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Analysts credit advance warning about the Blaster worm, in addition to Microsoft's clever rewriting of standard Internet-connection protocols, as the weapons used in defeating a denial-of-service (DoS) attack against the software company's Windows help Web site on August 16th The Blaster worm, which infected more than one million computers worldwid...

As 2003 dawned, Linux seemed poised to take off. This low-cost, open-source alternative to proprietary Windows and Unix systems had grown so robust and reliable that Fortune 1,000 corporations -- entities not known for taking bold IT leaps -- were beginning to migrate to it en masse. Meanwhile, giant vendors like IBM, HP and Oracle were basing more of their core offerings on the OS...

Julia Lundy is blind. She uses a wheelchair whenever she ventures more than a few feet. When Lundy began attending classes at the University of Georgia last fall, her mother went along to help her navigate campus life. Naturally, Lundy wanted more independence. She approached Dr. Don Potter, director of the Artificial Intelligence Center at the University, to see if he could help.

Hard-drive maker Seagate is shipping new hard drives that use a new digital video standard that, according to the company, makes them better able to store streaming video for digital video recorders (DVRs). Seagate's new hard drives are among the industry's first to implement the new streaming command-set adopted by the T-13 technical committee, which is responsible for all interface standards relating to the popular AT Attachment (ATA) storage interface.

This year has seen a lot of ink spilled over Apple's PowerBook line of computers, in particular the high-end 17-inch model. Critics drooled over the unprecedented size of the laptop's screen and the elegant and relatively lightweight case, to say nothing of the sex appeal of the polished aluminum finish I've been using the 17-inch PowerBook for the...

Federal officials reportedly have closed in on an 18-year-old man believed to be the author of a variant of the Blaster worm, which affected nearly half a million computers earlier this month An announcement of the suspect's arrest was expected Friday in Seattle, Washington, near the headquarters of Microsoft, whose Windows operating system was the...

Fueled by sales of Intel-based computers and Linux machines, IBM has reclaimed the lead in the worldwide server market, ousting Hewlett-Packard from the top spot and extending its lead over onetime leader Sun, according to new data from research firm IDC. Big Blue took control of just over 30 percent of the market for servers, which IDC estimated ...

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the birth of the Internet, which originally linked universities and laboratories around the United States as an outgrowth of a Department of Defense project begun in 1969. Eventually, the Internet will be as much a part of people's lives as the radio, television and telephone -- all of which will no doubt reside on the Internet in the not-too-distant future...

Despite a major push for broadband Internet access by legislators and consumers, the United States is still largely a dial-up country. Even so, it seems inevitable that dial-up will give way to faster DSL and cabletechnologies as time passes. Implications of this shift are significant for independent ISPs, which built their business around providi...

Every once in a while you get a taste of what the Internet would be like if it were left to a few private enterprises. One glaring example is the deplorable state of instant messaging, which, in part because of balkanization, has failed to reach the level of popularity enjoyed by plain old e-mail. Another is the paucity of high-speed DSL and cable Internet connections, which demonstrates how major service providers create islands of connectivity. It seems that private enterprises, left to their own devices, have a tough time supporting the ubiquitous and open connectivity that has been the hallmark of the government-funded Internet throughout its 30-year history...

The Recording Industry Association of America has come under legal fire again, this time from a group of Internet broadcasters that claim the industry group broke federal antitrust law and has kept royalty rates high to hinder independent Webcasters Webcaster Alliance, a trade group of approximately 400 members, is seeking a jury trial to rescind l...

This week, security software developer Symantec announced Norton Antivirus 2004, the newest version of the company's antivirus software. While this product will provide consumers with new kinds of protection against certain emerging nonvirus threats -- such as spyware and keystroke-logging programs -- what is particularly noteworthy about the announcement is that it marks a major move by the company to combat widespread software piracy...

Hoping to squelch Oracle's hostile takeover attempt and alter the face of the software industry, PeopleSoft has released what it says is evidence that Oracle's proposed purchase is intended primarily to harm the smaller company's business. Although PeopleSoft expanded its lawsuit against Oracle's US$7 billion bid earlier this month to include clai...

Keeping paper documents intact for years and years has become a matter of routine for historians and archivists trying to keep a record of history. But saving digital information is turning out to breed its own set of unique challenges Because digital files depend on their context -- such as the operating systems in which they are stored and the ap...

Arming its low-end handheld iPaq with a more efficient processor, expansion slot for Web connectivity and lower price point, Hewlett-Packard's update of the PDA reflects an industry-wide trend of adding features to handhelds while dropping prices to compete HP said it will phase out the predecessors of the revamped iPaq h1935, which is now availabl...

Leaving little doubt about its commitment to solidify its position in the Asian marketplace, Intel has said it will start work early next year on a new testing and assembly plant in mainland China The plant, to be located in Chengdu, will employ 675 people at first, Intel said, and could be operational by the end of 2005. Initial construction costs...

Vegas oddsmakers are missing a golden opportunity. They should start taking bets on who will be the first high-tech executive to whisper the now-dreaded R-word. No, not recession. They toss that one around like a football. We're talking recovery If there's a tech exec willing to call the recovery under way, on the horizon or even in the near future...

Even as annual e-commerce sales storm past the US$45 billion mark, according to U.S. Census Department figures, companies engaged in an older form of selling are soldiering on, using TVs and telephones to communicate with potential customers in homes across the United States One of the largest such companies, QVC, was founded in 1986 and earned rev...

Amazon.com has sued 11 entities in the United States and Canada for forging its domain name in their e-mail spam messages, the company has announced. The lawsuits represent the latest salvo in Amazon's fight to suppress and eradicate such spoofing The company filed suit in seven U.S. federal district courts and in the Ontario Superior Court of Just...

As law enforcement officials continue their search for the origin of the SoBig.F computer worm that clogged servers and networks last week, security experts are watching for the next variant and worrying that antivirus defenses might be flawed The FBI, which subpoenaed an Internet service provider in Arizona, is working on leads in the case while s...