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The guy didn't have the radio off--the phone was just in sleep mode, where it still polls for e-mail (if you have it set up to do that.)

The Slashdot article linked to http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2007/09/10/att-is-cruising-for-a-bruising explains it all.

Seriously, with the importance of the Internet in everyday life, is there a case that this actually infringes on a person's civil rights, or at least on their basic rights?

Yes. That is pretty much what the EU parliament declared in a recent report. It's non-binding, but it's still a fairly strong statement and a fuck-you to the French government.

It's the way that they do it which is the problem. The C7 was widely advertised as having H.264 decoding ability, plus crytographic acceleration. It sounded perfect for a lot of apps, especially low power silent media centres.

Only problem is, it doesn't decode H.264 in hardware, at least not on Windows. The only option is to use a special version of mplayer on Linux: http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2007/05/18/tiddly-mobo-doesnt-do-what-it-says-on-the-tin

There are loads of posts on the Via forums about this. The cryptographic acceleration is next to useless as well, since nothing much supports it. Vendors should be expected to support the features they claim to have themselves, not rely on open source projects to do it.

when did Microsoft ever tell you that you CAN'T produce open-source software?

Apple invented it but Microsoft INNOVATED it!

Apple invented it but Microsoft INNOVATED it!

In-depth research polls, err, 24 employees

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/04/17/ibm-might-dump-windows-mac/

No DRM-encumbered media, no DRM. Your argument fails.

You wouldn't get away with it in the UK or anywhere with similarly worded laws. In the UK it is the "use" of mobile phones while driving that is banned.

So I guess the German guy using his phone as an ear-warmer wouldn't have got away with it here either...

A better link providing more information:
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/03/24/sun-silicon-photonics-macro

I see that another state (Ohio) has seized machines to prevent (further?) tempering in an investigation into voting "irregularities". (Okay - they were ES&S,not Sequoia, but still.)

You can't trademark numbers. When AMD started releasing "x86" numbered processors, Intel filed suit and lost. The judge stated that you can't trademark numbers. It's such an old case, this is what I found in the last 10 minutes regarding Intel and trademarking numbers.

I'm tired and too lazy to find the actual lawsuit.

Ooh, let me guess! Did you work for Intel back when AMD64 came out?

* Merkey explaining to Guy why it's OK for him to be in a separate reality because his astrologer said so:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:JzG&diff=prev&oldid=138290116
* Merkey the Mormon messiah:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:JzG&diff=prev&oldid=135869262
* The remarkable cosmic events surrounding Merkey's birth:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:JzG&diff=prev&oldid=138290116
* Merkey's "Right to Edit":
http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/Business_%26_Finance/Investments/Stocks_(A_to_Z)/Stocks_S/threadview?bn=2942&tid=423118&mid=423118
* Merkey's lawsuit against the internet:
http://www.theinquirer.net/images/articles/utah.pdf
* Merkey's peyote offer:
http://groups.google.com/group/mlist.linux.kernel/msg/c29b254c15fc5059
* Merkey disavowing his peyote offer YEARS after it was made:
http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0507.0/0230.html
* Merkey revealing that his Linux kernel buyout offer was part of his native american politicking:
http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/linux/kernel/501519
* Merkey's arthritis cure, developed at Timpanogas:
http://www.uwsg.indiana.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0108.1/0587.html
* .. which is also a law firm!:
http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0010.0/0955.html
* Merkey vouching for SCO's case:
http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0410.2/2674.html
* Merkey's "Mormon masters" letter showing his hatred:
http://scofacts.org/Novell-TRG-1998-01-30-letter.pdf
* Merkey's _gold_ mine:
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.cyberpunk/browse_thread/thread/3ca32f485a1ea07e/244b0f713989de6b?lnk=st
* Merkey's double-Y chromosome giving him a third brain and the powers of Einstein and Nostradamus:
http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0009.0/1206.html
* MANOS: The fantastic operating system noone ever saw.
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2113408/open-source-netware-compatible-unveiled
* Gadugi: More fantastic software noone ever saw:
http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0410.2/2723.html
* Novell threatens to destroy Merkey's family:
http://lwn.net/2001/0704/a/nwfs.php3
* Merkey gets his ass handed to him by Andre, who not too subtly hints that his NWFS code may be stolen:
http://www.uwsg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0111.2/0450.html
* Merkey's the Toad dealer:

