Christmas virus woe

The worse case scenario for anyone this Christmas is to have his or her computer disabled by an errant virus, only to discover that there's no help available because everyone is on holiday. Be warned, a virus called W32.Kriz is doing the rounds and this little monster can get into your system by hitching a ride on the back of other worm viruses such as Happy99. ...more

Canadian pharmacy websites look to UK

Canada's online pharmacies are making plans to move to Britain according to the Financial Times. The sites are planning their move after the Canadian government threatened to outlaw the procedure known as 'co-signing' whereby a Canadian doctor countersigns a prescription made out in the US to a patient they have never seen. If the practice is outlawed, it would mean the end of Canada's burgeoning online pharmacies in the country. ...more

Google trials updated Blogger service

Google has begun offering a selected group of users of its Blogger service a chance to play around with a set of new features. These include keyword tagging and a new point-and-click, drag-and-drop customisation interface. Customising Blogger blogs has until now required at least a rudimentary knowledge of HTML and CSS. ...more

Microsoft widens the release of the new 'Avalon' UI

Microsoft has released a preview version of its next generation graphical interface. Originally intended for the 'Longhorn' version of Windows, slated for release in 2006, Microsoft now says that it will be releasing versions for Windows XP and Windows 2003 Server. According to Microsoft, the ambitious Avalon project 'unifies how Windows creates, displays, and manipulates documents, media, and (the) user interface'. ...more

Microsoft to ship new Korean Windows

Microsoft has announced will ship new versions of its Windows operating systems in Korea. The decision follows the failure of an appeal against an anti-trust ruling. Last December the Korean Fair Trade Commission found that the integration of Media Player and Instant Messaging capabilities into Windows contravened South Korea's Fair Trade Law. ...more