On The Other Hand...RealNames goes titsup.com
Andrew Orlowski offers the other side of the RealNames story - it was a stupid idea.

"RealNames' proposition was simple, and on the face of it, a no-brainer. Type a real word or phrase into your browser and it would guide you to your destination, bypassing all this cumbersome domain name business. A nice idea, but one based on the assumption that people are fairly stupid, and couldn't figure out that Comp USA's website might be say, CompUSA.com, and that even if you mistook whitehouse.gov for whitehouse.org, you'd be unhappy about the serendipitous diversion. quot; 

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Microsoft's New Licensing Programs
Microsoft licensing: How does it work?. Microsoft revamped its licensing programs last year, and as a result, changed the way we acquire Microsoft software and upgrades. Here's how it works. [CNET News.com] 

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The Cookie Crumbles?
New Web spyware eschews cookies. Scottish scientists are working on developing Web monitoring software that will gather huge amounts of surfer data without leaving much trace--and without using cookies. [ZDNet Tech News] 

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Oops. Smart Cards Fall To Physical Attacks
Smart cards - essentially a microprocessor embedded in a laminated piece of plastic - have long been viewed as a secure implementation of PKI technology for applications such as identity cards or cell phone authentication. While the underlying PKI technology remains secure, researchers have discovered a new means of defeating the systems: physical attacks on the cards themselves.

Vulnerability Is Discovered in Security for Smart Cards. Two computer security researchers have discovered an ingenious system that can extract information contained in widely used smart cards. [New York Times: Technology] 

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All Over But The Screaming?
Testimony in Microsoft's antitrust case has wrapped up and now the waiting begins. This aspect of the trial is meant to determine what punishment will eventually be meted out to the company for violations of antitrust law. Two key questions will drive the answer. First, can the judge consider the risk of damage to future markets? Microsoft argues that sanctions should be limited to past actions - and markets it now owns - while the states want a more forward looking settlement. Secondly, do the states have standing to pursue the case? Microsoft is unlikely to make much headway on this latter point, since even the DOJ has asserted the states have the right to bring their own action. But a loss here for the states would bring a quick halt to proceedings, and would clear the way for the DOJ-MS negotiated settlement.

After Crash Course, Judge Must Solve Microsoft Case. After eight weeks of hearings, several key questions in the Microsoft antitrust case remain unresolved. [New York Times: Technology] 

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Dancing With Elephants
The old joke about software companies partnering with larger firms is that it's like dancing with elephants - even if your partner likes you, it's easy for them to loose track and step on you. But what happens if they decide they don't need you anymore?

"I want to say at the outset that I am not "anti-Microsoft". Indeed, I believe that innovation on the Internet can no longer be purely "standards driven". This is because the scale of the internet makes it impossible to distribute standards without the support of applications. This fact places a new responsibility on the application - the responsibility for deciding what is and what is not a standard. This is decided through a decision to adopt or to not adopt. In this new world Microsoft - because its browser has almost 90% market share - either steps up to allow innovation or innovation doesn't happen. It's as simple as that. I place no value-judgment here. It is just a fact. So to be anti-Microsoft is almost to be anti-innovation. Having said that, if Microsoft refuses to innovate then innovation itself will not happen. So neither am I "pro-Microsoft". I am pro-innovation. " 

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