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NIST makes lists
BY Florence Olsen
Published on Aug. 19, 2004
A program that experts have said is the missing piece in federal efforts to promote secure computing will be ready later this year.
Officials at the National Institute of Standards and Technology announced that a security configuration checklists program for information technology products, including a logo that vendors can put on their wares, is on track for completion before the end of 2004.
A security configuration checklist describes the software options and settings that users can choose to minimize the security risks associated with a particular type of hardware or software. More commonly referred to as lockdown guides or security benchmarks, security checklists are basically documents for securing IT hardware or software in different settings. Security checklists for home computer users, for example, would be different from those for federal computer users handling sensitive data.
A checklist could include scripts, templates and pointers to Web sites where users can download software updates or firmware upgrades to make products more secure from attack by viruses and other malicious code spread via the Web.
NIST officials said they plan to distribute the lists through a Web portal, checklists.nist.gov. The role of NIST employees will be to screen checklists to see that they meet the program's requirements, publish the checklists for public review and, finally, to add checklists to the repository and remove them when they become outdated.
NIST officials have already published two security checklists, one for Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 2000 and XP Professional. They can be downloaded from a NIST Web site: csrc.nist.gov/itsec.
NIST officials will work with other organizations that produce security checklists, including the Defense Information Systems Agency and National Security Agency, and the nonprofit Center for Internet Security. The checklist program, however, has no connection to the federal government's National Information Assurance Partnership, a security program for testing products in a laboratory setting.
The scope of the security checklist program is broad, officials said, and will include operating systems, database software, Web servers, e-mail servers, routers, intrusion-detection systems, virtual private networks, biometric devices, smart cards, telecommunications switches and Web browsers.
To locate a particular checklist, users will be able to search with at least 14 different fields, including checklist point of contact, product manufacturer name, product name, product version and platforms on which the checklist was tested.
NIST officials envision the portal being used by everyone, including product developers, government agencies, businesses and citizens.
NIST's authority for creating the security checklist program comes from a 2002 law, the Cyber Security Research and Development Act. The Homeland Security Department is listed on NIST's Web site as a program sponsor.
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/0816/web-nist-08-19-04.asp
Cotton, I think licensing Fairplay is nice new revenue stream. eom
dilleet, open the iPod and...
...sell more of them. Opening the iPod will lead to more Mac sales. Closing the iPod will lead to a flash-back. We will get burned as the flames of excitement hit the closed wall and flash back against us.
I never thought history would repeat itself. But here we are. Great product locked to greed.
I have been an Apple customer and shareholder since 1984. If they blow this great opportunity by repeating history I will sell my position and when my Macs (latest is G5) come of age I shall replace them with nasty, but open, PCs.
I have riden this ride in hopes of one more chance at ubiquity instead of niche. One more shot of open instead of closed. And yet, on the threshold of emergence and broader life, the proprietary monster of greed creeps back onto the scene.
Saddened, disgusted, disappointed, and headed for sorrow...
Patriot Scientific Demands Immediate Delisting From Berlin-Bremen Stock Exchange
Tuesday August 17, 9:45 am ET
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Patriot Scientific Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: PTSC - News), a developer and owner of core microprocessor technologies, announced today that it has demanded an immediate delisting from the Berlin-Bremen Stock Exchange in an attempt to prevent trading practices that are illegal in the United States.
Patriot Scientific said the company's stock was listed on the exchange last March by a German broker without the company's knowledge or consent. Initially, the company believed the additional exposure on a European exchange would possibly be useful in broadening exposure for the company's activities. Since then, however, there have been numerous reports in the media that some stock traders may attempt to use the Berlin-Bremen exchange to manipulate stock prices and avoid the SEC regulations that forbid activities such as naked shorting. Patriot Scientific said it instructed the German broker to immediately remove the company's common stock from this exchange.
An investment profile on Patriot Scientific may be found at http://www.hawkassociates.com/patriot/profile.htm .
About Patriot Scientific
Patriot Scientific is an intellectual property company developing and marketing innovative and proprietary semiconductor technologies into the fast- growing handheld wireless and smart card markets. The company's portfolio of patents encompasses what is believed to be fundamental microprocessor technology and includes additional patents pending to protect its technology and architecture. For more information, please visit Patriot Scientific online at http://www.ptsc.com
For investor relations information, contact Frank Hawkins or Julie Marshall, Hawk Associates, at (305) 852-2383, email: info@hawkassociates.com. For Patriot Scientific information, contact Lowell Giffhorn at (858) 674-5018. Detailed information about Patriot Scientific can be found on the website http://www.ptsc.com. Copies of Patriot Scientific press releases, current price quotes, stock charts and other valuable information for investors may be found on the websites http://www.hawkassociates.com and http://www.hawkmicrocaps.com.
Safe Harbor statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this news release looking forward in time involve risks and uncertainties, including the risks associated with the effect of changing economic conditions, trends in the products markets, variations in the company's cash flow, market acceptance risks, technical development risks, seasonality and other risk factors detailed in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
Source: Patriot Scientific, Inc.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040817/fltu012_1.html
OT OT dabears only...
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=3806622
FORM 8-K
Item 12. Results of Operational Condition.
On August 12, 2004, Wave Systems Corp. announced results for its second quarter ended March 31, 2004 and highlighted recent corporate developments. This announcement was made via a conference call, webcast and press release entitled “Wave Systems Provides Corporate Update and Reviews Q2 2004 Results.”
Lee, MA – August 12, 2004 – Wave Systems Corp. (NASDAQ: WAVX; www.wave.com) today reviewed recent corporate developments and reported results for its second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2004.
Steven Sprague, Wave’s president and CEO, said, “We believe Wave made important progress over the past several months, including validating our pricing/economic model in the marketplace, as well as signing up a range of new distribution partners who substantially expand our reach into a number of key vertical market opportunities. We are working very hard to support customer awareness and understanding of the benefits of trusted computing, with a goal of ensuring that anyone who goes to purchase a computer in the future will select a trusted computer as it potentially provides the foundation for a greater level of assurance and security. Importantly, trusted computing has finally begun to emerge on the purchasing check list of the more informed corporate and government buyers.
“Though certain partner delays limited our Q2 financial performance, we believe we have improving visibility for an increase in order bookings and shipments from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and channel partners in the second half of 2004, weighted toward the fourth quarter, including several near-term procurements and an initial governmental trial, which closed during the quarter now in progress.
“Wavexpress also gained key commercial momentum, signing two important customers that deliver mainstream broadband content in the sports and entertainment markets, in addition to other distribution relationships. These are revenue-generating relationships that may be equally important as marquee references for our solutions.”
For the second quarter ended June 30, 2004, Wave Systems reported net revenue principally related to OEM shipments of its EMBASSY® Trust Suite (ETS) software of $6,000, compared to revenue of $34,000 in the second quarter ended June 30, 2003. Second quarter revenue from ETS shipments were roughly in line with levels achieved in the preceding two quarters.
Wave reported a net loss to common stockholders of $4.3 million, or $0.06 per basic share, for the second quarter of 2004, compared to a net loss to common stockholders of $6.3 million, or $0.12 per basic share, in the second quarter ended June 30, 2003. The weighted average number of basic shares outstanding in the second quarters of 2004 and 2003, was 67,363,000 and 52,096,000, respectively.
For the six months ended June 30, 2004, Wave Systems reported net revenue of $57,000, compared to revenue of $50,000 in the six months period ended June 30, 2003. Reflecting ongoing investments in sales, marketing and R&D, Wave reported a net loss to common stockholders of $7.7 million, or $0.11 per basic share, for the first six months of 2004, compared to a net loss to common stockholders of $12.7 million, or $0.24 per basic share, in
the first six months of 2003. The weighted average number of basic shares outstanding in the first six months of 2004 and 2003, was 67,350,000 and 52,096,000, respectively.
As of June 30, 2004, Wave had current assets of approximately $6.1 million and no long-term debt. Effective August 2, 2004, Wave completed a $3 million private placement, which included an additional investment right and warrants, which if exercised by the investor in their entirety, would generate approximately an additional $8.7 million in gross proceeds to Wave.
Recent Wave Systems developments (for more details, please visit www.wave.com):
Intel desktop board models: Wave’s EMBASSY® Trust Suite 3.1 commenced shipping with Intel desktop board models D915GEV and D915GUX in June, targeting business users of next generation PCs. For information about the new desktop boards, visit: http://intel.com/design/motherbd/ev and http://intel.com/design/motherbd/ux.
Envoy Data Corporation: Envoy Data agreed to resell Wave’s EMBASSY® Trust Suite (ETS) software and infrastructure to enterprises and government entities interested in trusted computing solutions for personal computer security. Envoy Data has worked in partnership with industry leading manufacturers and integration partners to deliver cutting-edge technology and to meet business needs.
CSS Laboratories: CSS Laboratories agreed to offer Wave’s ETS software and infrastructure to government entities and enterprises interested in secure and trusted computing solutions. CSS Laboratories manufactures and designs computer solutions, and delivers customized integration and network services.
