FTSE 100 companies 'don't get the net'

The UK's top companies have been criticised in a new survey for their use of the internet when communicating with shareholders. The study of FTSE 100 companies - carried out by SmithsInteractive.com - criticises the corporations for their lack of online interactivity, often sacrificing searchable, navigable HTML-based content for the simplicity of a single downloadable PDF document. ...more

Sober virus set to continue reign

Antivirus vendors have totted up the figures for December, with some showing nearly four in five reports accountable to the Sober worms. Sophos put the Sober-Z worm at number one for the month, claiming 78.9 per cent of reports. ...more

AOL, Microsoft settle antitrust suit

Industry giants Microsoft and AOL have cut a deal over the private antitrust lawsuit filed by AOL in 2002. The action alleged that Redmond used unfair practices during the browser wars with Netscape in the mid 90's. Netscape Communications is now a subsidiary of AOL. ...more

ISPs plug into extended ADSL

Several ISPs have begun taking orders from households who will soon be brought within reach of broadband ADSL services for the first time. Eclipse Internet, Freedom2Surf, NDO, PlusNet and Zen are accepting orders ahead of BT Wholesale's 6 September changes. From then 512Kbps services will be available to properties regardless of how far they are from the exchange; the current limit is around 6km. ...more

Nildram joins SDSL trial

Nildram is the latest ISP to join BT's SDSL broadband trials, and is looking for businesses that may be interested in the service. Symmetric Digital Subscribers Line (SDSL) broadband differs from ADSL in providing equal upstream and downstream speeds. To a home user this is generally unimportant, as most of the data transfer is downstream, from the Internet to the computer. ...more