Tech firms offer funds to plug bug

25 April 2014 Last updated at 11:21

The world's biggest technology firms will donate money to fund the support of OpenSSL, the software at the centre of the Heartbleed bug.

Heartbleed was one of the worst internet flaws ever uncovered.

The maintenance of the software, which secures around two-thirds of the world's websites, was done by a group of volunteers with very little funding.

The new group set up by the Linux Foundation has a dozen contributors and has so far raised around $3m (£1.7m).

As well as maintaining OpenSSL it will also support development of other crucial open-source software.

Firms supporting the initiative include Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Intel, IBM, Cisco and Amazon. Each will donate $300,000 over the next three years.

Midnight coding

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It is kind of weird that such crucial software is run by a group of hobbyists on a shoestring budget"

End Quote Mikko Hypponen F-Secure

The industry has been forced to step up after Heartbleed brought chaos to the tech sector.

Experts estimate that the Heartbleed bug will cost businesses tens of million of dollars in lost productivity as they update systems with safer versions of OpenSSL.

"Sometimes it takes a crisis to do the right thing," Linux Foundation executive director Jim Zemlin told journalists.

The bug exposed more than just people's passwords and credit card details. It also highlighted that the crucial piece of software is maintained by a small group of developers who receive donations averaging about $2,000 a year to support the project.

"It is kind of weird that such crucial software is run by a group of hobbyists on a shoestring budget," said Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer with security firm F-Secure.

"This software was invisible, behind the scenes and there are very few volunteers who have the skill and willingness to work on a project like this. There is no recognition, no money and it is very difficult."

The details that have emerged about how the vulnerability came about speaks volumes about how little the industry has cared about the software that was securing their websites, he added.

"The fact that the code change which caused the bug was done by an individual working at 23:00 on a New Year's Eve says a lot. The code simply wasn't reviewed enough and it went undetected for two years," he added.

"Now there is formal and monetary support from the industry I hope we will see a change not just for OpenSSL but for other crucial open source software."

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Google+ boss Vic Gundotra quits

25 April 2014 Last updated at 12:09

The man who created social network Google+ is to leave the company, the search giant has confirmed.

Vic Gundotra had been at Google since 2007, and was the company's vice-president for social media.

While boasting a large number of users, Google+ is still considered to be very much in the shadow of other networks - particularly Facebook and Twitter.

Chief executive Larry Page thanked Mr Gundotra for "all his hard work and passion" at the company.

"You cut your teeth on our mobile apps and developer relations, turning our disparate efforts into something great," Mr Page wrote.

"You built Google+ from nothing. There are few people with the courage and ability to start something like that and I am very grateful for all your hard work and passion.

"Good luck with your next project after Google. In the meantime we'll continue working hard to build great new experiences for the ever increasing number of Google+ fans."

Toned down

Mr Gundotra, who previously worked at Microsoft, will be replaced by David Besbris, who is currently vice-president of engineering on the network.

Google+ was launched in June 2011, and the latest figures released by the firm suggest it has 540 million users.

But the technology community has regularly disputed the site's popularity.

Some have speculated that Google's plans for the network may be toned down following Mr Gundotra's departure.

Technology news site Techcrunch quoted two sources as saying that between 1,000 and 1,200 Google+ employees were being moved to other parts of the company.

However, a spokesman told technology news site CNet: "Today's news has no impact on our Google+ strategy - we have an incredibly talented team that will continue to build great user experiences across Google+, Hangouts and Photos."

The site cited a source at the company as saying Mr Gundotra had fallen out with Google's senior management.

His next move is not yet known.

News of his departure first became known via Secret, an app for spreading gossip popular among Silicon Valley workers.

"Vic Gundotra is interviewing," said an entry posted on the service earlier this week. With "interviewing" understood to mean having a job interview elsewhere.

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Warhol works found on Amiga disks

24 April 2014 Last updated at 12:24

A dozen previously unknown works created by Andy Warhol have been recovered from 30-year-old Amiga disks.

The art experiments were produced in 1985 by Warhol under commission from Commodore - creator of the Amiga computer.

