link 1, link 2, link 3. IBM backs 64-bit Intel chip plan -- link. Who sank the Itanic (the Intel Itanium)? -- analysis.

Intel prepares to can Pentium 4, desktop and mobile will be using same core by 2007 -- link 1, link 2.

Complete Intel Developer Forum 2004 coverage from the Inquirer -- links here; same from The Register -- links here. IDF ExtremeTech special report here, wrap-up here. Highlights from the IDF here. Intel’s formidable Developer Forum machine revealed -- here.

Former Intel chief architect shoots from the hip -- Bob Colwell’s talk here.

More to Prescott than meets the eye -- link.

A Look at Centrino’s Core: The Pentium M -- link.

-- Other

IBM starts producing 90nm PowerPCs -- link.

TI’s new radio frequency processors will allow for wireless networking, satellite tracking on cell phones -- link 1, link 2, link 3. TI builds graphics hardware into mobile chip -- link.

Via EPIA TC10000 mini-ITX mainboard review (unfortunately it is not all that quiet).

Graphics

nVidia unwraps first PCI Express graphics chips -- link 1, link 2. ATI, nVidia beat PCI Express drum ... loudly -- link.

GeCube RADEON 9600 XT “Extreme” graphics card review.

HIS Excalibur Radeon 9600XT Platinum Turbo videocard deserves to be on the mid-priced buyer’s short list -- review.

nVidia unveils “fastest” mobile workstation GPU -- link.

The best high-end and mid-range graphics boards money can buy -- roundup here.

Graphics pioneer Hercules quits market -- link.

nVidia unveils plans to use TSMC’s 110nm process technology -- link.

nVidia chip brings PC-quality graphics and lower power use to handheld platforms -- link.

Memory, storage

Judge throws out FTC case against Rambus -- link.

How DDR-II works -- link. DDR2 memory performance examined -- link.

February price guide for magnetic and optical storage -- link.

Hologram memory prototype has 1GB capacity -- link.

Intel details 90nm flash memory products -- link.

Seagate introduces 10,000rpm 2.5 inch hard drives with Savvio line -- link 1, link 2. Seagate shows SCSI far from moribund -- link.

Reduce the noise from your hard drive -- how to.

WD740GD “Raptor 2” is fastest desktop hard disk drive yet -- review.

Buyer beware: Hitachi Deskstar drive “meows” during drive check -- link.

Hitachi claiming Ultrastar 10K300 is industry’s first 300GB enterprise hard drive, gets on 2.5” drive bandwagon -- link.

Hitachi pictures the day when your home is filled with hard drives -- link.

No nibbles yet for new FISH flash memory format -- link.

Smaller flash memory format will be used in new 3G mobile phones -- link.

Time for DVD owners to fight the powers that be -- link.

DVD Forum approves rewritable HD-DVD format, with 20GB capacity -- link 1, link 2.

Miscellaneous components and periferals

A paean to silence -- link.

Arctic Cooler VGA Silencer review.

Acousti Products 120mm AcoustiFan review.

Mitsubishi shows LCD that can be viewed from both sides, could lead to smaller, lighter cell phones and PDAs -- link.

Lexmark printer ink “resists fading” -- link.

Epson Stylus C63 is a low cost printer with remarkable printing capability, but it is slow -- review.

New gadgets revive Bluetooth -- link 1, link 2.

ATI touts low-cost HDTV tuner card -- link, mini-review.

6 PCI TV-tuners compared -- roundup.

An introduction to Wireless USB (WUSB), which will offer the same functionality as standard wired USB devices -- link.

PalmSource Developers Conference offers glimpses of newest PDA gear, software -- link.

First Look at Apple’s iPod Mini -- link. Bull session with professor iPod” -- link.

Operating Systems

Linux

Linux kernel versions 2.6.3 and 2.4.25 released -- link 1, link 2. 2.2.26 released -- link.

Improvements in kernel development from 2.4 to 2.6 -- link.

