Netscape Internet software updated

The Netscape Web browser, email and chat client has been updated, incorporating the most recent Mozilla developments. Based on the open source Mozilla project's latest release, this update features better popup blocking, vCard support, an improved junk mail algorithm, better standards support, performance enhancements, patches for recent security vulnerabilities and several hundred other bug fixes. Details are listed in the release notes. ...more

The French out bet the British in online gambling

The French have taken to online gambling like a duck a l'orange to water, according to Europe-wide figures from analysts Nielsen//NetRatings. February's numbers showed that more than 22 per cent of those online spent over an hour betting. This was about three times the average UK online gambler spent having a flutter. ...more

Government focuses e-services on digital television

Television to be key framework for delivering government services online. At a product launch of an Internet-enabled set-top box, Anwar Choudhury, Director of Markets Technology and Innovation, revealed 'a new policy programme that requires every government department to consider digital television (DTV) as a key framework for delivering online services'. Choudhury said that while league tables showed we are near the top for e-commerce and making strides with broadband, the UK leads the way for digital television with 40 per cent of households owning a DTV set. ...more

Blu-ray discs to adopt same DRM as rival HD-DVD

Blu-ray discs will employ the same digital rights management (DRM) anti-copying technology as the rival HD-DVD format, the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has revealed. The discs, recorders and players will use the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) to prevent unauthorised disc copying. The BDA said that AACS' support for future 'usage models' based around home networks and the Internet was a major factor in its decision. ...more

Sony rootkit DRM to spark copycat viruses

Security company F-Secure says it is expecting to see viruses exploiting the rootkit technology used in Sony's DRM software Security company F-Secure says it is expecting to see viruses exploiting the rootkit technology used in Sony's DRM software anytime now. F-Secure's Chief Research Officer Mikko Hypp?nen said that the company was already in discussions with Sony before the news broke on Monday, but because of the huge security risks that this information poses those talks were behind closed doors. 'We didn't go public with the info at the time as we were worried with the implications (especially with the info on how outsiders can hide files which have names starting with "$sys$"),' he said. ...more