ZDNet UK Industry watch Toolkit

Ten key moments that shaped IT

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Jack Wallen) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:34:02 +0100

IT may be a young industry, but its history is already punctuated by some seminal events, says Jack Wallen

How Intel turned failure into success

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Rupert Goodwins) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:01:02 +0100

Intel's executive reshuffle has its roots in an unfortunate decision nearly 10 years ago, when the chipmaker went with a system-on-a-chip design for Timna

Launch Windows: Space Station IT secrets

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:57:39 +0000

It cost £92bn, it flies at 17,300 miles an hour, and it has 100 laptops in close formation. The International Space Station is one of technology's greatest achievements, but the astronauts still...

VMware to launch own Linux distro?

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:03:22 +0100

This is a pure rumour, sourced from random tweets. But it comes from Miguel de Icaza, founder of Gnome and Mono, so it has a certain investment of radiance. His first tweet: "VMware is...

Citrix changes XenDesktop licences after feedback

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:37:44 +0100

Citrix has today announced modifications to the licence options for its recently announced XenDesktop 4 virtual desktop product. When the product was unveiled two weeks ago Citrix revamped its...

What's on my phone

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:18:34 +0100

Or, user customisation to the nth Every now and again I will change the wallpaper on my phone, my laptop and very occasionally, my living room. This gave me an opportunity to share Yet...

IBM anti-trust probe proves the mainframe matters

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:39:32 +0100

Every so often, a news story emerges -- usually after a quick blast of marketing and PR effort by IBM -- asserting that the mainframe is no longer dead. As IBM is now effectively the only purveyor...

Kindle, international ebook of mystery

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:23:53 +0100

At last, the Amazon Kindle is to launch in the UK - and around a hundred other countries. This ebook reader has attracted a lot of attention in the US, as much for its business model as for its...

Researchers set out IT pay gap

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:02:30 +0100

Researchers have confirmed a direct link between IT pay and organisation size. IT salaries rise in line with employees numbers, according to figures from the activeTechPros benchmarking survey...

The cost of European footdragging

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:56:44 +0100

Just spent a couple of days in Ireland with Intel, talking about its general research efforts across Europe. This research is in addition to the R&D the chip company undertakes in order to develop...

HP quarterly profit falls 19pc

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Erica Ogg) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 08:57:02 +0100

Sales at the computer maker were down for the third quarter in every category, except the services division

Virtualisation surfs the plateau of productivity

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:42:43 +0100

Research and analysis house Gartner invented the hype cycle in 1995 to describe how technologies tend to pass through various phases, all the way from invention through to doing useful work. ...

IT spending still on hold in UK

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:51:44 +0100

Despite some positive signs of growth in the economy, British businesses and public-sector organisations are still keeping a tight hold on their cash, according to a forecast by industry analysts....

Cisco chief sees promising economic signs

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Marguerite Reardon) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:43:02 +0100

The chief executive of the tech industry bellwether says quarterly orders for networking gear followed normal trends, signifying potential improvement in the economy

How to make money from online music

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:47:02 +0100

Now that online music streaming service Spotify has raised another chunk of cash to expand into the US, the question of how to make that money back is getting even more pressing than before. On the...

ID, not anchor name

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 11:37:47 +0100

“For a large mind, learn many small things” And here's something I learned earlier: put an ID onto an element

rather than having an empty anchor name...

Google's Eric Schmidt resigns from Apple

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:01:31 +0100

Google CEO Eric Schmidt has resigned from Apple's board of directors. Apple says that this is due to the increasing overlap between the two companies' strategies - in particular, Android and Chrome...

iPhone, Mac sales boost Apple earnings

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Erica Ogg) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:55:01 +0100

Apple has another record quarter thanks to cheaper MacBooks and high demand for the new iPhone 3GS, while traditional iPod sales taper off

Wind River gives Intel a shot in the software arm

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Stephen Shankland) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:50:02 +0100

Adding a serious software portfolio dramatically changes Intel's approach to embedded computing

Who will pay price for EU data-retention plans?

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Manek Dubash) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:21:02 +0100

EU rules covering ISP transaction records raise privacy, as well as financial, issues, reports Manek Dubash

Microsoft buys Merck unit in life-sciences push

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Ina Fried) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:09:02 +0100

The software maker said on Monday it is buying a unit of drug giant Merck to help its Amalga Life Sciences product

Report: BBC, Google discussing international iPlayer

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Tim Ferguson) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 09:39:02 +0100

The broadcaster is said to be in negotiations with Google about the possibility of hosting long-form BBC content on YouTube, according to media reports

Yahoo CEO: Microsoft search-deal talks ongoing

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Ina Fried) — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:33:02 +0100

Yahoo chief executive Carol Bartz said during a conference that the company continues to discuss a search deal with Microsoft and indicated a willingness to sell

FoI to extend to private companies, minister says

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Wed, 13 May 2009 17:07:25 +0100

Minister of Justice Michael Wills has told ZDNet UK that the UK's Freedom of Information Act is to be extended. Currently requests under the act can only be made to public bodies, but Wills said...

Software licence management - your experiences?