How to migrate an existing system to Linux kernel 2.6 -- link.

Latest in CLI for noobies series -- “what is apropos?”; “import, display, mogrify”.

An introduction to Linux in ten commands -- minilesson.

Keeping rpm-based distribtions up to date with Yum -- link.

Intel to speed lagging Linux support -- link.

Embedded Linux becoming a “disruptive force” -- link.

Another replacement project for X Window announced: The Y Window System -- link.

Intel promises to increase Linux support, release Centrino drivers -- link.

Debunking common Linux myths -- link.

People Behind KDE: Back With Matthias Ettrich -- interview.

Deep inside KDE 3.2 -- link. Discussion here.

Looking back at X11 developments of past year -- analysis.

Linux Gets Security Boost from the U.S. NSA’s latest Security Enhanced Linux (SELinux) kernel modifications -- link.

Wind River, Red Hat join forces for new embedded Linux product -- link.

IRC chat with Moving to Linux author Marcel Gagné -- link.

Advanced Linux Sound Architecture hits full release status, set to replace old OSS drivers -- link.

LinuxCertified keeps expanding its range of services -- link.

BSDs, other Unixes

Sun kicks off Solaris 10 party -- link.

Trusted Solaris has secure future, Sun says -- link.

SPARC optimizations with GCC -- link.

Mac

Suggested improvements to Mac OS X Panther -- link.

A proposition for Apple: Port Cocoa to Java -- link.

A security primer for Mac OS X -- link.

How to make Mac OSX 10.4 a must-have upgrade -- link.

CodeTek VirtualDesktop Pro 3.0 brings virtual screens to Mac OS X -- link.

Other OS’s

Microsoft considering interim Windows XP update before Longhorn -- link 1, link 2.

Trion Operating System, with a kernel written in C++ and modeled in UML, releases version 0.1 -- link.

SkyOS developers interview here. SkyOS progresses -- link.

Nokia: UI wars “tore Symbian apart” -- link. Symbian 8.0 now has real-time capabilities, allowing phone vendors to build one-chip phones -- link.

PalmSource’s George Hoffman on PalmOS 6 Cobalt -- interview.

Emulating RISC OS under Windows -- link.

Applications

BitTorrent, file sharing’s new face -- link.

Sun programmers working on next-generation desktop interfaces -- link.

Window managers for power users: Tiling 101 -- link.

Database Firebird version 1.5 has been released.

Suggestions for idea management/navigation software -- link.

Version 1.18 of Spread32, a freeware spreadsheet for Windows, is out.

Convert from HTML to XHXML with HTML Tidy -- link.

Open magazine awards Gnumeric best-of-breed: spreadsheet -- link. Gnumeric fixes statistical errors that are still present in MS Excel -- link.

Linux backup for the rest of us -- link.

A first look at the new GIMP 2.0, due out next month -- link.

KBarcode is a GUI-based barcode creation application for KDE 3 -- link.

Networking, Internet

Marcel Gagne shows you how to set up and run your own Internet Relay Chat (IRC) server -- link. Index to Marcel’s excellent “Cooking with Linux” column on Linux Journal here. KDE-oriented books by Marcel -- link.

A grumpy user’s (Linux) browser review -- link. Followup link.

Firefox browser shines with a clean interface, sophisticated functions, and many options -- link.

List of the most common Firefox keyboard shortcuts -- link.

Opera software releases Opera 7.50 Preview 2 -- link.

A grass-roots browser campaign -- link.

Cooking with Apache, Part 3 -- link.

Introduction to MUTE, a new cross-platform peer-to-peer (P2P) network that supports anonymous file sharing, including search-and-download functionality -- link.

Programming

The key to a successful development project is to manage your own expectations -- link.

An Overview of PROMELA, a language for building verification models -- link.

Using MySQL to manage and update web site content with little human input -- link.

An introduction to the Contemplate Web Templating System, a set of server-side scripts that generate Web pages -- link.

