Life is like a sack of potatoes

German police are investigating after a man returned a computer he had just bought, saying it was packed with small potatoes instead of computer parts. Reuters reports that the store replaced the computer free of charge, but became suspicious when the man returned a short time later with another potato-filled computer casing.

"The second time he said he didn`t need a computer any more and asked for his money back in cash," a police spokesman said. Police are now investigating the man for fraud.

Oracle`s CFO, Jeff Henley, has replaced CEO Larry Ellison as chairman of the software maker.

The company`s board of directors yesterday split the responsibilities of CEO and chairman of the board, both of which had been handled by Ellison. Ellison stays on as CEO, reports eWeek.

Intel`s next-generation audio specification, previously codenamed "Azalia", has a new moniker: "Intel High Definition Audio." This, the company claims, brings consumer electronics quality audio to the PC. It is designed to implement a range of audio, modem and communications functionalities in PCs, handhelds and consumer electronics devices.

IBM customers will get a chance next week to kick the tyres of "Stinger", the anticipated next-generation version of the company`s DB2 Universal Database. IBM will offer a sneak peek of the product`s new Linux support and features during live demos at the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo in New York, reports eWeek.

If Microsoft can`t beat Unix and Linux outright, it can at least improve its interoperability with these operating systems, reports eWeek. And it has put forward its Services for Unix (SFU) technology as its best bet, the site comments.

Microsoft is set to take the wraps off the newest version of its SFU 3.5 technology this week, a week in advance of the LinuxWorld Expo show in New York.

About 20% of all Windows-based computers still run Windows 95 or 98. Support for Windows 98 and 98 SE was going to expire on Friday, and Windows ME would have lost support on 31 December.

But according to AP, Microsoft has reversed a decision to stop support for some older Windows operating systems, saying some customers in developing countries were not aware of the change. Microsoft will maintain paid phone support for the operating systems and review security threats to determine whether it will provide customers with security patches through 30 June 2006.