Jim Wagner

UPDATED: After four months and nearly 400 comments, the Anti-Spyware Coalition (ASC) has published a final definition of terms used in the spyware business, officials announced Thursday. The group also published an interim risk-modeling document that can be used to determine whether a piece of software is actually spyware, according to its consensus definition. The […]

As more registrars digest a proposed settlement deal between VeriSign and the Internet governance body ICANN, at least one is feeling some heartburn over higher rates they could be facing. VeriSign and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) settled VeriSign’s antitrust lawsuit this week, and in the process approved a proposed deal […]

With the threats of spam and other illegal activities, tech companies and government agencies are coming together more and more to promote Internet safety. Microsoft and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today reminded consumers to keep their computers secure. The organizations made the announcement to coincide with Cyber Security Awareness Month and used the opportunity […]

Now that Yahoo and Microsoft have taken the plunge into instant messaging (IM) interoperability, the next step is getting it to work. While the technical aspects involved in getting two of the largest three IM networks to share information back and forth is daunting enough, it’s the business challenges that will ultimately determine its success. […]

UPDATED: IBM has been working with Microsoft since 2003 to develop one of the microprocessors found in the upcoming Xbox 360, the console gaming system expected to deliver a significant boost in graphics power to enthusiasts. Production of that chip is under way at IBM’s facility in Fishkill, N.Y., and at Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing in […]

A group of cable companies is close to striking a deal with wireless phone carrier Sprint Nextel to sell cellular services, news reports Tuesday indicate. Cox, Comcast and Time Warner Cable are part of a consortium that is a few weeks away from signing a deal with the wireless carrier, according to news reports by […]

VeriSign reached an agreement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) over a lawsuit filed by the company in 2004. The Mountain View, Calif., company sued ICANN over the suspension of two services it was looking to provide, SiteFinder and the waiting-list service (WLS). Officials said the Internet governing body exceeded its […]

Win a bug-finding contest, stagger away drunk on the achievement. Literally. Romanian anti-virus vendor BitDefender is giving interested Linux users an incentive to filling out bug reports as it tests out its latest release: Free beer. The winner of the Crash and Win beta contest will nab 1,000 German beers for finding the most bugs […]

In a bi-annual report to anti-trust regulators, Microsoft stated it is backing off from a requirement that prevented manufacturers from using competing media players if they used Windows Media Player (WMP). One of the terms in the landmark settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) and Microsoft in 2002 was a ban against the […]

Reports this morning indicate a software upgrade gone awry is responsible for a widespread network outage at Level 3 early this morning. Verio reportedly experienced network issues during the same timeframe. Level 3’s problems began in the early hours Friday morning. According to a source at Level 3, the company was performing a maintenance update […]

When you finally get a chance to see the new Yahoo Mail in action and say, “Boy, this looks a lot like like my desktop e-mail,” you’re going to make a lot of company officials smile. The intent behind Yahoo’s next-generation Web mail service is to blur the lines between desktop e-mail applications like Microsoft’s […]

Oracle issued its latest batch of security patches affecting its software products Wednesday. The critical patch update addresses 89 vulnerabilities in the Oracle line, including Oracle Database Server 10g, Oracle Application Server, Oracle Collaboration Suite, Oracle E-Business Suite & Applications to J.D. Edwards EnterpriseOne. Today’s releases nearly double the number of fixes provided in Oracle’s […]