BT uses bar-room technology to fine-tune fibre pipes

BT has solved a major problem en route to connecting UK homes and businesses with optical fibre using beer pipes. Technology used to join lengths of piping for delivering beer from barrel to bar proved ideal for joining optical fibres, which work best when they have as few joins as possible. Optical fibres will play a big part in BT's 21st Century Network programme, as they enable the delivery of high bandwidth content such as video. ...more

Filippino company claims to run Windows apps on Linux

Phillippines-based start up company SpecOps Labs claims to have developed software that will allow Windows applications to run on the Linux operating system. Codenamed David (as in he who slew Goliath), the company claims that the package will be available by the end of this year. SpecOps's website is short on specific detail but says that David 1. ...more

Apple caps iPod volumes

A software update for the iPod gives users greater control over maximum volume settings for Apple's portable music player. The move follows concerns being raised - by the RNID among others - about the threat of permanent hearing damage. Indeed, Apple has been sued over this issue by a Louisiana man. ...more

RAR vulnerability reported for antivirus software

A 'critical' vulnerability has been discovered in Symantec's antivirus software, according to independent security researcher Alex Wheeler. The problem, he believes, could mean that the anti-virus software could actually let in the very malware that it is designed to identify and block. Security firm Secunia has labelled the vulnerability as 'highly critical'. ...more

W3C releases Amaya version 4.3

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) updates its testing tool, Amaya. It's a browser and authoring tool that helps check conformance with Web Standards. The Open Source project is also designed to help demonstrate new areas of Web protocols. ...more