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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, JULY 08, 2002 Report Shows Increase in Cyberattacks Digital Divide Persists UnitedLinux to Support Itanium 2 AND EarthLink Introduces Subscriber Music Service Deep Linking Dealt a Setback in Denmark Some Libraries Moving Away from Books REPORT SHOWS INCREASE IN CYBERATTACKS According to a report to be released by Internet security firm Riptech, Inc., cyberattacks were up by 28 percent over the past six months. The report tracks Internet attacks for more than 400 public and private organizations monitored by Riptech. Attacks on power and energy companies were up sharply, as were attacks on large financial services firms. Because masking the source of an attack is common, it can be difficult to find out where attacks are coming from or who is responsible. A user in Europe or Asia, for example, can use a computer in the United States to attack a U.S. company. Still, attacks from Kuwait and Iran, for example, which represent the largest number of attacks from countries with only nascent online infrastructure, account for less than one percent of the attacks covered in the report. Washington Post, 8 July 2002 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36498-2002Jul7.html DIGITAL DIVIDE PERSISTS A new study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation indicates a persistent and wide gap in access to technology for households of different incomes and races. For those with household incomes of at least $75,000, computer access is 95 percent and access to the Internet is 63 percent. For households with less than $15,000 annually, those numbers drop to 33 and 14. Despite significant jumps in the access for black and Hispanic groups, 46 and 47 percent respectively, they still lag far behind the 83 percent access of whites. Wide differences in access also exist from one state to another, and the study shows significant gaps for access among suburban, rural, and urban households. Wall Street Journal, 5 July 2002 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1025879996213121280,00.html UNITEDLINUX TO SUPPORT ITANIUM 2 Members of the UnitedLinux group, which will release its Linux-based operating system later this year, announced that their product will support Intel's new 64-bit Itanium 2 processors. Intel began shipping the Itanium 2 processors today. UnitedLinux is a collaborative project of Caldera International Inc., SuSE Linux, Conectiva SA, and Turbolinux Inc., as well as other hardware and software companies. Red Hat Inc., the leading Linux distributor in the United States, and MandrakeSoft SA are not part of UnitedLinux. Hewlett-Packard and Red Hat recently announced that their own line of products would support Itanium 2 processors. ComputerWorld, 8 July 2002 http://www.idg.net/ic_884072_1794_9-10000.html AND ***************************************************** EARTHLINK INTRODUCES SUBSCRIBER MUSIC SERVICE Internet service provider EarthLink unveiled a new music service that lets subscribers download up to 50 songs per month for about $10 or up to 100 songs for about $18 per month. The service is part of a partnership between EarthLink and FullAudio, which has deals with BMG, EMI Recorded Music, Warner Music Group, and Universal Music Group, and will provide 70,000 songs for the service. Analysts said there won't be a viable market for legitimate file-sharing services until and unless all of the illegal, free operations are gone. A spokesman for EarthLink said the erratic history of networks such as Napster supports the move to legal, subscriber services. NewsFactor Network, 8 July 2002 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/18505.html DEEP LINKING DEALT A SETBACK IN DENMARK A Danish court last week ruled that the practice of deep linking--hyperlinking to a specific page in a Web site rather than to the site's home page--violates copyright laws. Supporters of deep linking said the ruling is absurd, that no single Web page is intrinsically any "deeper" than any other page. As long as a hyperlink goes to the content owner's site, as opposed to moving content to another location, there is no violation of copyright. The Danish court's ruling, however, could carry implications for millions of Web sites, including search engines, that link to specific pages. Some legal experts said the ruling was very specific and is not likely to trickle down to other members of the European Union. Deep linking has been at issue in the United States as well, but no definitive ruling has been made on its legality. Wired News, 8 July 2002 http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,53697,00.html SOME LIBRARIES MOVING AWAY FROM BOOKS Many libraries, particularly those on college campuses, increasingly face the question of whether technology will replace books as their primary means of distributing information. Some institutions such as the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities have thoroughly renovated their libraries, moving stacks to the basement and installing computer labs and other technology resources in the main areas of the building. Many colleges and universities similarly are updating their libraries with network access, multimedia facilities, and wireless technology. Critics of this trend worry that a focus on technology and tools will replace genuine learning. Many defend books as being as useful and relevant as computers and information technology. Some institutions try to address the concerns of both groups, preserving a focus on books while adding technology to their facilities. Chronicle of Higher Education, 8 July 2002 http://chronicle.com/free/v48/i44/44a03101.htm ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your settings, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For past issues of Edupage or information about translations of Edupage into other languages, visit http://www.educause.edu/pub/edupage/edupage.html ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE PUBLICATIONS EDUCAUSE publishes periodicals, including "EDUCAUSE Quarterly" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. 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