Commodore paid the artist to produce a series of works to aid the launch of the Amiga 1000.

A painstaking three-year project was required to recover the images which were saved in an obscure data format.

Lost format

The digital images were discovered and recovered by staff and students who are members of Carnegie Mellon University's computer club.

The club was enrolled in the attempt to find and restore the images by self-confessed Andy Warhol fanatic and artist Cory Arcangel. He noticed Warhol's involvement in the Commodore Amiga launch thanks to a video uploaded to YouTube of the 1985 event.

At the launch news conference, Warhol used the Amiga's graphics program to paint a portrait of Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry.

Arcangel wondered if Warhol had produced any other works with the Amiga and contacted the Andy Warhol Museum in 2011 to get permission to search its collection.

The search turned up an Amiga computer and lots of floppy disks and led Arcangel to approach Carnegie Mellon for help in cataloguing what was on the storage media. At that time it was not known if any Warhol works were on the old disks.

Magnetic imaging tools were used to copy data on the disks so no damage was done to the original floppies. Examination of the copied data revealed several files that had titles such as "campbells.pic", "flower.pic" and "marilyn1.pic" that were reminiscent of Warhol's best-known works.

The recovery project was initially thwarted from viewing the actual images as the data was saved in an obscure format that modern Amiga emulators could not read.

Reverse engineering of the format helped to recover the images many of which turned out to be signed electronic facsimiles of Warhol's more famous creations. In total 18 images were recovered, a dozen of which are signed by Warhol.

"What's amazing is that by looking at these images, we can see how quickly Warhol seemed to intuit the essence of what it meant to express oneself, in what then was a brand-new medium: the digital," said Arcangel in a statement.

The discovery and recovery project has been filmed for a documentary that will be shown on 10 May at a public lecture at the Carnegie Library lecture hall in Pittsburgh. Soon afterwards, the documentary will be put online at http://nowseethis.org/.

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France mulls GPS car-sharing app ban

24 April 2014 Last updated at 17:53 By Jane Wakefield Technology reporter

Private car hire services in France face a ban on the GPS-enabled apps that allow people to find available drivers.

The government is desperate to placate taxi unions which are increasingly frustrated by private lift-sharing schemes.

It has drawn up a set of recommendations which include banning such services displaying maps of the location of available cars.

One car-sharing start-up said that the recommendation was "bizarre".

"This is a big problem for us," said Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, a regional general manager for car-sharing firm Uber.

"It is cutting one of the features of the app which is about making it simple to order a private car."

Firms such as Uber, Snapcab and others are increasingly challenging the traditional licensed cab market.

They connect passengers with private cars for hire or with people wanting to offer lift-sharing.

The services use apps that allow potential passengers to see available drivers in their vicinity.

Paris gridlock

The government report, which so far is non-binding, also recommends that taxi drivers should be able to use the very GPS-enabled apps to which it is suggesting private firms should not have access.

"This is all about protecting the taxi industry and is not serving consumers in any way," said Mr Gore-Coty.

Parisian taxi drivers have proved a powerful lobby group in France.

Last year, taxi unions convinced the government to adopt a mandatory 15 minutes waiting period for private hire vehicles, something that was recently overturned by the Supreme Court following a ruling from the Competition authority which said the decree was anti-competitive.

In response, taxi drivers brought gridlock to the capital in February with protests over the decision to overturn the decree.

Future transport

Taxi drivers are also angry that services such as Uber, SnapCar and LeCab don't face the same regulations as taxis and that drivers do not always need to pay a fee for a licence.

Another recommendation from the report suggests putting a freeze on issuing any new licences for an undetermined amount of time.

Countries around the world are struggling to know how to regulate the glut of private car hire schemes that have recently emerged.

But there is no doubt that such services are growing.

Paris and London represent the two biggest markets for Uber outside the US, said Mr Gore-Coty.

It recently launched another service UberPop in Paris, which connects people who need a lift with ordinary people who have had a driver's licence for more than three years.

"We're here to stay," he told the BBC.

"Taxi unions may want to hold on to the monopoly that they have enjoyed for decades but this is about how the city transport of tomorrow should look."