SmartAxis SA: SmartAxis SA agreed to distribute Wave’s ETS software and infrastructure to enterprises interested in trusted computing solutions for personal computer security in Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and in Balkan countries. A specialist in IT security, SmartAxis is a value added reseller with impressive experience in distribution and marketing to system integrators, consultants and OEMs. SmartAxis also distributes and markets to other resellers serving enterprises such as financial institutions and banks, government, the service industry and telecommunications companies.
ARM® Connected Community: Wave joined the ARM® Connected Community, enabling Wave to gain access to a full range of resources to help it market innovative solutions associated with the new ARM TrustZone™ technology that will enable developers to get their ARM Powered® products to market faster. The ARM Connected Community is a global network of companies aligned to provide a complete solution, from design to manufacture and end use, for products based on the ARM architecture.
Cryptographic Service Provider: Wave introduced its Cryptographic Service Provider (CSP) that provides access to Trusted Computing Group-compliant PC platforms. Wave’s CSP tool is designed to help other independent software developers address the growing market for trusted secure services and applications.
Recent Wavexpress Developments:
Todito: Todito, a leading Internet portal, ISP and e-commerce site for North American Spanish-speakers, launched Todito TV Premium, an online service offering DVD-quality videos that utilizes Wavexpress’ platform and player. Todito TV Premium is an expansion of Todito’s three-year-old online video service called Todito TV Basic, which was launched as a way to offer TV Azteca programming to viewers outside of Mexico.
YES Vision™: YES (Yankees Entertainment & Sports) Network, the #1 Regional Sports Network in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut from sign-on to sign-off, launched YES Vision™ in June at www.yesnetwork.com. Powered by Wavexpress’ WX™ technology, YES Vision™ is a service for yesnetwork.com users.
thePlatform: Wavepxress and thePlatform for media, inc., a leading provider of software for broadcast and broadband rich media content management, integrated Wavexpress’ WX broadband video technology and thePlatform media publishing system™. The integration allows customers to publish media files to both streaming and cached video applications, with full-screen, DVD-quality video, automated program delivery and expiration, and instant, on-demand access to programming. The solution is being marketed to both media companies and corporate enterprises, with existing Wavexpress customer GolfSpan.com being the first customer to adopt the combined service.
Niveus Media: Niveus Media, a manufacturer of media entertainment devices for the consumer electronics market, agreed to ship Wavexpress’ TVTonic broadband video application pre-installed on all Niveus AVX Media Center PCs. The Niveus AVX is the first ultra quiet, fan-less Entertainment PC to offer the power of a full-size desktop in an A/V component form factor. The Niveus AVX is powered by Microsoft’s latest Windows Media Center Edition software allowing users to experience their digital media content like movies, television, music and photos in a home theater environment.
Windows XP Media Center Edition Compatibility: In April, Wavexpress released the newest version of its TVTonic® broadband software, which is now compatible with Microsoft’s Windows XP Media Center Edition, the home entertainment version of Windows. The new version of TVTonic integrates with the Media Center Remote and is optimized for the living room viewing experience.
http://www.secinfo.com/d11MXs.1nVy.d.htm
Something that I just came across...
There is one IEEE document of particular interest, IMHO of course.
http://www.cs.nps.navy.mil/people/faculty/irvine/Publications/Publications2004/
Ridingwave, that is a story that I would love to hear! eom
OT or not [dabears, where are you?]...Euro filing reveals Apple 'handheld computer'
By Tony Smith
Published Friday 13th August 2004 13:57 GMT
Apple has filed for a European design trademark which may provide a tantalising glimpse of the company's long-awaited tablet computer.
The filing, made in May this year but only published this week, covers a "handheld computer" and contains sketches of what look like an iBook screen minus the body of the computer.
The paperwork was handled by Leeds, UK-based patent and trademark attorneys Urquhart-Dykes and Lord.
The filing lists Apple CEO Steve Jobs and the company's industrial design chief, Jonathan Ive. It also refers to Daniele De Iuliis, Richard Howarth, Eugene Whang, Matthew Rohrbach, Bart Andre, Calvin Seid and Christopher Stringer all of key members of Apple's industrial design team, with the Power Mac G5, iPod, 17in and 12in PowerBook G4, and others under their belt.
Hints that Apple might be working on such a product emerged in 2003 when a source close to Taiwanese contract manufacturer Quanta claimed that the company had been hired by Apple to build what was dubbed a "wireless display".
Jobs has consistently downplayed claims that Apple is working on a PDA, and given the state of the world PDA market, it wouldn't make much sense for it to do so. Doubly so given how well the iPod works as a portable personal information carrier.
Jobs has similarly poo-poo'd suggestions that the company should offer a video iPod. Again, we agree - video simply isn't an application as well suited to portable players as music is. However, that doesn't mean that there's not room for a larger, house-bound mobile video system, and we've mooted a system comprising a wireless display terminal connected to a base iMac via 802.11g before.
Apple's "handheld computer" design registration sounds more like a PDA, but it looks like the home entertainment tablet system mentioned above.
Back in November 2003, our old pal Matthew Rothenberg at eWeek let the cat out of the bag with a "hunch" that Apple had seeded prototype tablet Macs with developers. The device used Mac OS X's Inkwell handwriting recognition technology and a healthy amount of knowledge picked up during the development of the Newton OS. Inkwell has been a part of Apple's system software since September 2002's release of Mac OS X 10.2. So far, only graphics tablet users have been able to do anything with it.
Matt later refined his hunch to encompass a "device that superficially resembles a large iPod with an 8in diagonal screen, lacks a keyboard, packs USB and FireWire ports, and runs Mac OS X along with a variety of multimedia goodies".
His January 2004 launch window has long since passed. But Apple may finally about to bring it to market.
The device is certainly a logical extension of what it's been doing with iTunes and AirPort Express. While its mini wireless access point is good for streaming audio from a host Mac to a hi-fi, it lacks a local control unit. It's tempting to view this latest design filing as the basis for just such a device.
Indeed, the upcoming new iMac is said to sport an all-in-one design with the system board, hard drive etc. mounted on the back of the monitor LCD. Only the suggested 17in and 20in displays indicate that the new machine isn't as portable as the tablet concept.
Instead, then, we might be seeing an 'iMac Jr.' in the not too distant future, equipped to work with both iTunes - and perhaps other iLife apps, such as iPhoto - and AirPort Express to deliver Mac-stored music, photography and video wirelessly to your hi-fi and TV.
August's Apple Expo Paris may prove more exciting than previously thought. ®
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/13/apple_tablet_mac/
Apple tablet?
Euro filing reveals Apple 'handheld computer'
By Tony Smith
Published Friday 13th August 2004 13:57 GMT
Apple has filed for a European design trademark which may provide a tantalising glimpse of the company's long-awaited tablet computer.
The filing, made in May this year but only published this week, covers a "handheld computer" and contains sketches of what look like an iBook screen minus the body of the computer.
The paperwork was handled by Leeds, UK-based patent and trademark attorneys Urquhart-Dykes and Lord.
The filing lists Apple CEO Steve Jobs and the company's industrial design chief, Jonathan Ive. It also refers to Daniele De Iuliis, Richard Howarth, Eugene Whang, Matthew Rohrbach, Bart Andre, Calvin Seid and Christopher Stringer all of key members of Apple's industrial design team, with the Power Mac G5, iPod, 17in and 12in PowerBook G4, and others under their belt.
Hints that Apple might be working on such a product emerged in 2003 when a source close to Taiwanese contract manufacturer Quanta claimed that the company had been hired by Apple to build what was dubbed a "wireless display".
Jobs has consistently downplayed claims that Apple is working on a PDA, and given the state of the world PDA market, it wouldn't make much sense for it to do so. Doubly so given how well the iPod works as a portable personal information carrier.
Jobs has similarly poo-poo'd suggestions that the company should offer a video iPod. Again, we agree - video simply isn't an application as well suited to portable players as music is. However, that doesn't mean that there's not room for a larger, house-bound mobile video system, and we've mooted a system comprising a wireless display terminal connected to a base iMac via 802.11g before.
Apple's "handheld computer" design registration sounds more like a PDA, but it looks like the home entertainment tablet system mentioned above.
Back in November 2003, our old pal Matthew Rothenberg at eWeek let the cat out of the bag with a "hunch" that Apple had seeded prototype tablet Macs with developers. The device used Mac OS X's Inkwell handwriting recognition technology and a healthy amount of knowledge picked up during the development of the Newton OS. Inkwell has been a part of Apple's system software since September 2002's release of Mac OS X 10.2. So far, only graphics tablet users have been able to do anything with it.
Matt later refined his hunch to encompass a "device that superficially resembles a large iPod with an 8in diagonal screen, lacks a keyboard, packs USB and FireWire ports, and runs Mac OS X along with a variety of multimedia goodies".
His January 2004 launch window has long since passed. But Apple may finally about to bring it to market.
The device is certainly a logical extension of what it's been doing with iTunes and AirPort Express. While its mini wireless access point is good for streaming audio from a host Mac to a hi-fi, it lacks a local control unit. It's tempting to view this latest design filing as the basis for just such a device.
Indeed, the upcoming new iMac is said to sport an all-in-one design with the system board, hard drive etc. mounted on the back of the monitor LCD. Only the suggested 17in and 20in displays indicate that the new machine isn't as portable as the tablet concept.
