mailto:happy@30th.birthday

Thirty years ago today one Ray Tomlinson sent what became acknowledged as the first ever email, using a 200-line program he wrote himself. Thirty years ago today one Ray Tomlinson sent what became acknowledged as the first ever email, using a 200-line program he wrote himself. Tomlinson was involved in the early development of Arpanet, a US defence department network that was the forerunner of the Internet. ...more

Snap happy DVD player

The PC desertion continues as Apex Digital unveils a DVD player that takes one of the bastions of PC use to the TV - viewing digital photos. The Apex Digital 5131 incorporates a chip that allows the player to read Kodak Picture CDs. You can pan and zoom, catalogue your shots and create slide shows or add special effects. ...more

Wurld Media turns p2p swapping to music biz advantage

Software developer Wurld Media has devised a way to bridge the gap between the freewheeling peer to peer downloads community and the music companies who would like to be paid. The service, which is due to go live at the beginning of next year, is being backed by Sony BMG, Universal Music Group and the Warner Music Group. The network, to be known Peer Impact, is a closed service that allows people to share music tracks. ...more

Napster offers free music player in US downloads battle

Napster in the US is to offer a 'free' music player to its subscribers. Customers who sign up for a year's subscription at $119.40 get a Rio Chiba sport for free. ...more

Microsoft attacks spam with 15 suits

Microsoft has launched a trans-Atlantic flurry of lawsuits against spammers, with two being based in the UK. Representatives from the company would not be drawn on naming the UK defendants, but the suits have been brought under the UK Misuse of Computers Act, alleging the unlawful harvesting of email account names and other illegal spamming practices. CEO of Microsoft EMEA Jean-Philippe Courtois said: 'Spam represents a tremendous issue for our customers,' Courtois said. ...more