Internet

Just because they're the biggest software company in the world and, at the very least a heavy-hitter in the webosphere, Microsoft doesn't always have all the answers. The Redmond-based firm is struggling to determine exactly why millions of Hotmail ... users were recently barred from accessing their accounts. Although the problem has since been fixed, for several hours earlier this week about 80 million Hotmail users were unable to log in to their email or instant messaging accounts. The issue affected Hotmail fans around the world early yesterday afternoon, UK time. According to Microsoft, a few ... (view more)

Two congressmen have proposed laws which would enforce the principle of net neutrality. That's the idea that broadband providers should not be allowed to discriminate against particular sites, companies or technologies. The planned law would be ... called the Internet Freedom Preservation Act. It's a joint effort by political rivals Republican Chip Pickering and Democrat Ed Markey, who described the Internet as "the greatest level playing field ever created". Though net neutrality is already widely seen as the basis of America's broadband network, the new law would specifically define US ... (view more)

Mozilla recently released Firefox 3 Beta 3 : a beta version of the latest edition of its Internet browser which is a rival to Microsoft's Internet Explorer. For those unaware, A 'beta' edition is one that is largely operational but may still have ... some bugs which need finding and fixing before an official release. The software is freely available to download from Mozilla's website, though the firm says it's not ready for 'casual' users. The biggest changes include technical improvements that should make web pages load quicker, easier bookmarking of favorite pages, a progress indicator in the ... (view more)

Firms involved in filesharing technology have protested Comcast's decision to restrict its customers' use of peer-to-peer (P2P) software, such as BitTorrent. P2P is a system of distributing data which involves splitting one file into many pieces. ... Rather than downloading the file directly from a website, users get pieces from a variety of fellow users, with the file reassembled on their computer. This spreads the demand for data and means P2P can be used for files which would be too large for many people to download from a single site. Several firms complained to the Federal Communications ... (view more)

More than 70% of British office workers claim they don't use social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace while at work. A survey showed that only 38% were not signed up to any such sites. However, 22% say they chose to only use the sites ... outside working hours, while a further 12% don't have the choice because their employers have blocked access. The employees ranked social networking sites, along with instant messaging, as a very minor distraction to their productivity -- far below more traditional distractions like pointless meetings and loud colleagues. The survey was a publicity ... (view more)

Israeli-based Delver is looking to use social networking profiles as the basis for returning relevant Internet searches. The idea is simple enough; a user logs into the search engine and allows access to personal information on sites like ... del.icio.us, LinkedIn and Flickr. The system then creates a custom made search pattern based on profiles, tags from your friend's, blogs, and any other available information on social sites. Instead of the traditional text results page, Delver's search engine (called Semingo) displays your search in a web-like graphic, with information built on you and your ... (view more)

Two broken undersea cables have wiped out Internet access for users across Northern Africa and South Asia. The cables, with the unassuming names SEA-ME-WE-4 and FLAG, appear to have broken off the northern coast of Egypt on Wednesday. It's thought ... the cables run between Egypt and Italy, and are part of a chain that carries most Internet traffic between Europe and the Middle East. 95% of Internet data sent across oceans is now carried by undersea cables. The effects have reached across the Arab Gulf states and into India. Egypt's telecommunication minister, speaking at a ceremony to announce a ... (view more)

eBay has announced cuts to its listing fees, but other changes mean customers may pay more for selling their goods. The fee cuts will come into force in the United States on 20 February and are likely to be extended overseas later. The biggest cuts ... are for items with a starting price below $25, where the fees will now be halved. Most items above $25 will now cost 20% less to list. However, the company is increasing the proportion of the sale price taken if the item sells. For items up to $25, the fee goes up from 5.25% to 8.75%. For items costing more than $25, the seller now pays 3.5% on the ... (view more)

Yahoo email users can look forward to great new features in the next year as the company fights for its share of Internet messaging. By adding new features that will either imitate or link to existing social networks, Yahoo hopes to provide users ... with an experience that will make email more applicable as a social networking tool. (Source: technologyreview.com ) Yahoo's plans for the new features were unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas earlier this month. As the most popular web-based email service, Yahoo upgrades will benefit over two hundred million users. ( ... (view more)

Citing several real-world scenarios mainly applicable to businesses, Infoworld has started an online petition to save Windows XP in hopes of extending the current end date of availability to OEM's of June 30, 2008, although ZDNet says it will be ... available from white-box vendors/system builders through January 31, 2009. Reasons for saving Windows XP included: The (Post-SP1) Vista Verdict: Wait for Windows 7 Windows Vista is not -- and likely never will be -- the right choice for the vast majority of IT shops due to lack of value, poor performance and a still-worthwhile Windows XP. Service Pack ... (view more)