I agree that XP will last a year or two, but the gamers are going to sniff out the problems: such as Halo II being able to be run only on Vista...and as reports have told, Vista plays the same games slower. Vista plays the same games but more slowly. Thus, I am sure that the gamers thinking ahead are already wondering where to move to from here. http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2006/10/07/vista-gaming-will-be-10-to-15-per-cent-slower-than-xp

Try going down to your local Best Buy and give their towers a serious look. 90% of them have integrated craptastic integrated video. This includes the high end models. I feel bad for someone that doesn't know what they are looking for when they just look at the price tag and think, "This is one of the most expensive machines. My kids should be able to play all their games." They get home and wonder why the hell this expensive machine can't play 3D games.

If you look around you finally find a couple of mid-priced machines with a real video card. They aren't even labeled as "Gaming Machines". When I helped my father-in-law buy his, I mentioned to a sales guy that the mid-priced machine we bought was probably the best machine on the floor. He shook his head and agreed. "They don't want to listen to us."

On a side note, it looks like AMD is trying to change this, http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/03/05/780g-changes-graphics-game
Hat tip to OSnews

Oh? http://www.google.com/search?q=skulltrail+8-core

That's only 8 cores.

http://www.google.com/search?q=80-core+chip

" Each tile does not do very much, this is a test chip, not a general purpose CPU. The core has two FP engines, data and instruction memory and a router. The main point of this chip is the router to test mesh interconnects.." from http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2007/02/11/intel--80-core--chip-revealed-in-full-detail .

It's only a proof of concept similar to a concept car. We already have quotes from both hpcsystems and microway for the 32 core system since AMD is scheduled to start shipping the 835x cores in April (pricing has been set). You need to think twice before accusing people of hating.

Ok, Time to Talk MacBook Air...

Yes it is cute, but it is very limited in speed and graphics.

1) People forget the Sony Laptops that have been around for almost 10 yearss, that are 'technically' smaller than the Mac Air.

2) The same people cheering the Mac Air, are the same people here that dumped about the UMPC concept of a moving between a laptop and a PDA. And 13" with tiny keyboard is NOT much differnt than the 10" screen with tiny keyboards, especially when the UMPC have full TabletPC capabilities so you can just use a pen.

So if we are going to see all the 'compare' to air articles, then we need to go back and compare Air to all the Sony's and the UMPCs as well.

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/01/macbook-air-rel.html

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/02/12/fanboy-reviewer-problems

For people in the Mac only world, the MacBook Air is great, but for people in the 'rest' of the computer industry, it is nothing new or unique.

If this had always been true, it might be fair to say that AMD were a poor competitor. However, from the launch of the Athlon until the launch of the Core2, for several years, AMD had a better product, yet found major difficulties in getting market share. Intel's alleged tactics are illegal, and it's right that they should be properly investigated. It's just a pity that any fine imposed will hurt Intel but not benefit AMD or consumers, who are the real injured parties.

Snubbing something that's perceived as a "tech tabloid" isn't really a good idea these days. If you remember, The Inquirer was first to report on the exploding lithium-ion batteries that ended up costing Sony a pretty penny.

um... I mean... I, para uno, dan la bienvenida a nuestros overlords inmigrantes ilegales cibernéticos. (thanks babelfish)

The last time I heard someone used Babelfish, it was in reference to some manner of diplomatic incident.

Seeing as how Japanese cyborgs are involved, I feel you just opened up a whole can of worms. Good going, man. Good going.

Consoles are actually an excellent example of the fact that people who buy cheap systems will avoid paying for software unless they absolutely have to. If this wasn't the case, then they wouldn't have increasingly complex internal DRM systems, there wouldn't have been enough of a market for "mod chips" that bypass said DRM systems for them to exist, and the console manufacturers wouldn't have regarded those "mod chips" as enough of a threat to their licensing revenue to bother doing everything in their power to prevent them being manufactured, sold, or installed.

