Vista upgrade coupon rumor spreads ... Blogger unblocked (again) in China ... Cisco acquires Nuova

Today's IT News Audio Update
U.K. bans laptops from carry-on luggage ... Software can help detect liquid explosives ... IBM makes another SOA buy


HIGHLIGHTS

News: Microsoft Vista upgrade coupon rumor spreads
News: Google's Blogger service unblocked (again) in China
News: Intel causes Q2 chip inventory spike: iSuppli
News: Cisco acquires Nuova through data center investment
Unix Tip: Using Indexed Arrays in the Korn Shell
ITwhirled: There's no place like 127.0.0.1


NEWS UPDATES

Microsoft Vista upgrade coupon rumor spreads
Unusual patterns in demand for motherboards lend weight to reports that well-known PC vendors will ship computers with free upgrade coupons for the Windows Vista OS (operating system) in the fourth quarter, say analysts. But the truth remains elusive.

Google's Blogger service unblocked (again) in China
Google Inc.'s free Web log service, Blogger, is once again accessible from Beijing without the use of a proxy server, indicating that apparent government efforts to block the site have been lifted.

Intel causes Q2 chip inventory spike: iSuppli
Semiconductor inventories soared to their highest level in years during the second quarter, but the trouble is mainly in the PC sector and namely with chips from Intel Corp., according to market researcher iSuppli Corp.

Cisco acquires Nuova through data center investment
Cisco Systems Inc. will acquire an 80 percent stake of data center company Nuova Systems Inc. through a $50 million investment, the networking company said Thursday.

Software detects difference between shampoo, explosives
Guardian Technologies International is in talks with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to use its PinPoint image analysis software in conjunction with airport X-ray machines to tell the difference between explosives and organic items such as shampoo, clothes and food in carry-on baggage, according to a company executive.

Wall Street Beat: M&A news underscores trends
Earnings and acquisition news from Andrew Corp., Brocade Communications Systems Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc. this week underscored competitive trends in the storage, networking and telecommunications markets.

Juniper to restate earnings due to options timing
The shadow of the options-backdating scandal lengthened over Juniper Networks Inc. with the company's announcement Thursday that it will restate some past financial results.

Rambus delays filings due to options investigation
In a Thursday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, (SEC) Rambus said it will not make the Aug. 14 deadline for filing its second quarter results. It will miss the deadline because an audit committee looking into irregularities in stock option grants had not completed its review.


UNIX TIP

Using Indexed Arrays in the Korn Shell
By Sandra Henry Stocker

One of the most convenient ways to manipulate information in scripts is to store it in an array. Arrays facilitate looping through lists of related values, keeping track of an ever changing number of items and relating descriptive text with the items that they describe. As a very simple example, consider the colors of a rainbow. You can always loop through a list of rainbow colors like this...

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There's no place like 127.0.0.1

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Windows Live is paralyzed ... Windows worm fears raised ... Apple releases 64-bit Xcode Tools


HIGHLIGHTS

News: IBM's FileNet bid proof of ECM consolidation
News: Windows Live is paralyzed, says outgoing manager
News: Worm fears raised after release of Windows malware
News: Apple server software's stealthy Universal release
Study: Hard disks still scrapped with data intact
News: Apple releases 64-bit Xcode Tools
News: Symantec identifies Vista weaknesses
News: New U.K. rules put laptops in checked baggage


IN THE NEWS

IBM's FileNet bid proof of ECM consolidation
IBM Corp.'s intention to acquire FileNet Corp. points to a major shift underway in the enterprise content management (ECM) software market as systems infrastructure companies encroach on pure-play ECM vendors' turf.

Windows Live is paralyzed, says outgoing manager
An outgoing Microsoft Corp. manager hired to advance the company's Windows Live strategy said Thursday Microsoft failed to give him adequate support and lacks commitment for building a comprehensive online services platform.

Worm fears raised after release of Windows malware
Attack code exploiting a recently-patched vulnerability in Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system has been posted to the Internet, prompting concerns of a widespread attack.

Apple server software's stealthy Universal release
Apple didn't make a song and dance about its recent upgrade -- Mac OS X Server 10.4.7, which transformed Apple's server software into a Universal binary that works natively on both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs.

Study: Hard disks still scrapped with data intact
Companies are still selling on old hard drives without taking the slightest precaution to wipe business-sensitive data first, a study has found.

Apple releases 64-bit Xcode Tools
Apple has released Xcode Tools 2.4, ushering in support for 64-bit Intel processors and Universal application creation improvements.

Symantec identifies Vista weaknesses
Symantec has released a report outlining some weaknesses in the kernel protection mechanisms built into a beta version of Windows Live. The report found several potential weaknesses -- among them the tight integration of content copy protection (known as digital rights management, or DRM) into the operating system.

