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Reviving DOS: A USB-Bootable Writing Machine for the 21st Century

2025-04-26
Reviving DOS: A USB-Bootable Writing Machine for the 21st Century

The sheer size and complexity of modern operating systems, even open-source ones, often evokes nostalgia for the days of DOS. A simple, lightweight OS, DOS could boot from three files and configuration was a matter of editing a couple of text files. Now, a community project offers a USB-bootable DOS experience, pre-loaded with classic writing applications like WordPerfect and Arnor Protext. This provides a distraction-free writing environment for those seeking to disconnect from the internet. While limited in functionality, it offers a surprisingly efficient and focused writing experience, harkening back to a simpler time.

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(www.theregister.com)
Development Writing Tools

Microsoft's C/C++ Extension Breaks VS Code Forks, Sparks Antitrust Concerns

2025-04-24
Microsoft's C/C++ Extension Breaks VS Code Forks, Sparks Antitrust Concerns

Microsoft's recent update to its Visual Studio Code C/C++ extension has broken compatibility with derivative products like VS Codium and Cursor, prompting outrage from developers. The move is seen as anti-competitive, as Microsoft restricts its extension's use outside its own products while simultaneously promoting its own AI coding assistant, Copilot. Developers have filed complaints with the US Federal Trade Commission, alleging unfair competition through bundling Copilot, blocking rivals like Cursor, and locking users into its AI ecosystem. Cursor is reportedly transitioning to open-source alternatives.

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(www.theregister.com)
Development

Trump Administration's Cybersecurity Catastrophe: The Near-Collapse of the CVE Database

2025-04-23
Trump Administration's Cybersecurity Catastrophe: The Near-Collapse of the CVE Database

This article exposes the Trump administration's devastating impact on US cybersecurity. The critical CVE vulnerability database nearly collapsed due to underfunding, a mere tip of the iceberg. Key cybersecurity officials were fired, advisory bodies dismantled, federal cybersecurity grants slashed, and responsibility even devolved to state governments, leaving the US vulnerable. This self-inflicted damage not only endangers America but also poses a global cybersecurity threat.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech CVE database

Global Scam Call Center Metastasis: A Worldwide Criminal Expansion

2025-04-23
Global Scam Call Center Metastasis: A Worldwide Criminal Expansion

The UN warns that global scam call centers are spreading like a cancer, with criminal syndicates expanding and operating worldwide. Crackdowns in East and Southeast Asia have led to operations shifting to more permissive regions, including Africa, South Asia, parts of the Pacific Islands, and even links to money laundering and recruitment in Europe and North America. These groups leverage local language skills to broaden their victim pool and drastically increase profits. The report estimates annual earnings between $27.4 billion and $36.5 billion, targeting regions with weak governance. Law enforcement actions have resulted in arrests of foreign nationals involved in fraud and cybercrime; for example, 77 suspects, including 22 Chinese nationals, were arrested in Zambia in April 2024. While reliable data is limited in South America, Asian criminal groups are expanding online fraud and gambling infrastructure and forging money laundering partnerships with local drug cartels. In Europe, Georgia and Turkey have emerged as cyberfraud hotspots. Additionally, criminal syndicates establish seemingly legitimate businesses (hotels, casinos, travel agencies) in Pacific island nations to conceal illegal online gambling, drug and human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and money laundering. The UN recommends strengthening regulatory frameworks and equipping authorities with the resources to combat these crimes.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech Scam Call Centers

Cursor AI's Support Bot Hallucinates Non-Existent Policy

2025-04-21
Cursor AI's Support Bot Hallucinates Non-Existent Policy

Cursor AI's AI support bot mistakenly informed users of a non-existent policy prohibiting logins from multiple devices. This caused user frustration, leading Cursor co-founder Michael Truell to apologize on Reddit. He admitted the response was a hallucination from their AI support bot. The issue stemmed from a recent update aimed at improving session security, causing some users' sessions to be invalidated. The problem is now fixed, and all AI-generated support replies are clearly labeled. This incident highlights the risk of AI model hallucinations and the importance of thorough testing when using AI for customer support.

