Timeline sues Microsoft (again)

Intellectual property company Timeline has reopened a patent battle with Microsoft. In a new complaint to a court Timeline alleges that Microsoft SQL Server infringes its patents by creating databases for online analytical processing (OLAP). The complaint also alleges that Microsoft has breached the terms of an earlier agreement that gave it a limited licence to Timeline's patented technology. ...more

Zen and the art of USB 2

Creative has created a USB 2.0 version of its Jukebox Zen digital audio player. The significance of USB 2. ...more

Web fraud exposed

More than 90 per cent of online credit card frauds don't lead to prosecution, according to a recent survey by credit rating agency Experian. The survey of 800 internet retailers found that only 57 per cent bothered to report instances of fraud. Of those that did, the police followed up less than half of the cases. ...more

10-03-2001 Essential news of the week

Brought neatly together and presented on a plate, here is a roundup of some of the week's main news stories from the world of IT. No cheers for Yahoo New Palm, more memory OS X complete AMD squeezes Intel on cheaper chips Compaq pushes iPaq PDAs to 64Mb Universal gives Napster a second look A HERO for all institutions LineOne drops half its value Springtime for Office XP Linux PDA looks Sharp Intel goes smaller and faster Only on the Internet.. ...more

EU data retention laws move closer

The EU has taken a step closer to introducing new data retention laws after the European Parliament's civil liberties committee backed proposals to store details of all Internet usage and telephone calls for up to 12 months. Telecoms firms and ISPs usually store details for billing purposes for a maximum of three months but several countries, most notably the UK, have pressed for compulsory retention of records for much longer as part of the fight against terrorism and organised crime. Alexander Alvaro, the German MEP who is charged with getting the bill through parliament, believes that the committee's two-thirds majority in its favour should see it pass the full vote next month. ...more