Here are some links which show (a) piracy flourishes when people can bypass a system's internal DRM, and (b) all three major console manufacturers take this threat very seriously indeed:

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/28984/Piracy-drive-threatens-Nintendo-DS
http://www.thetanooki.com/2007/11/26/r4-chip-costing-nintendo-millions-in-ds-software-sales/
http://www.playnoevil.com/serendipity/index.php?/archives/1355-Nintendos-success-is-breeding-Piracy-Problems.html
http://www.gamersevolved.com/nintendo-ds-tries-to-put-stop-to-piracy.html
http://www.gamingbits.com/content/view/2884/2/
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/emergingtech/0,1000000183,39161307,00.htm
http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/05/sony-busts-down-mod-chip-retailer-with-9-mil-lawsuit/
http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2003/07/31/sony-wins-australian-mod-chip-case
http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/4407.cfm
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/13847/532/
http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/3401.cfm
http://www.news.com/2100-1040-962797.html
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=6042
http://www.geek.com/three-people-facing-charges-for-xbox-piracy/

There are countless other similar links that prove how reluctant people are to pay for software on any low-cost platform if they can find a way of not doing so.

The Microsoft cheap dual boot story smells no pun http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/01/10/microsoft-denies-dual-booting

Microsoft does hire bright minds. It's a pity what they do to them. And with them.

As for poorly trying to attack the NT platform for multi-tasking,...

The "NT platform" didn't invent multitasking. They cribbed it from the Mach kernel with the help of Dave Cutler. That's what they meant by "Unix underpinnings". Unfortunately, like a psychotic french chef, they'll adopt the best recipe for bouillabaisse but they don't like the flavor until they pee in it. The result was so hideously insecure it nearly broke the Internet - and that's saying something. The Internet was designed to survive nuclear war, but Code Red nearly broke it. I will concede that NT was the first useful Windows platform - but not that better alternatives didn't exist even then.

You evade the point that by the time NT came out in 1992, Unix had had multitasking for more than 20 years. Let's not forget your statement, shall we?:

assuming Windows users were like Mac users and were only capable of running one application at a time...

... As if .mac were the only alternative. Lovely. Say what you want about .mac and nobody cares. OS X is Unix. When Windows is a Unix, get back to me, k? Did you know OS X server has drag and drop clustering, and network imaging built right in? I didn't think so.

Disparage Apple's video playback all you want. I don't care for any DRM'd format so you're not going to bother me. I would bet a week's pay you couldn't decode a token string into a framebuffer using only the specification and C between now and the end of your pitiful existence, but I can and you miss the point: iTunes users care enough to avoid Vista, and that's the only thing saving this post from being off topic.

If you want to further try to argue the multi-tasking issue as a Windows Vista issue, go look up BeOS...

Cute. You're bringing up BeOS. You don't even do your homework well enough to check my slashdot user page where my favorite quote sits:

"I once preached peaceful coexistence with Windows. You may laugh at my expense -- I deserve it." Jean-Louis Gassée, former CEO, BeOS

And you have the gall to call me semi-retarded.

Then go look up a little fact that Vista is the only major consumer OS....

You know, if you narrow the scope of that statement any more it's going to disappear entirely. Who decides "major"? Who decides "consumer"? I'm asking because Shuttle has just announced a box that's going to clean your clock, the eee is sweeping the world, the olpc is selling in the millions of units and for years you have been able to buy a Linux PC at Wal-Mart, including the $200 PC I'm typing this on (but I got it from zareason and it works just fine, thanks, and no it's not my only one).

Then go look up a little fact that Vista is the only major consumer OS that uses realtime scheduling for multi-media, something OS X just can't do.

OK, let's talk about the Vista scheduler a little bit. You've got some insight into this you would like to share. It's completely fa

Or not.
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/06/07/via-mobo-is-smaller-than-a-business-card

        -Charlie

Now that you mention it, I think I agree.

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/11/07/mobile-trademarks-magenta

Sounds like AMD found a way to get rid of a couple hundred of their bugged Barcelonas.

On the subject of Seagate:
Seagate snubs Linux
That would leave Hitachi or Samsung.

AMD already issued a fix to all of its motherboard/system partners, so if you already own a 790FX motherboard or plan to buy a Phenom system, make sure to update the BIOS. 9500 (2.2 GHz) and 9600 (2.3 GHz) parts are unaffected by the errata.

that Intel's Core 2 also had a problem with the TLB when first released, although that problem manifested itself as data corruption instead of a lockup. Here are the two articles from The Inquirer about it - the second one especially. And note that this document was released after Intel had shipped the buggy Core 2's.

