WSO2 bringing Ruby to SOA

With open-source software being formally introduced Monday, WSO2 seeks to bridge the Ruby programming language and the Ruby on Rails Web framework with the SOA and Web services spaces. ...continue reading 'WSO2 bringing Ruby to SOA'

Data centers take to the high seas

International Data Security, a U.S. startup, plans to open the first of 50 ship-borne floating data centers at Pier 50 in San Francisco in April. ...continue reading 'Data centers take to the high seas'

CES: Plasma and LCD TVs getting thinner

Ultra-thin flat panel displays were the highlight of this year's International Consumer Electronics Show, with many vendors showing thinner and sleeker high-definition TVs, giving users a peek of what LCD, plasma and OLED screens will look like in a few years. ...continue reading 'CES: Plasma and LCD TVs getting thinner'

Congressional report rips US TSA Web site security

A Web site commissioned by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to help travelers whose names were erroneously listed on airline watch lists originally had multiple security problems that could lead to identity theft, says a congressional report released Friday. ...continue reading 'Congressional report rips US TSA Web site security'

CES: UMPCs whipped for hardware and design flaws

Continued criticism by industry insiders didn't stop vendors from OQO to Lenovo and LG from showing off ultramobile PC products with range of innovative features at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held in Las Vegas this week. ...continue reading 'CES: UMPCs whipped for hardware and design flaws'

Holiday spirit helped double Storm worm

Some clever, sexy Christmas-themed spam and a long holiday season helped the criminals behind the notorious Storm Worm more than double their network of infected PCs over the past few weeks, security experts say. ...continue reading 'Holiday spirit helped double Storm worm'

Toshiba shows prototype TV running on Cell chip

What happens when you take the powerful Cell microprocessor, the chip that sits at the heart of the PlayStation 3 games console, and put it to use inside a television? Toshiba demonstrated just such a TV at this week's International Consumer Electronics Show and the results are impressive. ...continue reading 'Toshiba shows prototype TV running on Cell chip'

Microsoft sends patch to wrong users

A day after Microsoft Corp. accidentally sent a patch to some users running the Windows Vista operating system, the company updated the preview release of Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) to a small group of testers, the company confirmed Thursday. ...continue reading 'Microsoft sends patch to wrong users'

Mitch Kapor to phase out involvement in OSAF

The Open Source Applications Foundation has announced a major funding and personnel shakeup, including that Lotus Development founder Mitchell Kapor will begin to phase out his involvement and investment in the nonprofit organization, which he founded in 2001. ...continue reading 'Mitch Kapor to phase out involvement in OSAF'

New York launches antitrust investigation of Intel

New York state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has launched an antitrust investigation of Intel, and on Thursday, his office served a wide-ranging subpoena on the company. ...continue reading 'New York launches antitrust investigation of Intel'

Oracle to ship critical security patches next week

Oracle plans to fix dozens of flaws in its software products next Tuesday, including critical bugs in the company's database, e-business suite and application server. ...continue reading 'Oracle to ship critical security patches next week
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Spot the warning signs in configuration file design

Sean McGrath, ITworld.com

Say you have identified a set of parameters for your application and you are now looking at how to store them, edit them, read them in and so on. You could start with a simple ini or you might be inclined to XML-ize. I like to use Python syntax for parameterization from the get-go. If I need to, I will write a parser for whatever subset of Python my application ends up using in the real world. But I wait for real-world experience using the application to tell me what that subset is. I don't try to second-guess it. ...continue reading 'Spot the warning signs in configuration file design'

Use WMIC to track down all services running on a Windows server

Mitch Tulloch, MTIT Enterprises

In one of my recent tips I showed how the Windows Management Instrumentation Command-line (WMIC) is a powerful tool that enables you to query WMI information directly from the command line instead of using a script. This week, I'll show you how to use WMIC to get detailed information concerning all the services currently running on a Windows server. ...continue reading 'Use WMIC to track down all services running on a Windows server'

