New offensive against 'piracy'

'Anti-piracy' bodies have reached agreement on a set of principles designed to co-ordinate action to prevent the 'illegal' copying of music and computer software. The Business Software Alliance (BSA), Computer Systems Policy Project (CSPP) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) have issued seven joint policy principles. Some of the principles seem harmless enough. ...more

Intel 4GHz Pentium chips no longer scheduled for 2004

Intel has admitted that it will miss its year-end target for Pentium 4 processors to hit the 4GHz mark. It now appears that early 2005 is the date for this desktop clocking milestone. The announcement is further bad news for the chip giant in what has been a rather rocky (although still profitable) year. ...more

Security expert warns of rootkit infestations

A computer security expert believes that 'hundreds of thousands' of PCs still contain the rootkit software installed by copy-protected Sony BMG CDs. Despite the widespread publicity of the security vulnerability and the release of tools to remove the offending rootkit, Dan Kaminsky estimates that around 350,000 PCs are still infected, many of them containing highly sensitive data. 'It is unquestionable that Sony BMG's code has gotten into military and government networks, and not necessarily just US military and government networks,' Kaminsky told SecurityFocus. ...more

Albatron K8X890 Pro mobo supports 939-pin Athlon 64 CPUs

Albatron Technology has announced its K8X890 Pro mainboard, which supports AMD Athlon 64 FX CPUs along with other 939-pin AMD processors. The K8X890 will be on store shelves at the end of December. To provide more stability for gaming, Albatron has implemented a new type of power supply system on the K8X890. ...more

Google rules out developing Web browser

Google's Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt has ruled out the development of browser software by the search giant, in the short term. In a conference call with financial analysts yesterday Schmidt denied plans for direct competition with Microsoft's dominant Internet Explorer, reports Reuters. 'It looks like people have some good browser choices already,' the agency quotes Schmidt. ...more