Microsoft moves to block friend of court filings

Microsoft has appealed to the US Court of Appeals to disallow the filing of court briefs by supporters of the government anti-trust suit. The court had asked the government and Microsoft whether groups hoping to file briefs should be allowed to do so, and Microsoft has now outlined two objections. First, it argues that its competitors should not be allowed to file multiple 25-page amicus briefs, or, if they are participate at all, they should file a single 25-page joint brief. ...more

Google wants your ISP's email

Your ISP email could be turned into a Gmail account if the search giant has its way. The company is offering to host email, calendars and other online apps on behalf of ISPs as part of its Google Apps Partner Edition. And it's not only small ISPs that Google is targeting; it claims the service is 'specifically designed for ISPs, portals, and other service providers, whether you have a few thousand subscribers or over a million'. ...more

Universal Music slashes CD prices

One of the big five global music companies Universal Music Group has slashed the wholesale prices of its CDs and cassettes in the US. The move is seen as an attempt to head off the growing threat to its business from piracy and illegal downloads. From the beginning of October, the price of CDs to retailers will be cut by between 16 and 24 percent. ...more

Bill Gates gives boost to Computer History

Bill and Melinda Gates' charitable foundation has given $15mn to the Computer History Museum in California. The donation from the trust set up by Microsoft founder and his wife will be used to create an interactive exhibition showing the history of computing and its impact. 'The impact on our society of the computing revolution is simply breathtaking. ...more

ICANN makes .xxx extinct

The board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has rejected a bid to create an adult .xxx top level domain (TLD). Campaigners argue that the TLD will make websites with sexual content easier to filter out for those that don't want to view it, and easier to find for those that do. ...more