Stories about: Alcatel

In the 19th century, British mathematician Charles Babbage invented the "difference engine," a mechanical computer that had an enormously complex arrangement of levers, ratchets and gears. Had this prototypical chunk of steampunk machinery ever been completely built, it would have weighed several tons.

Data will flow more freely as mobile communications networks move towards a "flat IP" model, but developers and operators will face new security challenges, according to engineers gathered at the Freescale Technology Forum in Paris.

The most significant development in the next major release of MySQL AB's open-source database, MySQL 6.0, will be the inclusion of the vendor's homegrown Falcon storage engine, according to company CEO Marten Mickos.

MontaVista has released a smaller version of its embedded Linux platform and application developer kit to support real-time embedded devices and programs.

3Com this week plans to make a fresh run at Cisco and Juniper with an enterprise network strategy focused on embedding security, management and VOIP services from itself and others into its routers and switches.

Don't hold your breath for "true" broadband wireless services: They'll be based on handheld devices that don't exist yet and networks that have barely been built, according to speakers at the Broadband World Forum in Paris.

Lucent Technologies has filed suit against Microsoft for patent infringement over technology used in its Xbox 360 game console.

Vyatta, an open-source router company, released the first beta version of its WAN router code last week, with the goal of becoming the networking equivalent of Linux or Firefox, but taking aim at Cisco instead of Microsoft.

Motorola plans to expand its range of digital television set-top boxes (STBs) with the acquisition of a Swedish specialist in IPTV (Internet Protocol television) equipment for an undisclosed sum.

Zircon is taking on a new range of server products from Write Vision which it claims will give resellers a simplified way of selling the technology into small businesses.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will take the next crucial step in a four-year-long battle over software patents within the European Union (E.U.) on Wednesday, when they hold a decisive vote on a proposed E.U. law, or directive, on computer-implemented inventions (CII). The proposal has been dubbed the "software patent directive" by its opponents.