***************************************************** Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology. *****************************************************
TOP STORIES FOR FRIDAY, JANUARY 03, 2003 Survey Forecasts Continued Weakness for IT Spending Poll Shows Rising Frustration with Spam AND Student Charged with Revealing Trade Secrets StarOffice Free to Danish Students and Teachers CEO of Lindows is Behind Xbox Hacking Challenge SURVEY FORECASTS CONTINUED WEAKNESS FOR IT SPENDING A survey of CIOs at 100 large U.S. corporations suggests that overall spending on IT in 2003 will decrease by one percent compared to last year. An earlier version of the survey, conducted by Goldman Sachs, had forecast a two- to three-percent increase, and the report released with the newer survey calls the shift "an unprecedented drop." The report cites efforts to control corporate expenditures, lack of demand, and "game changing" technologies as reasons for the decline. The number of respondents who said their firms would postpone increased IT spending until 2004 or later rose from 26 to 43. Many observers had hoped that 2003 would see a return to higher IT spending, but the Goldman Sachs report is not encouraging. CNET, 2 January 2003 http://news.com.com/2100-1001-978968.html POLL SHOWS RISING FRUSTRATION WITH SPAM A new poll from Harris Interactive indicates that nearly 75 percent of e-mail users support making spam illegal; only 12 percent would oppose such an action. Ninety-six percent of respondents said that unsolicited e-mail is "annoying," and 80 percent said it is "very annoying." Categories of spam most commonly cited by respondents were pornography (90 percent), mortgages and loans (79 percent), investment opportunities (68 percent), and real estate (61 percent). Unfortunately for those annoyed by spam, the problem is getting worse. Some states have passed laws banning or limiting spam, but e-mail marketers typically fall outside the scope of state laws. Federal efforts to limit spam have stalled. Brightmail, maker of software to control spam, said that unsolicited messages accounted for 40 percent of all e-mail in November, compared to 13 percent a year earlier. Wall Street Journal, 3 January 2003 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1041520792726749513,00.html AND ***************************************************** STUDENT CHARGED WITH REVEALING TRADE SECRETS A University of Chicago student faces 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 if he is found guilty of distributing trade secrets from DirecTV, the leading provider of satellite television. Igor Serebryany was arrested in Los Angeles and charged with stealing the documents when he worked at a document-preparation firm that was contracted to a law firm representing DirecTV. Authorities said Serebryany then posted the stolen documents to three Web sites. The documents in question describe technical details of DirecTV's satellite smart cards, which allow decryption of satellite television signals. The information can enable hackers to gain illegal access to satellite television transmissions. Though Serebryany did not profit from releasing the information, he is being prosecuted under the 1996 Economic Espionage Act, which prohibits releasing information that will benefit others. New York Times, 2 January 2003 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/03/technology/03PIRA.html STAROFFICE FREE TO DANISH STUDENTS AND TEACHERS Sun Microsystems has added Denmark to the list of countries in which its StarOffice software package will be made available free for students. Deals had already been announced between the software company and the ministries of education in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Chile. The new deal between Sun Microsystems Denmark and Denmark's ministry of education is worth an estimated $27.4 million. Sun said it hopes to reach similar deals in France, Germany, and Sweden, as well as in some countries in Africa. A spokesman for Sun Microsystems Denmark said that students and teachers in Denmark will be allowed to use StarOffice 6.0 at school and at home and that there are "no limitations regarding copying the program." Associated Press, 2 January 2003 (registration req'd) http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/699138p-5172231c.html CEO OF LINDOWS IS BEHIND XBOX HACKING CHALLENGE Michael Robertson, CEO of Lindows.com and self-proclaimed opponent of Microsoft, this week revealed that he is responsible for a $200,000 reward for hacking into Microsoft's new Xbox video game console. The challenge was announced anonymously in July, offering the money to anyone who could make the Xbox function with the Lindows operating system. No one accomplished the task, and Robertson extended the deadline. Lindows.com and Microsoft are currently fighting in court over trademark issues, with Lindows trying to invalidate the trademark on "Windows" and Microsoft charging trademark infringement by the similar-sounding Lindows name. Robertson said the hacking challenge is not motivated by any business reason but rather because he believes "people should have the choice to run the software they want on the hardware of their choice." Wired News, 3 January 2003 http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,57052,00.html ***************************************************** 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 "EQ" and "EDUCAUSE Review," books, and other materials dealing with the impacts and implications of information technology in higher education. For information on EDUCAUSE publications see http://www.educause.edu/pub/ ***************************************************** CONFERENCES For information on all EDUCAUSE learning and networking opportunities, see http://www.educause.edu/conference/ ***************************************************** COPYRIGHT Edupage copyright (c) 2002, EDUCAUSE