After furor, Network Solutions stands by name policy

Network Solutions is standing by its controversial policy of automatically registering some domain names that are the subject of searches on the company's Web site. ...continue reading 'After furor, Network Solutions stands by name policy'

Ask.com names new CEO, president

Ask.com CEO Jim Lanzone is quitting after six years with the company, to join a venture capital firm. His replacement, Jim Safka, currently heads Primal Ventures, the venture capital division of Ask.com's parent company IAC. ...continue reading 'Ask.com names new CEO, president'

CES: Former OLPC CTO aims to create $75 laptop

A laptop under $100 could reach desks if a new venture formed by former chief technology officer of One Laptop Per Child, Mary Lou Jepsen, can deliver on its promises. ...continue reading 'CES: Former OLPC CTO aims to create $75 laptop'

Storm splinters, starts phishing, say researchers

Part of the Storm botnet appears to have been rented out to identity thieves, who are using it to conduct traditional phishing attacks that target customers of a pair of U.K.-based banks, researchers said Wednesday. ...continue reading 'Storm splinters, starts phishing, say researchers'

Forrester: Virtual worlds becoming important to business

While virtual worlds like Second Life have come under fire for failing to provide enough value to businesses with established storefront operations, a new Forrester Research Inc. report argues that the 3-D Internet will be as important to companies in five years as the Web is today. ...continue reading 'Forrester: Virtual worlds becoming important to business'

Spam your printer from the Web? Researcher shows how

Aaron Weaver has made a discovery the world could probably do without: He's found a way to spam your printer from the Web. ...continue reading 'Spam your printer from the Web? Researcher shows how'

Startup Frontline Wireless shuts down

Frontline Wireless, a startup that had planned to bid in the FCC's upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction, has 'closed for business,' a spokeswoman said Wednesday. ...continue reading 'Startup Frontline Wireless shuts down'

Open source security bugs uncovered

A U.S. Department of Homeland Security bug-fixing scheme has uncovered an average of one security glitch per 1,000 lines of code in 180 widely used open source software projects. ...continue reading 'Open source security bugs uncovered'

Spammers hijack Microsoft site to push pill popping

Spammers have found another great place to hide spam URLs in plain sight - on Microsoft's Live SkyDrive file sharing service. ...continue reading 'Spammers hijack Microsoft site to push pill popping'

Aruba buys multi-vendor WLAN firm AirWave

Enterprise Wi-Fi vendor Aruba Networks is going to buy AirWave Wireless, a multi-vendor WLAN management company, in a bid to take business from Cisco. The purchase may prove awkward for rival companies who work with AirWave. ...continue reading 'Aruba buys multi-vendor WLAN firm AirWave'

Comcast welcomes FCC inquiry into traffic management

Cable-modem service provider Comcast said Wednesday that it would welcome a U.S. Federal Communications Commission investigation into its broadband traffic management practices. ...continue reading 'Comcast welcomes FCC inquiry into traffic management'

CES: Vonage hopes new services will improve prospects

Troubled voice-over-IP service provider Vonage is rolling out new products and services at the Consumer Electronics Show in a bid to reverse its downward spiral. ...continue reading 'CES: Vonage hopes new services will improve prospects'

CES: OLPC would welcome Intel back

The One Laptop Per Child project would welcome Intel back if the chip maker returned to the group, the head of OLPC said Tuesday. ...continue reading 'CES: OLPC would welcome Intel back'

CES: OLPC America to launch in 2008

The One Laptop Per Child Project (OLPC) plans to launch OLPC America in 2008 to distribute the low-cost laptop computers originally aimed at developing nations to needy students in the United States. ...continue reading 'CES: OLPC America to launch in 2008'

Social networks challenged to remain relevant

As the popularity of social-networking sites grows, so does the opportunity for Web users to access information about people both inside and outside their personal networks. While that information in and of itself can have relevancy in specific situations, not all of it is useful or interesting to either the users on the site or the advertisers who support the site's revenue structure. ...continue reading 'Social networks challenged to remain relevant'

