Oracle joins Rivals to offer free software
Oracle last week unveiled a free version of its flagship database software, taking a stand against various other free, entry-level database programs in the market. Its eponymous Oracle Database 10g Express Edition, available on 32-bit Linux and Windows operating systems, offers application developers, database administrators and students a free starter database to develop and deploy their applications. It is also freely available for independent software and hardware vendors
US Botmaster member charged
A California man was charged by the United States government last week with selling access to virus-infected computers that attack other computers and send unsolicited e-mails on the internet, according to a Bloomberg report. Jeanson James Ancheta, 20, was indicted on charges of conspiracy, money laundering and computer fraud. He wrote 'malicious computer code' which he distributed to people for launching virus attacks, the government said. The US Attorney's Office said Ancheta was 'a well-known member of the botmaster underground'. The 'underground' consists of people who run botnets, or collections of linked computers that spread viruses. The charges against Ancheta are the first of their kind in the US.
Closer eye on the securities market