Ballmer says never again to 5-year OS gap ... Torvalds no fan of new GPL draft

Today's IT News Audio Update
Ballmer says never again to five-year gap between OSes ... Torvalds not impressed by new GPL draft ... Google offers to host open-source projects


IN THE NEWS

Linux creator Torvalds still no fan of GPLv3
Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, remains unimpressed with a proposed update to the license that governs the open-source operating system and has no plans to adopt it for the Linux kernel.

Google creates repository for open-source projects
Google Inc. is offering to host open source software development projects in a move that has been met with mixed reaction from the developer community online.

Ballmer: Microsoft must be 'multicore'
Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer said Thursday that his company must be able to operate successfully in multiple markets -- a phenomenon he calls being "multicore" -- for the company to continue to grow well into the future.

Wall Street Beat: Acquisitions point to trends
Acquisitions by Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. grabbed the attention of IT investors this week, even as quarterly financial reports continued to rock markets.

Second GPLv3 draft tones down DRM language
The Free Software Foundation Inc. (FSF) unveiled the second draft of the GNU general public license version 3 (GPLv3) Thursday. The new draft adopts a different, more measured tone than the initial take released in January, in particular replacing strident language around the issue of DRM (digital rights management).


ITWHIRLED

2+2=5 (for extremely large values of 2)
Fuzzy math? Yes. Deeply philosophical? Perhaps. A great geek T-shirt? Definitely! Sign up now to win one of your very own.

Gas Prices and Apple Laptops
By James Gaskin

Gasoline prices in the U.S. will remain high for the foreseeable future, and your network and technicians will suffer. In fact, if you don't have a strong lock on the diesel fuel tank for your backup generators, you better get one today. Those of you with gasoline-powered generators may need to post an armed guard when prices jump over $3 a gallon.

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Unix Tip: Viewing library dependencies with ldd
By Sandra Henry-Stocker

The use of dynamically linked libraries makes a lot of sense when it comes to keeping system binaries small, but can generate some head-scratching problems when you are trying to install or run software and the required libraries appear to be missing. Let's take a quick look at what dynamic libraries are and how you can work around some of the common problems you might run into that involve their use.

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Intel launches Core 2 Duo processors ... Firefox update plugs security gaps

Today's IT News Audio Update
Intel launches Core 2 Duo processors ... AMD readies new Opteron ... Samsung develops flash-based drive


NEWS UPDATES

Intel launches Core 2 Duo processors
Intel Corp. unveiled its new Core 2 Duo processor lineup on Thursday, increasing the pressure on rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD). The 10 new dual-core chips promise markedly better performance and greater energy efficiency than Intel's existing products.

Intel cuts some processor prices by more than half
Intel Corp. slashed prices on some desktop PC microprocessors by more than half on Thursday, raising the stakes against rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD), which cut prices earlier this week.

Firefox update plugs security gaps
The Mozilla Foundation has released a new version of its popular Firefox browser (version 1.5.0.5) that addresses 12 security flaws.

India may decline Negroponte's $100 laptop program
India may not go in for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program led by Nicholas Negroponte, which aims to deliver laptops priced at $100 to school students, according to reports this week in Indian media.

Kazaa settles with record industry
In a dramatic close to the legal battle between file-sharing software developer Kazaa and the recording industry, Kazaa on Thursday settled the two major cases against it out of court.

Siemens doubles Q3 earnings, focuses on restructuring
Siemens AG more than doubled its third-quarter net income as its communications unit returned to profitability and losses narrowed in its computer services arm, the German electronics and engineering giant said Thursday.


ITWHIRLED

Geek comic of the week: Sore Thumbs
This magna-style comic all takes place in a video game store (thus the title). But a lot of the drama is political: the store owner is conservative, and his sister/main employee is liberal. Watch the sparks fly as innocent customers just trying to buy games get sucked into the melee! There's also a polar bear, but I'll leave the role he plays for you to discover.

HP's Mercury buy creates battle of titans ... Google offers click-fraud tool

Today's IT News Audio Update
HP's Mercury buy creates battle of titans with CA, IBM ... Google offers click-fraud tool ... Sun posts loss but boosts revenues


NEWS UPDATES

Google introduces click fraud stats
Google Inc. hopes to help make click fraud more transparent with a new feature that offers advertisers reports of invalid clicks, the search giant said on Tuesday.

Trojan cloaks itself as Firefox extension
Security vendor McAfee Inc. has detected a new piece of malicious software that masquerades as part of the Firefox Internet browser.

Sun blames quarterly loss on restructuring fees
Sun Microsystems Inc. posted a loss of $301 million for the fourth quarter, blaming restructuring costs from a tumultuous period of layoffs and plant closings, the company announced Tuesday.

MPA wraps up Red Card with more raids
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) ended its "Operation Red Card" anti-piracy campaign in mid-July, declaring victory and citing a record number of illegal disc and optical disc burner seizures, the industry group said Tuesday.

EDS to merge Indian operations with MphasiS
Electronic Data Systems Corp. (EDS) has decided to merge its Indian services subsidiary with MphasiS BFL Ltd., a listed Indian outsourcer in which EDS acquired a majority share in June, the companies announced Wednesday.


ITWHIRLED

Greatest error message of all time?
Sometimes you use error messages to inform your users about what they can do to fix the problem. Sometimes you use them to let them know what you're doing to fix the problem. And sometimes you use them to pass the buck and get back at your suppliers.