E.U. drops probe as Apple equalizes iTunes prices

The European Commission ended its antitrust investigation into Apple after the company agreed to reduce the price of music downloads from its iTunes Web site in the U.K., the European Union's antitrust regulator said Wednesday. ...continue reading 'E.U. drops probe as Apple equalizes iTunes prices'

CES: OLPC developing dual-boot Windows, Linux OS for laptops

The One Laptop Per Child Project (OLPC) and Microsoft are working together to develop a dual-boot system to put both Linux and Windows on laptops aimed at kids in developing countries, the head of OLPC said in an interview Tuesday. ...continue reading 'CES: OLPC developing dual-boot Windows, Linux OS for laptops'

Yahoo tests support for OpenID

Yahoo appears close to implementing OpenID, a Web authentication standard that relieves people of the need to remember multiple passwords to log into different Web sites. ...continue reading 'Yahoo tests support for OpenID'

New rootkit uses old trick to hide itself

Over the past month, a new type of malicious software has emerged, using a decades-old technique to hide itself from antivirus software. ...continue reading 'New rootkit uses old trick to hide itself'

Stake in China HP for sale to the highest bidder

A 30 percent stake in Hewlett-Packard's Chinese operations is up for sale to the highest bidder as the company's Chinese partner looks to sell its shares. ...continue reading 'Stake in China HP for sale to the highest bidder

CES: FCC chief: Switch to digital TV won't be postponed

In a broad discussion at the Consumer Electronics Show, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin on Tuesday confirmed that the deadline for the country's switch to digital TV next year will not be postponed, explained the rationale behind the requirements for the current 700MHz auction and gave hints about his thinking regarding various communications megamergers. ...continue reading 'CES: FCC chief: Switch to digital TV won't be postponed'

CES: Vendors look to ease recycling costs on users

Major vendors including Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Sony are working together to push through a legislative mandate in the U.S. that will make it easier for users to recycle their consumer electronics. ...continue reading 'CES: Vendors look to ease recycling costs on users'

Report: IRS information security still poor

The Internal Revenue Service continues to have 'pervasive' information security weaknesses that put taxpayer information at risk, and it has made limited progress in fixing dozens of problems the Government Accountability Office has previously identified, according to a GAO report released Tuesday. ...continue reading 'Report: IRS information security still poor'

Three companies pay software licensing settlements

A stock brokerage firm and two mortgage companies have agree to pay a total of more than $420,000 to settle claims that they had unlicensed software on their computers, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) said Tuesday. ...continue reading 'Three companies pay software licensing settlements'

Microsoft: Flaw could lead to worm attack

Microsoft has fixed a critical flaw in the Windows operating system that could be used by criminals to create a self-copying computer worm attack. ...continue reading 'Microsoft: Flaw could lead to worm attack'

First Trojan reported for the iPhone

While not a huge risk, the first Trojan for the iPhone has been discovered. The first reports came from iPhone enthusiast site Modmyifone.com and were later confirmed by security research company F-Secure. ...continue reading 'First Trojan reported for the iPhone'

In rare pre-Macworld move, Apple unveils fastest-ever Macs

A week before Macworld San Francisco -- the trade show where Apple usually trots out new headline-grabbing hardware -- the company Tuesday unveiled a retooled Mac Pro desktop machine and a new Xserve server, calling them the fastest Macintoshes ever. ...continue reading 'In rare pre-Macworld move, Apple unveils fastest-ever Macs'

CES: Sony demos faster-than-USB wireless transfer system

Sony is developing a wireless data transfer system for gadgets that is capable of sending pictures, video and data over a range of a few centimeters. ...continue reading 'CES: Sony demos faster-than-USB wireless transfer system'

Study: Enterprises seeing Web 2.0 'explosion'

Nearly one-fourth of companies surveyed by ChangeWave Research are now using Web 2.0-social networking software in some form, and another 8 percent intend to do so within the next year. ...continue reading 'Study: Enterprises seeing Web 2.0 'explosion''

