John Lister

After just four months, Wal-Mart has abandoned its once-promising Linux-based PC experiment. Although no longer available for sale in stores, the company will continue to retail these systems through its website. The 'gPC' made by Everex cost just ... $199, largely because the firm didn't have to pay licensing fees to Microsoft. Linux is an open-source operating system which is free to download and modify. Many of its users find and share ways to improve the system. A spokeswoman said the model was more popular among online buyers. That's likely because Linux is generally used by people who are ... (view more)

Hackers have already found a way into the newest iPhone software, just three months before it's officially launched to the public. The new edition of the software is officially titled version 1.2, though will get the snazzier sounding '2.0' tag on ... its formal launch. Hackers got hold of the software because it's included in Apple's new Software Development Kit (SDK). The main gripe between Apple and the hackers is that, while the firm encourages independent development of features to run on the phone, it wants tight control over how this is done. Apple is demanding they become the exclusive ... (view more)

The head of Facebook is recovering from a disastrous on-stage conference appearance and the irony is that rival service Twitter made things far worse. Mark Zuckerburg was speaking at the South by Southwest Interactive Conference and Festival, an ... annual event that recently added technology to its music and film remit. His appearance took the form of an interview conducted by technology journalist Sarah Lacy, a columnist for Business Week. She repeatedly interrupted Zuckerburg, asked 'softball' questions and even gave away news that Facebook is planning a French launch, an announcement he'd ... (view more)

No sooner has HD-DVD bitten the dust and a new DVD format appears to be launching -- but its creators say they aren't looking for a war with Sony's Blu-ray. New Medium Enterprises, based in London, say their HD VMD system will cost far less and ... therefore won't be a direct competitor. HD VMD, which stands for versatile multilayer discs, is based on the red-laser system found in standard DVD players, unlike Blu-ray which uses a more expensive laser. This means HD VMD players should retail for around $199, one-third cheaper than the lowest-priced Blu-ray machines. To date, virtually no major ... (view more)

In the wake of Toshiba surrendering in the next-generation DVD format wars, the effects of Blu-ray's victory are becoming widespread: Circuit City has announced it's tripling the returns period for HD-DVD players. That means anyone who bought a ... player in the past three months can return it. Customers can't get a refund but will receive store credit. The offer doesn't apply to the discs themselves. Returned HD-DVD players will likely be sold on clearance, and the company says such sales are going well as some people are getting them as a cheap upgrade for watching standard DVDs in better ... (view more)

As Microsoft continues its bid to take over Yahoo, both firms have announced moves to boost their standing in the mobile Internet market. Microsoft has signed a deal to supply its Silverlight system to cell phones made by Nokia. The system is a ... rival to Adobe's Flash software and allows devices to run interactive graphics and animations. At first the system will only be available on high-end Nokia models. However, it's likely to be extended to other handsets, including those from LG and Samsung, so could theoretically wind up on 53% of all smart phones. If Silverlight becomes popular, ... (view more)

A North Carolina man has become the first person jailed in the US for spamming, despite his attempts to cite the First Amendment. The Virginia Supreme Court upheld a nine year sentence given to Jeremy Jaynes, though only by a 4-3 margin. It's ... thought he sent ten million spam messages in July and August of 2003 alone, though the original prosecutors only presented evidence of 53,000 messages sent over a three-day period (it's a felony crime to send more than 10,000 spams a day). He was found guilty on three counts, and given a three year-sentence for each. Jaybes was prosecuted in Virginia, ... (view more)

Search site Ask.com -- formerly Ask Jeeves -- is to ditch 8% of its workforce and re-evaluate its strategy. It seems the site will be revamped from a general search site to one aimed specifically at married women, with an emphasis on lifestyle ... issues. New CEO Jim Safka says research found 65% of the site's users are female, compared with 48% across all search engines. The site is particularly popular with women in their late 30s living in the Midwest and Southeast. (Source: reuters.com ) Ask is currently the fifth biggest search engine, but has a mere 4.5% market share, far behind Google's 58 ... (view more)

The body which regulates British newspapers is considering guidelines to restrict journalists from using social networking profiles as sources. It follows increasing complaints from people who have become the subject of stories and find details from ... sites such as Facebook included in newspaper articles. Tim Toulin, director of the Press Complaints Commission (PCC), said "It's down to the PCC to set the boundaries in a common sense way about what sort of information it is acceptable to re-publish". The PCC is an industry body made up of newspaper editors and independent representatives which ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced surprise price cuts to its Windows Vista operating system, in some cases slashing the cost almost by half. In the United States, the price will drop from $399 to $319 for the hi-spec Ultimate edition. The standard Home ... edition price is falling from $259 to $219. The price cuts vary in other countries, and the new prices will take effect once Service Pack 1, the first major update to Vista, is released. For emerging markets such as Russia and India, Microsoft is dropping its upgrade option, by which existing Windows users can get Vista for a reduced price. They've found ... (view more)