SCO`s biggest backer walks out

The SCO Group suffered another blow as its biggest backer sold off more than two-thirds of its shares in the company, reports The Inquirer.

The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has also reportedly converted its remaining investment to common stock, which can be sold at a later date. RBC had more than $30 million invested in SCO. The money was to be used in court battles with IBM, Novell and other Linux users, the site reports.

IBM will launch software today for running applications over far-flung networks and devices, its latest attempt to ease the grip of Microsoft`s Office on desktop business software. Seattle Times reports that the company is expected to introduce the new Workplace software technology in New York.

The operating system, for both PCs and handheld devices, includes bundled e-mail, word processing, spreadsheet and database products. It has the backing of such technology leaders as Motorola, Siebel and PeopleSoft, which plan products that will support the IBM technology.

Software developers are designing secret file-sharing networks that will make it harder for the music and file industry to prove cases of piracy, reports The Inquirer. According to Reuters, three file-sharing networks are being planned.

The first is Optisoft, which runs on Blubster and Piolet music-only file-sharing networks. A spokesman for Optisoft said although it would not stop the RIAA from suing users, he couldn`t see how the association could win.

When the new network is released, it will offer two layers of camouflage. Each user has multiple Internet protocol (IP) addresses to mask themselves. Files in the network are disguised to look entirely generic to the outside observer. The multiple IP addresses are taken from other users on the network and distort individual activities.

The latest Pentium M processor from Intel improves on the Banias core by shrinking the fabrication process to 90nm, doubling the cache and boosting the clock speed - all this while keeping the die size roughly the same and reducing power consumption by 10%, reports ZDNet.

The new Dothan (Pentium M) is the company`s first 90nm mobile processor, following the desktop `Prescott` Pentium 4 chip. Inside, it is also the first to be made on 300mm wafers - or dinner-plate-sized slivers of silicon that allow Intel to make more than twice as many chips per wafer than with the older 200mm size. As the other costs of production are comparable, this results in considerable economic benefits to Intel.