Google rules out developing Web browser

Google's Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt has ruled out the development of browser software by the search giant, in the short term. In a conference call with financial analysts yesterday Schmidt denied plans for direct competition with Microsoft's dominant Internet Explorer, reports Reuters. 'It looks like people have some good browser choices already,' the agency quotes Schmidt. ...more

100Mbps DSL broadband services given green light

The International Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) has finalised the specification for DSL broadband services up to 100Mbps. VDSL2 (very-high-bit-rate digital subscriber line 2) uses existing copper wires, and is designed to complement the installation of fibre networks to provide support for high-bandwidth applications such as TV, video-on-demand and videoconferencing. Many operators see it as the ideal accompaniment to fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP), where fibre optic lines are used to link offices or apartment blocks to the network backbone (PSTN) to provide sufficient bandwidth for all the users in each building. ...more

Mozilla extends Firefox 1.5 support

Mozilla has extended support for Firefox 1.5 until mid-May. It had previously said that it would issue no further updates after today. ...more

Criminal gangs threaten online bookies with denial of service attacks

Criminal gangs are trying to blackmail online bookmakers in advance of the Grand National in April, according to the Financial Times. The gangs are threatening DDoS attacks on online web sites servers making it impossible for visitors to contact them to make bets. According to KPMG the British Internet gambling market was worth ?2. ...more

European e-commerce complaints leap by 75 per cent

Complaints about products bought abroad via the Internet leapt by 75 per cent across Europe last year. Almost half of the complaints related to non-delivery of goods, with 38 per cent concerning goods that do not arrive at all. The second largest number of complaints related either to goods being defective or not what was expected when they were ordered. ...more