Techworld.com News

SOAP stack a 'failure'

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:07:00 GMT

... says supporter of rival technology.

The SOAP stack for web services was branded a failure this week by Tim Bray, a Sun Microsystems technologist and co-inventor of XML, who hailed the REST (Representational State Transfer) mechanism as a SOAP alternative.

Google wants users to vet Android apps

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 04:16:00 GMT

Keep the crud off our platform.

Google may use a user-driven rating system to help keep bad or harmful Android applications off mobile phones.

Microsoft plots Lotus Notes annihilation

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:16:00 GMT

Not that we're boasting or anything...

Microsoft is looking to persuadi five million Lotus Notes customers to make the switch to Microsoft's collaboration tools next year, according to Kevin Turner, COO for the software giant.

F5 adds chip grunt to Big-IP boxes

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:02:00 GMT

Bigger everything.

F5 Networks is making its two Big-IP web-application optimisation boxes even bigger so they have more throughput, and is upgrading the software that runs on Big IP devices to boost security.

Mozilla belatedly swats Thunderbird bugs

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:57:00 GMT

One hand flapping.

Mozilla Messaging has patched nine security vulnerabilities in Thunderbird, the first time it's plugged holes in the email software since early May.

Microsoft polishes SQL server with DATAllegro buy

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:32:00 GMT

Plans to rip out Ingres.

Microsoft continues its shopping spree to bolster its SQL Server database for large-scale enterprise deployments, announcing plans to buy data-warehouse appliances company, DATAllegro.

DNS attack code out in wild

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:43:00 GMT

Name servers vulnerable to attack.

Hackers have released software that exploits a recently disclosed DNS flaw.

Unpatched iPhone bugs could leave users vulnerable

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:06:00 GMT

Phishers and spammers could have field day

Security vulnerabilities in the iPhone could leave users open to phishing or spam attacks. Flaws in the email application and Safari browser could be used by phishers to dupe users into visiting malicious sites or by spammers to flood the phone's inbox with junk mail according to a leading security researcher.

Facebook looks to put house in order

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:51:00 GMT

Big clean-up before new applications.

Facebook is looking to improve the quality of its third-party applications after the company founder admitted that the social networking site had not monitored the quality of add-on software too closely.

Juniper poaches Microsoft's online veteran

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:31:00 GMT

One name fewer on the future CEO shortlist.

Microsoft's head of online operations, Kevin Johnson, has taken a new job at Juniper Networks, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Ubuntu prepares Launchpad 2.0 release

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 02:30:00 GMT

But admits community lags rivals.

A year after creating an online open-source software development community to take on SourceForge.net and other rivals, the development team at Ubuntu Linux have conceded they still are still not as popular.

Google starts filling Knol Wiki site

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:34:00 GMT

Green Knol, hopefully grassy.

However, although the concept is quite similar to that used by Wikipedia, Google said it is not looking to compete harshly with the established site. Google said it is focusing on highlighting the authors who submit articles to the site. Each 'Knol' (which means a unit of knowledge) will have a single author or group of authors whose name(s) will appear with their contributions, Google noted in a blog post.

Oracle rustles up access suite from acquisitions

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:18:00 GMT

Pick 'n' mix authentication.

Oracle has announced a suite of access management tools including a new server that provides controls to fine-tune user privileges.

Linux should rival Apple, urges Ubuntu founder

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:07:00 GMT

But work with, ahem, Windows.

Linux should be able to rival Apple as a desktop operating system said Ubuntu Linux founder Mark Shuttleworth.

SMBs underestimate extent of cybercrime

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 14:14:00 GMT

Nothing to rob here, guv.

Small businesses wrongly believe that they're too insignificant to attract hackers and spend too little time on security. That's according to the latest survey from security vendor McAfee which found that many SMBs thought they were immune from theft.

Complex in-house software costing companies dearly

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:29:00 GMT

Early investment is better than fixing bugs later, says IDC.

The growing risk of defects from increasingly complex in-house software is costing companies dearly, according to new research from IDC.

VMware offers free software to battle Microsoft

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:52:00 GMT

New CEO gets retaliation in first.

VMware is to offer the small-footprint version of its ESX virtualisation software free, responding to pressure from Microsoft and other companies that are threatening VMware's market lead.

Mobile network builder looks to IKEA for inspiration

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:08:00 GMT

The curse of the flatpack.

Mobile company VNL has taken a leaf out of Ikea's book and has developed a mobile base station that can be constructed by the customers. That way, claimed the company, it becomes more economic to offer service in rural areas in developing countries.

PGP's endpoint system gets encryption kick

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:07:00 GMT

If it moves, encrypt it.

Encryption specialist PGP Corporation has come up with an intriguing twist on the old theme of endpoint security - don't just control mobile devices but force them, where appropriate, to use encryption on the data they carry.

Stock spammer escapes from jail

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:06:00 GMT

Unwanted spam, wanted mastermind.

Convicted penny-stock spammer Eddie Davidson disappeared from a federal minimum-security prison camp in Colorado on Sunday, the US Department of Justice has said.

Mozilla 3.1 preview due this week

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Features that missed the 3.0 boat.

Mozilla is aiming to ship the first preview edition of Firefox 3.1 this Friday. The company hopes that fast-track update will be released late this year or early in 2009.

Hackers preparing to exploit DNS flaw

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:16:00 GMT

It's only a matter of time, warn experts.

Security experts are warning that a DNS attack is now imminent, following the accidental publication of the details of a DNS flaw.

Sybase offers enterprise email to iPhone users

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:32:00 GMT

Access to Notes and Exchange available.

Sybase has introduced enterprise email support for the iPhone 3G, enabling wireless access to Lotus Notes and Exchange.

Documentum revamped for Web 2.0 users

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:00:00 GMT

EMC gets into social networking.

EMC has upgraded its Documentum enterprise content management platform with several Web 2.0 tools and a software server. Version 6.5 release of EMC Documentum features four new add-ons, including a web page builder; a rich media interface for reviewing, annotating and sharing rich media files; a personalised client giving users quick access to frequently used content; and new team workspaces.

Open source could learn from Microsoft

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:49:00 GMT

Developers fail to take security into account says Fortify

Companies who opt for an open source software within their organisations could be leaving themselves open to security breaches.