Study: Dutch navigation systems could cause accidents

Software errors in satellite navigation devices are putting lives at risk in the Netherlands by sending vehicles through residential areas not intended for heavy traffic, according to Dutch researchers. ...continue reading 'Study: Dutch navigation systems could cause accidents'

Microsoft bids $1.2B for Fast Search and Transfer

Microsoft has offered to buy enterprise search software company Fast Search And Transfer for 6.6 billion Norwegian kroner ($1.2 billion), it said Tuesday. ...continue reading 'Microsoft bids $1.2B for Fast Search and Transfer'

Mozilla gets a new CEO

Mitchell Baker has stepped down as the CEO of Mozilla Corporation, where she helped make the Firefox Web browser a potent rival to Microsoft's Internet Explorer. ...continue reading 'Mozilla gets a new CEO'

Researchers: Microsoft to patch Windows password flaw

Microsoft will patch a flaw in the Windows operating system Tuesday that could give attackers access to passwords on a victim's system, according to security vendor SkyRecon Systems. ...continue reading 'Researchers: Microsoft to patch Windows password flaw'

McAfee warns over open source use

McAfee has warned investors that the 'ambiguous' nature of open source licensing could turn into a business threat. ...continue reading 'McAfee warns over open source use'

CES: Otellini sees Internet search coming to users

Preaching mobility to an audience teeming with cell-phone and laptop users, Intel CEO Paul Otellini looked into the crystal ball and predicted that Internet search will approach users instead of users approaching search. ...continue reading 'CES: Otellini sees Internet search coming to users'

Virtualization will have the single largest impact on budgets for IT hardware and support over the next three years, a market that will be dominated by three large vendors, says a new study. ...continue reading 'Virtualization to eat into IT budgets'

Sears sued over privacy breach

Sears Holdings is facing a class-action lawsuit after making the purchase history of its customers public on its Managemyhome.com Web site. ...continue reading 'Sears sued over privacy breach'

EMC tackles growing SMB storage needs

As small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) save more data and rely on it more, they are turning to networked storage even under the burden of limited budgets and IT expertise. EMC is aiming at this growing market with its Clariion AX4, a platform that can scale from a few terabytes of storage to 60T bytes and take advantage of many advanced EMC storage management applications designed for large enterprises. ...continue reading 'EMC tackles growing SMB storage needs'

Five data leak nightmares

Jeff Vance, Network World

Data breaches cost companies an average of $197 per record in 2007, according to a study by the Ponemon Institute. Here's a look at the five worst data leak nightmares of the past year and how they may have been avoided. ...continue reading 'Five data leak nightmares'

E.U. receives Intel's response to antitrust charges

The European Commission confirmed Monday it has received a written response to the formal antitrust charges it filed against computer chip maker Intel, after some delays. ...continue reading 'E.U. receives Intel's response to antitrust charges'

Sony-BMG to sell DRM-free music downloads through stores

Sony BMG Music Entertainment will crack open the door to its music vaults on Jan. 15, taking the DRM copy-prevention wrapper off a limited selection of downloadable tracks. ...continue reading 'Sony-BMG to sell DRM-free music downloads through stores'

Boeing Dreamliner could be vulnerable to hackers

The electronics of Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner jet could be vulnerable to hackers due to the way critical flight systems are linked with those used by passengers, the Federal Aviation Administration has warned. ...continue reading 'Boeing Dreamliner could be vulnerable to hackers'

After criticism, Sears plugs Web site's privacy hole

Sears Holdings has taken part of its Managemyhome.com Web site offline following revelations that the site was making customers' purchasing histories publicly available. ...continue reading 'After criticism, Sears plugs Web site's privacy hole'

Trolltech, Huawei join mobile Linux group

The LiMo Foundation has added some members, including Trolltech, Acrodea, ETRI, Huawei and Purple Labs, to its ranks as competition among new mobile Linux platforms heats up. ...continue reading 'Trolltech, Huawei join mobile Linux group

