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Issue no. 21, 2003 Published: May 23, 2003
Microsoft licenses Unix from SCO
Napster set to return
GPS data could stop wireless network attacks
Wireless cameras raise privacy fears
Code diagrams enable 'point-and-click' programming
Simulated evolution gets complex
Nokia pen to beam notes to phones
Einstein's papers go online
Websites don't like Mondays

Microsoft licenses Unix from SCO
Microsoft said on Monday it will license the rights to a rival Unix computer operating system from SCO Group, sending SCO's shares soaring 40 per cent. The deal could put pressure on other firms to follow suit and sign license agreements. In addition, it could up the ante in a lawsuit that SCO filed against IBM last March. SCO sued IBM, alleging the company abused its intellectual property rights by including some of SCO's Unix software code in Linux. IBM has denied the charges. Microsoft's announcement comes as SCO last week turned up the heat on its intellectual property battle by notifying 1,500 of the world's largest corporations that their use of Linux may be in violation of SCO's software rights. Linux is being distributed by hundreds of companies, which charge little or nothing for the core software, but which make money mostly on modifications, services and maintenance.
Wired News May 19, 2003	back to top

Napster set to return
Software maker Roxio said Monday it has acquired the online music service pressplay for about $40m, setting up the return of the Napster name. Roxio, best known for its CD-burning software, owns the Napster brand and expects to use pressplay as the foundation for a new online music service under the name that set internet music file-swapping in motion. Pressplay is jointly owned by Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment. The deal lays the groundwork for a competitive Windows-based offering against Apple Computer's online music store.
CNN / AP May 21, 2003	back to top

GPS data could stop wireless network attacks
US computer researchers have revealed a new danger to wireless network security. In a so-called 'wormhole attack' an intruder would intercept wireless data packets travelling across one part of a network and quickly re-insert them at another physical point on the network. 'Ad-hoc' wireless computer networks could be severely disrupted using the technique. These operate by passing communications from one node to the next until they reach their destination, rather than being controlled by a central server. Even if the network traffic is encrypted, an attacker would be able to control the data flow across the network. Wireless authentication systems could be duped. By relaying the authentication communication using concealed transceivers, an attacker could, for example, trick a door security system into opening. The researchers propose defending networks against the attack by attaching identifying tags, such as GPS information or a timestamp, to each packet. These tags let each node on the network determine where a packet has come from.
New Scientist May 20, 2003	back to top

Wireless cameras raise privacy fears
A merger of cellphone technology with digital cameras means CCTV is going wireless. Cellphone maker Nokia is launching its Observation Camera in May that can snap a high-resolution picture and send it to a picture-messaging phone or PC when prompted by a text message. It sounds harmless enough. But data protection experts say that the sudden proliferation of wireless surveillance cameras may put some people on the wrong side of the law, and that hackers could intercept the pictures. In addition, civil liberties groups are concerned that people will now be able to hide intrusive cameras just about anywhere. The camera can be bolted unobtrusively to a wall or sat on a stand, watching and waiting until someone in its field of view moves. It can also be triggered by sending it a text message from anywhere in the world. The camera then snaps a picture and sends it to a phone or email address. Infrared imaging lets the camera see in the dark, and a microphone can even eavesdrop on speech. The camera works on all the GSM frequency bands and can be used in most countries around the world.
New Scientist May 19, 2003	back to top

Code diagrams enable 'point-and-click' programming
Non-programmers could play a major part in developing complex computer programs, thanks to a new language developed by Sun Microsystems. Ace is based on Sun's successful Java language and provides software development tools that give a graphical representation of computer code. Manipulating the diagram on-screen automatically alters the underlying code. For example, moving a line connecting two boxes could change the point at which a piece of input data is entered into a program. Sun hopes that Ace's ease of use could cut the cost and complexity of developing internet and wireless programs. It also aims to reduce the work needed to make individual programs work on different platforms, by automatically adapting the code for different components such as databases or web servers.
New Scientist May 19, 2003	back to top

Simulated evolution gets complex
Michigan State University researchers have used software to prove Darwin's postulation that small, seemingly inconsequential changes over thousands of generations can result in the evolution of complex functions. They also uncovered that some mutations that are harmful in the short run may boost long-term potential. The simulation involves bits of software that self-replicate over 15,873 generations, and in doing so make random errors, just as DNA is subject to mutations. The organisms compete to get the energy - computer time - required to replicate, and are rewarded for performing nine increasingly complex logic operations. After 15,873 generations, 23 of 50 populations yielded descendants capable of carrying out the most complex operation. The researchers were able to trace the exact genealogy from an ancestor that was able only to replicate to progeny able to perform multiple logic functions requiring the coordinated execution of many instructions. This proves that the many steps needed to perform a complex operation can evolve incrementally.
Technology Review / TRN May 16, 2003	back to top

Nokia pen to beam notes to phones
Nokia is developing a digital pen that will let people write or draw a note, transfer it to a cell phone and then distribute it via multimedia messaging. When used with a specially printed notepad, Nokia's Digital Pen SU-1B will let people write in digital ink and transfer the image to their mobile phones via a Bluetooth short-range wireless connection. The notepad contains paper that is otherwise ordinary except for printed command symbols that can be sensed by the pen. The notes will be saved in GIF picture format and can be sent to a multimedia messaging-enabled handset, or to an e-mail address. The device also connects to a PC through a docking station with a USB interface, so that the writing can be uploaded to a computer. The pen itself can store up to 100 A5-sized pages of text, Nokia said. To convert written words into computer text, the person must purchase a third-party character recognition software package, according to Nokia.
ZDNet / CNETAsia May 16, 2003	back to top

Einstein's papers go online
Albert Einstein's writings about science, politics and travel are now just a click away on the internet. More than 230 scientific manuscripts, 740 non-scientific essays and 5 travel diaries have been digitised and entered into a free, searchable database, hosted by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Many of the articles have never been seen by the public before. The online project is a collaboration between the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the California Institute of Technology, and Princeton University Press. Its launch coincides with a symposium on Einstein's papers hosted by the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Nearly 40 annotated manuscripts are currently available, several with English translations. Enthusiasts will also be able to search the 40,000 items held in the complete collection at the Albert Einstein Archives at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. See: http://alberteinstein.info
Nature May 20, 2003	back to top

Websites don't like Mondays
UK websites are more likely to crash on a Monday morning, not because this is when hackers or viruses are most active, but because this is when developers come in and implement ideas they had over the weekend. Development staff are now a bigger threat to website uptime than hackers and viruses combined, according to data taken from 70 leading sites over a nine-week period. 'Manic Monday' syndrome often arises when web developers tinker with the site after 'weekend inspiration'. This results in more faults on a Monday morning than at any other time, according enterprise applications specialist Attenda. Attenda advises businesses to ensure that the work will have the intended positive effects by putting stringent change control processes in place, such as change management and a test server. This, along with thorough pre-emptive testing and adequate roll-back provisioning, will ensure that bad code does not take the site down.
VNUnet UK May 16, 2003	back to top