2003: Quotes of the year

By Alun Williams

Posted on 22 Dec 2003 at 16:49

Here's a selection of some of the memorable, funny or bizarre things we found in 2004. Topics range from spam rage, UK broadband rollout, Web patents and fifth-generation LCD production capacity [are you sure? - Ed]. But we begin, almost inevitably, with the long-running IBM and SCO dispute, and SCO's CEO McBride in surreal mode...

SCO pulls IBM's Unix licence, Tuesday 17th June 2003

SCO's CEO McBride had said in an interview given to CRN that he expected IBM to 'blacken the Utah skies' with lawyers.`

Web inventor asks US Patent Office to anull Eolas patent, Wednesday 29th October 2003

'The Web functions only on the strength of its common standards,' said Tim Berners-Lee in an open letter to the US patent office. 'The '906 patent will cause cascades of incompatibility to ripple through the Web.'

BT says 100 per cent broadband can be done, Monday 17th November 2003

'We need a new approach to regulation, one that overcomes the instinct to regulate and harmonise.'
Prime Minister Blair to the CBI, speaking on 100 per cent target rollout of broadband for the UK. 'And we need to do this quickly because the rest of the world will not wait for us to adapt.'

IDF Fall 2003: Intel backs the renaissance of radio, Friday 19th September 2003

'Before I retire I want Intel technology to touch every person in the world every minute of every day.' This was the startling statement from the closing IDF keynote of Pat Gelsinger, Intel's chief technology officer. He had been talking about Intel's drive to make wireless networking ubiquitous by integrating radios into every processor it shipped.

LCD panels in short supply for Christmas, Monday 13th October 2003

'Capacity now coming online from fifth-generation LCD fabs is being sucked up in a perfect storm of panel demand,' said Rhoda Alexander, Director of Monitor Research at iSuppli/Stanford Resources, rather dramatically speaking of simultaneous surges in demand from the notebook computer, television and desktop PC monitor markets for the most popular sizes of LCD panels.

Spam rage man arrested in California, Tuesday 25th November 2003

'Being blitzed by spam and a barrage of penis pop-up ads is enough to send anyone a little bit loopy,' said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. 'However, the answer is not to become a modern day Dirty Harry, taking the law into your own hands to clean up the streets of the internet from spammers. Instead, you should follow best practice to avoid your email address falling into the hands of spammers and run a consolidated solution to protect your computer against both spam and virus attack.'

Graham Cluley of Sophos comments on the story of a Californian man enraged at receiving too mcuh computer spam.

If you have any other favourites from the year, let us know by leaving a comment via the link below.