Instead, then, we might be seeing an 'iMac Jr.' in the not too distant future, equipped to work with both iTunes - and perhaps other iLife apps, such as iPhoto - and AirPort Express to deliver Mac-stored music, photography and video wirelessly to your hi-fi and TV.
August's Apple Expo Paris may prove more exciting than previously thought. ®
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/13/apple_tablet_mac/
School buses to get fingerprint security system
From eSchool News staff and wire service reports
April 1, 2004
Assured that student privacy would be protected, a Florida school board has approved a $2.26-million system to use children's fingerprints to track their movements on and off school buses.
A division of Laidlaw International, the Illinois-based transit giant that owns Greyhound, was awarded the contract to outfit the Pinellas County Schools' 750 buses with electronic devices that will identify students by their fingerprints beginning in the fall.
A spokeswoman for GeoSpatial Technologies, which is partnering with Laidlaw in the contract, said she believes the Pinellas fingerprinting system will be the first of its kind in the nation when it is installed.
Two other school districts, Leon County in Tallahassee and one in Anaheim, Calif., use a bus tracking system also created by the two companies, but it doesn't including the fingerprint identification system. Other school systems have used fingerprint ID systems in their cafeterias, but not on school buses.
Pinellas officials said the purpose of the program is to ensure that students get on the right bus and get off at the right stop.
When the idea first was raised in February, some parents and civil-liberties groups said the proposal had a Big Brother quality that might threaten student privacy.
But district transportation director Terry Palmer says privacy concerns for students are unfounded, because the system does "not fingerprint them in a classic sense."
It identifies enough points on a fingerprint to create a binary code unique to each student, he said. It does not create a visual image of a print, and the district cannot produce such an image or reproduce the binary code.
The information also will be protected by multiple passwords. Palmer said the district already handles a large amount of private information about students and could handle the new information "with absolutely no problem."
And unlike student tracking systems that rely on bar-code, magnetic strip, or radio-frequency chip technologies, students won't have to remember to bring anything. "The only thing kids aren't going to forget is their thumb or forefinger," Palmer said.
Families who still feel uncomfortable with the system can elect not to have their children participate.
Besides tracking students' whereabouts, the system will use Global Positioning System technology to track the buses.
It will provide transportation officials with factual data for monitoring drivers, investigating claims of speeding and unsafe driving, and planning better routes.
"This allows us to know when buses are running on schedule and not on schedule," Palmer said. "I don't have to wait for schools to report that information to me. I can be proactive rather than reactive."
When parents call asking where their children are, transportation officials will know instantly, Palmer continued. Before the new fingerprint tracking system, it took "literally an hour's worth of phone calls, and then you are depending on the driver's memory," he said.
And if bus-related accidents happen, officials will know instantly which students are involved. "When you have a bus accident, even if it is minor, the first thing you need to know is what kids are on there," Palmer said. "With this system, we will be able to do an inquiry directly to the bus and know immediately."
Student counts required by the state will be more accurate, which could result in increased revenue, he said. "We will not rely on the driver to take attendance anymore. We've got some anecdotal evidence that there are some problems with drivers not taking good attendance. We have a hard time convincing drivers it's important," Palmer said.
The district will pay for the system using savings from construction and renovation projects, some of them dating several years back. Officials also said keeping better track of buses and bus drivers will allow the district to streamline routes and trim minutes off bus drivers' days. All told, district officials estimate that between $500,000 and $900,000 can be saved each year in efficiencies.
See these related links:
Pinellas County Schools
http://www.pinellas.k12.fl.us
GeoSpatial Technologies Inc.
http://www.geospatialtech.com
Laidlaw International Inc.
http://www.laidlaw.com
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=4964
Q: Is Sunncomm working on converting software from windows format WMA to Apples format for Ipod. Hopefully it will be available thru Sunncomm´s website. (8/9/2004 11:14:53 AM)
A: Yes. SunnComm is currently working to provide MediaMax CD buyers with the authorized ability to convert tunes to protected iPod format. The process can´t go quick enough for us at SunnComm. It´s a very high priority for us.
http://www.sunncomm.com/asktheprez/asktheprez.asp
BBC on privacy... Where is Ross Anderson when you need him?
Website
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/analysis/3937907.stm
Radio
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsa/n5ctrl/radioseq/analysis.ram
Transcript
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/programmes/analysis/transcripts/05_08_04.txt
Disney asks FCC to lock up all the record-buttons
Digging through some FCC filings, my cow-orker Fred von Lohmann turned up a bit of Disney magic that tips the company's hand: they're planning to lock up everything capable of recording audio.
Well, in their latest comments, Disney (which is an RIAA member, and owns ABC Radio Networks and four record labels) let slip what this is all about:
In addition, to the extent the Commission considers such a content protection mechanism, it should also consider whether to extend that mechanism to all music distribution platforms, including satellite digital audio radio service, the Internet and broadcast radio service.
Got that? Disney wants the FCC to regulate all devices capable of recording from any audio broadcasting medium or from the Internet. FM radio, XM, Sirius, Streamripper, Total Recorder, you're all in the crosshairs. It's the Hollings Bill all over again.
http://www.boingboing.net/2004/08/07/disney_asks_fcc_to_l.html
june1243, re: Trusted Computing in education...
Student records, grades, and transactions (both financial and information) are classics.
For instance, some universities are now issuing students smartcards for ID purposes. However, these cards also "carry" money. Ensuring that these cards, when lost, are not misused is an example
Further, as students conduct more e-learning there is a need to "authenticate" the student participant.
One that probably will have the highest profile is student medical records. Many students on large campuses have health insurance with the school conducting medical services. Protecting this information while ensuring access to care is a HIPAA foundation.
I'm just scratching the surface, but this is a start.
LisaAu, re: iTrip...
I got one and loved it... until it died.
I have had it for about a week and it is sweet.
However, I have to take it back and exchange it now. I don't know if this isolated.
OT...Teens' wireless feat could be world record
By Justin Fenton
Enquirer staff writer
Greg Rigling (from left), Andy Meng, Justin Rigling and Ben Corrado with one of the satellite dishes they used to make a 55.1-mile wireless Internet connection in Las Vegas. Greg Rigling is Justin's father.
Photo provided
Four area teens couldn't wait for Cincinnati to catch up with wireless Internet technology, so they took matters into their own hands. And their homemade, 55.1-mile Wi-Fi connection at a Las Vegas hacker conference might be a world record.
St. Xavier High School graduates Ben Corrado of Colerain Township and Andy Meng and Justin Rigling of Hamilton were amateur radio operators with a fascination for defunct satellite dishes and wireless Internet, or Wi-Fi, connections - turning other people's junk into engineering projects.
But a last-minute decision to drive across the country and test their patchwork dishes against hackers, security professionals and undercover intelligence agents from around the world might land them in the Guinness Book of Records.
Last weekend's DefCon conference, which bills itself as the largest underground hacking event in the world, included a competition to see who can make a Wireless Fidelity, or Wi-Fi, connection reach the farthest.
Contestants had to set up a pair of computers and see how far apart they could maintain an Internet connection using homemade and commercial antennas. Part of the team stayed with the equipment on top of a 4,600-foot mountain while the others loaded their equipment into a vehicle and drove until the signal died.
WHAT IS WI-FI?
Wi-Fi, short for Wireless Fidelity, or wireless computer networking, is a way for computers to communicate wirelessly using high-frequency radio technology capable of sending large amounts of data quickly. In most cases, one computer - the host - is connected to the Internet through a standard wired connection and acts as the server with a router. Other computers equipped with wireless cards then can transmit and receive data to and from the host computer.
The Cincinnati team drove for more than an hour, taking Rigling's father's Astrovan up steep gravel roads and one-way dirt trails, finding every nook and cranny until they ran out of roadway.
"We thought we could go fairly far," Rigling, 18, said.
"And then it started to make sense after about 38 miles. We were like, 'Well, this isn't the end. There's more out there if we can find a road to go up.'"
In the end, their 55-mile amplified connection exceeded last year's winner by 20 miles. Then they turned off their amplifiers and broke the record for an unamplified connection at the same distance.
While not yet confirmed, the connection appears to be a world record for a ground connection. The Guinness record for Wi-Fi connection is about 192 miles, achieved in 2002 by Swedish Wi-Fi equipment maker Alvarion and the Swedish Space Corp. But that record was achieved using a Swedish weather balloon, which many think is not the same as a ground measurement because there are fewer obstacles to block a signal.
The Swedish team also used amplification in setting the mark, while the DefCon team maintained its connection even after turning off the amplification.
Commercial wireless connections are typically about 300 feet long.
Wi-Fi is becoming more popular. It eliminates cords and wires while using radio frequencies so that people with laptop computers or other mobile devices can surf the Internet and check their e-mail while sipping coffee or sitting on a park bench. Locally, you can log onto the Internet at Hamburger Mary's, the Brew House, Panera Bread and McCluskey Chevrolet's car service waiting room, for instance.