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(www.theregister.com)
Development AI hallucination AI support

UK Government's Secret Backdoor Demand to Apple Exposed, Raising Privacy Concerns

2025-04-21
UK Government's Secret Backdoor Demand to Apple Exposed, Raising Privacy Concerns

The UK government's attempt to secretly demand a backdoor into Apple's end-to-end encryption was thwarted when the Home Office failed to keep it secret on national security grounds. This highlights the dangers of government abuse of security mechanisms and the inappropriateness of secret courts in a democracy. The article draws parallels between the UK government's actions and the Trump administration's misuse of security clearances, arguing both demonstrate abuse of power and security mechanisms, threatening individual liberties and freedom of speech. The author calls for stronger legal oversight of state abuse of security mechanisms to address new security challenges in the digital age.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

Classic Mac OS Gets a 21st-Century Reboot: Browsers and Game Libraries Updated

2025-04-19
Classic Mac OS Gets a 21st-Century Reboot: Browsers and Game Libraries Updated

Nineteen years after the first Intel Mac, new apps for Classic Mac OS and PowerPC Mac OS X still emerge. Recently, new internet tools have breathed life into vintage Macs. Cameron Kaiser updated the MacLynx web browser and maintains TenFourFox and Classilla. Additionally, the Mbed-TLS library has been ported to Classic Mac OS, and work is underway on porting SDL 2, potentially bringing new games to the aging OS. This showcases programmers' ongoing exploration of this older operating system.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech Classic Mac OS Web Browsers

GoDaddy Error Takes Down Zoom for Nearly Two Hours

2025-04-18
GoDaddy Error Takes Down Zoom for Nearly Two Hours

A GoDaddy error caused a nearly two-hour outage for video conferencing platform Zoom on Wednesday afternoon US time. GoDaddy Registry mistakenly blocked the zoom.us domain, disrupting Zoom's services globally. Zoom restored service at 13:55 PDT, explaining the outage resulted from a communication error between Zoom's registrar, Markmonitor, and GoDaddy Registry. The incident highlights the risks associated with domain registrars maintaining domain stability and reminds users of technical details like DNS cache flushing.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech Outage

IBM's Stealth Layoffs? RTO Mandate and India Expansion Spark Controversy

2025-04-18
IBM's Stealth Layoffs? RTO Mandate and India Expansion Spark Controversy

IBM is implementing a new return-to-office policy requiring US sales and cloud employees to work at least three days a week in the office, a move interpreted by some as a stealth layoff tactic, as senior employees may be less willing to relocate. Simultaneously, IBM is aggressively hiring in India and establishing new software labs. This coincides with the company downplaying its diversity and inclusion initiatives, potentially linked to shifting US government policies. IBM declined to comment.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

Classic Outlook Turning into a CPU Hog: Microsoft Responds

2025-04-17
Classic Outlook Turning into a CPU Hog: Microsoft Responds

Microsoft has acknowledged that Classic Outlook is experiencing unexpectedly high CPU usage, spiking up to 30-50%, leading to increased power consumption. Users reported the issue as early as November 2024. While Microsoft claims to be investigating, the only workaround involves registry edits, a less-than-ideal solution for enterprise users. Some speculate this is a tactic to push users towards the newer Outlook client, despite its lacking features.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech CPU Usage

CVE Program Funding Cuts Threaten Global Vulnerability Management

2025-04-16
CVE Program Funding Cuts Threaten Global Vulnerability Management

US government funding for the global Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) program, which assigns unique identifiers to software vulnerabilities, ends this week. This crucial program's termination risks disrupting global vulnerability management, potentially halting new vulnerability publication, taking the CVE website offline, and jeopardizing critical infrastructure and national security. While temporary measures are being explored, long-term solutions require industry collaboration to prevent the CVE program's collapse.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

EU Officials to Use Burner Devices on US Trips Amid Espionage Fears

2025-04-15
EU Officials to Use Burner Devices on US Trips Amid Espionage Fears

The European Commission is providing burner laptops and phones to staff traveling to the US on official business, fueled by concerns over espionage. This reflects a chilling in US-EU relations and anxieties about US intelligence agencies. While an EU spokesperson denied issuing formal guidance on burner devices, they admitted updating travel recommendations due to increased global cybersecurity threats. This mirrors practices for trips to countries like China and Russia, highlighting heightened EU concerns about US surveillance.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

VMware's Free ESXi Hypervisor Returns: A Strategic Pivot or a Necessary Retreat?