Learning CVS using KDE’s Cervisia front-end -- link.

Get ready for CVS-killer Subversion -- link. Subversion 1.0.0 released -- link.

Eiffel programming contest results are in -- link.

How high a priority should standards-compliance be in developing a Web app? -- link.

Learning computer science via assembly language -- link.

Metrowerks CodeWarrior for Windows version 9.2 released -- link.

A survey of XML standards -- Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Graphical user interface

Qt 3.3 offers 64-bit support on all supported platforms -- link.

The Independent Qt Tutorial has been updated. Includes a new chapter on Qwt: Qt Widgets for Technical Applications.

Introducing the Visual Component Framework -- link.

REALBasic adds ability to build Linux applications (IDE itself is still Mac or Windows only) -- link 1, link 2.

Creating Web content for mobile phone browsers -- Part 1, Part 2.

CSS from the ground up -- link. Discussion here.

Introducing Nvu, a new open source WYSIWYG Web page creator/editor -- link.

C/C++/Java family

Oh, So That’s How A Java App Works! -- link.

The new Eclipse organization: What is in it for developers? -- link.

Sun plans to make all its development tools available on Linux by the end of 2004, including environments for both Java and C/C++ developers -- link.

How Java can improve the desktop world; the three major Java GUI toolkits (AWT, Swing, SWT ) -- link. Discussion here.

Kaffe, a free Java runtime, version 1.1.4 released -- link.

Practical C++ -- book review.

Scripting and high-level languages

Scripting with free Rexx implementations -- link. Discussions here, here.

Building PHP Web services with PEAR -- link.

Introduction to XEN -- link. Xen on track to debut as “X Omega” -- link.

Perl 6 will look vastly different from its predecessor -- link.

Using MySQL from PHP -- link.

PHP 5.0 just around the corner -- link.

Why’s (Poignant) Guide to Ruby -- link; discussion here.

Mod_python’s PSP: Python Server Pages -- link.

theKompany’s Black Adder Python IDE -- review.

DrPython, a Python editor/IDE, version 2.2.3 is out.

Stackless Python, A Python implementation that does not use the C stack, version 3.0 for Python 2.3.3 is out.

What’s new in Python 2.4, expected in mid-2004? -- link.

Security & Privacy

Using GnuPG, Part I -- link.

Protect yourself against Denial-of-Service attacks -- link.

Feds issue one-year cybersecurity report card and describe goals -- link.

ScanSafe hunts for Nimda-like worms in Web traffic -- link.

At the front in the virus wars -- link.

“Ode to the Clueless Computer Users” -- link.

Email fraud and phishing attacks up 50% January vs. December -- link.

FDA says RFID could play an important role in anti-drug counterfeiting strategies -- link.

Procedure for analyzing malware -- link.

Traces of Guilt: computer crime from the front line -- book review.

U.S. federal government vulnerability info-sharing program draws fire -- link.

Cyber security alliance sets sights on Washington -- link. IT security to become “political battleground” -- link.

Armoring Apache HTTP server with SSL -- link.

Black Ice: The Invisible Threat of Cyber-Terrorism a bit over-the-top -- book review.

Is IM the next security worry? -- link.

Lawmakers preparing laws against RFID spying -- link. RSA Security shows RFID tag blocker -- link.

e-crime Congress held in London -- link.

Microsoft

Microsoft software “monoculture” threatens global computer security -- link.

Bagle-B e-mail worm spreads -- link 1, link 2.

Netsky B worm is very pesky -- link.

Microsoft’s Shared-Source initiative defeats security through obscurity approach, and “Trustworthy Computing” -- link.

What is the anti-virus industry’s definition of happy? -- link.

Gates parades Windows security advances -- link 1, link 2. Gates “optimistic” on security -- link.

Microsoft announces entry into the personal firewall market, vendors skeptical -- link.

MyDoom continuing its rampage with the recent release of MyDoom.F -- link.

