UPDATED: SuSE goes to Novell for $210mn

Novell has acquired Linux vendor SuSE for $210mn in cash, helped by a $50mn hand from IBM. The deal, still subject to regulatory approval, will make Novell the only $1bn software company with its own Linux distro and mean it is also the world's largest supplier of 'desktop-to-server' Linux solutions. In a conference call this afternoon Jack Messman, CEO at Novell, said: 'I can't tell you how pleased we are. ...more

InDesign plug-ins mark the end for PageMaker

Adobe is to discontinue development of its PageMaker page layout software by offering existing users an upgrade path via new plug-ins for InDesign. The decision will mean the end for the software which was originally developed by the now-defunct Aldus and was central to the desktop publishing revolution of the 1980s. Adobe InDesign CS PageMaker Edition comprises the full version of InDesign CS plus the PageMaker Plug-in Pack, which adds a number of PageMaker tools including: story editor, control palette, PageMaker toolbar, position tool, build booklet, data merge and bullets and numbering. ...more

'Government should legalise private CD copying' - report

A think tank has asked the UK government to change a 300-year-old law that would allow private copying of music and films for personal use. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) says that such a move would shield those who transfer their CDs onto their iPods and other MP3 players from prosecution. In its report, Public Innovation: Intellectual property in a digital age the IPPR urges the Government to create a legal 'private right to copy' that would allow people to make copies of CDs, or DVDs for their own use. ...more

PlayStation 3 the key to Blu-ray format triumph - research

The PlayStation 3 looks set to drive Sony's Blu-ray high-definition format into pole position, according to research. Understanding & Solutions says it has identified a huge gap in the numbers of homes in Western Europe which have HD-ready screens and the number of those that have the means to play HD content or receive HD content. The research group predicts that by 2010, some 115m HD-ready screens will be installed in European homes, but only 17m homes will be located within reach of HD broadcast signals. ...more

Nokia and Microsoft declare truce in multimedia war

The world's biggest software company and the world's biggest maker of mobile phones have signed a deal declaring a truce in the DRM and multimedia war that threatened to further split the market for music downloads Microsoft and Nokia have announced they are working together so that customers of the new mobile music service from Nokia and Loudeye can listen to their purchases on both Nokia handsets and on Microsoft Windows XP-based PCs. The mobile music service from Nokia and Loudeye is based on the OMA DRM and MPEG AAC standards and enables a mobile telco to offer a white label solution to their customers so they can search, listen, download and pay for music. The two companies have also signed a long-term agreement to work together on digital media format support. ...more