December brings seven Microsoft security bulletins

Microsoft has announced seven bulletins in its monthly security update affecting Windows, IE, Outlook Express and Visual Studio. This is one more than it projected last week, having added a fix for a buffer overflow issue in a Windows Media file format. Last Thursday, Microsoft highlighted the problem as it had seen exploit code publicly available and has turned round a patch sharpish, which it rates as Critical. ...more

Music label accepts demos online

Parlophone has become the first major UK record label to introduce an online demo submission system. A&R Tools lets artists upload mp3s and publicity pictures to Parlophone's A&R team. The system records everything the team has reviewed and allows them to rate tracks and artists, who are automatically informed once their tracks have been reviewed. ...more

CeBIT 2007: Europe opts out of RFID regulation

According to the EU Commissioner, Viviane Reding, the European Commission has opted not to regulate RFID or 'smart radio' tags. Commissioner Reding, the head of the EU's Information Society and Media directorate, said that the technology must be 'allowed to grow'. She added that there are around one billion RFID tags in use worldwide today, but the Commission expects over 500 times as many tags by 2016. ...more

INTERVIEW: Through the Looking Glass - a perspective on Sun's Desktop Strategy

Sun's Java Desktop has been something of a surprise hit, both for Sun and the Linux desktop arena. With major deals such as 200 million seats sold into China already brokered, it is already proving itself a successful alternative to Windows. With a recent refresh, in the form of JDS2, and much enthusiasm for the three-dimensional Looking Glass desktop, it seemed a good time to get to the bottom of Sun's desktop strategy. ...more

SCO sets up website to rival Groklaw

Litigious Unix company SCO is to start up its own website in opposition to Groklaw. Groklaw is an online repository of legal information and commentary on SCO's controversial campaigns to licence its IP to Linux users and legal attacks against IBM and others, set up by paralegal Pamela Jones. Launched shortly after SCO announced its billion dollar suit against IBM and what it claimed were its illegal contributions to Linux, the site quickly grew into a focal point for the Open Source community as it rallied round, sizing up the strength of SCO's position and undertaking painstaking research in defence of Open Source software. ...more