Kodak vs Sun suit moves forward

The penalty phase of Eastman Kodak`s Java patent lawsuit against Sun Microsystems starts this morning, and the outcome could cast a shadow over the future of the Java programming language.

According to InformationWeek, Kodak will likely seek more than $1 billion (R6.5 billion) in damages for Sun`s alleged violation of three object-oriented software patents Kodak holds. Kodak acquired the patents when it bought Wang Laboratories in 1997.

The outcome of the trial is likely to raise new concerns over the holding of patents on software techniques. Widely shared software, such as Linux and Java, may prove vulnerable to patent-infringement claims when proprietary companies say they have rights to certain software processes being duplicated in the shared software.

The patent issue could even impact Microsoft`s .Net technology, some observers say.

Hard drive manufacturer Western Digital has unveiled a new line of 40GB, 60GB and 80GB capacity drives.

The Scorpio line has a rated average seek time of 12ms and comes with a 2MB buffer, with an optional 8MB upgrade. The company claims that models in the Scorpio line are the quietest mobile hard drives on the market. Spokesman Darrin Bulik adds that the Scorpio runs "cooler in tests than competing 4 200rpm and 5 400rpm models it was compared to".

In terms of power consumption, the Scorpio line should use roughly the same amount as 4 200rpm drives while running far faster, reports PCWorld.

The latest mobile phones could contain vulnerabilities in the software that could allow hackers remote access to the devices.

According to organisers of an international conference on computer security, hackers could scroll through a phone`s address book and even eavesdrop on conversations by remote control.

Delegates at the Hack in the Box conference in Malaysia will be shown a demonstration of security flaws found in the Java 2 Micro edition software, jointly developed by Sun Microsystems, Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola.

The mobile industry is aware of these security issues, says McAfee wireless security director Sal Viveros.

He told BBC News Online that the danger was not so much from malicious Java programs, but from badly written code that could have unintentional consequences. "The risk is pretty minimal, but there is a risk out there."