However, Intel was able to fix it without incurring a large performance loss. It's a shame for AMD that they weren't able to do the same.

that Intel's Core 2 also had a problem with the TLB when first released, although that problem manifested itself as data corruption instead of a lockup. Here are the two articles from The Inquirer about it - the second one especially. And note that this document was released after Intel had shipped the buggy Core 2's.

However, Intel was able to fix it without incurring a large performance loss. It's a shame for AMD that they weren't able to do the same.

Why would the telecoms care one way or the other. If anything this should highlight the fact that telecoms companies are doing this right now, as opposed to a situation where proof of concept code has been released, and a system is put in place to listen to SIP phones.

Surveillance is happening on POTS right now, and you're worried about potential surveillance on SIP phones?

Please, at least there are ways to get around this. Again, the only folks who will be happy about this is the German police, according to this story.

Fun times ahead, folks.

Dog-slow video cards can't even ray-trace properly yet.

http://www.intel.com/cd/ids/developer/asmo-na/eng/dc/games/245711.htm
http://www.theinquirer.net/en/inquirer/news/2007/04/23/intel-shows-off-raytraced-quake-4

I, for one, welcome our new virtual ray-traced underlings.

Cons: memory usage...

As another news site points out and microsoft themselves agree, Vista, on a per box basis, uses more memory to boot than a supercomputer...

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/systemrequirements.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/ccs/sysreqs.mspx

Oh and don't look at the disk space requirements, they are truly frightening :)

Cons: memory usage...

As another news site points out and microsoft themselves agree, Vista, on a per box basis, uses more memory to boot than a supercomputer...

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/systemrequirements.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/ccs/sysreqs.mspx

Oh and don't look at the disk space requirements, they are truly frightening :)

Unfortunately the stability of B2 chips past 2.3 ghz has been called into question thanks to problems with the Transition Lookaside Buffer (TLB). Anandtech was unable to get their B2 chip stable past 2.6 ghz despite the fact that it would run at speeds as high as 3 ghz. It is telling that reviews on AMD's supplied system (like Tom's) did not include any real stability testing of the much-touted 3 ghz B2 stepping Phenom X4.

FYI: While it's nice to see some blow-by-blow news regarding government contracting, it's pretty much this way everywhere in the world.

The GSA and Sun Microsystems are being accused of corruption in the U.S. http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/11/08/iowa-senator-rips-investigation

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/11/09/mandriva-steals-nigerian

Various sources point out that TDC took $400,000 to wipe the machines and put XP on them. The question is; who is paying for the XP licenses. Also, who would pay for the licenses for the other software (eg. Office) that it would take to make the computers useful?

Were TDC going to supply the computers and than tell the Nigerian government: "BTW, the software is extra."? The mind boggles.

If the game went on sale for a reasonable price it would get bought more. I've seen console games at $70 each, music CDs at nearly $40, DVDs at $40. The companies producing the 'media' are ripping people off. It is plain and simple greed. If they honestly have overheads big enough to force prices that high then they are in the wrong business. Eventually they will realise that if this stuff is offered at a reasonable price they would sell a lot more and most of the piracy problem would disappear.

Warner/Paramount will be releasing DVDs in China at $2.90 each to combat piracy. If we keep it up hopefully they'll do the same in other markets. http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/11/07/warner-battle-piracy-cutting

The Chinese are building their own supercomputers:
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/10/30/middle-kingdom-ready-bust-flops
So maybe they won't need hackers but better programs and computers? It is easier to start an IT war with more servers and other techniques.

I wonder if India is doing the same? If they are I wonder what countries will they IT attack? Pakistan? Maybe the Indians will sell out to the highest bidder, since they have no loyalty to US or China...

Vista sales decreased last quarter: http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/10/29/vista-sales-slow

Getting to work inside the current wiki think is not that simple. You first have to create/edit some articles to get to know that there are some wikipedians that have too much free time on their had to do some deletions .

to be "notable" means that it is interesting to current wiki editors who have time to fight out edit fights.

Microsoft has had a lot to say about Vista and the market has been listening.

