In brief: Ethernet Alliance to push new uses for Ethernet

An industry group is expected to launch this week with the goal of promoting Ethernet for more than traditional network applications. The Ethernet Alliance says it will push for the technology's use in carrier networks and consumer electronics, for example, plus promote emerging IEEE 802 Ethernet standards. The group's goal includes promoting interest in emerging standards such as 10G Ethernet over unshielded twisted-pair cabling - expected to debut later this year - and research into the next-generation flavor of Ethernet, with speeds of 40Gpbs and 100Gbps.

While touting technology so ubiquitous as Ethernet may seem like promoting PC keyboards or evangelizing the wheel, the alliance says it also will educate other industries and sectors that are just starting to work with Ethernet. Reflecting this broader reach is the mixed lineup of alliance members, including 3Com, Broadcom, Intel, Pioneer, Samsung, Sun and Tyco Electronics.

EMC is stepping up its grid technology activities via a tie-up with customer information management company Acxiom that includes EMC paying $30 million to purchase Acxiom's information grid software. For the next two years EMC and Acxiom will jointly develop and market an Acxiom-hosted and Acxiom-branded information grid to customers. During that same time period, the two companies will work on building non-hosted business intelligence grid software customers can deploy within their own firewalls. The non-hosted grid will become an EMC product. Although EMC will own the information grid software, Acxiom will continue to have access to it and be able to develop it further and use it in connection with its business.

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An industry group is expected to launch this week with the goal of promoting Ethernet for more than traditional network applications. The Ethernet Alliance says it will push for the technology's use in carrier networks and consumer electronics, for example, plus promote emerging IEEE 802 Ethernet standards. The group's goal includes promoting interest in emerging standards such as 10G Ethernet over unshielded twisted-pair cabling - expected to debut later this year - and research into the next-generation flavor of Ethernet, with speeds of 40Gpbs and 100Gbps.

While touting technology so ubiquitous as Ethernet may seem like promoting PC keyboards or evangelizing the wheel, the alliance says it also will educate other industries and sectors that are just starting to work with Ethernet. Reflecting this broader reach is the mixed lineup of alliance members, including 3Com, Broadcom, Intel, Pioneer, Samsung, Sun and Tyco Electronics.

EMC is stepping up its grid technology activities via a tie-up with customer information management company Acxiom that includes EMC paying $30 million to purchase Acxiom's information grid software. For the next two years EMC and Acxiom will jointly develop and market an Acxiom-hosted and Acxiom-branded information grid to customers. During that same time period, the two companies will work on building non-hosted business intelligence grid software customers can deploy within their own firewalls. The non-hosted grid will become an EMC product. Although EMC will own the information grid software, Acxiom will continue to have access to it and be able to develop it further and use it in connection with its business.

Ending a long-running investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, McAfee has agreed to pay a $50 million penalty and set up an anonymous "ethics hotline" in which its employees, customers and resellers can report alleged unlawful behavior. The hotline, currently under development, will consist of a toll-free telephone number and a Web site, where complaints can be lodged anonymously. Once entered, complaints will be forwarded to McAfee's ethics committee for evaluation. As part of the settlement, the company also has agreed to appoint an independent consultant within 30 days to review McAfee's accounting practices. Since March 2002 the SEC had been examining whether McAfee, formerly called Network Associates, had properly accounted for a December 2000 change in the way it booked software revenue.

Microsoft has released a version of the Python programming language for its .Net development platform. The .Net platform provides a common interface and libraries of commonly used functions to help developers write applications for versions of the Windows operating system. Dynamic languages such as the open source Python help application developers by reducing the amount of complex code they have to write, instead relying on the underlying capabilities of a runtime library of functions provided by the language developer, Microsoft says on a Web page about the project.