The Linux Year [part 2] - a look back at 2005

[Read Part 1 here] As we entered the latter half of the year, the European CII directive was finally dealt the killer blow when the European Parliament decided it couldn't accept the proposed draft. For those in opposition and promoting the directive, the decision was a mixed blessing, denying both sides the legislative framework they desired, but leaving them with the current national patent law as practised in respective member states. SCO was in for a battering, too, with the revelation that a code comparison project between Unix and Linux carried out in 1999 concluded there was 'no evidence of any copyright infringement'. ...more

Dumaru worm wields computer-tracking Trojan

MessageLabs is warning of a new password-stealing variant of the Dumaru email worm. The Dumaru-Y version seems to have originated from the USA, and arrives as email attachment called myphoto.zip (17. ...more

Sony announces new all-in-one multimedia PC

The convergence of computers and home electronics in the living room continues with the release of the Vaio V3, described by Sony as an AV-IT multitool. The all-in-one device combines PC, TV, DVD and music playing functionality. Featuring a 17- or 20-in display (XGA 1024 x 768), with Sony's X-black LCD technology for improving contrast, the V3 runs on a 3. ...more

IDF, Fall 2004: Active Management Technology bids to lockdown system components

To the alphabet soup of technology acronyms Intel has added another: iAMT. It has announced Active Management Technology, which is intended to be tamper-resistant hardware and firmware to detect - whether deliberate or not - the removal of elements of a computer system, be they hardware components or software such as remote control or virus protection agents. It is designed to enable IT managers to remotely access networked computing systems, even when the operating system has locked up or the hard drive has crashed. ...more

Secure CompactFlash agreed

The CompactFlash Association has approved the Secure CompactFlash proposal developed by the Secure CF Work Group at its general meeting in Hawaii. The Secure CompactFlash specification allows for 16 or more content protection methods to be used, with 4Cs Content Protection for Recordable Media (CPRM) being the first content protection system deemed suitable for Secure CF cards. The new secure memory cards will be backwardly compatible with existing media and devices and Secure CF can be implemented on any type of CF card. ...more