WINDING DOWN
An idiosyncratic look at, and comment on, the week's net and technology news
by Alan Lenton
What is going on? There's never been so much tech news to choose from! This week I had to junk a whole load of stuff, because there just wasn't room for it. Still I managed to get quite a lot in, in spite of the overload.
One thing I have done is to relegate this week's Microsoft and HP news - and there was no shortage of it - to just the URLs in the Scanner section. It did include some important new material about Microsoft including facilities to disable your computer if it thinks you didn't pay for Windows Vista. Weird idea - if I was going to forge Windows I would take out the disabling code, so that only legitimate users would get caught!
Other stories this week include more Sony woes, patents, Google, RFID, and Limewire suing the RIAA. So - on with the show...
Story: Patents back in the limelight
Patents - especially software patents - are back on the legislative agenda in the EU again. The proposed new Community Patent system and the European Patent Litigation Agreement (EPLA) are disliked by both pro- and anti- patent forces in the EU. McCreevy, the EU Commissioner responsible, even went as far as to admit there are 'legitimate concerns' (EU bureaucracy speak for 'We completely screwed this one up.')
A compromise has now been hammered out which, like all compromises, leaves both sides dissatisfied, but this time less dissatisfied than previously. Mark my words, this is not the end of this debate, it's not even the beginning of the end, or even the end of the beginning, it's not... [That's enough Churchillian speech making - Ed.]
The key problem with patents is that they have a fundamental failing, even if you look at them on their own terms. The have a built in assumption that everyone who makes a patentable discovery -wants- to patent it. Once you have a significant group of people who have patentable discoveries and don't want them patenting, then the whole house of cards falls down. And the open source movement, consisting of just the sort of bright people who make patentable discoveries, doesn't want to see its work patented. Voila - a fundamentally unworkable system shored up only by archaic legislation.
And while we are on the subject of patents, I note that the US Patent Office, an organisation which is ripe for sorting out in the view of many on both sides of the argument, is re-examining patents it granted in 1998, 2001, and 2006 on stem cell research. The patents, granted to the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) gives that organisation a stranglehold over all stem cell research in the USA.
Needless to say research scientists are not happy about this state of affairs, and many believe that the patents were wrongly granted. Who would want to be a stem cell researcher in the current political and research climate, I wonder?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/29/legitimate_doucts/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/05/compromise/
http://www.physorg.com/news79195485.html
Shorts:
Yet more Sony stories emerged this week. On top of the millions of batteries already being recalled, news emerged that Fujitsu are recalling 287,000 batteries in some of their laptops. Hard on the heels of that report came the news that Hitachi plan to recall 16,000 Sony batteries - a mere drop in the ocean - from their laptops.
But that wasn't all. There was also news that there were overheating problems with Sony's new PlayStation 3 video game console at a recent Tokyo consumer electronics fair. The result was bad publicity, with analysts predicting more problems, and a drop in Sony's share price. One wonders what is going to hit them next on the heat generation front...
http://newsletter.eetimes.com/cgi-bin4/DM/y/ezqB0FypUC0FrK0EoHH0Eo
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/10/06/hitachi_battery_recall/
http://www.physorg.com/news79197425.html
Google has been doing interesting things this past week, with two new services emerging to see the light of day. The first is a service that warns users that specific web sites thrown up in search results may be dangerous destinations. This is a potentially very useful feature for users. However, the test will come with how easy it proves to get your site off the list if it is wrongly characterised as 'dangerous'.
Reports of experiences with the spam black lists, and Google's generally lackadaisical attitude to such things does not fill me with confidence on this issue. Hopefully I'm wrong, but only time will tell.
The second new service was a free source code search facility. As one person on the ACCU general mailing list commented, 'I think Google has just put the specialist source code search companies out of business.' They could well be right. I think this is going to be a really useful feature for software engineers - at least those who can remember how to use regexp!
http://www.google.com/codesearch
http://ct.techrepublic.com.com/clicks?t=13357616-18a32f6148453f76b7d88f6b914d69a0-bf&s=5&fs=0
It looked like California was going to have an interesting law regulating the use of RFID chips, following the passing of laws to safeguard personal privacy in the state legislature. It was not to be, though. The governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the proposal, allowing headline writers to give free rein to their imaginations with stories about Arnie 'terminating' RFID chips. This was the first attempt anywhere, as far as I am aware, to regulate the use of such chips. Somehow, I don't think it will be the last.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/26/california_rfid_law/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/05/california_rfid_bill_terminated/
There was an important victory for users of the open source GPL licence last month, when a German court upheld the 'fundamental validity' of the licence and told network equipment manufacturer D-link that the licence was legally binding. D-Link had claimed that they didn't consider the licence, which requires them to publish source code derived from code released under the licence, to be legally binding.
http://ct.enews.deviceforge.com/rd/cts?d=207-152-2-28-255-13153-0-0-0-1
The recording Industry Ass of America's (RIAA) legal attack on Peer2Peer file sharing companies has taken an interesting turn. LimeWire, the RIAA's latest victim, is fighting back with its own law suit alleging that the RIAA members are operating an illegal cartel to control the online distribution of music.
