The European Commission has expanded its investigation into Microsoft to examine whether the company is illegally linking its Media Player to its Windows operating system. "This statement of objections supplements one sent to the company a year ago and adds a new dimension to the commission's concerns that Microsoft's actions may harm innovation and restrict choice for consumers," the European Union's competition watchdog said.
Media Player allows the use of audio and video files without lengthy download times. The commission said Microsoft may also be trying to extend its dominant position in operating systems into cheap servers. The EC said the software giant may have "withheld from vendors of alternative server software, key inter-operability information that they need to enable their product to talk with Microsoft's dominant PC and server software products".
DIGITAL WATCH: NTL has launched a limited digital television service for customers in certain areas of Dublin and confirmed that homes in Galway and Waterford will be connected in late September. By December 2002, the company expects 290,000 Irish homes to be connected to the digital network.
THE NOMINEES ARE: The shortlist of finalists for the fifth annual Golden Spider awards has been announced by event organisers dot.ie magazine. Over 1,000 sites were entered this year for the awards which aim to raise awareness of the individuals and companies at the forefront of the Irish Internet industry. There are 16 main categories and a full list of nominees can be accessed from www.spiderawards.com.
AND THE WINNER IS: The Irish Times website, ireland.com won the To The Death gong as the most popular Irish website at the Zeddy Awards last Thursday. The award ceremony aims to recognise the achievements and hard work of the unsung heroes, sites and Web resources in Ireland. Other winners included p45.net in the Best Irish Arts and Culture site and irelandoffline.com in the "I Did This" category.
LOST IN LONDON: An estimated 62,000 mobile phones or nearly three for each taxi in Britain's capital, were left behind in black cabs during the first six months of this year, a survey has found. The survey by Taxi Newspapers and British security software company Pointsec Mobile said cabbies also discovered 2,900 laptops and 1,300 handheld computers in their back seats. But only half of the lost phones were claimed, with many owners betting their operating service would replace the lost phone with a new and funkier telephonic gadget.
NOT GUILTY: Russian computer programmer, Dmitry Sklyarov, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he violated a controversial new copyright law by selling a computer program which makes it possible to copy some electronic books. The charges against Sklyarov have become a rallying point for a far-flung coalition of programmers, scientists, free-speech advocates and civil libertarians - all concerned that the new law, known as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, will inhibit technological research and innovation. Sklyarov is free on $50,000 bail and, if convicted, could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
HATE CRIME: A US federal lawsuit has been filed against AOL Time Warner alleging that AOL has allowed hate speech to go unsanctioned in chat rooms for Muslims, in violation of federal civil rights laws. The lawsuit seeks class-action status and asks for an injunction requiring AOL to enforce its rules that prevent members from sending messages that offend community standards.
SEX CRIME: South Korea has posted the names of 169 sex offenders on the Internet, sparking a nationwide rush to consult the list that jammed the government website. The names were released in an unprecedented move to stem sex crimes. The government said the publication order reflects mounting public concern over the sexual abuse of boys and girls aged under 18.
INTEL INCREASE: Intel has begun selling a Pentium 4 processor that runs at two gigahertz, or two billion cycles per second, marking the doubling of the speed of computer chips in only a year and a half, once more proving the accuracy of Moore's Law. The Pentium 4 chips will be sold for $562 each in 1,000 unit quantities.
FASTER JUSTICE: The US Justice Department has asked a federal district court to quickly convene a meeting of the parties in the Microsoft antitrust case to schedule the proceedings in the remainder of the case. Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly was appointed to decide what sanctions to impose on the software giant to prevent future abuse of its monopoly in personal computer operating systems. She will also determine whether the company violated the law by tying its Internet Explorer browser into the Windows operating system.