Double trouble for WorldCom

Financial discrepancies at the troubled telecommunications firm WorldCom are now believed to be at twice the level previously reported. Financial statements for the year 2000 will have to be redone.. ...more

BT sets SDSL prices for September launch

BT is set to launch SDSL broadband on 8 September and has released details of what connection speeds will be available and for how much. The IPStream Symmetric service - as the SDSL product is known - will be available at four speeds: 256kbit/sec, 512kbit/sec, 1Mbit/sec and 2Mbit/sec costing ?1,440, ?1,680, ?2,520 and ?3,000 a year respectively for a minimum one-year contract. The connection charge will be ?450. ...more

Microsoft signs up LG for Linux patent protection

LG Electronics has become the latest - and biggest - company to make a patent cross-license agreement with Microsoft concerning the use of Linux. The South Korean electronics firm is following in the wake of Novell, and more recently Xandros, in cutting an intellectual property deal with Microsoft. In LG's case the agreement covers using 'Microsoft-patented innovations' in its products, such as LG's Linux-based embedded devices. ...more

BPI turns its aim toward corporate IT managers

The BPI is turning its attention to corporate IT managers as it continues to step up its fight against unauthorised file sharing. The UK record industry's main representative body is sending a booklet to the country's largest employers warning them of the potential cost of file sharing in the workplace. 'Illegal filesharing in the workplace not only wastes employee time, it may also open up employers themselves to the risk of litigation,' said BPI chairman Peter Jamieson. ...more

Microsoft seeks to command and control scripting

IT Forum, Barcelona: Microsoft today announced the official release of its command-line Windows scripting tool, Powershell. It's designed to address the age-old complaint that Unix and Linux users have access to far more powerful command-line tools than Windows power users have ever had with the old DOS-based Command Prompt. The software's available to download from Microsoft's official Powershell site. ...more