Desktop boost for Linux from OSDL

Desktop versions of the GNU/Linux operating system received new impetus with the news that the Open Source Development Labs have formed a Desktop Linux Working Group initiative at LinuxWorld on New York. Linux has first found favour as a server platform in the enterprise, but it's now casting its eye farther afield to take on Microsoft's hegemony in the desktop arena at least in the enterprise space. 'Linux has started to make inroads on the desktop in many areas of enterprise computing such as kiosks, fixed-function workstations, technical workstations and point of sale,' said Tim Witham, OSDL lab director. ...more

BPI claims online piracy left it half a billion out of pocket

The BPI has published the results of a study which found that illegal downloading has cost the UK record industry ?650mn over two years. The study by research group TNS compared the buying habits of downloaders with those of non-downloaders in 2003 and 2004 and then estimated what the downloaders could have been expected to spend if they had not acquired music illegally. 'Illegal filesharing has claimed hundreds of millions of pounds in lost revenue, much of which would have been invested in new British music,' said BPI chairman Peter Jamieson. ...more

FBI's Carnivore details are released

The FBI has released the first documents to explain exactly how its e-mail interception software works. This is only the first in a series of publications, but the law enforcement agency is keeping a large number of cards close to its chest. While 565 pages of data were supposedly made available, 400 were heavily censored. ...more

Nokia ships the 7610 video phone

Nokia has begun shipping its new 7610 camera phone throughout Europe. It claims that the new device can capture, print, edit, store and send both still images and videos. The new device enables its owner to record up to 10 minutes of video which can be edited via the built in Movie Director software. ...more

Another .NET release from Microsoft

Microsoft has announced the release of its BizTalk Server 2000. It's designed to allow the building of dynamic business processes that can span across applications and even organisations. The idea is to support the full automation of business processes, sometimes known as B2B integration, and also provide for Enterprise Application Integration (EAI). ...more