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:57:50 +0100

For various reasons, some of which may become clear soon, we're looking at the area of software licences. In particular, we're looking at the corporate end of that particular stick, and we're...

Investment in tech could help UK reinvent itself

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Leader) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:59:02 +0100

The impact of IT investment goes far beyond the technology itself, as a recent LSE reports highlights

Where does the Sun-IBM deal failure leave Sun?

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:46:03 +0100

So Sun Microsystems turned down IBMs offer of acquisition - even though Big Blues $7 billion buy-out bid was twice the valuation of the troubled Silicon Valley stalwart. We read on Bloomberg...

Dell boosts its digital-healthcare strengths

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Ina Fried) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:53:01 +0100

The hardware maker has announced a series of partnerships in a bid to be a bigger player in the digitisation of medical records

GIMP layer folders

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 10:46:03 +0100

I'm doing a lot of work in the GIMP at the moment, resizing images for my portfolio [shameless plug alert ;]. I don't miss much about Photoshop, but the most missed feature is: Layer folders ...

Linux automotive alliance squares up to Microsoft

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Wayne Cunningham) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:50:01 +0000

A new alliance among automakers and technology providers called Genivi aims to build a Linux stack that will provide a common architecture for automotive infotainment systems

Yahoo reveals Microsoft defence cost

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Dawn Kawamoto) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:07:02 +0000

An SEC filing reveals the extent of Yahoo's spending last year in its efforts to keep Microsoft at bay

What exactly does Google have to fear from Twitter?

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:07:53 +0000

Twitter is the darling of the social media world, with many bloggers saying Google should fear it, if not buy it. But what threat or opportunity does Twitter actually pose? Yes, yes, another...

Dell plans more cost cuts as Q4 profits tumble

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Erica Ogg) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:40:01 +0000

Following a poor fourth quarter in which profits fell by nearly 50 percent and revenues dropped by 16 percent, Dell looks to cut its operating expenses

The warning sound of TomTom

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Leader) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 15:50:02 +0000

Microsoft's court case and trade commission claims against TomTom are perfect examples of how power perverts process

Sony, Philips, Panasonic plan single Blu-ray licence

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Erica Ogg) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:34:02 +0000

The independent agency will open mid-2009 and promises lower-cost licensing for Blu-ray discs and players

'Fantastic' time to be a tech start-up

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:02:40 +0000

This morning I found myself at Intellect's Regent Conference, which is an annual get-together for executives of the UK's tech industry. This year's conference was splendidly mistitled Keeping ahead...

Is Microsoft going to Violate the Military Secrets Export La...

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:20:51 +0000

If Microsoft is going to put the entire image of Win7 on every system, that's begging to be cracked. Crackers the world over are going to rise to the challenge to crack the encryption used on the...

Google Harm bug - official blog post

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:06:33 +0000

Here it is - Google blacklisted the entire Internet by mistake! "If you did a Google search between 6:30 a.m. PST and 7:25 a.m. PST this morning, you likely saw that the message "This site may...

Philips to shed 6,000 jobs

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Tom Espiner) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:00:02 +0000

Philips will cut the jobs over the coming year and halt its 5bn share-buyback programme, in response to the global economic recession

Google results exceed profit, revenue estimates

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Stephen Shankland) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:46:02 +0000

The search and advertising giant fares better than analysts expected, and announces a programme to give employees more valuable stock options

Scottish chips go down badly with Apple

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:24:35 +0000

It's a cliche but nonetheless true that many Scotsmen are fonder of chips than apples. Which doesn't explain much about Wolfson Microelectronics plc, which has been caught breaking company...

Once bittern...

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 11:38:20 +0000

I've been having some success in moving press releases out of my inbox and into that of Karen Friar, our Community and News Editor - although not fast enough to counterbalance the managerial...

What's a good computer name ?

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:24:45 +0000

A friday fancy for you all. Computer have got to the saturation point like cars of Perfumes what do call them these days ? A Vaio P what is the P for godsake all those Dell HP and 70000000000...

Inside Orange's innovation process

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 23:00:31 +0000

Yves Tyrode, head of Orange's Technocentre projects, talked to ZDNet UK and other journalists at the Orange Partner Camp in Cape Canaveral on Tuesday about how to link innovation and commerce in...

Can you help? ZDNet UK needs some good people

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:18:51 +0000

We're putting together our plans for 2009 and beyond, making sure we've got the right ideas and the right approach for the very best coverage of business IT for people who need to know. That's you....

HW Trading case

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:45:44 +0000

Microsoft said on Monday that its case against Samir Abdalla of HW Trading was not about the grey trade at all, but the alleged source and sale of illegal, unlicensed Microsoft software. We...

GPU vs CPU: wrong battle, wrong war

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:56:30 +0000

Intel is out on the road, preaching a new way of looking at processors. Well, it's not so new - it's a repackaging, in shinier polygons, of what has most recently been called the CISC vs RISC...

Giving us the finger

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:15:02 +0000

You see it every day - probably every few minutes - online. Monty Python was fond of it, the Victorians found it invaluable, and its history goes back at least to Elizabethan times, where it...

College gives up on email - corporates next?