CES: Samsung shows off 128G-byte solid state drive

Samsung Electronics is showing off a new 128G-byte flash-based SSD (solid-state drive) at the International Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas, one of the largest such drives shown to date. ...continue reading 'Samsung shows off 128G-byte solid state drive'

Netezza will scale its appliance to petabyte range

Citing need among its customers and the broader market, Netezza announced on Monday that its Netezza Performance Server, a data warehousing appliance for BI (business intelligence) analytics, will soon be scalable to the petabyte level. ...continue reading 'Netezza will scale its appliance to petabyte range'

Meraki's SF Wi-Fi plan avoids roadblocks

Meraki Networks' plan to cover San Francisco with free Wi-Fi, with residents' help, could be a way around the political and business barriers some municipal wireless projects have run into. ...continue reading 'Meraki's SF Wi-Fi plan avoids roadblocks'

CES: IPhone hurt mobile gaming, expert says

While it would seem that the growth of smartphones, with their bigger screens and faster processors, would be good news for mobile gaming, handsets like the iPhone are in fact hurting the mobile game industry in the short term, says one expert. ...continue reading 'IPhone hurt mobile gaming, expert says'

Orange France sells 70,000 iPhones in first month

Apple's French mobile network partner Orange sold 70,000 iPhones in the territory in the first month of sales. ...continue reading 'Orange France sells 70,000 iPhones in first month'

Q&A - Gates: Innovator, deal-maker and philanthropist

By Marc Ferranti, IDG News Service

Microsoft founder and Chairman Bill Gates has been giving keynote speeches at Las Vegas conventions, including the Consumer Electronics Show and the now-defunct Comdex, for decades. In this interview, given before his last CES keynote speech as a full-time company employee, he talks about his legacy as an innovator, the background behind some of the deals announced at CES this week and directions for Microsoft. ...continue reading 'Gates: Innovator, deal-maker and philanthropist'

Wikia search engine to go live on Monday

Search Wikia, the widely awaited search engine from Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, is slated to make its official debut on Monday, with the bet that an open-source, community-driven effort can disrupt and reshape this Google-dominated market. ...continue reading 'Wikia search engine to go live on Monday'

CES: Gates bids adieu to CES, sense of humor intact

Bill Gates has never taken himself as seriously as he does his company. So it was only fitting that it was with a humorous and star-studded video parody that he kicked off his final pre-show keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Sunday night in Las Vegas. ...continue reading 'CES: Gates bids adieu to CES, sense of humor intact'

Motorola buys Soundbuzz to expand music offerings

Motorola will acquire online music store Soundbuzz in a bid to expand its mobile music offerings in Asia, the company said Monday. ...continue reading 'Motorola buys Soundbuzz to expand music offerings'

CES: Intel: It's early for mobile quad-core processors

Intel Monday officially launched Penryn-based dual-core processors for notebooks, but also indicated that users expecting quad-core mobile processors may have to wait until issues surrounding power consumption are resolved. ...continue reading 'CES: Intel: It's early for mobile quad-core processors'

Dutch company sells media player -- with a worm

A batch of digital media players sold by a Dutch importer over the holidays appear to have been infected with a nasty stocking stuffer -- a worm. ...continue reading 'Dutch company sells media player -- with a worm'

CES: Yahoo invites third-party mobile widget developers

Yahoo Monday introduced new versions of its two primary mobile services as well as documentation that will let any developer or publisher write mobile widgets for the Yahoo services on Monday. ...continue reading 'CES: Yahoo invites third-party mobile widget developers'

CA's Web site hacked by malware authors

Part of security software vendor CA's Web site was hacked last week and was redirecting visitors to a malicious Web site hosted in China. ...continue reading 'CA's Web site hacked by malware authors'

Egypt grapples with divorce via text message

Under Muslim law, a man can divorce his wife just by telling her three times that he's divorcing her -- no lawyers or judge required. But does it still count if those three "I divorce yous" come via SMS message? Technological advance has sent Egypt's best legal and religious minds to work. ...continue reading 'Egypt grapples with divorce via text message'