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Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft, open source and patents

Submitted by Mark Raker
Mark Raker writes: In a ZDNet UK interview, Microsoft's Jerry Fishenden makes the unusual move of saying Microsoft should specify which of its patents are being 'infringed' by the open source community. From the interview: ZDNet: I think it's the way that Microsoft has stated that 235 patents have been broken, then refused to specify which patents have been broken, and then said that it isn't going to litigate for now. It's not simply a question of protecting intellectual property. Fishenden: Yes, well we need to be specific about intellectual property and where the [Linux] violations are, I guess. This goes against what Microsoft patents attorney Jim Markwith told OSBC when he said it would be "impossible" for Redmond's bureaucrats to respond to the volume of responses that would result from disclosure, as reported in The Register.

Games Are No Cause For Murder 112

Posted by Zonk from the there-very-rarely-is dept.
An anonymous reader writes "At Gamers With Jobs, Shawn Andrich speaks out against pointing the finger at videogames as a causative factor in a murder cases. He makes the excellent point that, though we may enjoy the metaphor, life is not a game. There is no simple connection between event A and event B. Our actions are dictated by experiences from a lifetime, and they should be addressed that way for good or ill. 'Life can't be framed up like a game of billiards. There is no easy eight ball, corner pocket shot to be made when trying to draw a line between cause and action ... Lasting, positive change will only come when we stop reaching for causes and start creating conditions that will support kids and teenagers who need it. We can't make anyone put the pin back in the grenade, but by supporting active, caring people who want to help, we might be able to influence some of those fateful decisions before it gets that far.'" GamePolitics on Joystiq has an editorial up looking at a similar question.
Wii

Submission + - Wii Motherboards Changed to Prevent Piracy

Submitted by Croakyvoice
Croakyvoice writes: Nintendo in an effort to stop piracy on its Nintendo Wii Console is now shipping consoles in Japan with 3-pins that are physically cut from a surface-mounted IC, this latest move makes all present Wii modchips incapable of modding the new consoles. As yet this new motherboard change is only showing up in Japan where it has already pushed the price of consoles up.
Intel

Submission + - Do not buy Intel Core 2 Duo ES CPUs.

Submitted by
crazyeyes
crazyeyes writes: "Here's a great article on Intel's ES Core 2 Duo CPUs and why we should avoid them. Yes, they are cheap but most are also broken in some way. Here's a quote from the author :

"Engineering Samples used to be special handpicked samples for reviewers that are more overclockable and have unlocked multipliers. With the release of the Core 2 Duo and the abundance of its ES samples in the market, they are not what they used to be. This article shows what's wrong with the current ES samples and why they aren't recommended."
Spread the word!"
Communications

Is Email 'Bankrupt'? 387

Posted by Zonk from the knew-i-shouldn't-have-bought-all-that-stock dept.
Gary W. Longsine writes "The Washington Post writes about a Venture Capitalist and blogger, Fred Wilson, who recently declared 'e-mail bankruptcy', wiping out his inbox and starting over because he couldn't keep up. Spam is cited as one reason. There have been several public incidents, some cited in the article, where the flow of email is just too much to keep up. 'If there is a downside to completely turning a back on e-mail, it's not one many former users notice. Stanford computer science professor Donald E. Knuth started using e-mail in 1975 and stopped using it 15 years later. Knuth said he prefers to concentrate on writing books rather than be distracted by the steady stream of communication.' Is email just too hectic a communication form for some people? Is email dead?"
The Courts

Submission + - Finnish court rules: CSS protection ineffective

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: In an unanimous decision released today, Helsinki District Court ruled that Content Scrambling System (CSS) used in DVD movies is "ineffective". The decision is the first in Europe to interpret new copyright law amendments that ban the circumvention of "effective technological measures". There is also a more detailed analysis (pdf) of the case.
Sony

Sony Sued for Blu-Ray Patent Violation 153

Posted by Zonk from the how-shiny-is-too-shiny dept.
Jaidan writes "According to a Gamespot article, a California-based company named Target Technology is suing Sony over patents it allegedly holds for silver based reflective surfaces. The suit claims that products marketed under the Blu-ray name infringe on a patent it owns for reflective layer materials in optical discs. Target is seeking a permanent injunction preventing Sony from violating its patent rights in the future, as well as damages with interest, multiplied due to what it characterizes as deliberate and willful infringement. ' The patent addresses what Target called a need for specific types of silver-based alloys with the advantages (but not the price) of gold. According to the patent, the alloys are also more resistant to corrosion than pure silver. Target does not specify in its suit whether it believes all of Sony's Blu-ray discs infringe on its patent, or the suit applies to just a portion of the discs manufactured. The patent was filed in April of 2004 and granted in March of 2006.'"
PC Games (Games)

Submission + - Partial nudity in HALO 2 (PC) forcing recall.

Submitted by
Hushed Casket
Hushed Casket writes: "It appears that HALO 2 (PC) has it another road bump. Next-gen is reporting that partial nudity has been discovered in the retail version of the game that was originally due out on May 8th.

"It has come to our attention that an unfortunate, obscure content error which includes partial nudity was included in our initial production of "Halo 2" for Windows Vista. As such, we have updated the initial game packaging at retailers with a label, so customers are aware before purchasing the game. Additionally, we've developed an online update which can be downloaded from www.halo2.com to remove the content."
The delays for HALO 2 (PC) mean that Shadowrun (also by Microsoft Game Studios) will be the first Games for Windows — Live launch title coming out on May 29th. Shadowrun is the first cross-platform shooter that allows XBOX 360 and Vista gamers to play with each other over Live. Now HALO 2 (PC) is set to ship from manufacturers on May 31st."
Music

Submission + - EMI Accepts Takeover Bid

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Slyck is reporting that Terra Firma, a new corporation has offered to buy EMI group for $4.7 Billion (USD). While takeover bids these days seem to become a common occurrence for EMI, the Big Four multinational music label has accepted the proposal. The deal is pending shareholder approval.
Television

Submission + - ABC breaks on-line video viewing for Linux users

Submitted by
Anonymous Coward
Anonymous Coward writes: "It used to be that with Firefox 2.0 with the flashplayer 9 plug-in you could view the videos on www.abc.com. A while ago they announced that their "new" player would only work on Windows XP and Mac however they did leave a link to the old player which worked just fine with Linux. Today, the old player is no longer an option."

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