Counting the cost of MyDoom and other malware -- link.

Spam, advertising

Brightmail offering a new service designed to identify IP addresses that send mostly junk email -- link.

Personal Spamassassin quickstart -- link.

The Register solicits 419 scam haikus -- link.

Identifying networks of mutual friends helps filter out spam -- link.

Free excerpt from PC Annoyances: Eradicating E-mail Aggravations -- download link.

Trojans as spam robots: the evidence -- link.

Microsoft set to show anti-spam strategy -- link.

Microsoft proposes caller ID for e-mail -- link.

New Spam filters cut the noise -- link.

Miscellaneous

10 Commandments for Poor Technology Transfer -- link.

FCC: Congress should lift low-power FM broadcasting restrictions -- link.

Porn chat bot passes the Turing Test? -- link.

419 haiku results from The Register -- link.

Paperless office is still a fictional concept -- link.

Free Software Foundation attorney Eben Moglen gives a talk at Harvard -- link.

Business

Atlanta-based ISP Joi Internet recruiting laid-off EarthLink workers, escews shifting technical support overseas -- link.

Film makers join revulsion at Pepsi RIAA doublespeak -- link.

War between Yahoo! and Google intensifies -- link.

Yahoo: The search engine that isn’t a verb, yet -- link 1, link 2.

Film firms (Kodak, e.g.) fight to stay afloat -- link.

Getting your résumé read -- link.

Tech training schools going bust -- link.

Internet “job boards” (Monster.com, CareerBuilder, Headhunter.net, Hotjobs, etc.) may have serious conflicts of interest that interfer with your ability to find a job -- link.

How Novell is becoming a true Linux play -- link.

Several articles on offshoring tech and other jobs -- link.

MySQL profits from open source -- link.

The prophets of doom on IBM have once again picked the wrong target -- link.

Beyond an Open Source Java -- link.

Intel CEO calls for the adoption of a worldwide digital rights management system -- link.

Licensing costs drive retailers to look at alternatives to the Microsoft platform -- link.

Pop-up ads bad for business says study -- link.

The Complete Guide to Googlemania! -- link.

DoubleClick sees rosy ad picture -- link.

The Internet

Blogs pump bucks into campaigns -- link.

W3C brings Semantic Web closer to reality -- link.

VeriSign sues ICANN over control of the Internet -- link.

Science

Honda’s humanoid robot hits UK -- link.

Digital Oscars awarded -- link.

Cheap fast eyeglasses from a desktop fabricator -- link.

Arctic ice absorbs significant quantities of CO₂ -- link.

2,000-year-old water main built by the Romans still working -- link.

Chess computers on track to overtake humans in 2004 -- link.

What is life? Do we have the right to re-engineer it? What are the risks? -- link.

The Hydrogen Economy: Green Nirvana or a Pipe Dream -- link.

Can nanotubes help keep PCs cool? -- link.

Telecommunications

Broadband over power lines gets a boost -- link 1, link 2.

Manhattan man tries to auction 867- 5309, Verizon says no -- link.

Cingular Wireless agrees to buy AT&T Wireless Services for apx. $41 billion. Purchase will consolidate U.S. wireless market from 6 major companies to 5 -- link.

VoIP will be US broadband killer app, if the FCC leaves it alone, according to report -- link.

Morpheus launching phone service -- link.

Intel prototypes portable “Tele-Phone”, of as yet indiscernable potential use -- link.

Wi-Fi in the real world, part 2 -- link.

Ultrawideband group plans to bypass IEEE standards process to speed wireless USB, 1394 -- link.

Emerging wireless technology UltraWideband may be getting off the launchpad faster than expected -- link. Future rosy for UltraWideBand -- link.

Does anyone need all this mobile technology? -- link.

Intel promises all-singing, all-dancing 3G mobile phone -- link.

Qwest to offer “Naked DSL” while power line broadband tests begin -- link.