Gobsmacked. That's what the Brits call it when something jaw-dropping happens and you can't think of anything to say. Microsoft's blockbuster quarterly results kind of fall into that territory for me. The cash river keeps on flowing

Someone out there - or 88 million someones - bought a copy of Vista, 28 million of them in the last two months. This brought $4.14 billion in revenue in the quarter, making the Vista doom mongers look a tad silly. Sales of high-end Vista SKUs were the most popular. Vista helps Microsoft's quarterly profits rise 23 per cent"

Microsoft's chief financial officer said the company "outperformed expectations pretty much across the board." But it was led by robust performance of the company's PC software products. Sales in the Windows group rose 25 percent to more than $4.14 billion, while its Office division reported a 20 percent increase in sales to $4.11 billion. ...Growth was highest, he added, in international and consumer markets. ... Microsoft also sold a higher mix of its premium-priced versions of Windows and Office than a year earlier. And Mr. Liddell said the company's anti-piracy efforts were particularly successful, increasing desktop software sales by as much as 5 percent from a year earlier. Microsoft Earnings Send Stock Soaring

The company reported "robust demand" for Windows Vista, Office 2007, Windows Server, and SQL server. The combined revenue of Microsoft's client, business, and server and tools divisions grew by more than 20%. Revenue in the company's video game division soared by 91%, driven primarily by the success of the launch of Halo 3.
Microsoft said Vista sales have been increasing since the release of the Windows operating system to consumers in January. "Customer demand for Windows Vista this quarter continued to build with double-digit growth in multi-year agreements by businesses and with the vast majority of consumers purchasing premium editions," said Kevin Johnson, president of the Platform and Services Division at Microsoft.
A strong global PC market helped sales of Windows Vista and Office 2007 considerably. PC shipments worldwide grew by 15.5% in the third quarter, according to IDC. Much of the growth occurred outside the United States, where PC shipments increased by only 4.7%.
Chris Liddell, CFO for Microsoft, said sales growth was strongest in the international markets, such as Brazil, China and Russia. The fact that Windows sales grew faster than the PC market was an indication that customers were upgrading their PCs to Vista, and also buying the premium edition. Three quarters of Microsoft's customers bought the more expensive version. Microsoft Earnings Boosted By Windows Vista, Office, Halo

The more expensive versions of Vista and a new Office 2007 package also are spurring a larger than usual number of customers to renew three-year licensing agreements, according to Bellini, Institutional Investor magazine's top-rated software analyst. Microsoft earnigns expected to rise

Vista helped Microsoft, yet again, beat wall-street expectations (the people that are paid to know about these things) - http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/10/26/microsoft-q1-profits ...and it's sold 88 million copies so far. Not bad for an operating system that "doesn't work".

Reality comes in different flavors.

You might want to take a look at Microsoft's Q1 returns:

Microsoft's client unit, which includes the Vista operating system released to consumers in January, posted $4.1 billion (Euro 2.8 billion) in revenue for the quarter. That's a 24 percent increase from the same period a year earlier.

Demand for Vista was especially encouraging in "emerging markets" such as Russia and China, Microsoft CFO Chris Liddell said during a conference call with analysts. In addition, demand for premium, and more expensive versions of Vista was better than expected. Microsoft shares hit six-year high on earnings report

Each of the company's five business divisions showed double-digit revenue growth. That was particularly important in the Client Div., the group where Microsoft counts Windows sales. There, revenue jumped 25%, to $4.1 billion, an astonishing gain for a mature market. Microsoft estimates that PC sales grew 14% to 16% in the quarter. The larger revenue gains came as consumers went for the pricier, premium version of Windows Vista. Microsoft Results Turn Heads

Someone out there - or 88 million someones - bought a copy of Vista, 28 million of them in the last two months. This brought $4.14 billion in revenue in the quarter, making the Vista doom mongers look a tad silly. Sales of high-end Vista SKUs were the most popular.

Office 2K7 sales were up 20 percent to $4.11 billion, while Halo 3 and the Xbox 360 generated a profit of $165 million in the quarter with 1.8 million Xbox 360 consoles sold. Vista helps Microsoft's quarterly profits rise 23 per cent

How about disk-free?
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/10/04/vista-details-emerge

                          -Charlie

And then we have this, let's say amusing press release from the RIAA. The short of it is that they would like ms. Thomas to go home and cry, long before the case has gone throgh the appeals routine. Their approach to presenting their view is that she is a horrible, horrible person for making use of the civil appeals etc. system.