Google defends against Belgian newspaper copyright case ... Sony finds CCD problem with some digital cameras

HIGHLIGHTS
News: Google defends against Belgian newspaper copyright case
News: E.U. panel asks Swift to stop giving banking data to U.S.
News: French filmmaker sues Google Video
News: Sony finds CCD problem with some digital cameras
Interview: Ex-PeopleSoft CEO talks hosted apps, Oracle
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: Geek Comic of the Week: Overcompensating


NEWS UPDATES

Google defends against Belgian newspaper copyright case
Google Inc. launched a robust defense of its practice of caching and summarizing newspaper articles on its news search engine Google News in a Brussels courtroom on Friday.

E.U. panel asks Swift to stop giving banking data to U.S.
An international banking organization violated European Union and Belgian data privacy laws by turning over information to U.S. authorities for terrorism investigations, an independent panel set up by the European Commission has concluded.

French filmmaker sues Google Video
A French film company filed a lawsuit against Google Inc. in the Paris Commercial Court, charging the search giant with copyright infringement.

Sony finds CCD problem with some digital cameras
Problems with the image pick-up in eight models of Sony Corp. digital still camera could mean the inability to take clear pictures or any photos at all, the company said Friday.

New Skype handset doesn't require a PC
A Danish company has begun selling a cordless telephone handset that works with Skype and doesn't require a personal computer.


INTERVIEW

Ex-PeopleSoft CEO talks hosted apps, Oracle
Craig Conway, the former head of PeopleSoft, has kept a low profile in the IT world since his public ouster from the company in October 2004, a few months before the enterprise applications vendor was acquired by Oracle. In this interview, he talks about his new role at enterprise search startup Kazeon, his old nemesis Oracle, and the future of on-demand applications.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Microsoft meets European regulator's deadline ... French Assembly to use open-source software ... U.K. to legalize radio transmitters for portable music devices


ITWHIRLED

Geek Comic of the Week: Overcompensating
This comic bills itself as real things that actually happen to Webcomic artist Jeffery Rowland and his friends, many of whom are Webcomic artists themselves. But we sort of doubt they ever tried to market a line of tequila that comes with a free GED, or took the world's sketchiest limo ride in which the driver tried to sell them a pimp cup.

Google News finds more trouble in Europe ... Firefox vulnerable to password-stealing attack

HIGHLIGHTS
News: Microsoft files more documents to avoid E.U. fine
News: Wanted: Buyer for Siemens enterprise networks group
News: Google News finds more trouble in Europe
News: Firefox vulnerable to password-stealing attack
Opinion: Thousands of wireless access points
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: In defense of difficult clients


NEWS UPDATES

Microsoft files more documents to avoid E.U. fine
Microsoft submitted the latest batch of technical information about its Windows operating system to the European Commission antitrust department Thursday, meeting the last in a string of deadlines imposed by the regulator over the past two years.

Wanted: Buyer for Siemens enterprise networks group
German electronics and engineering conglomerate Siemens AG is discovering that selling products can be much easier than selling parts of the company. Talks to unload Siemens Enterprise Networks, a unprofitable unit that sells communications equipment to businesses, "are continuing" with several interested parties, but no buyer has been found yet, Siemens spokeswoman Monika Brücklmeier said Thursday.

Google News finds more trouble in Europe
Google is facing mounting protests from newspaper publishers in Europe, the impact of which could ultimately affect the amount of content available to end users through search engines.

Firefox vulnerable to password-stealing attack
A flaw in Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox browser makes it easy for cybercriminals to steal user information on Web sites where users create their own pages, such as MySpace.com.

Siemens fraud investigation deepens
The investigation into fraud at Siemens now involves as much as $258 million, ten times the liability previously admitted. Two more Siemens staff have been arrested, with six people now in custody.


OPINION

Thousands of wireless access points
By James Gaskin

How well are you managing your wireless network? Do you know where all your access points are? Do you know how many clients are using those access points at this moment? Now multiply those questions by over 7,000 access points spread across 220 locations, and give me your answers.

That was the problem facing the Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools and their plan to provide wireless broadband network access for every classroom across their district. An ambitious and obviously well-funded district, Fairfax County needed immediate support for wireless problems. If a classroom has a problem, and tech support is an hour away, the class will be over before help can arrive. Thus the need for leading edge management.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
U.K. company sells preowned Microsoft licenses in the U.S. ... Palm starts taking orders for new Treo ... Asustek introduces new motherboard for quad-core chips


ITWHIRLED

In defense of difficult clients
You know who we're talking about: the client whose last site was built by his son using FrontPage or the client who doesn't understand your aversion to "click here" links. But this article proposes that such clients might be the best thing that ever happens to you.

