Flash future for Web advertising

Major players in Web advertising have formed the Macromedia Flash Advertising Alliance, with the aim of establishing standardised practices for the creation and tracking of "rich media" advertising. The alliance includes ad agencies, advertisers, ad serving networks, Web sites and technology vendors, "seeks to build standard practices around the growing momentum surrounding Macromedia Flash by improving the user experience and delivering compelling experiences for advertisers." Alliance members include AOL, DoubleClick, CNET, Excite and MSN. ...more

Mozilla, Apple, Adobe join forces to deliver richer Internet

Several of the leading players in Internet software have joined forces to develop a new browser plug-in technology designed to enable website designers to create 'richer browsing experiences'. The Mozilla Foundation, Adobe, Apple, Macromedia, Opera and Sun Microsystems will extend the Netscape Plugin Application Program Interface, making it more open and scriptable, to allow greater interactivity with plug-in technologies such as Flash, Shockwave, QuickTime and Java. The Mozilla Foundation explains: 'For example, a user shopping for clothing on a website that takes advantage of the new plugin capabilities could mix and match different styles and colors for shirts and pants using an interactive Flash movie, and pricing and other information in an associated Web page would be updated as a result. ...more

IBM subpoenas major tech firms over SCO dealings

IBM has subpoenaed major tech firms and investors to come clean about their relationship with SCO, hinting at a revelatory period in the multi-billion dollar Unix IP suit. SCO, which alleges IBM has improperly used Unix intellectual property it claims as its own, forged a series of agreements that added confidence to its position in the years before and since it launched its suit. Now, as the two adversaries enter the final period to assemble their evidence, IBM has called upon Microsoft, Sun and HP, as well as investors BayStar Capital to reveal the fine detail of those communications. ...more

Tough Tablet PC thuds into the UK

iTronix has announced it will be selling a sub-?2,000 Tablet PC that can withstand extremes of temperature and take a few knocks. From September, the GoBook Tablet PC will be available in the UK for ?1,935 inc VAT and has been built with the outdoor life in mind. It can withstand temperatures of between -20o and 60oC in use and has been tested for ruggedness with 26 consecutive drops of three feet onto plywood over concrete. ...more

Ballmer's Asian IP warning set to backfire

When Steve Ballmer wants to make a stir he makes sure that he makes a big one. At the same venue where he spoke of Bill Gates receiving 4 million emails a day he also chose the meeting of Asian Government Leaders Forum in Singapore to spread another generous helping of fear, uncertainty and doubt about open source software. Citing a report published a few months ago, Ballmer said that Linux violates some 228 existing software patents. ...more