And also today (19-Apr-2001), for the record...

Here, in brief, are some of the day's other stories. Microsoft settles one case with the EC Microsoft has been under investigation from the EC over its investments in European cable television groups (over concerns of anti-competitive pressure for them all to run Microsoft software). The case is now closed, however, with no action taken - reports the Daily Telegraph - because Microsoft has promised to "modify" its relationship with some of those involved, such as NTL. ...more

Microsoft warns of critical flaw in Office

Microsoft has warned of a critical flaw in Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications affecting Office users and Visual Basic developers. It's a familiar story. The problematic software in question doesn't properly check the properties of documents when they are opened, and thus a specially constructed document could exploit this, using an unchecked buffer to run code on the system. ...more

Microsoft's stakes Web services claim with huge data centre

In a century-old farming town in central Washington state, Microsoft has built a farm for the Internet age. But rather than corn or cows, this farm teems with computer servers and data storage systems that will serve as the backbone of Microsoft's effort to combat escalating competition on the Web from Google and others. Microsoft's new data centre in Quincy, Washington, is its largest 'server farm' to date - big enough to house seven football fields - and a physical manifestation of the company's giant ambitions to be a force in the world of Web services. ...more

Sony says yes to in-game trading

Sony is embarking on a new project to enter a market worth some $200mn in its estimation. That market is the business of trading virtual items within the online gaming worlds: in Sony's particular case it is setting up exchange systems for its EverQuest II game. In an address to the EverQuest community, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) president John Smedley wrote that despite the company's previous opposing stance on the subject, the decision to enable such trading is a response to high level of behind the scenes exchanges that currently occur and the fact that 40 per cent of customer service's time is spent dealing with these issues. ...more

BPI Chief 'does not rule out' suing downloaders

Peter Jamieson, the Executive Chairman of the BPI has warned that it may follow the RIAA in the US and sue individual downloaders. In a speech in Manchester he outlined the BPI's plans to halt the spread of illegal file sharing. Jamieson told his audience that the `anarchists would like to add the internet to . ...more