IBM, Cray win DARPA supercomputer contracts ... Vista complies with U.S. antitrust ruling

HIGHLIGHTS
News: IBM, Cray win DARPA supercomputer contracts
News: Virtualization takes toll on physical server sales
News: Vista complies with U.S. antitrust ruling
News: Gartner: Mobile phone sales grow - except in Japan
Opinion: The Chinese Internet: No happiness
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: Did electronic voting machines eat this man's only vote?


NEWS UPDATES

IBM, Cray win DARPA supercomputer contracts
IBM Corp. and Cray Inc have beat out Sun Microsystems Inc. to win sizable U.S government contracts to design a new generation supercomputer.

Virtualization takes toll on physical server sales
New numbers from Gartner Inc. show that computer server sales slowed in the third quarter, a trend the research company attributes to virtualization.

Vista complies with U.S. antitrust ruling
Microsoft Corp's Windows Vista OS doesn't pose antitrust issues so far, according to the latest status report on Microsoft's compliance with the U.S. antitrust settlement.

Gartner: Mobile phone sales grow - except in Japan
Worldwide mobile phone sales grew 21.5 percent year on year to 251 million units in the third quarter, with India and China driving growth, according to research from Gartner Inc.

Dell beats estimates with AMD chip sales
Dell Inc. Tuesday pointed to its adoption of processors from AMD for pushing it to $677 million in profit for the third quarter, though the company has delayed reporting final numbers due to an accounting investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Microsoft licenses Office UI for free
Microsoft Corp. is licensing the new user interface (UI) in Office 2007 for free so developers can build applications that look similar to the programs in the suite, the company said Tuesday.

Google adds indexing tools for News portal
Google Inc. has developed new tools it says will make it easier for webmasters and publishers of news sites to control how the search engine indexes their content for inclusion in the Google News portal.

Google explores separate test network in SF
Google Inc. has asked for the right to use as many as 1,500 San Francisco light poles for wireless equipment on a test network of its own, separate from the citywide Wi-Fi infrastructure that the company proposed along with EarthLink Inc.


OPINION

The Chinese Internet: No happiness
By Dan Blacharski

I've lived and traveled all over Asia, and love it -- there's nothing quite like strolling by the street vendors peddling fried beetles and chicken heads. In countries like Thailand, where there is relatively more freedom than some other Asian countries, I marveled at the stark contrast of seeing a vendor in her big straw hat selling live fish right outside of a flourishing and modern Internet café.

Over the weekend, Reporters Without Borders reported that Chinese Internet users could no longer connect to the Chinese or English versions of Wikipedia. There's been some back and forth in China around Wikipedia (as well as several other online sites), with China re-opening the English Wikipedia on October 10, and the Chinese version in the middle of November. Has there been a change of heart again by the powers that be? It would seem so, and today, if a Chinese citizen wants to know about the history of American Thanksgiving, what was the longest novel in English ever published, or to read about British game show host Richard Dawson or some other such trivia, they'll have to go elsewhere.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Microsoft won't use Vista activation feature in Office 2007 ... Analysts back Yahoo "Peanut Butter" memo ... Dell reports Q3 results


ITWHIRLED

Did electronic voting machines eat this man's only vote?
Randy Wooten knew he'd get at least one vote for mayor in Waldenburg, Arkansas (population 80) -- his own. But when the final results came in, and there was a big "0" next to his name, his suspicions turned to the electronic voting machines that kept the talley.

JBoss signs research, services deal with Bull ... Alcatel sues Microsoft over digital video patents

HIGHLIGHTS
News: JBoss signs research, services deal with Bull
News: Alcatel sues Microsoft over digital video patents
News: Dell to report Q3 results today despite accounting woes
News: School shoot-out spurs debate on violent PC games
Windows Tip: Robocopy just got better
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: Party like it's 1999


NEWS UPDATES

JBoss signs research, services deal with Bull
French systems and services provider Bull SA has formed a broad partnership with JBoss that could see the Red Hat Inc. subsidiary's open-source middleware used more widely in Europe.

Alcatel sues Microsoft over digital video patents
Alcatel SA has accused Microsoft Corp. of infringing seven of its U.S. patents. The patents describe how to implement fast-forward and rewind functions in digital video streams, among other things.

Dell to report Q3 results today despite accounting woes
Dell Inc. plans to report its third quarter financial results later today once the U.S. stock market closes, after delaying the announcement by nearly a week due to accounting troubles.

School shoot-out spurs debate on violent PC games
A long-simmering debate in Germany about banning violent computer games is burning again after an aloof teenager on Monday stormed his former high school, shot five people and later killed himself.