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:08:26 +0000

A snippet from the website of the Chronicle of Higher Education (an American trade mag for tertiary teaching staff) says that Boston College is to stop giving its new students email accounts....

Yahoo shares sink following Ballmer comments

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Dawn Kawamoto) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:58:02 +0000

Shares of the company plummeted following comments by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer that the software giant is not interested in a Yahoo acquisition

HP announces fourth-quarter sales increase

editorial@zdnet.co.uk (Margaret Kane) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:11:02 +0000

The PC maker's revenues hit $33.6bn in what CEO Mark Hurd describes as 'another solid quarter'

A close shave with cunning malware

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:11:35 +0100

Our advertising team - fine men and women all, and I'm not just saying that because of their role in my drinks bill - forwarded me a fascinating note. It seems that a bad person had faked...

Linux and Laptop Screen Resolutions

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:14:11 +0100

A funny thing happened to me on the way to setting up my laptop with and external display under Linux. As I have mentioned before, neither Ubuntu nor Mandriva was able to handle this "properly"....

Im turning Taiwanese (I really think so)

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 07:05:50 +0100

Having blogged recently on multilingual application development I was intrigued to find that my first experiences in the brave new world of the netbook are tinged with more than just a little...

China's riskiest space mission yet

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:54:17 +0100

i know from correspondence that a lot of you are as passionate about space exploration as am I. Those who aren't, look away now. China is about to launch Shenzhou VII, its third manned space...

Byte Night 2008, the biggest event yet!

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:30:46 +0100

It's that time of year again and October 3rd will see over 500 people sleeping out in locations around the country in aid of Byte Night. The largest event will be in London where we'll once again...

I Don't Like IKE.

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:24:06 +0100

Well looks like the hurricane box gets opened this weekend. Its going to be definitely more like Ike Turner than Tina Turner. (The title refers to the Republican presidential campaign slogan,...

When is a computer company not a computer company?

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:51:22 +0100

When its DELL? DELL announced that its going to sell all of its factories. Not some, all. I guess there's a lot of unhappy Texans going to be looking for work, maybe. Or maybe its going to be a...

Billy & Jerry

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:04:06 +0100

Just watched the Seinfeld moment with Gates courtesy of The Register and YouTube. Personally I wouldn't have paid to watch Bill buy shoes or hitch up his butt, but we all know that Microsoft knows...

Former HP boss Carly Fiorina grilled over Sarah Palin

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:28:11 +0100

Just caught former HP chief executive Carly Fiorina on the BBC coming out to back John McCain's running mate Sarah Palin ahead of her first major speech today. Given Fiorina's turbulent time at...

Skype Roundup - Skypecasts Get the Axe

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 10:41:25 +0100

The top of the news from last week was once again that Skype is taking something away from their users. Last week it was Taiwan and Asia calling plans; this week Skypecasts - one-to-many user...

A tool

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:05:59 +0100

It is easy to forget that the computer is just a tool, a means to an end. It might be fun, it might be interesting, heck, you might even scrape a living out of it. But the computer is just a tool....

Long Distance Tech Support Phone Call

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 04:53:47 +0100

I had to laugh. I was tuned into the NASA TV channel on my satellite receiver. I listened to a ground-to-ISS exchange where a Japanese project manager for the Japanese module called Kibo was asking...

A grave approach to PR

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:14:56 +0100

Passed on from the Gamespot guys, who got it in return to a request to the internal PR of a very well-known online search company: ""I've forwarded your response to the chap who deals with that...

Pick of the week: Linux on the road and Vista at sea

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:59:10 +0100

Here's a roundup of great posts from this week, with a street-level look at iPhone's MobileMe, a prediction of choppy waters for Microsoft's Vista charm offensive, and Linux on holiday. ...

Ballmer memo on where Microsoft is headed

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:41:48 +0100

Full text of a memo Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer sent out this message to the rank and file yesterday, after the announcement that Windows and online chief Kevin Johnson was leaving. (First...

Science fiction nightmare reveals WiMAX as an alien plot

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:00:48 +0100

Today, I wake at 5am in something of a funk. I'd been having a bad and very vivid dream in which aliens disguised as IT marketing executives were trying to take over the world. Their technology was...

Consumerisation - an ugly name with a beautiful future

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:28:02 +0100

By any standards, consumerisation - or consumerization, if you're in the US - is an unlovely word. Even if you haven't come across it before, you'll know what it describes: the adoption by the...

Are business focused social networks delivering what we want...

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:20:38 +0100

The results of a survey conducted by BNI amongst its members shows three quarters network to get new business. But are business focused social networks delivering what people want? It's no...

Teacamp

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:32:09 +0100

I went along to Teacamp today, a loose gathering of interested/ing folk who work with the UK government and online technologies (and a barcamp spin-off). I spoke to a very well-informed chap...

Of Spice Girls, Soho and server marketing

editorial@zdnet.co.uk — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:04:33 +0100

Thursdays are traditionally good nights for an IT evening out. Last night, HP decided to hold a pub quiz - currently in fashion on the PR circuit. Myself, David "Did I mention I'm in a band?" Meyer...