Microsoft quietly delays Windows Server 2008 ... Sony gives up on Connect music store ... Sweden's OOXML vote declared invalid

In this issue:
* Sweden's OOXML vote declared invalid
* Microsoft sneaks Longhorn delay news in with SP1 details
* Sony throws in the towel on Connect music store
* Dell profit up 46 percent thanks to cheaper components
* French YouTube rival lands $34 million funding
* Secure wireless network brings Wisconsin cities together
* Using netgroups to share files
* Sun seeks developer help to make Solaris ubiquitous
* Thinking, typing and the mysterious case of the missing printouts


TODAY'S TOP STORY

Sweden's OOXML vote declared invalid
The Swedish Standards Institute has declared its recent vote in favor of Microsoft Corp.'s Office Open XML format invalid. It means that Sweden will probably abstain from an important upcoming international vote on whether to make the format a standard.


IN THE NEWS

* Microsoft sneaks Longhorn delay news in with SP1 details
* Sony throws in the towel on Connect music store
* Dell profit up 46 percent thanks to cheaper components
* French YouTube rival lands $34 million funding
* Secure wireless network brings Wisconsin cities together


UNIX TIP

Using netgroups to share files
By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld.com

Solaris and other SVR4 versions of Unix provide file sharing through NFS and the /etc/dfs/dfstab file. The syntax of this particular file permits you to restrict file system sharing to a limited number of hosts or to share file systems with no restrictions whatsoever. Restricting file systems to a select set of hosts is particularly important if you are permitting the client hosts to access the file systems read/write and even more important if root on the clients will have the authority of root on your NFS server.

You can specify the hosts that are permitted to mount file systems by stringing them together in a colon-separated format with the share command, such as this command which can be issued on the command line or included in the dfstab file for a more or less permanent setup:


FEATURE

Sun seeks developer help to make Solaris ubiquitous
By China Martens

Sun Microsystems Inc. has ambitious plans for the commercial and open-source versions of its Solaris operating system, hoping to achieve for Solaris the kind of ubiquity already enjoyed by Java. To come close to reaching that goal, Sun needs to reach out more to developers and endeavor to overcome some long-held prejudices against the OS.


OPINION

Thinking, typing and the mysterious case of the missing printouts
By Sean McGrath, ITworld.com

Thinking and typing...thinking and typing...That is what I am doing right now. I'm doing both together...What worries me is that over time, the latter appears to have become a pre-requisite for the former to happen in my head. Case in point: in order to think this very topic through, I find myself having to type it...hmmmm.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Dell sees profits rise on lower component costs ... Microsoft quietly delays Windows Server 2008 ... Sony gives up on Connect music store

More podcasts


ITWHIRLED

- Top ten interactive marketing trends
- Top 10 GNOME desktop tweaks
- Top 10 Quicken tricks
- Top 10 multimedia smartphones

See all the tens

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TODAY'S POLL

How green is your transportation?

I drive a big ole SUV
I drive a fairly fuel-efficient car
I drive a hybrid
I run my car on biodiesel
I take public transportation
I ride my bike
I walk

Answer this poll

Microsoft pressed partners to vote for OOXML ... AMD proposes speedier x86 instructions for multimedia ... EarthLink's deal with SF looks de

HIGHLIGHTS
News: Microsoft pressed partners in Sweden to vote for OOXML
News: AMD proposes speedier x86 instructions for multimedia
News: Current EarthLink deal with SF looks dead
News: Monster outlines antifraud measures
News: Vista SP1 due in Q1 2008, beta in September
Opinion: Network outages should spur integrators to stay in contact with customers
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: Killer arm-wrestling robot recalled by human masters


NEWS UPDATES

Microsoft pressed partners in Sweden to vote for OOXML
Microsoft Sweden offered extra "marketing contributions" to its business partners to encourage them to vote for the adoption of Microsoft Corp.'s Office Open XML format as a standard at a meeting of Sweden's national standards body this week.

AMD proposes speedier x86 instructions for multimedia
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. wants developers to start thinking about how they can speed up their software using new instructions that will appear in the company's processors from 2009. The additions could simplify the way developers code the iterative calculations used to shade graphics, render photos or add spatial effects to audio.

Current EarthLink deal with SF looks dead
EarthLink Inc.'s current contract to build a municipal Wi-Fi network in San Francisco appears to be dead following a restructuring of the struggling Internet service provider.

Monster outlines antifraud measures
One week after hackers stole personal information from millions of people who had posted their resumes to the job-searching site Monster.com, the company has warned its users to be vigilant about online fraud because the breach was not an isolated incident.

Microsoft: Vista SP1 due in Q1 2008, beta in September
Microsoft Corp. has finally broken its silence on the timing of the release of the highly anticipated Windows Vista Service Pack 1, saying the software updates should be in final release in the first quarter of next year, with the company shipping off a beta next month to 10,000 to 15,000 testers.