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Microsoft earnings beat estimates

24 April 2014 Last updated at 21:47

Microsoft reported net profit of $5.66bn (£3.37bn) in the first quarter, a decline from the same period last year but better than market estimates.

The software maker's efforts to move further into cloud computing - a move championed by new chief executive Satya Nadella - seem to be paying off.

Azure, a cloud computing product, saw revenue grow 150%, Microsoft.

The company also said it added 1 million users to its subscription-based Office programme for personal users.

Microsoft sold in 2 million Xbox consoles, including 1.2 million Xbox Ones during the period.

"We are making good progress in our consumer services like Bing and Office 365 Home, and our commercial customers continue to embrace our cloud solutions," said chief executive Satya Nadella, who replaced Steve Ballmer in February.

However, Microsoft was hurt by declining personal computer sales, as users continue to shift to other technologies.

Overall, profits declined by 6.5% compared to the same period last year.

Microsoft shares rose close to 3% in after-hours trading.

In a break from his predecessor, Mr Nadella spoke on a call discuss the company's earnings.

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Amazon profits thin as expenses jump

24 April 2014 Last updated at 21:50

Internet retailer Amazon reported a 32% jump in profits to $108m (£64m) in the first quarter of 2014.

The firm said strong sales - which increased by 23% to $19.74bn - helped contribute to the profit growth.

"2014 is off to a kinetic start," said Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos in a statement.

However, investors were disappointed by increasing expenses - which rose 23% from a year earlier - and ate into profits.

Shares in Amazon were mostly flat in after-hours trading.

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Overall, shares in the firm have declined by more than 15% this year.

New products

Mr Bezos touted Amazon's expansion into streaming video, including the launch of its fire TV box and its new deal with HBO.

He said Amazon was having difficulty keeping its Fire TV - which plugs into traditional TV sets and allows users to stream content from sites like Hulu and Netflix - in stock.

The device is aimed at competing with similar products offered by Apple and start-up Roku.

In addition to its TV efforts, Amazon has been increasing spending to invest in new offerings, including building more distribution warehouses, expanding its cloud-computing effort Amazon Web Services, and adding new services like a food-delivery programme.

To help partly cover those expenses, Amazon announced in March that it would increase the cost of its Prime unlimited shipping membership in the US to $99 a year from $79 - a 25% increase.

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Tech giants settle hiring court case

25 April 2014 Last updated at 02:38

Four of the biggest technology firms - Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe - have settled a class action case alleging they conspired to hold down salaries.

The case alleged that the firms agreed not to poach staff from each other, which it claimed prevented workers from getting better job offers.

The firms did not disclose the details of the settlement.

The US lawsuit had claimed $3bn (£1.8bn) in damages on behalf of more than 64,000 workers at the four firms.

If the companies had lost the case and damages were awarded, they could have tripled to $9bn under US antitrust laws.

The case was scheduled for hearing next month and was being closely watched for details about the alleged pact between the firms.

Disclosing tactics?

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We firmly believe that our recruiting policies have in no way diminished competition for talent in the marketplaces"

End Quote Adobe

According to some reports, one email exchange cited in the lawsuit shows Eric Schmidt, former chief executive of Google, telling Steve Jobs the former boss of Apple that a Google recruiter who solicited an Apple employee would be fired.

Mr Jobs forwarded that note to the a top human resources executive at Apple with a smiley face.

Another exchange shows Google's human resources directors asking Mr Schmidt about sharing the no-cold call pact with other competitors.

"Schmidt responded that he preferred it be shared 'verbally, since I don't want to create a paper trail over which we can be sued later?'", the Reuters news agency quoted the court filing as saying.

Chuck Mulloy, spokesman for Intel, said the firm denies any wrongdoing but chose to settle "to avoid the risks, burdens and uncertainties of ongoing litigation.''

Meanwhile, Adobe said in a statement: "We firmly believe that our recruiting policies have in no way diminished competition for talent in the marketplaces.''

Google and Apple declined to comment.

Some of the aggrieved employees in the class-action lawsuit worked at software maker Intuit and filmmakers Pixar Animation and Lucasfilm.