Piatt Park recently became the first "unwired" spot in downtown, for $5 an hour or $20 a month. Many cities have adopted free Wi-Fi - Columbus and Cleveland will be Wi-Fi accessible by 2006. Cincinnati has no such plans.
Corrado, Meng and Rigling have been interested in Wi-Fi and satellites since joining St. Xavier's Radio Club, where they became amateur radio operators and started brainstorming ideas for things they could build on a low budget. Last year, they collected satellite dishes from the back yards of neighbors who were no longer using them, mounting them on towers in their back yards so they could share files.
That idea was shot down by their parents, and the dishes sat until last month when 19-year-old Meng, who attends LeTourneau University in Texas, spotted the competition on a Web site.
Along with Brandon Schamer, who didn't make the trip, they spent nights in the Corrados' basement cutting copper plates and welding parts together to make two strong dishes.
They even tried to turn a profit on their hobby, going door-to-door with fliers trying to encrypt wireless Internet connections for Cincinnatians whose connections were exposed to attack.
The venture was not met with enthusiasm, however.
"People gave us kinda weird looks. I don't know how many people understood what we were trying to do," Ben Corrado said.
Undeterred, they gathered more dishes and decided to trek to Las Vegas, less than three weeks before the conference.
They're already planning to make the trip again next year. After being recognized at the conference and making a short speech, they tried to negotiate the sale of their equipment. Unable to find a taker, they took off the dishes' important parts and tossed the rest in the trash.
Next year, they'll try to get a sponsor and some bigger dishes and take the connection farther.
"We're the kind of guys who just like to build stuff," said Rigling, who plans to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology this fall.
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/08/05/loc_wifiteens05.html
OT...SafeNet Provides Application Developers With Unique Solution to Enable Security for Mobile Devices
Wednesday August 4, 10:00 am ET
Announces SafeZone Toolkit For OMAP5912 Mobile Processor
BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 4, 2004--SafeNet, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFNT - News), setting the standard for information security, today announced the release of SafeZone(TM) Toolkit for OMAP5912(TM), an integrated software development toolkit that provides application developers with powerful tools to quickly and easily build hardware-based security into mobile applications based on the Texas Instruments OMAP5912 mobile processor.
Security requirements for mobile devices are constantly increasing. However, integrating advanced security features into mobile applications is challenging, requiring rare and specialized expertise, and often causing project delays. To address developers' challenges, SafeNet has developed SafeZone Toolkit for OMAP5912 enabling application developers to quickly build security into a wide range of mobile applications for portable data terminals (PDT) that are utilized to enter data, manage inventories, and secure point of sale payments in various industries including manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and retail.
The toolkit is seamlessly integrated with the built-in cryptographic engines of the OMAP5912 processor, allowing application developers to take full advantage of sophisticated processor-based security mechanisms.
"Our new toolkit makes it much simpler for developers to build high performance security into their mobile applications," said David Potts, Senior Vice President and General Manager of SafeNet's Embedded Security Division. "By coupling our unique hardware and software security expertise with leading silicon solutions from Texas Instruments, we can simultaneously reduce time to market while improving security, reducing power, and boosting performance."
"SafeNet's SafeZone Toolkit for OMAP5912 will allow our customers a solution to quickly and easily develop the most secure applications in the mobile device market," said Gregory Mar, worldwide marketing manager, Texas Instruments.
For more information about SafeZone Toolkit for OMAP5912, please visit www.safenet-inc.com/wireless.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040804/45061_1.html
oknv, I have no idea. eom
11,470,589 SHARES
CLASS A COMMON STOCK
Wave Systems Corp. is offering a certain purchaser (the "Purchaser") 3,529,412 shares of its Class A common stock pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The Class A common stock will be purchased at the negotiated price of $0.85 per share. The Purchaser also received a 90-day additional investment right (the "Additional Investment Right") to purchase up to 3,529,412 additional shares of Class A common stock (the "Additional Shares") at a purchase price of $1.00 per share. Furthermore, as part of this offering the Purchaser received a Series A Common Stock Purchase Warrant (the "A Warrant") to purchase up to 3,529,412 shares of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $1.15 per share. The A Warrant is exercisable from January 30, 2005 until July 30, 2005. The Purchaser also received a Series B Common Stock Purchase Warrant (the "B Warrant") to purchase up to 882,353 shares of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $1.30 per share. The B Warrant is exercisable from July 30, 2005 until January 30, 2006. Under the terms of the offering, in no event shall the Purchaser become the beneficial owner of more than 9.99% of the number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such issuance.
Our Class A common stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the ticker symbol "WAVX." The last reported sales price of our Class A common stock on July 15, 2004, was $1.10 per share.
In connection with this offering, we will pay fees to Corpfin Inc. (the "placement agents"). See "Plan of Distribution" beginning on page S-5 of this prospectus supplement for more information regarding these arrangements.
The following information assumes that we sell all shares of Class A common stock offered hereby. The per share fees and proceeds are rounded to the nearest cent.
Per
Common
Share
Total for
Common
Shares
Per
Additional
Share
Total for
Additional
Shares
Per
A
Warrant
Total for
A
Warrants
Per
B
Warrant
Total for
B
Warrants
Total
Offering
Offering Price
$
0.85
$
3,000,000
$
1.00
$
3,529,412
$
1.15
$
4,058,824
$
1.30
$
1,147,059
$
11,735,295
Placement Agent Fees
$
0.03
$
120,000
$
0.04
$
141,177
$
0.05
$
162,353
$
0.05
$
45,882
$
469,412
Proceeds, before expenses to us
$
0.82
$
2,880,000
$
0.96
$
3,388,235
$
1.10
$
3,896,471
$
1.25
$
1,101,177
$
11,265,883
We estimate the total expenses of this offering, excluding the placement agents' fees and assuming full exercise of the Additional Investment Right, the A Warrant, and the B Warrant, will be approximately $100,000. The first delivery of the shares of Class A common stock being offered under this prospectus supplement were made to the Purchaser on August 2, 2004.
http://www.secinfo.com/dVut2.1XY1.htm
On July 30, 2004, Wave Systems Corp. ("Wave") entered into a
Securities Purchase Agreement (the "Purchase Agreement"), pursuant to which Wave
sold and issued 3,529,412 shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $.01 per
share (the "Common Shares"), and two series of warrants (the "Warrants") to
purchase Wave's Class A Common Stock (the "Warrant Shares") to a certain
purchaser who is a party to the Purchase Agreement (the "Purchaser") for an
aggregate purchase price of $3,000,000. The Common Shares were priced at $0.85.
The Common Shares and Warrant Shares were drawn-down off of a shelf registration
statement which was filed by Wave on April 15, 2004 and declared effective by
the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on May 10, 2004. The Purchase
Agreement is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.1.
Wave also granted the Purchaser a 90-day additional investment right
to purchase up to 3,529,412 additional Common Shares at a price of $1.00 per
share (the "Additional Investment Right"). These Common Shares are also to be
drawn-down off of the shelf registration statement. The Additional Investment
Right is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.2.
The Warrants are made up of two different series. The Series A
warrants (the "A Warrants") are exercisable for up to 3,529,412 shares of Class
A common stock at an exercise price of $1.15 per share. The A Warrants are
exercisable from January 30, 2005 until July 30, 2005. The Series B warrants
(the "B Warrants") are exercisable for up to 882,353 shares of Class A common
stock at an exercise price of $1.30 per share. The B Warrants are exercisable
from July 30, 2005 until January 30, 2006. Under the terms of the offering, in
no event shall the Purchaser become the beneficial owner of more than 9.99% of
the number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding immediately after
giving effect to such issuance. The rights of the holder of the A Warrants and
the B Warrants are more fully set forth in the forms of Warrant attached hereto
as Exhibits 10.3 and 10.4.
Corpfin Inc. (the "Placement Agent"), has entered into a placement
agency agreement with us in which they have agreed to act as placement agent in
connection with the offering. The Placement Agent is using its best efforts to
introduce us to selected institutional investors who will purchase Common
Shares. The Placement Agent has no obligation to buy any Common Shares from us.
We have agreed to pay the Placement Agent a fee equal to 4.0% of the gross
proceeds of this offering. The Placement Agency Agreement is attached hereto as
Exhibit 10.5.
On August 2, 2004, Wave issued a press release announcing the
transaction. A copy of this press release has been filed with this Current
Report on Form 8-K as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.
2
8-K
3rd Page of 5
TOC
1st
Previous
Next
Bottom
Just 3rd
http://www.secinfo.com/dVut2.1Xy4.htm
OT eamonnshute...
Not me, but I wish I were! I've given up trying to be like you. I will settle just for being inconsequential in this life in the expectation in the next life I shall be worthy.
: >
A long time ago...
...I suggested to watch the iPod as a proof-of-concept for video. Well, it is finally starting to be discussed...
PluggedIn: "Video iPods" bring Seinfeld on the subway
Tuesday August 3, 1:05 pm ET
By Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Electronics makers are enticing consumers to take Seinfeld on the subway with portable video players that look like an iPod crossed with a digital camera.
Smaller than a Stephen King paperback thriller, these compact players have room for up to 80 hours of video -- that's all five seasons of "The Sopranos," the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and six hours of Thighmaster infomercials.