A great geek T-shirt could be yours. Only 5 days left!

Master Foo on Web Mashups
By Sean McGrath

It was late in the morning (around 5:30 a.m.) by the time Master Foo arrived at the training center.

"I am sorry I am late", he said as he sat down. "I had trouble finding Raw Sienna. It was hidden under my meditation box."

The students looked at each other askance from behind the screens of their laptops. "Raw Sienna? What is that and what has that got to do with developing 21st Century Web Applications using mashup technologies?." The students had paid good money to attend this training course and had lugged their laptops up Pentimenti Mountain the night before to be here. Not to mention the fact that they had risen from their freezing tent beds at 5 a.m. to suit Master Foo's schedule.

Read the full article here

One admin, one machine
By Brent Huston, MicroSolved, Inc.

Round-robin system administration seems to be all the rage at some companies at the moment, but from what I've seen (at least at my clients), the overall security of the systems is not being well managed in these environments. Here's why.

Storage Tip: Don't Equate High Availability with High Value
By David Hill, Mesabi Group

Not every mission-critical application must have high availability just because they're, well, mission-critical. You might also allow youself to consider the benefit of high availability for less-critical, but still very important, applications that would benefit from high availability.

Read the full article here

Google adds traffic to mobile Maps ... EC approves Lucent, Alcatel merger

Today's IT News Audio Update
HP aims networked storage to SMBs, Lucent, Alcatel merger approved by EC


IN THE NEWS

Google adds traffic info to mobile Maps application
Google Inc. has enhanced its Google Maps mobile application by adding traffic information and the ability to save routes. When users enter a route, Google Maps will now indicate traffic flow along the way by tracing segments in green, yellow or red.

SAP to update application maintenance software
SAP AG is updating its software maintenance application designed to help administrators manage upgrades, patches and other changes to the company's software.

Next Debian release to support AMD64 chips
The next release of the Debian Project's Linux distribution will run on Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s AMD64 processors for the first time, according to the organization's Web site.

Eurid suspends more than 74,000 .eu domain names
Alleged dirty business practices surrounding the registration process for the European Union's new top-level domain (TLD) have resulted in more than 74,000 .eu Web addresses being suspended and 400 registrars sued for breach of contract.

E.U. clears Alcatel-Lucent merger
Lucent Technologies Inc. and Alcatel SA cleared another hurdle to their merger plan after the European Commission approved the proposed deal on Monday.

Motorola to extend popular Razr lineup
Motorola Inc., high on the success of its Razr clamshell phones, unveiled several new devices Monday evening as it kicked off its annual analyst conference in Chicago.

Intel readies flexible WiMax chipset
Intel Corp.'s next-generation chipset for WiMax devices will support either fixed or mobile versions of the wireless broadband technology, and all the equipment vendors that have adopted the company's current product plan to use the new one, Intel said Monday.


ITWHIRLED

Steam-powered iMac
It's not quite the Difference Engine, but steampunk afficianados will appreciate this British art project: the Steam Powered Internet Machine. It's a spiffy new iMac drawing its power from a good old-fashioned steam engine.

Windows Tip: Know Your IPv6 Address Types
By Mitch Tulloch, MVP, MTIT Enterprises

Is your enterprise planning or in the process of migrating your IPv4 network to IPv6? Did you know Windows Vista comes with IPv6 enabled out-of-the-box? And were you aware that some Vista applications like Windows Meeting Space use only IPv6 and not IPv4?

Read the full article here

AMD to buy ATI ... Microsoft releases Exchange Server beta

Today's IT News Audio Update
AMD to buy ATI ... Microsoft releases Exchange Server beta ... Google trounces rivals in search market


HIGHLIGHTS

News: AMD confirms it will buy graphics vendor ATI for $5.4 billion
News: Processor war intensifies as AMD slashes prices
News: Microsoft offers second beta of Exchange Server 2007
News: Emerging markets boost Vodafone revenue growth
ITwhirled: A great geek T-shirt could be yours. Learn how!


NEWS UPDATES

AMD confirms it will buy graphics vendor ATI for $5.4 billion
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) has agreed to buy Canadian graphics chip vendor ATI Technologies Inc. for around $5.4 billion in cash and stock, the companies announced Monday.

Processor war intensifies as AMD slashes prices
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. slashed prices on some PC processors by as much as 57 percent in a new listing Monday, firing the latest salvo in a battle with rival Intel Corp.

Microsoft offers second beta of Exchange Server 2007
Microsoft Corp. has released a new beta version of Exchange Server 2007 and the beta for an accompanying antivirus product, Forefront Security for Exchange, it announced on Monday.

Emerging markets boost Vodafone revenue growth
Emerging markets such as Romania, Egypt and South Africa continued to drive results at Vodafone Group PLC while mature regions, like Europe, produced only stagnant growth, the operator reported Monday.

Microsoft will release iPod rival this year
Microsoft Corp. on Friday confirmed it will ship competitive offerings to Apple Computer Inc.'s tremendously successful iPod and iTunes digital music products sometime this year.

Google, AFP case stumbles over tech glitches
Almost 18 months after AFP sued in a Washington, D.C., court, the French news agency is still struggling to collect evidence for its allegations, mostly due to the evanescent nature of Web pages.


ITWHIRLED

She's a 10
10 biggest tech turkeys of Q2 '06 ... Leonardo Da Vinci's 10 best ideas ... 10 most identity theft-prone cities

A great geek T-shirt could be yours. Learn how!