Thunderbird is go

The Mozilla organisation has released the first beta version of its standalone email client Thunderbird. Thunderbird is a cross-platform redesign of the Mozilla (and Netscape) mail component. The jack-of-all-trades approach of Mozilla and Netscape, which combines Web browsing, email and instant messaging into a single, large and at times confusing application has often been criticised, and the development of Thunderbird, and its browser equivalent Firebird, is designed to address these criticisms. ...more

A global force for good?

A new organisation is to be launched to support using technology to improve the quality of life. Each year it will sponsor a number of IT-related projects in underdeveloped countries. TEN (Technology Empowered Network) will formally be launched 30 January, and it has already adopted two projects. ...more

Dixons posts strong results, bucks IT trend

Dixons has proved that not every technology retailer must embrace disaster with a five per cent increase in profits in the twelve months ending 28 April. The high street darling produced results at the upper end of analysts' estimates, which is remarkable considering nearly every other retailer dealing with IT products has issued profit warnings and revised estimates. These results exclude the sale of ISP Freeserve to France's Wanadoo, which raised a profit of ?1 billion for shareholders. ...more

Apache to tempt new talent with salaries

The Apache Software Foundation (ASF), the body behind the widely adopted open source Web server among other projects, is considering hiring full-time, paid staff. Currently a volunteer organisation, the extra staff are seen as necessary for future growth. Positions up for grabs would include an executive director, according to Brian Behlendorf, a co-founder and director of the ASF. ...more

The weekly roundup - Friday 27 April

Keep abreast of the news with our weekly roundup of the week's main tech stories. A variety of stories this week. You could say they cover a wide ZX Spectrum, given that the machine that whetted our appetites for personal computers, and got developers developing, marked its 25th birthday this week. ...more