E-Commerce Times: State of the (Latest) SCO Controversy
Story Highlights:
With perhaps another 18 months before its case against IBM (NYSE: IBM) 
for copyright infringement goes on trial, SCO has chosen (perhaps ironically) to take its battle against open source 
out in the open with a planned series of letters about the conflict. Unsurprisingly, SCO CEO Darl McBride's first letter generated a whirlwind of controversy.
Full Story on the E-Commerce Times
TechNewsWorld: IBM Demos Nanotech Using Today's Tools
Story Highlights:
IBM claims it has found a way to apply nanotechnology -- a field of
study in which researchers have manipulated materials at dimensions
approaching the size of individual molecules -- to producing semiconductor
components with existing chip-making tools. Big Blue researchers, who will
present their findings at the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting in
Washington, D.C., this week, said they were the first in the industry to
successfully apply the nanotechnology to conventional semiconductor
processing.
LinuxInsider: Vietnam Embracing Open-Source Software
Story Highlights:
Carefully, quietly, Vietnam is plotting another revolution. This time
its foe is not a foreign army with a global reach, but a foreign corporation
whose reach extends worldwide. "We are trying step by step to eliminate
Microsoft," said Nguyen Trung Quynh of Vietnam's Ministry of Science and
Technology. Quynh and other government tech officials want Vietnam to be on
the cutting edge of an international movement to embrace open-source
software -- products that can be downloaded from the Internet for free and
perform the same tasks as Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Windows or Office.
TechNewsWorld: Windows Cash-Machine Worm Generates Concern
Story Highlights:
Concerns about computer viruses and worms are spreading beyond the PC
arena as embedded software and systems vulnerable to attack are introducing
risk to several unique technology sectors, including automatic teller
machines (ATMs), emergency response systems and even automobiles. ATM maker
Diebold recently confirmed that this year's Nachi worm infected cash
machines of two U.S. banks, highlighting the risk that goes with a
Windows-based operating system.
CRM Buyer: Pet Peeves of Automated Voice Response
Story Highlights:
Ask the average person about interactive voice response (IVR) systems, and he or she likely will rattle off at least one Kafkaesque story that induced near-homicidal rage. What are some of the biggest pet peeves customers have with IVR systems -- and what types of solutions can be implemented to address those concerns?
TechNewsWorld: Scheme Hatched To Counter Digital Rights Balkanization
Story Highlights:
A scheme to counter the Balkanization of digital rights management on
the Internet was unveiled Wednesday by a standards group whose members
include ContentGuard, Macrovision, Microsoft, Nippon Telegraph and
Telephone, Universal Music Group and VeriSign (Nasdaq: VRSN) . The group -- called the
Content Reference Forum -- has posted specifications that it asserts will
create interoperability between digital content technologies and build a
framework to ensure that participants adhere to the agreements.
E-Commerce Times: Top of the Gift List: Alienware's Area-51
Story Highlights:
As the holidays dawn, shiny gadgets displayed in store windows and pictured on Web sites highlight the attraction of upgrading to the latest technology. Though visions of Dells and Macs may be dancing in consumers' heads, those yearning for a new computer would do well to consider some slightly out-there options -- such as Alienware.
Full Story on the E-Commerce Times
TechNewsWorld: Record Number of PCs Shipped in 2003
Story Highlights:
Portability and price have combined to fuel consumer thirst for personal
computers, according to IDC findings on worldwide PC shipments -- a trend
the company says will be matched by more corporate spending through 2004.
Updating its Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, IDC forecast "record levels"
for 2003 and 2004, with the total number of PC shipments in 2003 hitting 152
million units valued at $175 billion. For 2004, IDC said shipment growth
should climb 11 percent, up from prior expectations of about 10 percent, and
the shipment value will grow by 4 percent.
E-Commerce Times: Google Eyes India R&D Facility for 2004
Story Highlights:
Seeking to retain its edge in the fiercely competitive search engine world by expanding its pool of engineering talent, Google has said it plans to open an R&D facility in India next year. The company has settled on Bangalore, a city often referred to as India's Silicon Valley, as the location for its first non-sales office outside the United States.
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