2025-04-14
VMware's Free ESXi Hypervisor Returns: A Strategic Pivot or a Necessary Retreat?

After Broadcom's acquisition, VMware discontinued its free ESXi hypervisor, prompting user backlash. Recently, VMware quietly reinstated the free version in vSphere Hypervisor 8.0 Update 3e. This move is interpreted as a response to competitors' free offerings and a potential strategy to boost subscription sales. The article also touches upon the limited mainstream adoption of DPUs/SmartNICs, primarily concentrated among major cloud providers.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

Chrome 136 Finally Kills 23-Year-Old Browser History Sniffing Vulnerability

2025-04-12
Chrome 136 Finally Kills 23-Year-Old Browser History Sniffing Vulnerability

A 23-year-old vulnerability allowing websites to sniff users' browsing history through CSS :visited pseudo-class is finally being eradicated in Chrome 136. Previous attempts to mitigate the issue, which involved checking link colors to determine if a page had been visited, proved insufficient. Chrome 136 introduces a novel 'partitioning' mechanism, linking visited history to the link URL, top-level domain, and frame origin, preventing cross-site access to browsing history. This breakthrough represents a significant leap forward in browser privacy and concludes a decades-long arms race between attackers and defenders.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

AI Code Generation's Hallucinations: A New Software Supply Chain Threat

2025-04-12
AI Code Generation's Hallucinations: A New Software Supply Chain Threat

The rise of AI-powered code generation tools is revolutionizing software development, but also introducing new risks to the software supply chain. These tools sometimes 'hallucinate' nonexistent software packages, a vulnerability attackers are exploiting. They create malicious packages and upload them to registries like PyPI or npm. When the AI 'hallucinates' the name again, installing dependencies executes the malware. Studies show around 5.2% of commercial AI suggestions are non-existent packages, compared to 21.7% for open-source models. This 'hallucination' shows a bimodal pattern: some invented names reappear consistently, others vanish. This form of typosquatting, dubbed 'slopsquatting', requires developers to carefully vet AI-generated code. The Python Software Foundation is actively working to mitigate these risks.

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(www.theregister.com)
Development

Microsoft at 50: A Look Back at Peaks and Valleys

2025-04-11
Microsoft at 50: A Look Back at Peaks and Valleys

As Microsoft celebrates its 50th anniversary, The Register polled readers on the company's history. Windows Server 2000 emerged as a favorite, praised for its stability and ease of use. Conversely, Windows 8 and its successors received criticism for their user interfaces. The Nokia acquisition and subsequent Windows Phone failure were also highlighted as missteps. While achievements like the cloud pivot and Office suite were acknowledged, the overall sentiment suggests Microsoft's best days may be behind it. The company's future direction with AI remains uncertain.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech Operating Systems

Windows 11 Poised to Surpass Windows 10 This Summer: Enterprise Upgrades Drive the Shift

2025-04-04
Windows 11 Poised to Surpass Windows 10 This Summer: Enterprise Upgrades Drive the Shift

Statcounter data reveals Windows 11's market share is rapidly growing, on track to overtake Windows 10 by summer. While Windows 10 still holds a 54.2% share, Windows 11 has reached 42.69%. The primary driver is enterprise upgrades spurred by the impending October 14, 2025, end of support for most Windows 10 versions. Despite a lack of compelling new features in Windows 11, the looming deadline is forcing the migration. This mirrors the challenge faced by AI PCs, where a lack of killer apps hinders upgrades, regardless of Microsoft's Copilot promotion.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

Microsoft Kills Off Remote Desktop App, Forcing Migration to Windows App

2025-04-04
Microsoft Kills Off Remote Desktop App, Forcing Migration to Windows App

Microsoft is ending support for its legacy Remote Desktop application on May 27th, mandating a migration to the new Windows App. While the new app offers unified access to services like Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop, along with features such as customizable home screens and multi-monitor support, it also has limitations. Some proxy server environments and AD FS single sign-on are not supported, leading to user inconvenience. The move has been criticized by some as "the dumbest rebranding ever."

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

EU Plans to Backdoor Encryption by 2026: Security or Risk?

2025-04-04
EU Plans to Backdoor Encryption by 2026: Security or Risk?