Built-in video screens about 3.5 inches across provide a crisp picture for personal viewing, while output jacks allow them to be plugged into a TV screen for a more panoramic experience.
Users can record TV programs off the air, download movies from the Internet or copy vacation videos from their own camcorders.
Portable media players like the Archos (Paris:ARCH.PA - News) AV420 can also store and play back hundreds of hours of music and display thousands of digital photos. And, like a TiVo, the AV420 can be programmed to automatically record certain shows.
The AV420 lists for $549.95, while Thomson's (Paris:TMS.PA - News) RCA Lyra A/V Jukebox lists for $449.99 -- about $50 more than the most expensive version of Apple's iPod, which has sold more than 2 million units since it was introduced in 2001.
With manufacturers like Samsung (000830.K) and Sanyo (Taiwan:1614.TW - News) readying units of their own, Christmas shoppers could find store shelves filled with media players.
"We see the video player market as a natural progression for MP3," said Archos chief operating officer Brad Wallace. "We can do everything you can with an iPod."
Analysts are less bullish about the category.
"As a mass-market device, I think it's unlikely to succeed," said Paul O'Donovan, a principal analyst at Gartner Inc. "I think it's a very neat, very clever technology, but that doesn't guarantee a market."
The price is too high to attract all but the most avid gadget hounds when laptop computers and portable DVD players offer larger screens and fewer technical headaches, said Mike McGuire, another Gartner analyst.
U.S. consumers will buy 25 million portable MP3 players in 2008, but portable-video player sales will be closer to 2 million units that year, O'Donovan said.
Unlike music, video demands much more of a user's attention and can't be viewed while driving, exercising or walking down the street.
Delunte Lewis, a salesman at Best Buy (NYSE:BBY - News) in Washington, said the Archos and RCA units have appealed to commuters who spend a fair amount of time on the train, but they haven't been particularly hot sellers.
Like elsewhere in the high-tech world, the products have broken down into two camps: Microsoft Corp.(NasdaqNM:MSFT - News) and the rest.
Apple Computer Inc. (NasdaqNM:AAPL - News), which accounts for 55 percent of the MP3 market when measured by revenue, has said it has no plans to offer a video player.
Microsoft last year unveiled a software platform that would link personal media players closely with its Windows XP operating system.
Movies, music and other content could be automatically copied from a user's computer onto the mobile device while computers with a built-in TV tuner could record shows automatically and copy them to the mobile player.
Samsung, Sanyo and Creative (NasdaqNM:CREAF - News) have announced plans to release Microsoft-compatible players, and Amazon.com Inc. (NasdaqNM:AMZN - News) is taking pre-orders, though the products are not yet on the market.
Archos and RCA, which run on proprietary software, say their units can sync up with personal computers, or record video directly from TV units.
But that's a labor-intensive way to get content, said Josh Martin, an associate research analyst at IDC.
Paid download services like CinemaNow that allow users to download programs in minutes could encourage adoption if they're priced right, he said.
"If you could download as many episodes of Seinfeld as you want for $10 a month and keep them on your device, that's a pretty good value proposition," Martin said.
Video-download services have been slow to get off the ground due to piracy concerns. Overly restrictive copy-control measures and conflicting file formats could dampen enthusiasm, he said.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/040803/column_pluggedin_1.html
yofal, I do agree in a degree...
What is the goal?
5% of the market? If so then stay proprietary.
100% of the market? Then interoperable at least and interoperable and open at the best.
tomm, and that is what is so darned weird...
Clearly Jobs knows that interoperability is what this is all about. That QT, iTunes, etc. are ported to the wintel is proof of an understanding of interoperability.
Then we see the Phoenix of Old greed and non-interoperability raise its head to stop interoperability between formats on the iPod. It is certainly a shot in the foot.
The iPod is getting wintelers to switch. But to think that Wintel is going away is silly. For the iPod to become ubiquitous it needs, ney, requires that it be an open platform.
Let all the Real Network vendors of the world use iPod...
Apple MUST allow for interoperability for the iPod to become ubiquitous.
This is a repeat of history. Greed may enable short-term growth, but will stop long term growth.
If the iPod becomes ubiquitous then more Macs will sell. Give away the iPod if you have too...
OT...Lockheed Martin To Ditch 10K Solaris Workstations for Linux
(The Neurocrat, July 26, 2004) Aeronautics giant Lockheed Martin plans a 10,000 seat migration away from Solaris over to Linux and Intel, a confidential source told us yesterday. There's no word yet on how much the new Linux deal could be worth or who the lucky vendor might be, although our source did throw out the name Dell once.
Our source - a Lockheed employee who is close to the transition - said the migration represents only a fraction of what the future could hold. Apparently those 10K workstations belong to one of six Lockheed divisions, and the company may be poised to switch over to the remaining five.
Cost is the reason behind Lockheed's switch. The company is moving away from expensive Sun workstations, expecting to save a bundle by using Linux and Intel hardware. Apparently Linux has no problem reliably running the fancy software that the engineers use to design airplanes.
However, Utah Unix company SCO could throw a monkey wrench into Lockheed's Linux plans. According to our source, Lockheed's lawyers "are like a deer in the headlights" because of SCO's legal threats over Linux usage.
SCO of course is the company that made quite a name for itself by suing DalmerChryslerAG and AutoZone Inc for using Linux, claiming that it's owed licensing fees because Linux has unlicensed pieces of SCO's code in it. Our source hinted that a SCO lawsuit against Lockheed could be on the horizon, saying that Lockheed was approaching "DalmerChrysler and AutoZone territory."
SCO has also sued IBM, accusing it of passing Unix secrets over to the Linux camp. And SCO has sent letters to hundreds more companies, threatening to sue if they don't fork over $699 for a SCO Linux license.
Fortunately for Lockheed's paralyzed legal team, the heart of SCO's case against DalmerChrysler was thrown out yesterday by Michigan judge Rae Lee Chabot. The only charge that will be heard in court is that the auto maker didn't respond quickly enough to a request from SCO for certification that it was complying with a Unix license agreement. "It's a little unfortunate that it took a lawsuit for them to respond to what was a real simple letter asking them to certify," sniffed SCO spokesman Blake Stowell.
Although Lockheed is showing Solaris the door, Microsoft is still welcome. "Every engineer has a Microsoft PC sitting next to their Sun Blade," said our source. "That's for business applications, and Linux is no threat there. It's Sun who has to worry."
Sun's stock closed at 3.65 yesterday, down 1.08 points.
http://neurocrat.com/2004/07/26/lockheed.shtml
OT... SunnComm International Announces Major Breakthrough in CD Copy Management Technology
PHOENIX, AZ, July 30, 2004 — SunnComm International, Inc. (OTC: SCMI), the developer of MediaMax™, the most widely used and accepted audio CD copy management and enhancement technology in the United States, announced today that it has achieved a major breakthrough in CD content protection technology. As part of SunnComm’s ongoing commitment to raise the bar for copy management solutions, it has developed new technology that will significantly enhance the security for MediaMax protected discs while remaining 100% playable in consumer CD/ DVD players. Protection components embedded on the optical medium will now make it impossible for the user to play the disc without installing the MediaMax software. As with all MediaMax products, once installed the user will not only be able to play the disc but will have access to numerous features and bonus content not found on conventional audio CD’s. The beta release containing the new technology is to be tested by a select group of international record labels by the end of Q3/04.
This leap forward in technology provides a very strong answer to some critics who believed that holding the infamous shift-key offered an acceptable work-around for MediaMax protected discs. It provides the necessary support to ensure that the CD buyer will be given the option to use the music they have purchased in a legal, responsible way while protecting the artists and content owners’ rights. SunnComm’s president, Peter H. Jacobs, stated, “Everyone at SunnComm believes that the best digital security technology should be ever mindful of the consumer experience. We now have the tools to build on a very effective and well-received CD security platform, making it the most widespread and strongest CD security solution available anywhere.”
Bill Whitmore, QuietTiger’s president, adds, “SunnComm has had the leading CD copy management solution for a couple of years and this exciting breakthrough brings us to a new level of security.” SunnComm’s Chief Technology Officer, Eric Vandewater, affirmed, “We designed this new technology to integrate directly and seamlessly into SunnComm’s current suite of MediaMax products and to ensure the copyrighted content is protected as soon as the disc is inserted in the drive of a computer regardless of subsequent user actions.”
SunnComm’s MediaMax suite of products delivers security for digital CD audio along with an enhanced consumer experience that provides additional bonus content and value-added features. MediaMax is wrapped in a user-friendly multi-media session environment, mastered directly on the audio CD, and accessible using a personal computer. Bonus features include artist-related promotions, videos, song lyrics, artist bio page, photo gallery, web links, on-board press kits, and tune-sharing capability through SunnComm’s MusicMail™ functionality.
