Microsoft holds on to fighting fund

Microsoft told shareholders at its AGM this week that it would not be paying them any dividend from its $40.5 billion cash holdings. The money will be kept back at least until all the outstanding legal challenges the the company faces have been resolved. ...more

New online help for charities launched

A Web site for the voluntary sector is claiming to set a new benchmark for accessibility and good design. The site - askNCVO - provides 'best practice' help and guidance for charities involved with the voluntary sector. Areas covered include how to raise money, manage finance and general legal issues. ...more

Printers strike over waste ink

PC Pro readers are up in arms after it emerged that leading printers stop working in as little as two years. Ray Marco contacted us after his two-year-old Canon Pixma iP1500 refused to print, after producing an error message which said: 'The waste ink absorber is full. Contact the service centre for the replacement of the waste ink absorber. ...more

UK surfers turn away from the USA

Figures released by the London Internet Exchange (LINX) show that UK surfers are more often pointing their collective browsers at UK and European Web sites than those based in the USA. LINX, which handles roughly 96 per cent of the UK's Internet Traffic, claims that 34 per cent of UK traffic was destined for UK and European destinations, with 30 per cent headed across the Atlantic. Asian countries accounted for 22 per cent. ...more

E-mails banned on Friday

I don't know about you but when it comes to e-mail, I'm a real Norman No-Mates with my mailbox just visited by the usual selection of pornographic spam. But electronic mail has caught on faster than SMS messaging and some companies believe that it is affecting productivity and actually stifles creativity. Already companies such as Nestle Rowntree and Camelot have told their employees not to read their e-mails on Fridays. ...more