Aussie Named Top Programmer
A man from down under came out on top in a competition to find the best programmer.
Australian John Dethridge late last month was crowned the champion of the TopCoder Invitational, beating some 700 programmers from eight countries to win a $50,000 prize.
Each of the four contestants in the final round got 75 minutes to write programs that solve three problems. Points were awarded on the basis of how well the programs worked; each player could challenge competitors work.
The finalists programmed in C++, although Java and C# were also allowed.
HP Taps eBay to Sell Products
Hewlett-Packard last week became the latest big-name IT vendor to put its wares on the virtual store shelves at eBay.
HPs sales portal at eBays electronics marketplace will offer PCs, workstations, low-end servers, handhelds, printers and accessories that were returned by customers but never opened, officials said.
The HP Store on eBay, as it is known, was built on Accentures Connection to eBay service, which helps determine what products to list and how to price them.
Siebel Agrees to Pay SEC Fine
The Securities and Exchange Commission got a big mea culpa from Siebel Systems last week as it took the first steps to enforce the agencys Regulation FD, or fair disclosure, which bars selective release of corporate financial data.
Siebel agreed to pay a $250,000 fine after CEO Tom Siebel discussed sales projections at a Goldman Sachs conference last year.
The SEC also gave slaps on the wrist to Secure Computing and Raytheon for violating Regulation FD but did not fine them.
Motorola, which was also investigated for potential violation of the regulation, was let off the hook because the SEC said it had received incorrect legal advice.