OT...SunnComm International Announces Major Breakthrough in CD Copy Management Technology
PHOENIX, AZ, July 30, 2004 — SunnComm International, Inc. (OTC: SCMI), the developer of MediaMax™, the most widely used and accepted audio CD copy management and enhancement technology in the United States, announced today that it has achieved a major breakthrough in CD content protection technology. As part of SunnComm’s ongoing commitment to raise the bar for copy management solutions, it has developed new technology that will significantly enhance the security for MediaMax protected discs while remaining 100% playable in consumer CD/ DVD players. Protection components embedded on the optical medium will now make it impossible for the user to play the disc without installing the MediaMax software. As with all MediaMax products, once installed the user will not only be able to play the disc but will have access to numerous features and bonus content not found on conventional audio CD’s. The beta release containing the new technology is to be tested by a select group of international record labels by the end of Q3/04.
This leap forward in technology provides a very strong answer to some critics who believed that holding the infamous shift-key offered an acceptable work-around for MediaMax protected discs. It provides the necessary support to ensure that the CD buyer will be given the option to use the music they have purchased in a legal, responsible way while protecting the artists and content owners’ rights. SunnComm’s president, Peter H. Jacobs, stated, “Everyone at SunnComm believes that the best digital security technology should be ever mindful of the consumer experience. We now have the tools to build on a very effective and well-received CD security platform, making it the most widespread and strongest CD security solution available anywhere.”
Bill Whitmore, QuietTiger’s president, adds, “SunnComm has had the leading CD copy management solution for a couple of years and this exciting breakthrough brings us to a new level of security.” SunnComm’s Chief Technology Officer, Eric Vandewater, affirmed, “We designed this new technology to integrate directly and seamlessly into SunnComm’s current suite of MediaMax products and to ensure the copyrighted content is protected as soon as the disc is inserted in the drive of a computer regardless of subsequent user actions.”
SunnComm’s MediaMax suite of products delivers security for digital CD audio along with an enhanced consumer experience that provides additional bonus content and value-added features. MediaMax is wrapped in a user-friendly multi-media session environment, mastered directly on the audio CD, and accessible using a personal computer. Bonus features include artist-related promotions, videos, song lyrics, artist bio page, photo gallery, web links, on-board press kits, and tune-sharing capability through SunnComm’s MusicMail™ functionality.
OT...NIST to dump DES...
http://csrc.nist.gov/Federal-register/July26-2004-FR-DES-Notice.pdf
OT...A Taste of Computer Security
Introduction
There are miscreants everywhere — in all domains — fro vandals in a representative parking lot to high-profil terrorists on the international scene
Today, computers are used in all walks of life: they are i your homes, and in various critical domains such as defense education, finance, government, health care, and so on. Thi reliance of the world's infrastructure on computer systems and the consequent pervasiveness of the latter, makes thei "security" an issue of great importance
The security of computer systems is a unique aspect o computing in that it enjoys remarkable attention from al quarters: at least everybody who uses computers care about security. If you research or design systems, you car about creating mechanisms for providing security. If you ar a marketeer or a salesman selling a system, you would nee as many security-related bullet-points as you can gathe (preferably backed by real technology). If you are a operating system holy warrior, you might find demonstrabl security flaws in "other" systems to be excellent warfar tools. Popular media likes the negative, and they have been especially fond of computer security (its downfall, usually), a topic that has been romanticized consistently.
Agenda
Given the nature and scope of the field, it would require one or more books to even briefly touch upon all tha is known about computer security. This document's goal is only to give you a taste of (a subset of) the subject. The various sections are not uniform in their depth or breadth, and the document's overall structure is not pedagogical. I could have titled it Thinking Aloud On Computer Security, if not for the somewhat pompous undertone.
Terms and Conditions
This document is copyright © 2004 Amit Singh. All Rights Reserved
It is illegal to republish this document in any form (where "form" includes, but is not limited to, onlin publishing). You are allowed to make hard copies of this document if you so desire, provided it is for you own personal, non-commercial, and non-business related use
THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NO LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN N EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIA DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, O PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRIC LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS INFORMATION, EVE IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE
Feedback
Please note that this is a first draft and has not yet been reviewed. I will welcome constructive feedba k, and will highly appreciate if any errors or misrepresentations a pointed out to me.
Contents
Popular Notions About Security
Defining Computer Security
Traditional Unix Security
Security Uprooting Vehicles
The Net Growth In Insecurity
Digital Life: Viruses
Digital Life: Worms
Viruses on Unix
Platform-Independent Malware
Defeating Memory
Securing Memory
Access Control
Detecting Intrusion
Sandboxing
An Example: Solaris Security
Miscellaneous
Unix vs. Windows
Epilogue
http://www.kernelthread.com/publications/security/
OT... SafeNet reports...
Adjusted EPS of $0.30 in the Upper Range of Prior Company Guidance; Company Reiterates Full-Year Guidance
BALTIMORE, Maryland—July 28, 2004— SafeNet (NASDAQ: SFNT), setting the standard for information security, today announced results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2004.
Revenues for the three-month period ending June 30, 2004, increased 229% to $54.3 million, compared to $16.5 million for the same period in 2003. On a year-to-date basis, revenues increased by 161% to $78.4 million from $30.1 million for the first half of 2003. The financial results for the second quarter of 2004 comprise a full quarter effect from the operations of Rainbow Technologies, Inc., reflecting the close of the merger on March 15, 2004.
Adjusted net income for the 2004 second quarter was $7.4 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, compared to $2.1 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2003. The quarterly adjusted net income and per share information excludes acquisition-related expenses, restructuring charges, and assumes a 35% income tax rate.
The net income calculated on a GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) basis for the quarter ended June 30, 2004, was approximately $400,000, or $0.02 per diluted share, which compares to a net loss of $2.4 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, for the same period of 2003. The GAAP results for the three months ended June 30, 2004 included expenses related to the merger with Rainbow Technologies, Inc., including amortization of intangibles of $5.6 million, ($2.1 million is related to prior acquisitions) amortization of unearned compensation of $2.2 million, and integration costs of $2.8 million. These adjustments increased net income by $7.0 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2004, compared to a net income increase of $4.5 million, or $0.42 per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2003.
Anthony Caputo, Chairman and CEO of SafeNet, stated, "Our growth strategy is on track, and we made strong progress on a number of our strategic priorities—most notably meeting financial expectations and delivering adjusted earnings per share, which increased by 50%. We also accomplished a significant enhancement of our senior management team, the formation of strategic alliances with Adobe and Oracle, and the release of several new products and product enhancements in both the Embedded and Enterprise divisions. As previously announced, we created a separate business unit for our rights management business. During the quarter, we saw this unit achieve very strong year over year growth of 19%. Based on this success, we've decided to build upon our strength in chips, intellectual property and software toolkits and create a second unit within the Embedded Division—the OEM/Networking business unit."
"Today marked another major milestone in our plans to extend our information security leadership," he added. "The new partnership with Ingram Micro gives us a national distribution outlet for our SSL VPN appliance to Ingram’s nearly 165,000 resellers. We also created a new position for corporate alliances to cultivate senior-level relationships with both systems integrators and telecommunication service providers. Both of these actions represent entirely new distribution channels for our products and services."
He continued, "We have strengthened our government sales team and are building our pipeline of government business. We provide the industry's strongest vertical offering, from wide area to virtual private network to Type 1/classified security. Our industry expertise and strong legacy across military and civilian agencies should mitigate against the impact of the timing of government deals, and we'll be accelerating our marketing initiatives to win a growing share of the larger, more complex information security contracts."
Business Updates
Since the beginning of the second quarter of 2004, SafeNet has announced:
Management and Operational Changes
The promotion of Carole Argo to the newly created position of President and Chief Operating Officer. Argo's primary focus will be executing the company’s growth strategy with a continuing role in merger and acquisition activity.
The appointment of former Microsoft executive Ken Mueller as its new Chief Financial Officer. Mueller will be responsible for all accounting, finance, treasury and legal functions, with a near term focus of building a global financial organization, which will support SafeNet's continued growth.
The appointment of Howard Seeger as Vice President, Business Development, of Corporate Alliances as part of SafeNet's effort to strengthen its government channels. Seeger will lead executive level relationships with system integrators and telecommunication service providers to further deploy SafeNet technologies addressing new and existing government needs.
The appointment of Jim Summers as Vice President of Programs to lead SafeNet Mykotronx's programs and engineering teams. Summers will play a pivotal role in positioning SafeNet for success as the U.S. government embarks on its $7.2 billion Crypto Modernization program.
The creation of the new OEM/Networking business unit and the appointment of Henk Pruim to lead the unit. Recognizing the OEM/Networking business as an area with terrific opportunities, this new unit will focus on SafeNet chips, Intellectual Property and software toolkits to the networking markets.
The establishment of the new Sentinel Business Unit in April combined with this unit's strong year-to-year growth, due to the new focus and investment in SafeNet's rights management business.
Strategic Alliances
The formation of an alliance with Oracle where SafeNet Luna SA, a Network-attached Hardware Security Module (HSM), supports Oracle® Database10g to provide hardware security and SSL acceleration for enterprise grid computing. SafeNet is working with Oracle to provide hardware security solutions to joint customers for secure grid computing capabilities.
The formation of an alliance with Adobe allowing SafeNet's Luna Series of products to work with Adobe's document services to help customers deploy more secure documents on the Adobe Intelligent Document Platform. The Adobe Intelligent Document Platform utilizes the Adobe Reader, PDF and Adobe's document services to address all phases of the document lifecycle.
