Build your own search engine

How do you fancy being Larry Page with your own fully tricked search engine to play with? You would? How much would you consider paying? $1 billion? $100 million? How about one dollar? That is the astonishing offer being made by Alexa, the little known search engine produced by online e-tailing giant Amazon. The company has introduced a Web Search Platform Beta. The company is putting a set of tools and an API at the disposal of budding search tycoons to allow them to develop new services from the Alexa search index Although not the first company to come up with the idea of a set of search-based tools, for example Optevi is developing something similar, this is the first time that such an initiative has come from a company with the finance to back it. ...more

2006: year of the e-Election?

In a bid to tackle 'voter apathy', the Government has big plans that will result in the 2006 general election being 'electronically enabled'. In a Spending Review White Paper, the Chancellor has hived off ?10M per year to be devoted to e-voting. The report says: 'A programme of work to achieve successful implementation of e-voting is already under way to ensure that robust systems can be in place for an e-enabled General Election after 2006. ...more

Mono shines Microsoft's Silverlight on Linux

The head of the Mono open source project has said that it will release a Linux version of Microsoft's new Silverlight Web plug-in before the end of the year. Miguel de Icaza announced the planned port after Microsoft officials attending the MIX07 conference said that they would monitor demand before extending support beyond Windows and Mac OS X. It has prioritised a version for Windows Mobile over any possible Linux development. ...more

Iomart sells Madasafish

Scottish ISP Iomart has bailed from the consumer market by selling Madasafish for ?3m. The firm will now concentrate on providing business services. The identity of the investors who bought Madasafish remains unclear, but according to Iomart's financial director David Harrison, they are buying a "viable business". ...more

Microsoft adds PC-to-phone service to MSN Messenger

Microsoft and US phone giant MCI have signed a deal to enter the fast growing computer-to-phone VoIP service. The snappily titled 'MCI Web Calling for Windows Live Call' will be available through Windows Live Messenger, the replacement service to MSN Messenger. The service is currently being tested by MCI and Microsoft as a beta programme to subscribers within the US. ...more