Singingfish.com - Multimedia Search for Anything
The new search engine, Singingfish.com, is set to change the way users search for things on the Internet. Boasting it is the "home of the largest
index of streaming media and MP3s on the planet," Singingfish provides search results on anything from MP3s to news items. These results are not just the typical text sites however, they are all streaming media content, from video to audio.
The site is gaining momentum fast, using its second-generation search technology and automated classification system to make searching the net fast and easy. The site has already managed to index 2.5 million streaming media links, just under a year after its conception, and expects to reach 9 million by the end of this year.
Video Trojan a Hoax
The Register has all of the latest details concerning the scare on Friday warning of a new video trojan designed to facilitate large-scale DDoS attacks. The virus, dubbed "Serbian Badman" by the security firm that supposedly discovered it, is simply a renamed version of Downloader (aliases:Backdoor.ldr, Downloader.Kit, Trojan.Win32.Loder.WPW, W95/Loader, and WWWPW), which in turn downloads another program "Sub7" (alias: Backdoor-G2), which then enables the remote control of a computer infected with the virus.
As it turns out, this "Sub7" virus is unable to launch DDoS attacks if it has not been improved since its last appearance on the net. McAfee reports that the "Downloader" file is new however, the file it downloads has been seen before.
Napster Users Older Than You Think
In a survey backed by the Pew Charitable Trust, results show that the average Napster user ranges from the age of 30 to 49, not 18 to 22 year old college students as one might imagine. In fact, only 37 percent of those that "pirate" music from Napster were found to be in that age range. In a not-so-shocking statistic from the survey, it was found that 64 percent of all users are male. Now one has to wonder how jaded the results are from the survey, as fibbing about your age proves not so difficult during an online survey. You can check it out at Pew Internet.
IBM Goes Open Source on Laptops
In a giant move today, technological powerhouse IBM announced that it will begin offering several versions of Linux to be pre-installed on its laptops, top of the line servers, and desktop machines. Servers will come equipped with SuSE Linux, and OpenLinux from Caldera will be available on Thinkpads. Big Blue will also offer a small software package for Linux beginners, as well as financial backing for Linux education and certification. Visit IBM for more information.
Odigo Blocked by AOL - Again!
Online giant AOL late Saturday night blocked the popular instant messaging software Odigo from connecting to its servers. The revolutionary software launched two weeks ago, and changed the instant messaging world by allowing users to connect to ICQ and AOL simultaneously, and offered the ability to communicate with both users through the same program. There is an ongoing debate about a universal instant messaging protocol, and AOL thus far seems reluctant to graduate to that level. Keep checking back as the battle continues.
Internet Explorer 5.5 Goes Gold
Over the weekend Microsoft's Internet Explorer version 5.5 went gold, after months of testing and bug fixes. Many users feel like this latest version should be put on the back burner and the Redmond giant should focus on version 6.0 of the Internet's most popular browser, and be prepared to launch the next-generation software when Netscape launches version 6.0 of its Internet browser. Visit Microsoft for more information.
Bell Releases Open Source Plan 9
Just the third release since its inception more than a decade ago, Bell Labs yesterday announced the availability of its operating system entitled Plan 9. This update is the first in five years, and has been open-sourced with code and documentation available from Bell Labs. This project was initiated in the late 1980's and has always planned to be "for production-quality distributed computing in a networked environmentfor production-quality distributed computing in a networked environment".
Bell Labs, responsible for the development of UNIX and the C and C++ programming languages, has made many improvements to the operating system since its second release. The main goal of the system has remained throughout its development.
Hidden DDoS Program on Computers Worldwide
Virginia-based Network Security Technologies has sent evidence to the FBI concerning what they call "hidden attack software" that has been secretly installed on at least 2000 computers worldwide. Reportedly disguised as a video clip, the software carries an AVI extension with a hidden EXE extension that allows the software to be used in DDoS attacks. When a user logs onto the Internet, the program registers the infected computer with one of two computers belonging to users known as "Badman" and "Serbian". While the virus poses no immediate threat, it is recommended that users attempt to locate the executable, which changes its name randomly to avoid being detected, but usually contains random letters in its name.
MP3.com Settles - For a Price
In a rumored $75 to $100 million settlement with the Warner Music Group and BMG Entertainment, MP3.com has settled the copyright lawsuit that has dragged the company through the mud and the courtroom for months. The online music company does not walk away empty handed however, as they managed to gain licensing agreements for it's revolutionary "Beam-It" software and services. Not long ago, MP3.com lost the first round and was forced to offer a new subscription style service where users had to pay a monthly fee for access to its database of songs. Visit MP3.com for more information.
Microsoft Finally Patches Outlook
After multiple delays and many criticisms from consumers and professionals in the technical industry, it seems that Microsoft has finally released the Outlook patch it had promised weeks ago. This patch was supposed to fix problems in Outlook that allowed viruses like the ILOVEYOU virus to spread so quickly and violently. As reported on BetaNews a couple of weeks ago, installing the patch may not be such a good idea, but you can find it at Microsoft's OfficeUpdate site. You must have Microsoft Office SR-1a installed on your system for the patch to function correctly.
Linux Kernel 2.2.16 Released - Fixes Security Hole
Sendmail.net has posted a warning that Linux kernels up to and including 2.2.15 have a serious security exploit that could allow users to gain root access via the setcap(2) call. Apparently this feature goes undocumented in many Linux-based systems, and allows users to break down root access permissions into a series of capabilities, which then allows them to exploit the security hole.
An example posted on sendmail.net is as follows:
Exclusive: POPCast Communications Releases POPster
POPCast Communications, maker of the streaming media software POPCaster, has just taken the next step in providing live broadcast capabilities for consumers. The new software, entitled POPster, enables any home user to stream a live broadcast from their desktop computer provided they have enough bandwidth. Coming in July, those consumers will be able to purchase the necessary bandwidth through a POPcast Communications affiliate.
POPcast's Chairman and Founder William Mutual told the press, "Until now, providing a live Webcast has been a very complex and expensive endeavor, requiring complex configuration and operation of streaming media servers and networks, or outsourcing to high-priced specialists with appropriate network resources. POPster changes all that."
Willamette to Be Outshined by Tulloch
The Register reports that the next processor coming from Intel, dubbed Tulloch, will replace Willamette processors within the first few months of its arrival. The new processor, based on the same architecture will feature 479 pins instead of Willamette's 423 and separate versions featuring a single Rambus channel and a dual Rambus channel. Intel's Tulloch processor is rumored to blaze at speeds up to 1.7GHz. Read more at The Register.
ILOVEYOU Charges Dropped
Phillippine authorities have dropped all charges agains the suspected ILOVEYOU worm creator, stating that there is no law that can be used to prosecute him. The ILOVEYOU virus was the worst virus breakout ever, and caused millions of dollars of damage to businesses and consumers around the globe. After weeks of investigation, it was thought that Romel Lamores was responsible however, further investigation led to his release only a day later due to lack of evidence. Many others were under investigation in the case, although no one has been charged.
Windows ME Reaches RC2 Status
As of today Microsoft announced that Windows Millennium, dubbed Windows ME by the marketing team pushing the operating system, has reached Release Candidate 2, version #2535. Windows Millennium is the last Windows operating system based on the 9x kernel, as Microsoft has scrapped plans to keep the business and consumer versions separated into NT and 9x, and combined forces for their next OS, Windows Whistler.
Leaked versions of Whistler have been seen floating around on the net, and an official release of the software is set for next year. Visit Microsoft for more information about the Windows operating systems.
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