GNUPedia is launched

A freely available encyclopaedia, built from contributions collected over the Internet, is the latest goal from the people behind GNU. The philosophy behind GNU can be read, at great length, on www.gnu. ...more

In space, no one can hear you eat popcorn

It must be a little bit dull being an astronaut. Granted, the views of the Earth from space are spectacular, but how does the modern-day space traveller spend their spare time? Sony Electronics must be whooping with joy at the thought that its DVP-FX1 portable DVD player is going to be the first of its kind in space. The little unit will be keeping the three astronauts entertained on the Space Shuttle Discovery, scheduled for launch on March 8. ...more

Government to clamp down on personal data trade

The UK government is proposing to tighten the rules on individuals who share personal data for profit. It has published a consultation which aims to get views from the public and industry on how any new laws should be framed. Trading in personal data is becoming big business. ...more

Leaner BT makes fitter profits

Attributing its success to improved efficiency and cost controls, the telecom giant has reported a quarterly profit of ?322m, which is an increase of 61 per cent on the same period a year ago. In the financial quarter - covering May to June - the debt of the telecom giant was also cut by ?300m. More than ?13bn still remains outstanding, largely as a result of investments in 3G technologies and licences, but the company was faced with a debt mountain of ?30bn as recently as March 2000. ...more

iPod: 'A memory stick with bad software'

The president of Lenovo Europe, Milko van Duijl, delivered his scathing verdict on the iPod to a roomful of European IT journalists, as part of a larger speech on the importance of design. 'The iPod - it's a memory stick with bad software,' he said. 'You can't even delete a song on it without linking it up to a computer. ...more