Spyware and RealNetworks
According to a FAQ released by the multimedia giant RealNetworks, its software, which includes RealDownload, Netscape/AOL Smart Download, and Netzip Download Demon, does contain what security experts are calling "spyware". It was first discovered by Steve Gibson, founder of Gibson Research, and has since been removed from RealNetworks software. Officials at the company claim they weren't aware of the flaw, and that it was not intended to spy on its users. Read the RealNetworks FAQ for more information.
Microsoft Pleads to the Supreme Court
Microsoft will file an appeal to the Supreme Court today asking the court to send the anti-trust case back to lower courts before reaching the highest court in the land. MS lawyers plan to tell the court that Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson wrongfully concluded that the software giants actions were aggressive and harmful. The United States Justice Department will respond to the filing by August 14th at the latest, and offered no preview of what it would say. Stay tuned as the case develops.
Coalition Attacks AOL Instant Message Stance
A new industry group founded by a who's who of the instant messaging game - minus America Online Inc. - said it soon will publish specifications for interoperability among its members' services.
Operating under the name IMUnified, the group said it will make its guidelines available by the end of August, with the aim of supporting protocols developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in its efforts to create standards for instant messaging (IM) interoperability.
Stepping Process Caused Itanium Delay Says Intel
A "stepping process," and not the lack
of applications for 64-bit computing, is the major reason why the
Itanium chip - the first processor for IA-64 architecture from chip
manufacturer Intel Corp. [NASDAQ:INTC], will be shipped by the last
quarter of this year, and not earlier within its original "second half of
2000" schedule.
Intel is promising, however, that come the last fourth quarter of
2000, the Itanium will deliver on its promise and that the chip will be
delivered in the global market on time.
Migrating To 64-Bit Computing May Not Be Easy, Says IBM
It may take a while before Intel and Hewlett-Packard will fully achieve the 64-bit computing dream since most applications at this time are designed for a 32-bit computing environment, according to IBM Corp.
Since 1994, both HP and Intel have committed to coming up with a 64-bit computing environment that they now call the "Itanium." While the
realization of this next-generation computing platform is close, IBM pointed out recently that it may take several more years before it becomes a reality.
King Offers First Installment of 'The Plant'
Horror novelist Stephen King has made the first installment of his latest novel available for download from his Web site. Working on an honor system, King only asks for one dollar per installment of the novel. King states on his Web site "If you pay, the story rolls. If you don't, the story folds." In a sort of Q&A style King answers questions about the novel and the process of obtaining the installments on his Web site. He also tells his fans, "My friends, we have a chance to become Big Publishing's worst nightmare." For more information visit Stephen King's Web site.
Apple and ATI No More
Due to ATI's leaking of new iMac specs, Apple has pulled the cards from upcoming releases of the new machines. Apple pioneer Steve Jobs was apparently extremely inflamed by the incident, along with several other Apple execs. Jobs immediately had the boards removed from the machines, any mention of ATI removed from his keynote address on Wednesday, and cancelled a demonstration of the new chip. ATI immediately placed the blame on Business Wire Trade Show Services, saying that the press release was supposed to go out Wednesday, though the services denied any wrongdoing. Read more about the incident from ZDNet.
Microsoft to Host Smashing Event
Microsoft Corporation is set to hold an event in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday featuring the demolition of a large quantity of counterfeit CDs. The event will involve a monster truck smashing through a wall of said CDs, and highlight Microsoft's recent donation to the Boys and Girls Club. The software giant announced last year that it would donate half of the money from its anti-piracy division to charity. Read the press release for more information.
Secret CIA Papers Posted on Web Site
A New York-based Web site has reportedly published a secret
overview of the US intelligence community prepared by the CIA in 1998
for visiting for Japanese intelligence officials.
An Associated Press report said the briefing contained information on
the CIA's budgets and personnel and other sensitive information and
was posted by 64-year-old architect John Young of New York City,
whose Web site has displayed government documents on intelligence
and encryption since 1996.
Winstep Project NeXus - Part I
Project NeXus, currently being developed over at Winstep Software Technologies, has seen its first installment of many to come in the future. This first, entitled WorkShelf, was written by Jorge Coelho and John T. Folden. This multi-paged desktop and task manager for Windows can serve as a replacement or supplement to your current Windows desktop.
Features include a multi-tabbed navigation system to make moving between your desktops a simple and easy task. It will offer advanced module support for addons such as alarm clocks and other powerful features.
Napster Users Buy More Records - Jupiter
Users of the Napster Internet-based music file sharing service tend to buy more records than people who don't use the site, according to a report expected to be published Monday by Jupiter Communications.
Music on Napster does take place, despite the good intentions of many Napster users, and it's this aspect of the online service that has the music industry chasing its own tail through the courts.
Movie, Record Industries Sue File-Swapping Scour
The motion picture industry has teamed up with the music business in a lawsuit that accuses multimedia search site Scour.com of assisting in the "large-scale theft" of copyrighted movies and music.
The copyright-infringement lawsuit was filed in US District Court today by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA). The three organizations speak for almost all of the major movie studios and record companies.
Blizzard Responds to Battle.net Questions
For all of you Diablo and Diablo II junkies out there, Blizzard has posted a question and answer session in regards to the current and future status of the Battle.net servers. Highlights include Blizzard stating that they expect to see continuing improvement in the server speed and connections in the next coming weeks. Blizzard officials stated in the Q&A, "We are dedicated to spending hours and dollars to improve our service to our customers." Read the rest of the Q&A from Blizzard at Battle.net.
Internet Explorer 5.5 Bakes New Cookie Management
As part of an effort to increase privacy during online browsing, Microsoft has released betas of several new cookie management features added to its Internet Explorer software. This comes as part of Microsoft's .NET movement, and comes as a response to user feedback and prior confusion in the area concerning cookies and the way they function. It is just the first step in increased privacy measures being undertaken at Microsoft, which may include P3P specifications in the future.
With the new features, netizens will be given a better understanding of the different types of cookies set by Web sites, and where they originate from. More alerts and prompts will be given when cookies are set, and an easier way to delete and manage them will be added.
Windows 2000 SP1 Delays
Rumored to be caused by some kind of security issue, The Register is reporting that Service Pack 1 for Microsoft's Windows 2000 may be delayed until July 24th. The 83MB service pack should be available for download a few days after its release. Microsoft neither confirms nor denies the delay and the reasons for it, assuming the rumor is true. Visit the Register for more information.
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