MS demands open source royalties

Microsoft reportedly wants open source software users to pay royalties on 235 alleged patent violations, says ComputerWorld.

Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, and Horacio Gutierrez, the company's VP of intellectual property and licensing, said open source software, including Linux, violates 235 Microsoft patents.

"This is not a case of some accidental, unknowing infringement. There is an overwhelming number of patents being infringed," Gutierrez said.

AMD confirmed the brand name for its next-generation dual and quad-core desktop processors - Phenom, reports TGDaily. Non-disclosure agreements prevented the brand name being released earlier.

The company has always relied on brand names with implicit connotations - and Phenom is no exception. AMD representatives said the word "phenomenal" is the source of the new processor's brand.

With the introduction of the new brand, AMD will drop the "64" add-on to all of its processors. Phenom processors will immediately be positioned on the high-end and mainstream of AMD's desktop processor portfolio and push down the Athlon X2 into the lower-end mainstream.

Microsoft gave a sneak peek of its Halo 3 video game on Friday, saying the next chapter of the fast-paced shooter trilogy will help it fend off competition from Sony and Nintendo, reports News.com.

"The graphics can use some work... They're not much different than the previous Halo," said Nicholas Puleo, editor of gaming news Web site Evilavatar.com. "They've got five, six months until release, so they'll add some polish... When I compare it to other things in the platform, it's not a standout."

Microsoft staged previews in New York and San Francisco, on Friday, in advance of the public test, or "beta", of the game, which goes live on Wednesday.

The UK-based Edexcel examination board will add RFID tags to its GCSE and A-level exam papers, to curb cheating, says Arstechnica.com.

The tags will be embedded in many of the exam packages, which come bundled in secure bags that are supposed to stay untouched until exams start. The RFID tags can be used to detect if the bags have been opened prematurely and if exams have been removed, which would indicate potential fraud.

"Incidents involving stolen papers are extremely rare, but the potential impact is massive," said Jerry Jarvis, Edexcel's MD.