The EU's new 'ProtectEU' plan aims to bolster European security, but includes a worrying proposal to backdoor encryption by 2026 or sooner. While the EU claims this is to help law enforcement access data, critics fear it could compromise Europe's cybersecurity and be exploited by other nations. Simultaneously, the EU plans to deploy quantum cryptography in critical infrastructure by 2030.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

GenAI Market Shakeup: Gartner Predicts Consolidation and Extinctions

2025-04-01
GenAI Market Shakeup: Gartner Predicts Consolidation and Extinctions

Gartner forecasts a significant consolidation in the generative AI (GenAI) market, with a potential outcome of only a few major players remaining. The current landscape sees numerous Large Language Model (LLM) providers struggling with high development and operational costs in a fiercely competitive market. Analyst John-David Lovelock predicts a cloud-like market dominance by a select few, mirroring the current AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud scenario. Businesses are increasingly opting for commercial off-the-shelf solutions rather than building their own AI software. While GenAI is experiencing explosive growth, projected to reach $644 billion by 2025, LLM developers are prioritizing market share acquisition over revenue, leading to a predicted, albeit slow, weeding out of weaker players. This won't be a rapid dot-com-like collapse, but a gradual consolidation.

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(www.theregister.com)
AI Market Consolidation

China's Stealthy Talent Grab in Taiwan: A Tech War Intensifies

2025-03-31
China's Stealthy Talent Grab in Taiwan: A Tech War Intensifies

Taiwan's Investigation Bureau exposed how multiple Chinese tech companies secretly poached Taiwanese high-tech talent, particularly in chip design and manufacturing, by establishing shell companies in Taiwan to hide their Chinese connections. These companies used intermediaries in places like Singapore to circumvent Taiwanese laws, attracting engineers from companies like Intel and Microsoft to work on projects, including those supporting China's 'East Data, West Compute' strategy. This not only threatens Taiwan's tech industry but also raises concerns about the potential use of Taiwanese technology for China's military ambitions.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech talent poaching Chinese tech companies Taiwan

Nvidia's GTC Reveal: Will DGX Spark and Station Disrupt the PC Market?

2025-03-31
Nvidia's GTC Reveal: Will DGX Spark and Station Disrupt the PC Market?

Nvidia unveiled two new workstations at its GTC event, the DGX Spark and DGX Station, aimed at AI developers. DGX Spark is a compact desktop, while DGX Station is a more powerful workstation-class machine, both offering significant AI compute power. While analysts believe Nvidia is attempting to expand its enterprise footprint, the high price point and niche market focus raise questions about their potential to truly "disrupt" the broader PC market. Nvidia's strategy appears more focused on empowering developers with powerful AI tools than targeting the general consumer market. Concurrently, Nvidia is aggressively expanding into software and networking infrastructure, aiming to build a complete enterprise-grade AI ecosystem.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

Nvidia's AI Power Play: Moore's Law is Dead, Long Live the 600kW Rack

2025-03-31
Nvidia's AI Power Play: Moore's Law is Dead, Long Live the 600kW Rack

At Nvidia's GTC, Jensen Huang unveiled Nvidia's next three generations of GPUs, including the Blackwell and Rubin processors, and a massive 600kW rack-scale system. This reveals Nvidia's strategy to pursue massive compute power expansion by stacking more silicon, increasing memory bandwidth, and lowering precision, post-Moore's Law. However, this brings immense power consumption and cooling challenges, necessitating the construction of specialized "AI factories." Nvidia's move also paves the way for competitors, signaling a new era of ultra-dense computing in data centers.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech AI Compute

UK Gov's AI Talent Crisis: Lack of Tech Skills & Broken Hiring Processes

2025-03-28
UK Gov's AI Talent Crisis: Lack of Tech Skills & Broken Hiring Processes

A former director of data science at the UK prime minister's office revealed a critical shortage of tech talent within government data departments. Laura Gilbert testified that many government officials in data roles lack the technical skills needed, making it difficult for them to find similar jobs in the private sector. While pockets of excellence exist within the Government Digital Service (GDS), the overall skill level is inconsistent, and hiring processes fail to effectively identify truly skilled candidates. Despite a government initiative, the "Blueprint for Modern Digital Government," promising significant investment in AI talent development and technology upgrades, Gilbert highlighted the need for long-term commitment to data integration, citing the poor track record of past projects. A parliamentary report further underscored the problem, revealing that outdated IT systems hinder AI adoption and funding allocation remains an issue. This highlights the immense challenges the UK government faces in its digital transformation journey.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech Government Digital Transformation AI Talent Skills Gap