LG unveils iPhone-like 3G handset
LG Electronics Inc.'s battle to beat the iPhone is far from over. The South Korean electronics company has unveiled its second iPhone-like handset and this one packs several important features the iPhone doesn't: 3G and high-speed cellular data networking.

HTC shows 3G version of Touch smartphone
Taiwan's High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC) has taken the wraps off a thinner, faster version of its Touch smartphone.

Microsoft to buy enterprise chat provider Parlano
Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday it will acquire a Chicago-based provider of enterprise group chat software to bolster the messaging capabilities of its Office Communications Server and Office Communicator products.


OPINION

Network outages should spur integrators to stay in contact with customers
By Joel Shore, ITworld.com

You've to feel for the 20,000 people stranded recently at Los Angeles International Airport's Tom Bradley International Terminal and the 200 million more around the globe who lost access to Skype. Television and general-interest news organizations ascribed the woes to the ubiquitous "computer glitch." We, of course, know better. And usually the truth is a lot scarier.

Read the full article here.


PODCAST

Today's IT news audio update
Microsoft reveals Vista SP1 plans ... Monster.com warns users after privacy breach ... Microsoft buys corporate-messaging software company

More podcasts


ITWHIRLED

Killer arm-wrestling robot recalled by human masters
An mechanical arm-wrestling game has been recalled from dozens of Japanese arcades because there have been complaints that it's breaking the arms of its human opponents. They've already acquired a taste for human blood, so the real question is: will the machines go quietly?

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Vista SP1 due in Q1 2008 .. Another iPhone unlocking video hits the Web ... SAP pushes for settlement talks with Oracle

HIGHLIGHTS
News: Microsoft: Vista SP1 due in Q1 2008, beta in September
News: SAP pushes for settlement talks with Oracle
News: Deutsche Telekom confirms iPhone talks
News: iPhone unlocking video hits Web
News: Acer head vows to step down if Gateway deal fails
News: EarthLink layoffs signal change in muni Wi-Fi
Storage Tip: Steps to long-term retention of digital information
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: Stop, think before you "reply to all"


NEWS UPDATES

Microsoft: Vista SP1 due in Q1 2008, beta in September
Microsoft Corp. has finally broken its silence on the timing of the release of the highly anticipated Windows Vista Service Pack 1, saying the software updates should be in final release in the first quarter of next year, with the company shipping off a beta next month to 10,000 to 15,000 testers

SAP pushes for settlement talks with Oracle
SAP AG has asked a U.S. court to order settlement talks in its legal battle with Oracle Corp., arguing that Oracle exaggerated its claims against the German software maker. Oracle said it opposed such talks and accused SAP of trying to "make this case go away."

Deutsche Telekom confirms iPhone talks
Deutsche Telekom AG is in talks with Apple Inc. about selling the iPhone in Germany and expects the U.S. company to announce its German distribution partner soon, a senior executive said Wednesday in Berlin.

iPhone unlocking video hits Web
A video showing the founder of a Belfast, Northern Ireland company unlocking the iPhone hit the Web early Wednesday U.K. time as proof that software exists that can unlock Apple Inc.'s device for use with carriers other than AT&T Inc.

Acer head vows to step down if Gateway deal fails
Amid mounting criticism of the deal, the chairman and CEO of Acer Inc. has vowed to step down if the company's bid to join with Gateway Inc. does not succeed.

EarthLink layoffs signal change in muni Wi-Fi
EarthLink Inc.'s announcement that it will lay off 900 people is a blow to broadband competition, but some industry followers say it doesn't signal the end of municipal Wi-Fi.

Google in, Yahoo out for CNN.com text ads
Google Inc. has become the exclusive provider of pay-per-click text ads on CNN.com, one of the most visited news Web sites in the world, displacing rival Yahoo Inc.


STORAGE TIP

Steps to long-term retention of digital information
By David Hill, Mesabi Group

According to a recent survey from the SNIA's Data Management Forum, over half (53%) of the respondents stated that they have information that must be retained permanently, and 83% stated that they have information that must be retained over 50 years. Before you can put together your long term data archiving strategy, you must identify how long you need to keep your data.

Here's what you need to know...


PODCAST

Today's IT news audio update
Another iPhone unlocking video hits the Web ... Japan extends computer leak investigation ... US senator wants contract with Sun cancelled

More podcasts


ITWHIRLED

Note to CEOs: Stop, think before you "reply to all"
Ben Baldanza, CEO of Spirit Airlines, got an e-mail from a couple who missed a concert when their flight was delayed; they wanted the price of their concert tickets and related expenses refunded. Baldanza sent a note to some airline employees sneering "we owe him nothing" -- but accidentally replied to the Spirit customers as well. Oops!