New U.K. rules put laptops in checked baggage
U.K. authorities banned passengers from taking electronic items on board airplanes following the arrests of 21 people Thursday in connection with an alleged plot to blow up aircraft mid-flight en route to the U.S.

IBM to acquire FileNet for $1.6 billion ... Oracle calls Kingdee acquisition report 'speculation'

Today's IT News Audio Update
Dept. of Homeland Security warns users of Windows vulnerability ... Nokia sues to license Qualcomm technology ... Taiwanese motherboard makers join forces


HIGHLIGHTS

News: IBM to acquire FileNet for $1.6 billion
News: Oracle calls Kingdee acquisition report 'speculation'
News: Sun launches midrange storage arrays
News: Google Checkout delays trigger complaints
Storage Tip: Continuous Data Protection to the Rescue
ITwhirled: Geek comic of the week: Dot.Com


NEWS UPDATES

IBM to acquire FileNet for $1.6 billion
IBM Corp. continued its run of SOA-related acquisitions Thursday, agreeing to buy business process and enterprise content management specialist FileNet Corp. for about $1.6 billion in cash.

Oracle calls Kingdee acquisition report 'speculation'
Oracle Corp. Thursday dismissed as speculation a report that it plans to acquire Kingdee International Software Group Co. Ltd., a Chinese ERP (enterprise resource planning) software maker.

Sun launches midrange storage arrays
Sun Microsystems Inc. announced a new family of external storage arrays Thursday to compete with Hewlett-Packard Co. and IBM Corp. for midrange business customers.

Google Checkout delays trigger complaints
Merchants and shoppers are complaining that Google Inc.'s Checkout often takes too long to complete sales transactions and sometimes cancels orders unjustifiably and without warning.

CEO: AOL breach would not happen at Google
The release of a database of online search histories that has gotten AOL LLC into so much hot water could never happen at Google Inc., CEO Eric Schmidt said on Wednesday.

Agitar software testing product will write code
Agitar Software Inc. plans to ship a software testing product next year that will test a developer’s code and, if necessary, automatically generate alternate bug-free and more efficient code, according to an executive of the company.

Eicon to buy Intel's media and signaling business
Eicon Networks Corp. plans to buy Intel Corp.'s media and signalling business. The sale comes as Intel moves to shed products outside its core computer processor business.

iPod rival Creative sings off key in Q4
Creative Technology Ltd., the leading challenger to the iPod in digital music players, reported its second consecutive quarterly loss as it battles strong competition from rivals and mobile phones with built-in music players.

Chambers: Massive router catching on
Cisco Systems Inc. says it has turned the corner in getting service providers to adopt its biggest router. Revenue from the CRS-1 (Carrier Routing System-1), the company's massive system for the core of carrier networks, was about $80 million in Cisco's fiscal fourth quarter, President and CEO John Chambers said during a quarterly results conference call Tuesday. That figure was double the revenue from a year earlier.


STORAGE TIP

Continuous Data Protection to the Rescue
By David Hill, Mesabi Group

CDP solves a long-standard problem of how to provide logical data protection for applications that require low RTO/low RPO. However, enterprises may want to consider extending CDP to not-as-time-availability-sensitive applications as well if the variable cost for expanding coverage is not that expensive. The incremental improvement in end user and IT productivity through higher availability may well justify the additional cost. In general, low RTO/low RPO technology is likely to become very popular as a complement to existing data protection technologies.

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ITWHIRLED

Geek comic of the week: Dot.Com

Here's an interesting bit of tech history ephemera: Contract Professional, a magazine for independent computer consultants, was riding high during the dot-com boom and commissioned a comic called 'Dot.Com. ' It followed the adventures of a computer contract professional (natch) named Dorothy Com, whose nickname was (wait for it) Dot. Dot and her cat URL have various wacky late-1990s tech adventures with recalcitrant computers, sexually harassing bosses, and the Amish.

Latest Microsoft patch prompts DHS warning ... Linspire releases Freespire 1.0 early


HIGHLIGHTS

- Latest Microsoft patch prompts DHS warning
- Former Comverse execs charged with stock-options fraud
- Linspire releases Freespire 1.0 early
- Sun signs up support for PostgreSQL
- AOL partners with Blinkx for K-12 search engine
- Windows smartphones get grown-up encryption
- Apple grows Leopard as Vista delays persist
- AOL offers free personalized e-mail domains


IN THE NEWS

Latest Microsoft patch prompts DHS warning
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned Wednesday that a recently patched Microsoft Corp. Windows vulnerability could put the nation's critical infrastructure at risk.

Former Comverse execs charged with stock-options fraud
Three former executives of software vendor Comverse Technology Inc. have been charged in connection with backdating millions of the company's stock options, federal officials said.

