DesignIT 2007 challenges IT pros

It's a chance for IT professionals to show their creative side, and it's charities that benefit. The DesignIT 2007 challenge was launched last night, with three charities - the NSPCC, Global Action Plan and Leonard Cheshire - setting the problems they hope the IT community will help surmount. Examples of the charity challenges include: how can IT help redesign or develop a web service that allows people to calculate their carbon footprint (Global Action Plan)? How can IT help a small scale local arts and crafts shop to benefit from the increased interest in local produce (Leonard Cheshire)? And how can IT provide a mechanism that would validate a user across a number of different media channels, helping to make younger users safer online (NSPCC)? The competition is sponsored by Microsoft and the head of its UK Server Product team, Bruce Lynn, officially launched the event, highlighting a usually unseen side of IT pros: their creativity. ...more

Bulldog collared over broadband ads

Bulldog has had its paws rapped by the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) over radio broadcasts for its 4Mbps broadband. At issue were claims for the speed of the service. According to the broadcast: 'Bulldog broadband want to give you all the internet you can eat and the best service in town. ...more

Advertising keywords pop up from website text

A new Internet advertising technology is threatening to invade the last area of most websites that until now has remained ad-free: the text. Vibrant Media's IntelliTXT system searches content for specified keywords and converts them into a link. Only a difference in colour - the sponsored links will appear in green will distinguish the advertising from editorial links that commonly appear in blue. ...more

Microsoft chief positions Longhorn as mainframe and Unix killer

IT Forum, Barcelona: Windows will not only dominate the desktop, but every area of business infrastructure, according to a leading Microsoft executive. Speaking on the opening morning of Microsoft's Tech-Ed IT Forum in Barcelona, Bob Muglia, Senior Vice president of Microsoft's Server and Tools Business, was bullish about the software giant's chances of moving up the enterprise ladder. The high end of business systems is traditionally the playground of custom designed systems and Unix mainframes. ...more

E-commerce ventures quickly into the black

In a poll of 600 US-based dotcoms and bricks and mortar companies surveyed by researcher IDC, nearly half claimed that their online operations were now profitable. It also revealed that it takes just a year for many companies to turn their e-commerce ventures into money-makers and that the return on investment can be as high as 70 per cent. The respondents said that they are held back from being even more profitable by budgets, skill shortages and weak marketing campaigns. ...more