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Traders punish Acer for Gateway buy ... Unlocking iPhone could invite DMCA suit ... New LCD plant means cheaper big-screen TVs

HIGHLIGHTS
News: New LCD plant could mean cheaper big-screen TVs
News: Traders punish Acer for Gateway purchase
News: Unlocking the iPhone could invite DMCA suit
News: Japan military homes, destroyer raided over data leak
News: Gear6 offers huge RAM cache for network
Windows Tip: Building a supportable enterprise, part 4
Podcast: Today's IT News Audio Update
ITwhirled: CIA launches 'Facebook for spies'


NEWS UPDATES

New LCD plant could mean cheaper big-screen TVs
A new LCD (liquid crystal display) factory has opened in South Korea, with cheaper flat-panel televisions potentially on the way as a result.

Traders punish Acer for Gateway purchase
Shares of Acer Inc. opened down by their daily limit on the Taiwan Stock Exchange early Tuesday, as investors took a dim view of its decision to buy U.S. PC vendor Gateway Inc.

Unlocking the iPhone could invite DMCA suit
Hackers who unlock Apple Inc.'s iPhone from the AT&T Inc. network and share the method with 10 million of their closest Internet friends are inviting a lawsuit from the two companies, several intellectual property lawyers said Monday.

Japan military homes, destroyer raided over data leak
The homes of several serving members of Japan's Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) and a destroyer were raided as part of an investigation into a leak of sensitive military data from a computer, Japan's Kyodo News reported Tuesday.

Gear6 offers huge RAM cache for network
Gear6 has announced network-attached storage (NAS) boxes featuring a transparent RAM cache.


WINDOWS TIP

Building a supportable enterprise, part 4
By Mitch Tulloch, MTIT Enterprises

By now you've probably learned at least one important thing about keeping your Windows infrastructure supportable, namely: leave well enough alone. Last time I touched on this topic, I highlighted the dangers of trying to "harden" your network by disabling so-called "unneeded" services. The result of doing this without a proper understanding of what Windows services actually do can lead to broken applications and other mysterious problems. Let's look at another common "hardening" technique that often has more downside than upside -- changing the Access Control Lists (ACLs) on your boot/system volume.

Read the full article here


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Acer to acquire Gateway ... Spyware discovery clouds German-China relations ... Intel updates vPro with new chip release

More podcasts


ITWHIRLED

CIA launches 'Facebook for spies'
Social networking sites are used to help promote indie bands and teen romance, so why couldn't they also be used to help clandestine intelligence services? The CIA plans to launch a Facebook-style site for spies called A-Space, which they hope will encourage intelligence sharing within a community often marked by mutual suspicion.

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Acer to acquire Gateway ... German gov't PCs hacked ... Lawsuit fear delays iPhone unlocker

HIGHLIGHTS
News: Acer to acquire Gateway for $710 million
News: German gov't PCs hacked, China offers to investigate
News: Legal worries delay release of iPhone unlocking software
News: Intel improves desktop security with vPro upgrade
Opinion: Satellite phones and solar iPod chargers
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: Israeli cabinet meetings now cell-phone-free zones


NEWS UPDATES

Acer to acquire Gateway for $710 million
Acer Inc. plans to acquire Gateway Inc. in a deal worth $710 million that Acer says will make it the world's third-largest PC vendor.

Related Reading:
- Lenovo's plan for Packard Bell hit by Acer-Gateway deal
- Gateway brand to expand after Acer purchase

German gov't PCs hacked, China offers to investigate
Chinese premier Wen Jiabao described reports of Chinese hackers breaking into German computers as a matter of "grave concern" and said Monday that his country will cooperate with Germany to resolve the matter.

Legal worries delay release of iPhone unlocking software
Fear of litigation has led to an indefinite delay in the planned Saturday release of software to unlock Apple Inc.'s iPhone.

Intel improves desktop security with vPro upgrade
Intel Corp. released an upgrade to its vPro bundle of automated PC management features on Monday, saying the new package delivers better IT security than the original product launched last year.


OPINION

Satellite phones and solar iPod chargers
By Steven Schwankert

You don't really learn about technology until you're removed from it to the point where you're at both extremes of the technological spectrum. Say, using plentiful Mongolian sunshine to charge your iPod.

During the course of a two-week scuba diving expedition to the landlocked Asian country's Lake Khosvgol, we learned about both ends of that spectrum. For the members of our team who work in Mongolia, satellite telephones and generators are part and parcel of their work. In all, we moved over a ton of equipment from places such as Hong Kong and Beijing to the lake shore and back, along with personal equipment from our participants' home countries, including Austria, the United States, and the U.K.

Read the full article here


PODCAST

Today's IT news audio update
Lawsuit fear delays release of iPhone unlock tool ... Palm denies report that Foleo is late ... China criticized over real name blog policy

More podcasts


ITWHIRLED

Israeli cabinet meetings now cell-phone-free zones
If you've ever been frustrated by someone using a mobile phone during a movie, class, or business meeting, pity poor Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert whose cabinet ministers would pull out their cells and start chatting in the middle of a meeting -- or, worse, surreptitiously dial reporters so that they could listen in on meetings that were supposed to be secret. Now ministers must check their mobiles at the door before cabinet meetings begin.

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