John Lister

Microsoft has announced it will stream movies from Netflix through its Windows Media Center software. It's a major breakthrough in the firm's attempt to make sure that PCs can compete with game consoles and dedicated devices in the streaming market. ... Netflix already provides Xbox 360 DVD rentals , allowing customers to watch directly on their TV sets. Until now, PC users had only been able to watch streaming movies from Netfix on their computer screens. Streaming it to a TV set could only be done through "unofficial" methods and copy protection meant the resulting image would be of a ... (view more)

A website designed for document sharing will soon allow authors to sell electronic copies of their books. The endeavor could mark a dramatic evolution in the publishing industry. Scribd.com will take advantage of its iPaper technology, designed to ... show any document format on any computer. The iPaper format works similarly to Adobe's PDF (portable document format), but is purpose-built for the web and does not require the user have any software installed. Readers can also download the entire file in its original format. At the moment, the site exists for a variety of purposes, such as allowing ... (view more)

Windows users have received a patch meant to fix a potentially serious security loophole in PowerPoint. However, Microsoft has earned criticism for not simultaneously issuing a patch for the Mac edition. Microsoft has been aware of the problem for ... weeks. The issue could let hackers trick users into opening an infected PowerPoint file, and would then be able to take control of a system. Microsoft figured out a solution for Windows, but hasn't yet done so for the Mac edition. This left the firm in an unenviable dilemma about whether to wait until it had a Mac patch ready or issue the Windows ... (view more)

Microsoft says it's working with 10,000 software and hardware manufacturers to maximize the compatibility of Windows 7, in an attempt to avoid one of the most critical issues with Windows Vista. Bill Veghte, the Microsoft executive who oversees ... Windows development, says the work of 10,000 firms towards optimum compatibility is evidence that his company is serious about making the Windows 7 experience a convenient, easy, and enjoyable one. Veghte went on to say that the current efforts are unprecedented for the release candidate stage and Microsoft normally doesn't get to the 10,000 firm ... (view more)

According to a new study, more than 40 per cent of the world's software is pirated. The study also claims the software industry lost $53 billion to pirates last year, though that figure has a major flaw in its calculation. According to the Business ... Software Alliance (BSA), the United States has the world's lowest piracy rate, with just 20% of software being unlicensed. However, the size of its software market means the losses have the biggest financial value, totaling $9.8 million last year. Across the world, the study found that while piracy dropped in the majority of countries, the ... (view more)

An American lawyer is demanding that Facebook executives explain why the site decided to allow users to set-up groups promoting the denial of the Holocaust. Brian Cuban wants CEO Mark Zuckerberg to detail his personal involvement in the decision. ... Cuban, whose brother Mark is the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has previously complained that such groups violate national laws in countries which ban the act of denying the Holocaust, and are thus inherently against Facebook's terms and conditions. However, perhaps recognizing that this logic could be stretched too far (for example, ... (view more)

A couple of improvements to Windows 7 features have emerged. File transfers from computer-to-computer should be easier, while Internet Explorer will give more detail about websites (especially ones that are suspect) in an attempt to increase online ... security and keep users safe online. Windows Easy Transfer: Distinct Profiles The first set of changes is to Windows Easy Transfer, an application designed to make it easier to select and organize the files you want to copy from one computer to another, particularly when switching to a new machine. Rather than presenting users with a list of all ... (view more)

Would-be Windows 7 users have been warned to change a default setting which could leave them vulnerable to attack via bogus files. As a result, Microsoft is taking flak for failing to correct a problem found in previous editions of Windows. Hidden ... File Extensions by Default The issue involves the way Windows Explorer displays filenames. In all editions of Windows after Windows 98, the default setting hides the filename extension (which identifies what type of file it is). This means that a Word file titled 'partyinvite.doc' will show up in Windows Explorer as simply 'partyinvite'. The only ... (view more)

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating a pair of Google board members who fulfill similar roles with tech giant Apple. Such a set-up would be illegal if it in any way affects competition between the two companies. The investigation ... involves Google chief Eric Schmidt and fellow board member Arthur Levinson. Neither company, nor the FTC, have commented on the story, which recently broke through the New York Times. (Source: nytimes.com ) The FTC is reportedly looking into potential breaches of the 1914 Clayton Antitrust Act which bans people from sitting on the board of two ... (view more)

According to reports, Apple is planning to cut its laptop, the MacBook, by around $100-$150. It's as much a response to the competition from netbooks as to the recession. The main source of the rumors is the usually reliable Appleinsider.com site. ... It says Apple's plans to develop a tablet computer -- perhaps like a much larger iPod Touch -- will wind up taking longer than expected. (Source: appleinsider.com ) That's a blow to plans that the tablet will stop users defecting to netbooks, the increasingly popular slimmed-down laptops which offer basic functionality, notably web surfing, at a ... (view more)