■ Software
Microsoft revises licenses
Microsoft Corp will revise licenses offered to competitors, responding to US government demands that the agreements make it easier and cheaper to build products that work with the Windows operating system. Microsoft will eliminate a requirement that licensees sign non-disclosure agreements, reduce licensing costs and lift other restrictions for software makers who want access to the communications codes that enable programs to operate with Windows. The changes come after the Justice Department received complaints from rivals about Microsoft's compliance with elements of a consent decree designed to correct its Window monopoly.
■ Microprocessors
New chip unveiled
In the biggest gamble of its 33-year history, Advanced Micro Devices Inc was scheduled yesterday to launch a high-powered microprocessor that makes a distinct break from the path of rival Intel Corp. Unlike past AMD 32-bit chips that were effectively Intel clones, Opteron can process data in 64-bit chunks. AMD's new processor will run programs without suffering in performance, something Intel's comparable, more expensive chip, cannot equal. Though Opteron could offer a smooth transition from 32-bit to 64-bit computing and help AMD crack the lucrative server market, the company faces considerable challenges in getting the chip in machines.
■ Human resources
Asia leads in technology
The Asia-Pacific region leads the world in the number of companies using "advanced enabling technologies" in their human resources (HR) departments, a study said yesterday. Eighty-nine percent of respondents said they have a current business-to-employee Web-based environment or are planning one, according to the survey by PwC Consulting. The study is based on HR benchmarking data gathered from 223 companies in the Asia-Pacific region. The study found 79 percent of companies in the region included HR leaders in their top management, compared to 67 percent globally.
■ Ethics
Teashop scam exposed
A struggling teashop owner in China lured customers by placing lonely-heart advertisements seeking a lover and then fixing rendezvous in her cafe, a news report said yesterday. She would then meet suitors in her tea shop in Haidian and order the most expensive dishes on the menu before making her excuses and leaving, the South China Morning Post reported. The woman was arrested after ordering kitchen staff to beat up one suitor who asked for a discount from his bill. She and her staff were arrested for extortion.
■ Accounting
Fraud allegations raised
SK Global Co, the trading business of South Korea's fourth-largest industrial group, may have committed 5 trillion won (US$4.1 billion) of accounting fraud, triple the total it has admitted. Hana Bank and 11 other creditors called an urgent meeting with SK Global officials to discuss the allegation, made Monday in court by the company's former chief financial officer. A spokesman said the allegations were a mis-understanding and don't affect its overall debt. Widening fraud at SK Global might increase the burden on SK Telecom Co and other group affiliates that creditors want to help reduce the trading company's 8.2 trillion won of debt.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft