Fourteen new broadband dates

Fourteen further exchanges have got the green light for ADSL upgrades, the latest successes of BTs broadband registration scheme. The following exchanges will bring the total for May to 34, joining the 20 whose ready-for-service dates were announced in February. The 14 new exchanges and dates are: 14 May - March, Cambridgeshire and Frensham, Surrey; 21 May 2003 - Aberdeen Ashgrove, Grampian; Armthorpe, South Yorkshire; Epping, Essex; Knottingley, West Yorkshire; Lingfield, Surrey; Portishead, Avon; Prestatyn, Clywd; Redditch Old Town, Hereford & Worcester; and Runcorn East, Cheshire; 28 May - Aberdeen Bielside, Grampian; Bewdley, Hereford & Worcester; and Downhall, Essex. ...more

Microsoft responds over power drain issues for XP laptops

Microsoft has replied to claims that it didn't publicly disclose a problem involving USB 2.0 drivers and their adverse effect on battery life. While acknowledging the knowledge-base article was made available in July 2005 - to OEMs, and third-party support organisations - it states it was not made publicly available because the impact was negligible on most systems at the time. ...more

Windows beats Mac OS X on security says report

Mac OS X would appear to be less secure than Windows, as findings show that in the last six months of 2006 Microsoft patched its operating system fewer times than any rival, and turned around those patches far quicker. The information appears in Symantec's newly-published Internet Security Threat Report, which covers the period 1 July to 31 December 2006. Windows Vista was not released to retail until January 2007, so is not included in the report, although as it points out 'In December 2006, Symantec reported a vulnerability in previous versions of Windows that also affects the version of Windows Vista that was released to consumers in January. ...more

And also today (9-May-2001), for the record...

Here, in brief, are some of the day's other stories. The war is over Chinese hackers have called off their cyber war against American sites, having defaced - so they claim - 1,000 of their targets. Reuters reports that the group - known as the Honker Union of China - boasted on the Chinese portal Chinabyte that their goal had been now been reached. ...more

Number of websites charging for content falls - AOP

The Association of Online Publishers has revealed that the number of websites that charge for content has dropped, the first time the figure has fallen in the four years since the AOP began tracking the market. The fall is substantial, from 63 per cent of member sites a year ago to 37 per cent. Rising advertising revenues are behind the fall. ...more