Customer Wins
The award of a multi-year production contract under the U.S. Government’s Crypto Modernization Program, with the first delivery order valued at $2.7 million.
The selection of SafeNet's SafeXcel™-1141 VPN chip by WatchGuard Technologies, Inc. WatchGuard will deploy the SafeXcel chip in to its Firebox X integrated security appliances because it delivers the advanced security capabilities and performance level that Watchguard customers demand.
Product Announcements
The development of Luna SP, an application security appliance designed to make it easier to deploy secure Java applications, such as Java Web Services, with powerful cryptographic functionality. Luna SP allows enterprises to quickly develop and deploy high-assurance applications across a network with the knowledge that only authorized application code is being used.
The development of QuickSec™ IPS. QuickSec IPS provides developers with a toolkit that can be integrated with a security appliance that detects intrusion attempts in passing traffic, stopping and reporting them. QuickSec VPN, using SafeNet's leading hardware solutions, SafeXcel technology, will reduce time to market and improve system performance for customers.
The addition of new license models for the Sentinel LM 7.3 software licensing and protection application. Sentinel LM 7.3 demonstrates SafeNet's commitment to the Sentinel LM product by enhancing the ease with which customers can add license management functionality to their applications.
Current Outlook for Third Quarter and Full Year 2004
The following statements are based on current expectations. These statements are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially. These statements do not reflect the potential impact of any mergers, acquisitions or other business combinations that may be completed after the date of this release.
For the quarter ended September 30, 2004, SafeNet currently expects to achieve revenues in the range of $58 to $62 million. The adjusted net income is expected to be in the range of $0.35 to $0.38 per diluted share. Adjusted guidance excludes integration costs of $3.0 million, amortization of acquired intangible assets of $5.5 million, amortization of unearned compensation of $2.0 million, and net tax adjustments of $3.7 million. The adjustments are expected to increase net income by $6.9 million, or $0.27 per diluted share. The GAAP net income is expected to be in the range of $0.07 to $0.13 per share.
For the year ended December 31, 2004, the Company reiterates its prior guidance, and expects to achieve revenues in the range of $200 to $210 million. Adjusted net income guidance for 2004 remains between $1.30 and $1.40 per diluted share. Adjusted guidance excludes estimated integration costs of $11.4 million, amortization of acquired intangibles of $19.3 million, amortization of unearned compensation of $6.5 million, and net tax adjustments of approximately $12.5 million. The adjustments are expected to increase net income by $24.7 million, or approximately $1.08 per diluted share. The GAAP income per share guidance for 2004 is between $0.19 and $0.29 per share.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040728/285860_1.html
bowWAVE, it is OT because...
...it is not directly about Wave. Of course I find the timing of the release on the heels of the iTunes announcement with new Motorola phones...coincidental.
OT...Motorola's OFDM Field Tests and Research Prove Capability to Achieve 300 Mbps Mobile Broadband Data Rates
Tuesday July 27, 1:11 am ET
Pioneers development of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) solutions for ultra high-speed next generation wireless networks
SCHAUMBURG, Ill., July 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT - News), by combining results from field experiments and research conducted by Motorola Labs, has proven existing Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology can support high-speed mobile networks with a peak downlink speed of up to 300 Mbps. This research demonstrates that future all-IP mobile networks using OFDM technology have the capability to provide a broadband user experience that was previously thought to be unattainable.
"Motorola Labs, through extensive research and field tests over the past four years has established OFDM as a key technology in the next generation of heterogeneous wireless networks," said Padmasree Warrior, chief technology officer, Motorola. "The promise of affordable, available mobile broadband is driving Motorola's vision of seamless mobility."
Motorola Labs recently completed a series of mobile wide area broadband wireless field experiments using OFDM on a 20 MHz bandwidth channel with multiple antenna handheld devices. Applying data from the field experiments in laboratory tests, Motorola Labs validated that a 20 MHz mobile OFDM channel can support peak uncoded channel data rates of up to 300 Mbps.
The field tests of Motorola Labs' mobile OFDM system were conducted in the greater Chicago area in both urban and suburban environments. In the field tests Motorola Labs attained data throughputs exceeding 20 Mbps with a latency of just 25 milliseconds while simultaneously demonstrating real-time applications including videoconferencing, multi-Mbps streaming video, and voice over IP and traveling at typical highway speeds (in excess of 100 kilometers per hour or 62 mph).
The promise of faster wireless networks that can meet the demand for mobile broadband that supports multi-media applications has great appeal to operators.
"As the telecomm industry becomes more complex and competitive, operators need to get the most efficiency and speed from their networks while delivering a superior end user experience at a greatly reduced cost per bit," said Adrian Nemcek, president and chief executive officer of Motorola's Global Telecom Solutions Sector. "Several leading telecom operators from around the world have witnessed our continuing OFDM field trials in Chicago and have been favorably impressed with the performance."
Motorola will be sharing its OFDM research experience in cooperation with IEEE, ITU, ETSI, 3GPP and 3GPP2, and will be an active contributor in introducing OFDM to the standards bodies. Motorola also recently joined the WiMAX Forum as a principal member. The WiMAX Forum promotes and certifies compatibility of wireless broadband products based on the IEEE 802.16 standards.
In addition to its research and development of OFDM solutions, Motorola's wireless broadband access portfolio includes market-ready solutions for:
CDMA2000 1x EV-DO
High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA)
WiFi
Canopy(TM) broadband wireless portfolio
Editor's Note
OFDM is a radio technology that combines time and frequency multiplexing to implement extremely high data rate wireless systems efficiently. It is currently being adopted for fixed and nomadic broadband wireless applications such as WiFi and WiMAX, and is being studied for use in the next generation of cellular equipment.
The combination of OFDM with other technologies is seen as a key enabler of the next generation of wide area broadband wireless systems. Some of those other technologies include adaptive modulation and coding (AMC), fast automatic repeat request (hybrid ARQ), multiple antenna techniques, advanced error control coding techniques (turbo and LDPC coding) and a unified approach to system development.
Motorola Labs also is conducting research into physical layer, data link layer, medium access control, network and system designs for future broadband cellular, public and private wide-area wireless systems. These systems, broadly characterized as the next generation wireless service after 3G, have additional applications into public and private systems. These systems are expected to have sustained data rates beyond 20 Mbps, and peak data rates upwards of 100 Mbps. Motorola has published reports and papers on its research in OFDM and these topics at several IEEE conferences and in journal publications. A reference list is available.
For more information about Motorola Labs please visit: http://www.motorola.com/content/0,,258-841,00.html .
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040727/cgtu014_1.html
Motorola's OFDM Field Tests and Research Prove Capability to Achieve 300 Mbps Mobile Broadband Data Rates
Tuesday July 27, 1:11 am ET
Pioneers development of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) solutions for ultra high-speed next generation wireless networks
SCHAUMBURG, Ill., July 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT - News), by combining results from field experiments and research conducted by Motorola Labs, has proven existing Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) technology can support high-speed mobile networks with a peak downlink speed of up to 300 Mbps. This research demonstrates that future all-IP mobile networks using OFDM technology have the capability to provide a broadband user experience that was previously thought to be unattainable.
"Motorola Labs, through extensive research and field tests over the past four years has established OFDM as a key technology in the next generation of heterogeneous wireless networks," said Padmasree Warrior, chief technology officer, Motorola. "The promise of affordable, available mobile broadband is driving Motorola's vision of seamless mobility."
Motorola Labs recently completed a series of mobile wide area broadband wireless field experiments using OFDM on a 20 MHz bandwidth channel with multiple antenna handheld devices. Applying data from the field experiments in laboratory tests, Motorola Labs validated that a 20 MHz mobile OFDM channel can support peak uncoded channel data rates of up to 300 Mbps.
The field tests of Motorola Labs' mobile OFDM system were conducted in the greater Chicago area in both urban and suburban environments. In the field tests Motorola Labs attained data throughputs exceeding 20 Mbps with a latency of just 25 milliseconds while simultaneously demonstrating real-time applications including videoconferencing, multi-Mbps streaming video, and voice over IP and traveling at typical highway speeds (in excess of 100 kilometers per hour or 62 mph).
The promise of faster wireless networks that can meet the demand for mobile broadband that supports multi-media applications has great appeal to operators.
"As the telecomm industry becomes more complex and competitive, operators need to get the most efficiency and speed from their networks while delivering a superior end user experience at a greatly reduced cost per bit," said Adrian Nemcek, president and chief executive officer of Motorola's Global Telecom Solutions Sector. "Several leading telecom operators from around the world have witnessed our continuing OFDM field trials in Chicago and have been favorably impressed with the performance."
Motorola will be sharing its OFDM research experience in cooperation with IEEE, ITU, ETSI, 3GPP and 3GPP2, and will be an active contributor in introducing OFDM to the standards bodies. Motorola also recently joined the WiMAX Forum as a principal member. The WiMAX Forum promotes and certifies compatibility of wireless broadband products based on the IEEE 802.16 standards.
