Dell sets itself $80bn sales target

Dell has set itself a target of $80 billion in annual saleses in the next few years. By strange coincidence that happens to be the same as the revenue level of arch rival Hewlett Packard CEO Kevin Rollins, unveiled the target whilst reassuring analysts that the company was on course to hit this year's goal of $60bn in sales. However, Rollins refused to be drawn on when the $80bn target is likely to be met. ...more

Secure Shell found to be not so secure

A number of vendors' versions of the Secure Shell transport layer are open to attack, a company has found. The SSH transport layer is the source of a whole range of security options which are supposed to protect networks from attack. Among the options SSH provides are strong encryption, cryptographic host authentication, and integrity protection. ...more

Industry predicts online music consolidation

Music industry chiefs gathered at this week's Midem conference in Cannes are warning that a 'shakeout' is looming in the digital music market. There are currently around 355 downloads stores worldwide, but with Apple's share of the market rising to 83 per cent, many of the smaller operators will soon be forced out or absorbed by a larger rival. 'I don't imagine all these services can last,' said Gabriel Levy, head of music in Europe for RealNetworks. ...more

An Oscar for the Toy Story crew

One of the best DVD packages around at the moment is the Toy Story Toy Box, containing both movies and a host of extras. So it comes as no surprise that Pixar is being recognised for its software developments. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will be presenting an Oscar for scientific and technical achievements to Pixar for their Renderman software. ...more

The Christmas present no one wants

A federal agency in the United States has warned of increased hacking activities over the Christmas festivities. The National Infrastructure Protection Center has issued a warning of an "increase in hacker activity specifically targeting US systems associated with e-commerce". Sources of information behind the alert include the FBI. ...more