E.C. may fine Microsoft again ... AOL upgrades AIM with offline messaging, chat logs

HIGHLIGHTS
News: European Commission may fine Microsoft again
News: SAP, Microsoft plan more Duet features and new version
News: AOL upgrades AIM with offline messaging, chat logs
News: Microsoft releases six security updates
Unix Tip: Automating Analog
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: New Zealand allows "text-speak" in test answers


NEWS UPDATES

European Commission may fine Microsoft again
The European Commission has threatened Microsoft with daily fines of €3 million (US$3.8 million) if it doesn't provide interoperability information about its Windows operating system by Nov. 23, the Commission said Wednesday.

SAP, Microsoft plan more Duet features and new version
Businesses interested in Duet, the software application jointly developed by Microsoft Corp. and SAP AG, can look forward to new features and a new version of the product over the next several months.

AOL upgrades AIM with offline messaging, chat logs
AOL LLC has upgraded its popular AIM instant messaging service with new features like the ability to send messages to offline users and to store IM sessions in a PC.

Microsoft releases six security updates
Microsoft Corp. has issued six security updates, fixing critical bugs in Windows components ranging from Internet Explorer to the Microsoft NetWare client service.

Security group ranks human error as top security worry
The SANS Institute has some controversial advice for computer security professionals looking to lock down their networks: spear-phish your employees.

Nokia releases Sourcefire-based security appliance
Nokia Corp. has introduced a security appliance aimed at helping enterprises keep their networks secure, particularly in the face of threats that arise as more employees access corporate data remotely from devices like smartphones and laptops.

Pirated Vista may be useless, Microsoft says
Pirated copies of Microsoft's new Vista computer operating system "will be of limited value" to those who use them. "This unauthorized download relies on the use of pre-RTM [release-to-manufacture] activation keys that will be blocked using Microsoft's Software Protection Platform," Microsoft said in a prepared statement.

Former CA sales executive gets seven years in jail
The former head of worldwide sales at Computer Associates has been sentenced to seven years in jail after pleading guilty to financial fraud charges in April.

No stores and no phones means no clients for EasyMobile
EasyMobile Ltd. plans to shut its mobile phone service in the U.K. on Dec. 13, leaving its 80,000 customers to find a new service provider. The EasyMobile low-cost offering launched first in the U.K. last year, with plans to become available in 12 European countries. Mimicking a successful model spearheaded in Denmark, EasyMobile initially only sold SIM cards but no phones, and had no stores, selling exclusively online.


UNIX TIP

Automating Analog
By Sandra Henry-Stocker

For those of us who use Analog routinely to understand how well our web sites are doing, a little automation goes a long way. To prepare monthly reports, for example, you will want to rotate your log files, keeping each month's log data separately. Whether you retain old log files or only the Analog reports, you can set up for your sites in a way that lends itself to month by month comparisons.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
E.U. threatens additional fines against Microsoft ... AOL upgrades AIM service ... Borland to spin off developer tools group ... Microsoft issues six security updates


ITWHIRLED

New Zealand schools give up: "Text-speak" to be accepted in test answers
Kiwi high schoolers will be permitted to use "text-speak" -- the sort of abbreviations common in text messages and instant messaging conversations -- in national exams this year, as long as the answer "clearly shows the required understanding." Throwing a bone to everyone over the age of 19 who is righteously horrified by this idea, the nation's educational authority noted that on English tests and others where good language use is specifically required, text abbreviations would be penalized.