Intuit, Pixar and Lucasfilm had previously negotiated a $20m settlement of the claims against them. That still needs court approval.

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Facebook buys fitness app firm

25 April 2014 Last updated at 13:31

Facebook has added a Finnish firm that makes a fitness tracking app to its ever-increasing portfolio of purchases.

Helsinki-based ProtoGeo created the Moves app that uses a smartphone's built-in sensors to track activity and calories burned.

The acquisition offers the social network an entry into the burgeoning health technology market.

Other recent purchases include mobile messaging firm WhatsApp and virtual headset maker Oculus.

Facebook did not reveal how much it paid for ProtoGeo, which has fewer than 10 employees, but it is believed to be a fraction of the price it has paid for more high-profile firms recently.

It paid $2bn (£1.1bn) for Oculus VR and spent $19bn (£11.3bn) on WhatsApp.

Targeted ads

In a blogpost the fitness firm moved to reassure its users about the purchase.

"For those of you that use the Moves app - the Moves experience will continue to operate as a stand-alone app, and there are no plans to change that or co-mingle data with Facebook."

Meanwhile Facebook said of the purchase: "The Moves team has built an incredible tool for the millions of people who want to better understand their daily fitness activity, and we're looking forward to the app continuing to gain momentum."

The app runs in the background of users' phones, using location data to monitor activities through the day.

The free app has been downloaded more than four million times for both iPhone and Android phones, according to the firm.

Many of the big technology firms are seeing money to be made from health technology. There is a range of fitness bands and smartwatches on the market already.

Apple is rumoured to be on the verge of launching its own smartwatch with fitness features and Google last month launched software for wearables.

But for Facebook, the purchase of a fitness app is likely to be all about new data which will allow it to better target adverts, thinks Alys Woodward, an analyst with research firm IDC.

"They want to know more stuff about what people do and where they are. This is useful information even if they don't tie it back to the individual," she said.

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All of Denmark virtually recreated

25 April 2014 Last updated at 15:56 Continue reading the main story

The whole of Denmark has been recreated, to scale, within the virtual world of Minecraft.

The whole country has been faithfully reproduced in the hugely popular title's building-block style by the Danish government.

Danish residents are urged to "freely move around in Denmark" and "find your own residential area, to build and tear down".

Around 50 million copies of Minecraft have been sold worldwide.

Known as a "sandbox" game, the title allows players to exist in a virtual world, using building blocks to create everything from basic structures to entire worlds.

Minecraft was launched in 2011 by independent Swedish developer Markus "Notch" Persson.

The Danish government said the maps were created to be used as an educational tool - suggesting "virtual field trips" to hard-to-reach parts of the country.

Flat roofs

There are no specific goals to achieve other than continued survival.

Recreating real-world locations is of particular interest for many players.

Last year an intern working with the UK's Ordnance Survey team built geographically accurate landscapes covering 86,000 sq miles (224,000 sq km) of Britain.

The Danish project is more ambitious however, with buildings and towns reproduced in more detail.

The only difference, the team behind it said, was that all roofs were flat.

It has also banned the use of one of the game's typical tools - dynamite.

The full map download of Denmark will be available until 23 October.

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Microsoft completes Nokia phone deal

25 April 2014 Last updated at 16:29

Microsoft has completed its purchase of Nokia's mobile phone business for 5.44bn euros ($7.5bn; £4.5bn).

The deal between the two firms should have been completed earlier this year but it was delayed by a hold-up in regulatory approvals.

The sale will see the end of production of mobile phones by Nokia.

"Today we welcome the Nokia devices and services business to our family," said Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella.

"The mobile capabilities and assets they bring will advance our transformation."

The Finnish company will now focus on networks, mapping services and technology development and licences.

Two Nokia plants will remain outside the deal - a manufacturing unit in Chennai, India, subject to an asset freeze by Indian tax authorities, and the Masan plant in South Korea, which it plans to shut down.

Former Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop has become executive vice president of the Microsoft devices group, in charge of Lumia smartphones and tablets, Nokia mobile phones, Xbox hardware, Microsoft Surface, and Perceptive Pixel (PPI) products.

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