IDF Spring 2004: Intel succumbs to competitive pressure over 64-bit computing

The head of Intel, Craig Barret, kicked off the Spring IDF (Intel Developer Forum) in San Francisco today by announcing what Intel had previously said wasn't necessary: 64-bit extensions for the existing 32-bit architecture sported by the company's processors. This will happen not only in Xeon, the workstation and mid-range server chip, but as of next year will be present in Pentium 4 chips based on the new Prescott processor core too. It seems that the competition from AMD's Athlon 64 range has forced the company to capitulate on its claim that 64-bit computing was only for high-end 'big iron' server systems based around Itanium CPUs. ...more

HP mobilises scanning

Hewlett-Packard (HP) announces new mobile scanner HP's Photosmart 1200 scanner measures just 26x18x3cm, but offers 36-bit colour scans at up to 1200dpi. It can process an image within 14 seconds, claims HP, and images can be stored on CompactFlash or SD cards that slot into the unit. The device can be powered either by standard AA batteries or via USB (2. ...more

NTL and Telewest join up for broadband campaign

Arch rivals NTL and Telewest have announced a joint marketing campaign to educate the UK about broadband. The two cable companies provide very similar cable modem services through their existing networks for about ?25 a month all in, compared to the ?40 to ?50 charge for ADSL through BT's wholesale product. Around five per cent of Internet users connect through cable, as opposed to around two per cent through ADSL. ...more

Experts warn of adware threat for 2005

Antivirus experts are predicting that adware will be the major threat for 2005. Spyware and adware are insidious little programs that monitor internet searches, sites visited, what you type on your keyboard and can serve up pop up adverts customised to your habits. McAfee says that 2004 saw the first rise in virus numbers since the start of the decade, but the species of virus propelling this growth are bots. ...more

Learning about Enterprise JavaBeans

If you're self-motivated to get to grips with enterprise-scale Java, there's a new CD-ROM-based course from Borland covering the use of Enterprise JavaBeans. Part of Borland's e-learning series, Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) Development Fundamentals is intended to be an interactive introduction to the features and benefits of this technology. Think of JavaBeans as special Java components, and the server-side Enterprise variety - part of the Java 2 platform - extends their scope, for example to work across networks in a distributed fashion. ...more