LimeWire is, in my opinion, in a much stronger position than previous defendants, since it is a true Peer2Peer system - there are no central servers to hold lists of files available. This is one legal case I plan to track closely. More info as it becomes available.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/26/limewire_riaa_counterclaim/
Bad news for GPS freaks. The large solar flares predicted for 2011-12 are likely to knock GPS signals for six. Data recently analysed by researchers at Cornell University showed that there was a degrading of all the GPS signals on the daylight side of the world during a minor flare last year. The degradation affected all receivers, whatever their make. This suggests outages during major flares could be really serious - in five years reliance on GPS is likely to be far more widespread and far more critical. Think airplane navigation systems in bad visibility weather, for instance. Maybe it's time to start investigating alternative modes of travel...
http://www.physorg.com/news78540515.html
Did you know that, statistically speaking, you are millions of times more likely to die in a motorbike accident if you have an RFID chip implanted, than if you don't? It's true, but meaningless. Derek Jacobs, one of a very small number of people implanted with an RFID chip, died in a motorcycle accident recently. As far as I am aware he is the only RFID implant recipient to die, so the stats say that's what you are likely to die of if you have an RFID chip implanted in your arm!
It's nonsense, of course, but it shows how dangerous it is to bandy figures about without thinking about what they mean. Here's another example. If all pedestrians only crossed roads at pedestrian crossings, than all car accidents involving pedestrians crossing the road would happen on crossings. Statistically, therefore, it would be safer to cross anywhere -except- a pedestrian crossing, because all accidents happen on crossings! [Yes, read it carefully.]
So, the lesson is, whenever you see some figures quoted, look at what they really mean - especially if it's a politician quoting them!
http://www.physorg.com/news79029618.html
One of the more interesting snippets to emerge in the UK this week was the news that supermarket mega-chain Tesco is to launch it's own range of software, including office software, security systems, and photo editing tools. Not only that, but each package is only going to cost 20 UK pounds (about US$35). Now, if anyone can make this work, Tesco, which is the biggest chain in Europe, is the one to do it. I suspect that there will be more of a threat to Microsoft Office from Tesco's plans than from Open Source software.
I'll tell you something else, as well. I can't see Tesco putting up with the sort of software flaws that Microsoft routinely forces its users to cope with. We could be on the verge of moving into an era of shrink wrapped software that actually works :)
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2006/10/02/tesco_own_brand_software/
Homework:
There was an interesting piece by Luciano Floridi, a well known computing academic and infosphere pundit, in the last issue of the Mac online magazine, TidBits. If you like speculation about where we are going on the Internet front, and what is in store for us in the future, take a look.
I personally don't by any means agree with all his conclusions, but much of what he has to say is food for thought, and some points are very telling. I particularly liked the idea of being able to ask a search engine, 'Where did I leave my glasses?', and getting the correct answer! The article certainly left me with an idea about the utility of RFID chips in the home - something I have opposed instinctively in the past.
I still don't want RFID chips in my home, but this piece made me think about why that should be, rather than just accepting a knee jerk reaction! Recommended.
http://db.tidbits.com/article/8686
Scanner: Other stories
HP Roundup:
HP's 'ethics' chief emerges as spy scandal star
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/05/hp_hunsaker/
'Don't spy on Verizon chair' - warned HP spooks
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/03/hp_babbio/
HP insiders to face charges
http://www.physorg.com/news79199031.html
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/05/hp_five_charged/
HP told WSJ to, 'Go say nice things'
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/03/wsj_tam_hp/
Corporate leak probes walk a fine line
http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?r=314&c=639558&l=12142&ctl=
143905A:215D3E184FC552DC92F6860BBAD2C5A8EFF29049075316B4
Microsoft Roundup:
Microsoft blesses Datacenter users with limitless OS copies
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/05/free_virtual_ms/
Microsoft to appeal EC fine
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/03/ec_fine_appealed/
http://newsletter.infoworld.com/t?r=314&c=639558&l=12142&ctl=
1439054:215D3E184FC552DC92F6860BBAD2C5A8EFF29049075316B4
http://www.physorg.com/news79112282.html
Vista security row
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/03/mcafee_windows_vista_security_risk/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/02/mcafee_disses_ms/
Vista anti-piracy controversy
http://ct.techrepublic.com.com/clicks?t=12944932-18a32f6148453f76b7d88f6b914d69a0-bf&s=5&fs=0
http://www.physorg.com/news79198915.html
Acknowledgements
Thanks to readers Barbara and Fi for drawing my attention to material used in this issue. Please send suggestions for material to alan@ibgames.com.
Alan Lenton
alan@ibgames.com
8 October 2006
Alan Lenton is an on-line games designer, programmer and sociologist. His web site is at http://www.ibgames.net/alan.
Past issues of Winding Down can be found at http://www.ibgames.net/alan/winding/index.html.
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