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TECH UPDATE
A step towards new computer memory
IBM and German chip maker
Infineon Technologies AG on Tuesday said they made an important step toward
developing a new kind of memory that could enable computers to boot up
instantaneously.
IBM said that the magnetic random access memory technology, or MRAM, could replace existing forms of dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, which is the most popular form of computer memory, as early as 2005.
But it also acts like so-called “flash” memory and retains information when power is turned off, which means that it could replace flash, as well. With MRAM, a personal computer could turn on almost immediately, like a light switch, IBM said.
Unlike current versions of computer memory found in everything from PCs to handheld computers, MRAM uses magnetic charges rather than electrical charges to store memory.
The move comes as the industry is looking for better ways to make handheld computers and cell phones so that they can handle data more efficiently, one analyst said. Handheld computers and cell phones have been taking on new functions as the telecommunication systems that carry data have improved.
“It really demonstrates that there is technical feasibility. We can get the performance, we can get the cell size,” said Randy Isaac, vice president of strategic alliances at IBM. IBM’s memory cell is 1.4 microns, or about 20 million times smaller than the top of a pencil eraser.
MSN 8 updated
Microsoft on June 4 released an update to its MSN 8 internet access software, adding new spam-filtering features and enhanced parental controls.
The software uses an improved spam-filtering algorithm to block unsolicited email. MSN 8 can protect innocent eyes from offensive material by preventing images from being loaded unless the sender is on the user’s contact list. Users can manually view these images at their discretion, and the incoming messages are blocked until the program has scanned the email for viruses, according to Microsoft’s release announcement.
Patching the ‘patch’
Microsoft is reworking its software-patch management approach and plans to reduce eight patch installers to two by year’s end.
The company is about to publish a road map for releasing software that helps IT departments fix Microsoft products to guard against hacker attacks. By the end of the year, Microsoft plans to offer customers two patch installers — one for operating systems and one for applications — versus the eight that are available today. That could go down to one by the time Microsoft ships “Longhorn,” the next version of its Windows desktop operating system, due in 2005. Difficulty managing installation technology for security patches has caused uptake to be too low, Charney said.
Patches issued by Microsoft have been too difficult to use and their quality has been too low, partly because internal competition among Microsoft developers to build better patch-management software caused too many to reach the market.
Sun to share gaming software
Sun Microsystems is poised to release new graphics and networking software to the open source community.
The software will include graphics technology aimed at making Java-based game development easier for software developers. Until recently, the software had been under development within the Java Community Process as part of Java Specification Request (JSR) 134. “We’re shifting the work from JSR 134 to the open source community,” said Sun’s chief gaming officer, Chris Melissinos.
The company will also be releasing a “server-side framework” designed to support networked games, according to Sun’s chief technical officer for software, John Fowler.
Both projects will be hosted on a revamped version of Sun’s Javagaming.org web site, which will serve as a portal for Sun’s emerging developer community for Java gaming.
Virus ‘spamming’
Evidence that Sobig.c was spread via spam-style techniques is indirect, according to experts.
The worm contains code that specifies bill@microsoft.com as the sender’s address — similar to other worms, including last month’s Sobig.b, which spoofed support@microsoft.com as the sending address, but security firms note that the overwhelming majority of messages are not tagged with Gates’ address.
Security firms, such as Symantec, are looking closely at Sobig.c. — Dawn ScienceDotcom Report
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