Linspire releases Freespire 1.0 early
Linspire Inc. has released Freespire 1.0, an open-source Debian version of the Linux OS, one month early, the company said Wednesday.

Sun signs up support for PostgreSQL
Sun has formed a deal with EnterpriseDB, an open source database vendor, to provide support services around Sun's PostgreSQL offering.

AOL partners with Blinkx for K-12 search engine
AOL LLC is hoping to attract schoolchildren and their parents to a new search engine designed to be a tool for helping with homework.

Apple grows Leopard as Vista delays persist
Apple seems set to add more unique features to its new Leopard OS, exploiting the delay until Microsoft ships Windows Vista, an analyst believes.

AOL offers free personalized e-mail domains
AOL LLC will offer personalized e-mail domains free to all Web users starting in September, the company announced Wednesday.

Microsoft patches security holes ... Trojan malware takes a bite out of BlackBerry

Today's IT News Audio Update
Microsoft patches security holes ... Researcher demonstrates BlackBerry trojan ... Nokia buys Loudeye for content delivery


HIGHLIGHTS
News: Infineon's DRAM unit lowers IPO price, lists
News: Microsoft may have multicore price edge
News: Trojan malware takes a bite out of BlackBerry
News: Skype, iSkoot sign mobile phone deal
Windows Tip: Protecting Your Default Policies
ITwhirled: 10 dumb (but effective) business ideas


NEWS UPDATES

Infineon's DRAM unit lowers IPO price, lists
The DRAM company spun off by Infineon Technologies AG earlier this year will list on the New York Stock Exchange Wednesday for about half as much as the two companies had been seeking.

Microsoft may have multicore price edge
Microsoft Corp. could have an early advantage over competitors IBM Corp. and Oracle Corp. as some software companies begin shifting pricing to accommodate servers with multicore processors, analysts said.

Trojan malware takes a bite out of BlackBerry
Security researcher Jesse D'Aguanno has developed what he bills as the first Trojan horse malware for Research in Motion Ltd.'s (RIM's) BlackBerry e-mail device.

Skype, iSkoot sign mobile phone deal
Skype Ltd. will help market an application called iSkoot that will put its contact list and VOIP (voice over Internet protocol) and instant messaging services on high-end mobile phones.

Microsoft updates fix PowerPoint, Windows flaws
Microsoft Corp. has issued nine security updates addressing critical flaws in its Office and Windows products. The updates patch two worrisome PowerPoint flaws that could allow attackers to seize control of a PC, the company said Tuesday.

Use ERP, axe office jobs, German study says
If German office workers aren't feeling a bit nervous about losing their jobs, maybe they should be. More than 100,000 administrative jobs in the private sector will disappear over the next five to 10 years as companies move to reduce operating expenses by automating and optimizing numerous administrative processes with the help of modern IT systems, in particular ERP (enterprise resource planning) software, according to a study released Tuesday by the German subsidiary of the consultancy A.T.Kearney Inc.

Sage enters healthcare market with Emdeon buy
U.K. business management software developer Sage Group PLC agreed to buy Emdeon Practice Services, a maker of software for doctors' offices, for $565 million, Sage said on Tuesday.


WINDOWS TIP

Protecting Your Default Policies
By Mitch Tulloch, MTIT Enterprises

Always leaving yourself an out is good advice when it comes to playingpoker, and it's a good idea when it comes to managing Windows networkstoo. Group Policy is one place where it's easy to back yourself into acorner. There are literally thousands of policy settings you canconfigure, and if you accidentally configure the wrong setting in yourDefault Domain Policy, you might end up with hundreds of phone calls toyour support desk asking for help. That's because any change you make to your Default Domain Policy automatically affects every user on yourWindows network.

Read the full article here


ITWHIRLED

She's a 10
10 dumb (but effective) business ideas ... Top 10 downloads ... 10 ways to cut telecom bills

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IBM prevails in pension case ... Nokia buys Loudeye ... Google nabs MySpace search deal

Today's IT News Audio Update
IBM prevails in age discrimination appeal ... Nokia buys Loudeye for content delivery ... Apple adds Intel Core 2 Duo to server, workstation

HIGHLIGHTS

News: Nokia makes content push by acquiring Loudeye
News: Federal appeals court rules for IBM in pension case
News: Google nabs MySpace search deal
News: SCO aims to reinvent itself through mobility
Opinion: Fast pipe. Always on. Get out of the way.
ITwhirled: Ladies love technology


NEWS UPDATES

Nokia makes content push by acquiring Loudeye
Nokia Corp., the world's largest handset maker, has agreed to acquire Loudeye Corp., a provider of digital media distribution services, for $60 million, the two companies announced Tuesday.