IBM Layoffs: US Jobs Shifting to India

2025-03-28
IBM Layoffs: US Jobs Shifting to India

IBM's layoffs are far more extensive than previously reported, with a significant number of US employees losing their jobs, while these positions are being transferred to India. Data reveals a surge in job openings in India, contrasting with a persistent decline in the US. An IBM employee recounted being tasked with training new Indian hires, only to receive a layoff notice themselves. Many laid-off employees possessed extensive cloud experience, replaced by less experienced Indian workers, resulting in decreased quality and efficiency. This raises concerns about IBM's offshoring practices and the implications for US workers' rights and the company's future direction.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

London Met Police to Deploy Permanent Facial Recognition Cameras

2025-03-27
London Met Police to Deploy Permanent Facial Recognition Cameras

The Metropolitan Police will install two permanent live facial recognition (LFR) cameras in Croydon town center this summer to combat crime. This move has sparked privacy concerns, as the system is prone to errors and could be used to monitor individuals beyond suspected criminals, including vulnerable people and victims. While police claim high accuracy, the legality remains contested, with critics calling it a dystopian surveillance nightmare.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

VMware Sues Siemens Over Unlicensed Software

2025-03-26
VMware Sues Siemens Over Unlicensed Software

VMware is suing Siemens' US operations for allegedly using more VMware software than licensed. The dispute began when Siemens requested extended support, submitting a list of its VMware software that significantly exceeded its purchased licenses. Siemens later attempted to retract the list, leading VMware to believe they intentionally concealed unlicensed software use. This lawsuit follows VMware's recent announcement of changes to its software download process, a move aimed at better tracking license compliance.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech Software Licensing

Microsoft's Outlook Versions: A User Experience Nightmare?

2025-03-25
Microsoft's Outlook Versions: A User Experience Nightmare?

Microsoft veteran Scott Hanselman recently poked fun at the plethora of Outlook versions on Bluesky, including Outlook (New), Outlook (New), Outlook (Zero Sugar), and more, sparking a heated discussion. This highlights a common problem in Microsoft software: version proliferation. For example, Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Teams (Personal) often coexist. Microsoft's push for the new Outlook, built on a modern service architecture, lacks many features of the classic version, such as COM add-in support, causing inconvenience for enterprise users. While Microsoft promises support for the Classic version until at least 2029, its forced migration strategy has raised user concerns, mirroring the case of a soft drink company replacing a well-liked product with a 'new' version and renaming the old one 'classic'. Hanselman's humorous commentary reveals the potential pitfalls of having multiple, similarly functioning options, potentially confusing users and negatively impacting user experience.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech

Palantir Cashes In on UK's COVID-19 Response: A Data-Driven Controversy

2025-03-25
Palantir Cashes In on UK's COVID-19 Response: A Data-Driven Controversy

US data analytics firm Palantir profited handsomely from the UK's COVID-19 response, securing multi-million pound contracts despite legal challenges. Initially awarded a nominal contract for COVID-19 data storage, Palantir's agreements rapidly escalated. Now, they advocate for a government-wide "common operating system" for data management, raising concerns about procurement processes and Palantir's close ties to UK government agencies. The company's leveraging of a public health crisis for profit remains a point of contention.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech Data Analytics Government Contracts

Tech's Great Resignation: Flexibility or Bust

2025-03-25
Tech's Great Resignation: Flexibility or Bust

A survey of over 26,000 employees reveals that 40% of tech workers quit their jobs due to inflexible work arrangements regarding hours, location, and intensity. This contradicts the growing trend of companies mandating a return to the office and longer hours. While companies like Amazon, Meta, and Google push for in-person work, citing innovation, mentorship, and productivity, the survey highlights that remote work boosts team cohesion, and a significant majority of tech workers prioritize flexible working options. Ignoring these needs could lead to continued talent loss in the tech sector.

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(www.theregister.com)
Tech employee attrition work flexibility
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