In addition to its research and development of OFDM solutions, Motorola's wireless broadband access portfolio includes market-ready solutions for:
CDMA2000 1x EV-DO
High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA)
WiFi
Canopy(TM) broadband wireless portfolio
Editor's Note
OFDM is a radio technology that combines time and frequency multiplexing to implement extremely high data rate wireless systems efficiently. It is currently being adopted for fixed and nomadic broadband wireless applications such as WiFi and WiMAX, and is being studied for use in the next generation of cellular equipment.
The combination of OFDM with other technologies is seen as a key enabler of the next generation of wide area broadband wireless systems. Some of those other technologies include adaptive modulation and coding (AMC), fast automatic repeat request (hybrid ARQ), multiple antenna techniques, advanced error control coding techniques (turbo and LDPC coding) and a unified approach to system development.
Motorola Labs also is conducting research into physical layer, data link layer, medium access control, network and system designs for future broadband cellular, public and private wide-area wireless systems. These systems, broadly characterized as the next generation wireless service after 3G, have additional applications into public and private systems. These systems are expected to have sustained data rates beyond 20 Mbps, and peak data rates upwards of 100 Mbps. Motorola has published reports and papers on its research in OFDM and these topics at several IEEE conferences and in journal publications. A reference list is available.
For more information about Motorola Labs please visit: http://www.motorola.com/content/0,,258-841,00.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040727/cgtu014_1.html
dilleet, lack of security is a major hinderance. eom
IBM Readies Dual-Core PowerPC
July 26, 2004
By Daniel Drew Turner
IBM's Microprocessor division is readying a dual-core version of its PowerPC 970 processor, called the PowerPC G5 by Apple Computer Inc. According to sources, the new chip, code-named Antares, will make its way into workstations and servers sometime next year.
In documents obtained by eWEEK.com, the new dual-core version will be designated PowerPC 970MP and will be available for testing purposes later this summer.
Currently, both IBM's eServer BladeCenter JS20 and Apple's line of Power Macintosh G5 desktops come with dual PowerPC 970 series processors. However, these forthcoming dual-core versions will expand the configuration options when compared with today's multiple processor systems using the single-core PowerPC 970 or 970FX.
The PowerPC 970MP will contain two processing units per chip, with each carrying its own execution core, Level 1 cache and storage subsystems including a Level 2 cache. This move, according to sources at IBM, is intended to expand the PowerPC's top frequency capabilities, currently at 2.5 GHz, in a dual-core configuration. The new chip will let vendors scale up server lines to a four-way SMP configuration.
While unfamiliar with both the documents or specifics of IBM's plans, independent microprocessor analyst Peter Glaskowsky said the company's addition of another core to the PowerPC line was a natural evolution.
"The 970FX is basically a single-core version of the dual-core IBM Power4+ [architecture] with simplified external interfaces. Restoring the second processor core would not be difficult for IBM," said the Cupertino, Calif.-based analyst.
Though no data on planned processor speeds for the PowerPC 970MP were available, IBM documents suggested that hardware and software optimizations would make this processor more efficient in many computing situations than two separate processors at the same clock speed.
According to Glaskowsky, customers running imaging and scientific applications developed for the Mac platform will appreciate the multicore design. "A dual-core chip is more effective than a single-core chip on problems that stress the computational resources of the chip, more than the front-side bus bandwidth. Because the 970FX has a very fast, efficient front-side bus, most Mac applications will favor the dual-core configuration."
For insights on Apple and Macintosh coverage around the Web, check out Matthew Rothenberg's Weblog.
However, speed gains in new 90-nanometer have vexed chip vendors. In June 23, 2003, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the Power Macintosh line with a top-of-the-line dual-processor model running at 2GHz. He predicted IBM would produce a 3GHz version within 12 months. Instead, the top model of Power Macintosh G5 presently sports dual 2.5 GHz processors.
IBM isn't alone with such growing pains for 90nm fabrication as makers Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Intel Corp. as well as foundries such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. have all experienced troubled transitions to new process technologies.
Click here to read more on IBM's push towards higher speeds for its PowerPC 970 series.
Like the earlier, single-core processors, the 970MP will be deeply pipelined. It will use 16 stages for most fixed-point integer operations; 18 for most load-and-store operations; and 21 stages for most floating-point operations. VMX operations, which will take 19 stages, will be handled in the 970MP's AltiVec-compatible vector processing unit. Increasing the number of pipeline stages can add to processor complexity but can allow higher chip clock speeds.
With the longer pipelining, the 970MP will implement "instruction cracking," which can distribute code requests to each core, splitting certain recognized instructions into several internal and simpler operations.
Analyst Glaskowsky said that this feature sounds new to the PowerPC architecture and it resembles the "micro-op translation" long used (and needed) in the more-complex x86 architectures.
Similar to the current PowerPC architecture, the 970MP processor cores will share a single EI (Elastic Interface) bus to an external north-bridge memory interface. The bus supports multiple bus ratios, from 2:1 to 24:1, giving manufacturers a range of options for matching processor and memory speeds.
In addition, the PowerPC 970MP will be a significantly larger package than the existing PowerPC 970FX. Compared to the latter, which sports a die size of 66.2 square millimeters, the PowerPC 970MP will spread out over 154 square millimeters. By comparison, a single 90nm "Prescott" Pentium 4 processor has a footprint of 112 square millimeters.
However, each core will have a dedicated 1MB of on-chip Level 2 cache, resulting in a four-fold increase in cache capacity over a current dual-processor configuration, Glaskowsky observed.
Though the PowerPC 970MP will feature a dozen power mode states (Full Run, Doze, Nap and Deep Nap, at one of three throttle speed states), the power and heat results for the dual-core model will be higher than for a single-core PowerPC 970FX. Apple's current dual-processor machines use a water cooling technology and likely the dual-core machines will as well, sources said.
IBM declined to comment.
Read more here about IBM's PowerTune power management technology found in the PowerPC 970FX processor.
Meanwhile, both AMD and Intel have stated that they are planning to bring dual-core processors to the market in 2005. Sources said IBM may start production of the PowerPC 970MP in early 2005, so the race for the first dual-core desktop computer looks to be an open field.
David Morgenstern, eWEEK.com, contributed to this report.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1627893,00.asp?kc=ewnws072704dtx1k0000599
I hope that Steve considers allowing Real the interoperability.
We screwed this up many years ago. We have a second chance to be interoperable. Greed will lead to a closed system and one that has initial success until everyone else catchs up. Those that seek ubiquity will be successful - not greed.
LONG LIVE OPEN AND INTEROPERABLE!
RealNetworks Says Files Can Play on iPod
Tuesday July 27, 8:13 am ET
By Allison Linn, AP Business Writer
RealNetworks Says New System Allows Songs Bought Through Its Web Services to Be Played on iPod
SEATTLE (AP) -- RealNetworks Inc. says it has created technology that allows songs purchased through its online music services to be played on Apple Computer Inc.'s popular iPod player, just a few months after complaining that Apple was rebuffing attempts to form an alliance.
In an interview Friday, RealNetworks chief executive Rob Glaser said he did not know how Apple would react to the new technology. Apple, based in Cupertino, Calif., did not return numerous phone calls from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Glaser said the new system, called Harmony Technology, will let people securely transfer music bought using RealNetworks' music download services to an iPod or virtually any other portable music player.
Previously, music purchased through RealNetworks' music download services could most easily be played on devices that supported its copyright protection technology. By the same token, the easiest way to get digital music onto the iPod player was through Apple's iTunes Music Store, which uses its own system. The same held true for devices that supported Microsoft's Windows Media Player anti-piracy technology.
Microsoft said it could not immediately comment on the system.
Glaser said the new the system works by essentially translating the various anti-piracy technologies, to make the players' systems compatible with RealNetworks' system. RealNetworks said it was not concerned that the system would be illegal.
"We are making it so that consumers can buy music once and play it anywhere," Glaser said.
A test version of Harmony will be available Tuesday on Real's Web site.
In April, Apple chairman Steve Jobs rebuffed Glaser's request for a meeting to discuss an alliance between the companies, prompting complaints from RealNetworks representatives about why Apple didn't want to make its popular system more open.
There is already a way to make songs from RealNetworks' online music services play on the iPod, but it is cumbersome. To do so, a user would have to burn the songs from a computer to a CD, download them back onto the computer in a different format and then put them on the player.
Phil Leigh, an analyst with Inside Digital Media in Tampa, Fla., said he was surprised to hear that Real had developed the technology, since Apple has been careful about guarding its popular -- and proprietary -- system.
He said the new system could be a potential boon for RealNetworks, because customers would be able to buy whatever player they want without worrying about whether it would work with Real's service. But he said it would only be a success if it was easy and reliable.
"The question is, 'How well does it work?'" he said.
Associated Press Technology Writer Matthew Fordahl contributed to this report.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/040727/realnetworks_ipod_2.html
In other SunnComm news, the Board of Directors has authorized management to issue options to purchase SunnComm common stock for certain technology license agreements it signs with high volume customers. Should such options be issued, they will be accounted for and expensed in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws.
helpfulbacteria, not that dreaded...
...Texas Instruments?
One of the early lightning rod proposals I had regarding Finread and Wave. One of those things that helped spurn me toward retiring from DD.