Dear ACM TechNews Subscriber: Welcome to the June 3, 2002 edition of ACM TechNews, providing timely information for IT professionals three times a week. For instructions on how to unsubscribe from this service, please see below. ACM's MemberNet is now online. For discussion (and voting) forums on current industry issues and the latest on ACM activities, visit http://www.acm.org/membernet Remember to check out our hot new online essay and opinion magazine, Ubiquity, at http://www.acm.org/ubiquity ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ACM TechNews Volume 4, Number 356 Date: June 3, 2002 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Site Sponsored by Compaq (http://www.compaq.com/smbcatalog) Compaq is the premier source for computing services, products and solutions. Responding to customers' requirements for quality and reliability at aggressive prices, Compaq offers performance-packed products and comprehensive services. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Top Stories for Monday, June 3, 2002: http://www.acm.org/technews/current/homepage.html "Industry Allies Seek to Limit Microsoft Drive Into New Fields" "Data Collection: More the Merrier" "Study: Open Source Poses Security Risks" "Comms Companies Seen as Next Computing Giants" "Despite Soft Economy, a Call for Foreign Tech Workers" "Wireless Focus at Computex" "Hypocrites Have a Point on Broadband" "The Supreme Court and Patents" "Will Computers Read Your Mind?" "Cannibals in Cyberspace; Internet Governing Body Feasts on Itself" "Totally Awesome Software?" "IBM Offers Data Storage Alternative" "Hackers v. Colleges: Security Bolstered for University Computer Systems" "DOD Adjusts Plans on Hiring Foreign IT Workers" "Md. IT Education Program Cut" "Cryptography for the Masses" "Section 508 'Not as Hard as People Thought'" "'This Is War'" "Blazing Trails" ******************* News Stories *********************** "Industry Allies Seek to Limit Microsoft Drive Into New Fields" Microsoft is facing tough competitors in new markets it has targeted for growth, such as the cell phone and set-top box software markets. Handphone makers, such as industry leader Nokia, fear that they would be relegated to commodity hardware ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item1 "Data Collection: More the Merrier" A simulation of proton collisions was carried out on a computing grid comprised of systems from five U.S. universities and research sites connected by a high-speed Internet backbone. "This is an example of an increasingly important trend, where ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item2 "Study: Open Source Poses Security Risks" Open-source advocates say the software is less prone to bugs and security holes because of the large number of programmers working to develop it, but a recent study by a conservative think tank warns the opposite. According to a new white paper from the ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item3 "Comms Companies Seen as Next Computing Giants" High-tech entrepreneur Larry Boucher believes the future of computing lies in storage technologies, which is already a burgeoning sector. He notes that the Internet has made data delivery more important than processor efficiency, thus shifting ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item4 "Despite Soft Economy, a Call for Foreign Tech Workers" Three years ago, the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) successfully lobbied that Congress increase the cap on H-1B visas so that more foreign workers could be brought in to shore up the U.S. tech workforce at the height of the ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item5 "Wireless Focus at Computex" Experts believe products that boast wireless Net connectivity will be the highlight of Computex, the world's third-largest computer industry trade show. Computex's chief focus is on products that are ready for the commercial sector, rather than ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item6 "Hypocrites Have a Point on Broadband" The U.S. government should do more to make broadband Internet pervasive because of the technology's promise of economic growth, national security, and innovation, writes Dan Gillmor. Whereas a funded rollout similar to the nation's Interstate highway system ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item7 "The Supreme Court and Patents" Patent holders claim to have scored a major victory last week when the Supreme Court overturned a lower court prohibition on suing infringers under the doctrine of equivalents, but a deeper analysis shows that new requirements instituted by the court will ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item8 "Will Computers Read Your Mind?" Computers that can interpret a user's emotional state through his or her facial reactions are under development. NCR and the University of California's Integrated Media Systems Center are designing a better class of ATMs that map emotions: A camera ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item9 "Cannibals in Cyberspace; Internet Governing Body Feasts on Itself" ICANN has reduced itself to an organization that should be called "I can't," and even ICANN CEO Stuart Lynn argues that ICANN is seen by interested parties as more of a debating society than as an effective organization, writes Brock Meeks. ICANN has failed ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item10 "Totally Awesome Software?" Extreme programming (XP) is hailed by many as a major breakthrough in software development, while others criticize it as an overhyped fad. The methodology involves "pair programming" in which the development of the software is overseen by several ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item11 "IBM Offers Data Storage Alternative" IBM's Haifa Research Lab has developed a remote storage technology for PCs called iBoot that promises to cut down PC maintenance costs for companies, create more efficient servers, and allow for vastly more computer storage. Although for users ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item12 "Hackers v. Colleges: Security Bolstered for University Computer Systems" Universities and colleges are boosting security as hacker intrusions increase. University networks are attractive environments for nefarious online activities because of their open nature and plentiful bandwidth and storage. However, a ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item13 "DOD Adjusts Plans on Hiring Foreign IT Workers" The Defense Department has reversed its plans to ban foreign nationals from jobs involving unclassified IT projects that are still considered sensitive. The candidates can be hired if they pass background checks and submit letters of approval from the ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item14 "Md. IT Education Program Cut" The Maryland Applied Information Technology Initiative (MAITI) had approximately 75 percent of its budget cut last month, a serious setback for its effort to increase enrollment in IT degree programs in state universities. Whereas its 2002 budget ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item15 "Cryptography for the Masses" As computers are increasingly linked to networks through wired and wireless connections, the need for an easy-to-use cryptography system becomes more apparent. Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) principal scientist Tom Berson predicts that ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item16 "Section 508 'Not as Hard as People Thought'" Government and IT industry experts say considerable progress has been made in agencies' efforts to make their electronic and information technology applications accessible to people with disabilities. Although government IT is not fully accessible ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item17 "This Is War" The battle lines have been drawn up between technology companies and Hollywood over how to combat digital piracy. Studio CEOs believe technology companies have a responsibility to curb piracy, since they market products that consumers are using to ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item18 "Blazing Trails" Multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) could be laying the groundwork for the converged IP network. Not only can MPLS streamline and speed up IP traffic, but it also allows quality of service (QoS) to be worked into networks so that ISPs can route ... http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0603m.html#item19 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -- To review Friday's issue, please visit http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2002-4/0531f.html -- To visit the TechNews home page, point your browser to: http://www.acm.org/technews/ -- To unsubscribe from the ACM TechNews Early Alert Service: Please send a separate email to listserv@listserv2.acm.org with the line signoff technews in the body of your message. -- Please note that replying directly to this message does not automatically unsubscribe you from the TechNews list. -- To submit feedback about ACM TechNews, contact: technews@hq.acm.org -- ACM may have a different email address on file for you, so if you're unable to "unsubscribe" yourself, please direct your request to: technews-request@acm.org We will remove your name from the TechNews list on your behalf. -- For help with technical problems, including problems with leaving the list, please write to: technews-request@acm.org ---- ACM TechNews is sponsored by Compaq.