Microsoft has finally decided to agree with European Union and South Korea requests regarding its new Vista operating system to meet all the demands, hoping to avoid further antitrust action.
It remains unknown if Microsoft will create specific Vista solutions, or will simply add optional installation procedure for the features targeted by the anti-trust actions.
EU representatives have recognized that Microsoft had changed its positions, but they have declined to comment further if such move would satisfy the EU authorities and/or could stop the record fine of close to half a billion euros (almost $630 million) due to anti-trust case judged in 2004.
The
IFPI institute representing the recording industry worldwide, has published its last statistics.
Sales of digital music in the first half of 2006 rose 106% to US$945 million when compared with the first six months of last year. Globally, digital sales now account for 11 per cent of the total recorded music market worldwide, up from 5.5 per cent in December 2005.
In USA, online music sales accounts for 18% of global music sales, behind South Koera with (51%), but before Japan (11%), Italy (9%) and UK (8%).
Physical music sales are down in the first half period, by ten per cent worldwide, eventhough it is country-dependent: Japan (+12%), South Korea (+5%) and Australia (+6%), counter-balanced by Germany (-4%), the US (-7%) and France (-9%) (it demonstrates how percentage without informatino regarding total volumes can be misleading).
Of course P2P network is identified as the main reason of such decline of physical music sales, easy excuse, but also pointing out the potential EOL of music CD earlier than predicted.
Our friends from the AMUG (Arizona Macintosh Users Group) have tested the Firmtek Seritek/2SE2-E, a Bootable PCI Express SATA card.
If this is not the first PCI Express-SATA card,
Sonnet was the first one the release such product, it has the advantage to be a model allowing booting when installed in a PCI-Express equipped PPC-based Mac. If it will also work in a Mac Pro, the bootable feature will not be available for the time being, but it will support waking from deep sleep mode as well as SMART status of HDs.
As usual with tests published by the AMUG, this article is a "must read":
http://www.amug.org
Thanks to Dan for this info.
It seems that DNS databases have been disturbed over the week-end, hereafter are some examples of the well-known domains:
GOOGLE.COM.ZOMBIED.AND.HACKED.BY.WWW.WEB-HACK.COM
GOOGLE.COM.VN
GOOGLE.COM.UA
GOOGLE.COM.SUCKS.FIND.CRACKZ.WITH.SEARCH.GULLI.COM
GOOGLE.COM.PLZ.GIVE.A.PR8.TO.AUDIOTRACKER.NET
GOOGLE.COM.MX
GOOGLE.COM.IS.NOT.HOSTED.BY.ACTIVEDOMAINDNS.NET
GOOGLE.COM.IS.APPROVED.BY.NUMEA.COM
GOOGLE.COM.HAS.LESS.FREE.PORN.IN.ITS.SEARCH.ENGINE.THAN.SECZY.COM
GOOGLE.COM.BR
GOOGLE.COM.AU
GOOGLE.COM
or
MICROSOFT.COM.ZZZOMBIED.AND.HACKED.BY.WWW.WEB-HACK.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.ZZZ.IS.0WNED.AND.HAX0RED.BY.SUB7.NET
MICROSOFT.COM.WILL.LIVE.FOREVER.BECOUSE.UNIXSUCKS.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.WILL.BE.SLAPPED.IN.THE.FACE.BY.MY.BLUE.VEINED.SPANNER.NET
MICROSOFT.COM.WILL.BE.BEATEN.WITH.MY.SPANNER.NET
MICROSOFT.COM.WAREZ.AT.TOPLIST.GULLI.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.TOTALLY.SUCKS.S3U.NET
MICROSOFT.COM.SMELLS.SIMPLECODES.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.SHOULD.GIVE.UP.BECAUSE.LINUXISGOD.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.RAWKZ.MUH.WERLD.MENTALFLOSS.CA
MICROSOFT.COM.OHMYGODITBURNS.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.LIVES.AT.SHAUNEWING.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.IS.NOT.YEPPA.ORG
MICROSOFT.COM.IS.NOT.HOSTED.BY.ACTIVEDOMAINDNS.NET
MICROSOFT.COM.IS.NOT.AS.COOL.AS.SIMPLECODES.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.IS.IN.BED.WITH.CURTYV.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.IS.GOD.BECOUSE.UNIXSUCKS.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.IS.A.STEAMING.HEAP.OF.FUCKING-BULLSHIT.NET
MICROSOFT.COM.IS.A.MESS.TIMPORTER.CO.UK
MICROSOFT.COM.HAS.ITS.OWN.CRACKLAB.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.HAS.A.PRESENT.COMING.FROM.HUGHESMISSILES.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.FILLS.ME.WITH.BELLIGERENCE.NET
MICROSOFT.COM.CAN.GO.FUCK.ITSELF.AT.SECZY.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.ARE.GODDAMN.PIGFUCKERS.NET.NS-NOT-IN-SERVICE.COM
MICROSOFT.COM.AND.MINDSUCK.BOTH.SUCK.HUGE.ONES.AT.EXEGETE.NET
MICROSOFT.COM
or
APPLE.COM.IS.0WN3D.BY.GULLI.COM
APPLE.COM
If this does not impact the overall integrity of the web, one can be worried about such DNS database vulnerability, which could in theory lead to a huge mess in case of a massive attack.
Thanks to Martin for this report.
The Japanese company Logitec (http://www.logitec.co.jp/), manufactures different type of computer peripherals, and just released its "SkypePhone" (official name: LAN-WSPH01WH). Officially announced for December 4th in main IT/computer supermarkets (Sakuraya, Bic Camera...) in Tokyo, I could get my hands on one model yesterday; for 22,000 yens (around 150 euros).
Specificity: this phone can work independently of your computer as soon as you get connected to a wifi network.
It features a simple UI, similar to what we could expect from the potential Apple iPhone, good manufacturing quality, with a 1.8" display. The UI is available in Japanese and in English, so this SkypePhone could easily be exported in the future.
The Logitec SkyPhone can easily be connected to any wifi network as soon as it is allowed in security settings. One can be connected via encrypted networks (WEP/WPA2-PSK/WPA-PSK), you can keep in memory your "favorite network".
All Skype options are accessible via this SkypePhone, get your contacts, call friends via the SkypeOut option, and get calls via SkypeIn.
Netgear was the first one to announce its certified SkypePhone (http://www.netgear.com/Home/Products/CommunicationsVoIP/Skype/SPH101.aspx) its expected price of 280 euros is almost 2 times more expensive than the Logitec model!!!
Details regarding the Logitec SkypePhone:
http://www.logitec.co.jp/products/wlan/lanwsph01wh.html
The phone is shipped with a power adaptor, a USB cable (battery can be charged via USB), a free-hands kit as well as a CD including a user manual.
Hereafter are some photos of the Logitec SkypePhone:
