Nerja News

Microsoft is planning to abandon its all-in-one security package, OneCare, as from June 2009 and instead offer a free anti-virus program which people can download.

The new software will support Windows XP, Vista and the new Windows 7. It will be a no-frills affair, aimed at the lower end of the market.

Sales of the OneCare package, launched in May 2006, have not exactly been phenominal, only accounting for about 2% of the market. There is, of course, a lot of competition in the anti-virus market, and they were trying, seemingly unsuccesfully, to take on the likes of established firms such as Norton and McAfee.

Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo, has decided to step down as the internet portal’s chief executive officer.

Yang has come in for a lot of criticism recently and Yahoo shares have dropped accordingly, now valued at around $10. Earlier this year, he fought off a hostile takeover bid by Microsoft, turning down a $33 per share offer.

Negotiations with Google on an advertising deal fell through earlier this month and only last week, Mr Yang surprised many by stating publicly that Microsoft should still buy Yahoo as he thinks it’s a good idea.

Yahoo are now busy looking for a replacement, and not necessarily from within the company itself.

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) organisation is planning to start selling the ‘$100 laptop’ via online store Amazon’s European outlets as from November 17th.

The machines will be sold under the Give One, Get One scheme that the OLPC organisation has already run in the US, whereby buyers get one machine for themselves and the other is donated to a school child in a developing nation. more »

YouTube, which is owned by Google, has removed a number of videos deemed to be glorifying the Columbine High School killers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold.

Videos found on the site praised Harris and Klebold for carrying out the shooting in which 12 students and 1 teacher died and another 23 people were injured. Harris and Klebold subsequently shot themselves after the killing spree.

The killings, near Denver, Colorado, took place nine years ago. The offending videos were discovered following a BBC investigation. YouTube, where 13 hours worth of material is uploaded every hour, said that the volume of material prohibited pre-moderation and much reliance is placed on viewers flagging ‘offensive’ or other ‘unsuitable’ material.

On Wednesday, the inauguration took place in Antequera of the Parque Solar Fotovoltaico Cortijo del Cura, the first solar garden in the area. Attending the ceremony were Pilar Serrano, delegate from the provincial Ministry of Innovation, Science and Business, Ricardo Millán, mayor of Antequera, Robin Schöck, director of Ansasol and representatives of JUWI, the company responsible for installing the plant. more »

A bit of a glitch at the UK iTunes Music Store! Song titles are regularly screened for profanities, with words being blanked out, but a glitch in the program has resulted in quite a few inoffensive titles, and names, being censored. more »

The big three, namely Microsoft, Google and Yahoo, have signed a global code of conduct which promises to offer better protection for online free speech and limit official intrusion.

This ‘Global Network Initiative’ follows criticism that companies were assisting governments in certain countries, China being a prime example, to censor the Internet.

The guidelines, seen as a ‘promising start’, seek to limit what data should be shared with authorities, especially in cases where free speech is an issue. more »

The musician whose song is being removed from the Sony game LittleBigPlanet amidst concerns that it may offend Muslims, claims that the music is not blasphemous and is disappointed that it is being removed.

Toumani Diabate, a Grammy winning musician from Mali, is himself a Muslim and states that it is quite normal and common for the people of Mali to mix music and religion.

The track in question, which contains two phrases from the Koran, is entitled Tapha Niang and was recorded in 2004 before being released on the album Boulevard de l’Independance in 2006.

Sony has postponed the global release of the new and much-anticipated video game LittleBigPlanet due to concerns that it may offend Muslims. Copies of the game already in shops are being recalled after it was discovered that a background music track contained two phrases from the Koran.

Sony has issued an apology for any offence that the use of the backing track might have caused. A new version of LittleBigPlanet will now go on sale on October 29th in the US and November 5th in the UK. more »

The only industry booming during the current financial turmoil seems to be the phishing industry.

Scammers are taking advantage of the chaos and confusion in the financial world to try and con people into parting with valuable information.

Chase, Wachovia and Bank of America are currently among the most popular targets with scammers, but British banks expected to rise in popularity in the coming weeks as changes and mergers are completed. The scammers often pose as new owners, or financial overseers of failed banks, in order to gain valuable personal information. more »

Symantec, the makers of the Norton anti-virus software, looks set to acquire MessageLabs for $695 million as it seeks to expand its internet services interests. more »

When I saw the headline: ‘Iran unveils plan for women’s car’, my first and immediate vision was a nuclear powered vehicle with a curtain across the windscreen with a slit at the top. Nothing so dramatic, however.

The Iranians are apparently planning to produce a vehicle especially for women with features which will include automatic transmission, parking and navigation aids and a jack for changing tyres without getting grease on the chador. more »

There’s malware, from the words malicious and software, which is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner’s consent, adware, which is a package which automatically plays, displays, or downloads advertisements to a computer after the software is installed on it or while the application is being used, spyware, which can collect personal information without the owners consent, and now scareware. more »

MySpace has unveiled its new online music service that allows US members to listen for free but pay for downloads.

The service is advertising funded and allows members to build playlists on their computers, but to be playable on, or transferable to, any other apparatus will mean downloading it and paying for it. The music store is run by its partner, Amazon. more »

Apple has issued a warning that IPhone 3G owners could be at risk of electric shock from faulty power adapters.

The metal prongs on many of the ultra-compact USB adapters sold with the 3G iPhone model could, under certain circumstances, break off, get stuck in the power socket and put the owners at risk. more »

Yahoo, who claim that their homepage is the most trafficked on the web with 300 million visitors per month, is about to begin a major revamp. The last such exercise took place in May 2006 when elements were added to the page to allow visitors to choose what they saw when they visited. more »

YouTube has agreed to ban footage which shows weapons being used to intimidate people or glamourise violence on its UK website. more »