Federal appeals court rules for IBM in pension case
A federal appeals court Monday ruled that IBM Corp. did not discriminate against its employees on the basis of age, overturning an earlier verdict in that case.

Google nabs MySpace search deal
Google Inc. has won one of the most sought-after deals in the search engine market, becoming the exclusive provider of search functionality and search advertising to MySpace.com and other News Corp. Web sites.

SCO aims to reinvent itself through mobility
In recent years The SCO Group Inc. has been best known for its costly and controversial licensing dispute over Unix intellectual property. But SCO's leader said the company is in the process of reinventing itself into a mobile application platform and services provider with new products, services and partnerships.

Marvell to profit from Intel's communications business
Marvell Technology Group Ltd. will need around 18 months to make money from its proposed acquisition of Intel Corp.'s loss-making communications and application processor business, according to the company’s president and chief executive officer, Sehat Sutardja.

Microsoft to add Speech Server to communications hub
Microsoft Corp. has found a new home for its Speech Server product in its plan to provide a centralized hub for corporate instant messaging, voice over Internet Protocol, video conferencing, and other communications applications.

Achievo buys Chinese outsourcing company BBX
Outsourcing services provider Achievo Corp. has signed a deal to acquire Beijing Beifang Xinyu Information Technology Co. Ltd. (BBX), a Chinese outsourcing company with 450 employees.

Chip maker Atmel fires four execs, including founder
Chip maker Atmel Corp. fired four executives, including its founder, chairman and chief executive officer, after an investigation into alleged misuse of corporate travel funds, the company said Monday.


OPINION

Fast pipe. Always on. Get out of the way.
By Sean McGrath

What would you say if I told you that I have never in my life sent an e-mail? What would you say if I told you that you too have never in your life sent an e-mail? You would either dismiss me as nuts or conclude that I am playing with words somehow. Indeed, I am playing with words. One word in particular. The word "send".

Read the full article here


ITWHIRLED

Ladies love technology
Male geeks everywhere are rejoicing: a recent survey by the Oxygen network has found that 75% of women would prefer receiving a plasma TV to a diamond. Women are also closing the gadget gap: they average 6.6 "technology devices" (no, we don't know what that means, exactly), compared to 6.9 for men.

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Google to run MTV video clips with ads ... AOL search data released

Today's IT News Audio Update
Sun lays off workers around the world .. Another Cisco vulnerability unearthed ... Google flags dangerous Web sites


HIGHLIGHTS

News: Google to distribute MTV video clips with ads
News: AOL search data reportedly released
News: VMware virtualizes Mac OS
News: FBI: Cybercriminals taking cues from Mafia
TopCoder: Try this week's coding problem ... MultiRead
ITwhirled: When you need more help than the help desk can give


NEWS UPDATES

Google to distribute MTV video clips with ads
In continuing efforts to expand its online advertising business, Google Inc. will distribute ad-supported video content from Viacom International Inc.'s MTV Networks to Web sites in its extensive advertising network.

AOL search data reportedly released
AOL LLC has apparently released details of Internet searches performed over a period of three months by hundreds of thousands of its subscribers, raising privacy concerns.

VMware virtualizes Mac OS
Market-leading OS virtualization company VMWare has confirmed it intends exhibiting virtualization software for Intel Macs at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference.

FBI: Cybercriminals taking cues from Mafia
The Web site offered to sell stolen credit card information for US$100, but it was the title of the poster that caught FBI agent Thomas X Grasso Jr.'s attention. The cybercriminal identified himself as a "Capo di capo" -- a boss of bosses, in Mafia parlance.

IBM determined to evolve mainframe into SOA server
As more and more companies adopt service-oriented architecture (SOA), IBM plans to evolve its mainframes into SOA servers and recently bared new software and developer plans to achieve this goal.

Security guru lays into database vendors
Noted security researcher David Litchfield has again panned the state of database security, revealing another clutch of vulnerabilities in the software of a major vendor.


TOPCODER

This week's problem: MultiRead (Level 1)
In many computer systems, multiple processes can read from the same resource during the same clock cycle, but only a single process can write to the resource during a clock cycle. Reads and writes cannot be mixed during the same clock cycle. Given a history of the reads and writes that occurred during a particular computation as a String trace, and an int procs representing the number of processes used by the computation, calculate the minimum duration of the computation in clock cycles. The trace represents each read as an 'R' and each write as a 'W'.


ITWHIRLED

When you need more help than the help desk can give
Computerworld's Web site has a feature called the Help Desk, where readers can alert the editors about problems with the site or ask questions about how to use it. However, some people have bigger issues: they need printer drivers, advice on e-mail scams, and for Major League Baseball to recognize them as legitimate prospects.

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