Akamai to buy Nine Systems for media control
Online delivery service company Akamai Technologies Inc. is buying Nine Systems Corp., a multimedia management service provider, expanding its toolset for online content.

GSM operators team on near field communications
Several mobile phone operators are collaborating on an initiative aimed at achieving a common approach to short-range wireless technology in mobile phones that can be used for contactless applications such as ticketing and billing.

PSP software update coming Wednesday
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. will begin offering a software update for the PlayStation Portable on Wednesday that allows it to interoperate with the recently launched PlayStation 3.

Tacos-for-life for a PlayStation 3
People have pushed and shoved for it, queued overnight in the rain for it and its been sold online at great profit. Now the Taco Bell fastfood chain is offering a "lifetime" of tacos in exchange for a PlayStation 3.


WINDOWS TIP

Robocopy just got better
By Mitch Tulloch, MTIT Enterprises

If you're an IT pro you probably have a few favorite tools that you always rely on. One of my favorites is Robocopy, which has been around at least since the Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kit and probably earlier (except my brain is too shot right now to remember -- occupational hazard of being in IT).


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
HP offers personalized PC support over the Internet ... Microsoft steps up software-as-service efforts ... Toshiba to ship 8GB SD card


ITWHIRLED

Party like it's 1999
Clear your calendar. Dotcom-style company holiday parties are making a comeback, according to the annual holiday party survey released by global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Among the survey's findings: spending will increase an average of 16%, with the additional funds going to alcohol and offsite venues.

Yahoo makes online ad deal with newspapers ... Check Point buys Pointsec

HIGHLIGHTS
News: Yahoo makes online ad deal with newspapers
News: Check Point adds encryption with Pointsec buy
News: Nintendo's Wii goes on sale
News: Microsoft steps up SaaS efforts in Europe
Unix Tip: Comparing files with checksums
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: Top ten lies of Web 2.0


NEWS UPDATES
Yahoo makes online ad deal with newspapers
Yahoo Inc. and seven newspaper publishers in the U.S. are partnering to deliver local advertising and search services to online newspaper readers.

Check Point adds encryption with Pointsec buy
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. plans to acquire Pointsec Mobile Technologies AB in an effort to extend its security offering to laptops and other remote access devices.

Nintendo's Wii goes on sale
The next-generation video games battle became a three-console race on Sunday as retailers across the U.S. and Canada put Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s Wii on sale.

Microsoft steps up SaaS efforts in Europe
Microsoft is partnering with managed hosting companies in Europe to provide ISVs with services to help them adapt their applications and businesses to the software-as-a-service model. It will also help ISVs to find a hosting partner and provide them with discounts on licenses for some of Microsoft's software for a limited time.

IBM offers new single sign-on tool for SMBs
IBM Corp. has added a new single sign-on tool to its Tivoli software range to make life easier for small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) to link their Web sites with those of partners and customers.

EMC to offer embedded version of Documentum
EMC Corp. is looking to drum up more market share and revenue for its Documentum enterprise content management (ECM) software. The vendor will announce Monday plans to offer a version of the product specifically designed to meet the needs of application vendors so that they can embed Documentum into their software.

Report: Plea talks in HP case, new director named
Defense and prosecution attorneys in the Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) spying case are scheduled to meet with the presiding judge Dec. 4 to discuss possible plea bargains, the San Jose Mercury News reported Saturday.

U.S. government clears Alcatel-Lucent deal
President Bush has accepted a recommendation that he not suspend or prohibit the planned merger of Alcatel SA and Lucent Technologies Inc. on security grounds after an agency that oversees foreign investment said the deal should be allowed, apparently clearing it to go forward.

Reports: AMD to cut 375 jobs in wake of ATI acquisition
Four weeks after beating Wall Street estimates for financial earnings, chip maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) will lay off 375 workers, according to published reports.


UNIX TIP

Comparing files with checksums
By Sandra Henry-Stocker

Unix systems provide numerous ways to compare files. The most common way to verify that you have received or downloaded the proper file is to compute a checksum and compare it against one computed by a reliable source. MD5 is frequently used to compute checksums because it is computationally unlikely that two different files will ever have the same checksum. Similar commands, such as sum and cksum, also compute checksums but not with as much reliability. Let's look at several checksums and see why.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Nintendo launches Wii in the U.S. and Canada ... AMD to lay off 375 staff ... President Bush lets Lucent-Alcatel deal move forward


ITWHIRLED

Top ten lies of Web 2.0
As tech stocks start to get a bit giddy again, all of us who went through boom and bust are telling ourselves all kinds of things about why it's different this time -- but deep in our hearts, we aren't so sure.