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Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft faces injunction on selling Word (patentlyo.com)

Submitted by thesp
thesp writes: Microsoft faces an injunction on, among other things, "selling, offering to sell, and/or importing in or into the United States any Infringing and Future Word Products that have the capability of opening a .XML, .DOCX, or .DOCM file ("an XML file") containing custom XML". Further, the Texan judge, Judge Davis, hit the software giant for $200 million compensatory and $40 million punitive damages. The decision is appealable, however, and may well be overturned in the light of the recent In Re Bilski decision.

Patently O has the writeup.
Operating Systems

Submission + - Mathematical proof of OS kernel code 1

Submitted by
felix.rauch
felix.rauch writes: "about an iTWire article:

Breakthrough software testing technology hailed by a Cambridge University expert as a tool able to deliver "currently unimaginable standards of reliability" to software has been unveiled by NICTA chief executive officer Dr David Skellern. [...] researchers last week completed the world's first formal machine-checked proof of a general purpose operating system. In short the technology is a way for developers to test that the software they have designed works the way it is expected to, before it is put into production. According to Dr Skellern, NICTA's formal verification research team has completed the world's first mathematical proof of a general purpose operating system kernel. The Secure Embedded L4 (seL4) microkernel is being initially targeted at applications in defence and safety-critical sectors.

Is it finally time to switch our desktops to microkernels in order to get bug-free OSs?"

Patents

Submission + - Microsoft looses patent fight for Word

Submitted by EMB Numbers
EMB Numbers writes: Microsoft infringed U.S. Patent No. 5,787,499 on "document architecture and content."

Judge upholds $200,000,000 Verdict, adds $40 million for willful infringement, $37 million in interest, and $144,060 per day until the date of final judgment. Most importantly... Judge's injunction prohibits Microsoft from selling some Microsoft Word products.

Story: http://sev.prnewswire.com/banking-financial-services/20090811/DA6039911082009-1.html

Will Microsoft change sides in the software patent battle of mutually assured destruction?
Privacy

Submission + - Palm Pre reports your location, usage, to Palm (kitenet.net) 1

Submitted by
AceJohnny
AceJohnny writes: "Joey Hess found that his Palm Pre was ratting on him. It turns out the Pre periodically uploads detailed information about the user, including installed apps, application usage (and crashes), as well as GPS coordinates to Palm. This, of course, without user consent or control. The only way he found to disable this was to modify system files."
Microsoft

Submission + - Judge orders Microsoft to stop selling Word 1

Submitted by fractalVisionz
fractalVisionz writes: A judge on Tuesday ordered Microsoft to stop selling Word, one of its premier products, in its current form due to patent infringement.

Judge Leonard Davis of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued a permanent injunction that "prohibits Microsoft from selling or importing to the United States any Microsoft Word products that have the capability of opening .XML, .DOCX or DOCM files (XML files) containing custom XML," according to a statement released by attorneys for the plantiff, i4i.
Idle

Submission + - Australia Plans to Shoot 650,000 Camels

Submitted by
Ponca City, We love you
Ponca City, We love you writes: "Explorers first brought camels to Australia from India and the Middle East in the 1840's and today there are more than 1 million of the one- and two-humped feral animals in the outback with a population that doubles every nine years devastating large swaths of the outback, eating every plant in their path and causing damage to sacred Aboriginal sites. Scientific American reports that last month the Australian government allocated $16 million to cull the camels, which rank as Australia's largest invasive species and is now considering the most effective way to cut back camel numbers. One of the most popular plans is an aerial cull, which is regarded as the most effective and humane method of killing large numbers of camels at one time although using helicopters is expensive, and push the cost of each kill to around £50 per camel. Animal rights groups are upset about the proposal, but Tony Peacock of the University of Canberra's Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Center brushes off their concerns. "To be shot from a helicopter is actually quite humane, even though that sounds brutal," says Peacock. "If I was a camel, I'd prefer to just get it in the head." Other proposals for cutting back on camel numbers include taking tourists on camel shooting safaris, setting up mobile abattoirs to turn camel meat into pet food and even encouraging Australians to consider throwing a camel steak on the barbie."
Social Networks

Submission + - Analyst, 15, creates storm after trashing Twitter (pcpro.co.uk)

Submitted by
Barence
Barence writes: "A 15-year-old schoolboy has become an overnight sensation after writing a report on teenagers' media habits for analysts Morgan Stanley. Intern Matthew Robson was asked to write a report about his friends' use of technology during his work experience stint with the firm's media analysts. The report was so good the firm decided to publish it, and it generated "five or six" times more interest than Morgan Stanley's regular reports. The schoolboy poured scorn on Twitter, claiming that teenagers "realise that no one is viewing their profile, so their tweets are pointless". He also claimed games consoles are replacing mobile phones as the way to chat with friends."
Businesses

Submission + - Company Poses as You on Online Dating Services (typepad.com)

Submitted by
Joe Tracy
Joe Tracy writes: "A new company has launched that has their dating experts pose as you on online dating services. This includes answering emails, fostering relationships, and arranging first dates. All you have to do is show up for the date. What's next, a company that sends a representative on a date for you to make sure they meet your expectations? This is one strange story and one of those likely to get a lot of publicity because it's so unbelievable. The story is here."
Privacy

Submission + - GPS, Cars, and Big Brother (mcclatchydc.com)

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: Apparently, since gas consumption is going down and fuel efficient cars are going up, the government is looking into a new form of taxing us to create revenue for transportation projects. This new system is a "by the mile tax" requiring GPS in cars so it can track the mileage http://www.mcclatchydc.com/nation/story/71078.html. Once a month the data gets uploaded to a billing center and you are conveniently taxed. http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/1299981.html. Not only will they have all your information, and possibly credit card info for all you automatic payees. They now can see, where your car has been as well.
Linux Business

Submission + - Linux Netbooks: 3 paths to a bright future (tech-no-media.com)

Submitted by
erlik
erlik writes: "Last week I made a summary of the current state of the Linux netbook market. Today I will show you that Linux netbooks are at a crossroad. They can reach a bright future and a significant market presence through 3 different paths: the smartbook path, the cheap path and the power path. I will explain how each path will lead the Linux netbook to market dominance in a specific niche. Complete story"
Music

Submission + - RIAA Victory Over Usenet In Copyright Case

Submitted by ozydingo
ozydingo writes: The RIAA scored a victory in a decision on a copyright case that the RIAA filed on October 12, U.S. District Judge Harold Baer ruled in favor of the music industry on all its main theories: that Usenet.com is guilty of direct, contributory, and vicarious infringement. In addition, and perhaps most important for future cases, Baer said that Usenet.com can't claim protection under the Sony Betamax decision stating that companies can't be held liable of contributory infringement if the device is "capable of significant non-infringing uses." Bear noted that Usenet.com differed from Sony in that the sale of a Betamax recorder was a one-time done deal, while Usenet.com's interaction with its users was ongoing relationship. The RIAA stated in a brief note 'We're pleased that the court recognized not just that Usenet.com directly infringed the record companies' copyrights but also took action against the defendants for their egregious litigation misconduct.'
Security

Submission + - UK launches dedicated cyber agency (zdnet.co.uk)

Submitted by Jack Spine
Jack Spine writes: The UK government is launching an office dedicated to cyber attack and defence. The Office of Cyber Security will focus on protecting Britain's IT infrastructure, and will be similar to the US Cyber Command model. While the Pentagon Cyber Command will be lead by the NSA, the UK Cyber Security Operations Centre, which will coordinate UK cyber efforts, will be based at GCHQ in Cheltenham.
IBM

Submission + - How IBM Plans to Win Jeopardy! (technologyreview.com)

Submitted by wjousts
wjousts writes: Technology Review is reporting on IBM's plans to take on Trebek at his own game. The "Watson" computer system uses natural-language processing techniques to break down questions into their structural components and then search it's database for relevant answers. A televised matchup with Trebek is planned for next year.

Damn you Trebek!

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