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Computer -Cheapest Unlimited Broadband Access
Updated: 18 May 2013
Tesco slashes broadband to £2 a month
Last updated: May 15th, 2013
News by Mark King
Tesco is to undercut its rivals in the broadband market by slashing the price of its service to just £2 a month – around half the price of a single online movie rental.
It makes Tesco the cheapest unlimited broadband available that doesn't require consumers to pay for an additional telecoms service such as a mobile phone contract.
There are no download limits and Tesco Clubcard customers will also receive one Clubcard point for every £1 spent. Tesco has also flagged up its UK customer service operation as a plus point, and if people aren't happy with the service within the first three months, they will be able to cancel without penalty.
But customers will have to sign-up to Tesco's £14.90 a month line rental in order to get the £2 deal, which expires after a year – at which point customers will pay £6 a month for Tesco broadband.
It makes the total cost for Tesco's unlimited broadband and line rental £16.90, rising to £20.90 in year two.
A Tesco Broadband spokesperson said: "Slashing our broadband prices again this year means that for just £2 a month British families can download music, play games online and stream films to their hearts' content."
But how good a deal is it?
The market in the UK is now more competitive than it has ever been and providers are working hard to attract new customers. Many, for example, offer more than just a standard broadband connection with extras such as WiFi access from BT, Sky and Virgin Media and even access to BT Sport from BT.
Dominic Baliszewski from broadbandchoices.co.uk said: "If you're looking for standalone broadband without these bells and whistles this offer is hard to ignore – plus there's the benefit of earning extra Clubcard points and UK-based call centres.
"But Virgin Media is currently offering six months free fibre optic broadband to new customers and Plusnet is offering nine months half-price broadband to new customers and throwing in £25 cashback."
He added that consumers should do as much research as possible before switching, including reading independent reviews and looking into contract lengths, fair usage policies and availability before deciding which provider is right for you. Then look at your own needs in terms of speed, usage and customer service and choose a package that suits them. |
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Computer- Cut the Cost of International Phone Calls
Updated: 18 May 2013
Cut the cost of international phone calls
Last updated: Apr 29th, 2013
Feature
International calls can cost a bomb. But whether you're calling home from holiday or want to keep in touch with friends and family living overseas, there are ways to cut the cost.
Communicating over the internet isn’t limited to sending emails, instant messages, tweeting or updating your Facebook status - thanks to Voip (voice over internet protocol) it’s possible to make free phone calls via your computer all over the world.
Several companies offer Voip services, but the best known is Skype - it has over 100 million accounts worldwide.
All you need to use Skype is an internet connection and access to a microphone and headphones - then, simply download free Skype software and you’re ready to go.
If the person you are calling also has Skype, then your call won’t cost either of you a penny. You can speak as long as you like, whenever you like, wherever you like.
It’s also possible to call landlines and mobiles using Skype – although this will cost you. You can either do this by buying a monthly subscription, which includes unlimited calls to landlines in selected countries and regions, or by pay-as-you-go credit.
However, Skype might not be the cheapest way to call landlines and mobiles so it’s worth comparing the costs with your landline and mobile first. You should also compare costs to other Voip providers, such as Sipgate and Yahoo.
Bear in mind that you can’t call the emergency services over Voip.
Other ways to call abroad
Voip is particularly popular with people who want to call friends or family living overseas and (as long as both parties have access to the internet) it’s completely free.
However, there are other ways you can call abroad. For example, website Jajah.com allows you to call phones in Europe and Africa either online (for free) or from your phone at cheap rates.
Rebtel.com, meanwhile, offers international calls at local rates. You sign up for a free account with your phone number, then enter the number you wish to call. You’ll receive a unique local number back, which is charged at local rate.
You could also use the services of what are known as simply dial providers. In short, these temporarily override your landline provider and charge you at a reduced rate.
While these can cut the cost of calling abroad, some providers require you to set up an account and most start charging you from the minute the phone connects – rather than when the recipient of your call picks up.
Examples include Simply-dial.co.uk, Telesavers and 18185.co.uk. If you’ve used this type of service, share your views and tips in the comment boxes below.
Mobile phone calls
When you're travelling overseas, then you'll have to pay to receive and make calls on your mobile phone. This is because you're UK network has to pay the foreign network to put calls through - this cost is passed onto you rather than the person dialling or picking up in the UK.
Pay-as-you-go mobile phones tend to cost more than calls made through a mobile phone contract. You should always try to find out how much it will cost to call home before you head off overseas - it may surprise you. Calls, texts and mobile phone internet access made while abroad are rarely included in your free minutes.
Moneysupermarket.com offers a table of the cost of calls from different networks, so it's worth looking at this first to see how the cost compares.
While new regulations on roaming charges mean mobile phone providers have had to reduce the cost of oversea calls, it can still be pricey.
If you are calling home while abroad then there are a number of ways you can cut the cost.
Mobile phone users should remember that it costs more to make calls than to receive them. It’s also free to receive texts, but not to send them. Within the EU, the cost of sending a text can be no more than 11p per text sent.
A trap that many people fall into is to leave their voicemail on while they are abroad – this is an expensive mistake as most networks will charge you for receiving the call, whether your phone is on or off.
Either switch off your voicemail or change your message asking people to text instead or only leave a short message if absolutely necessary.
You could make cheaper oversea calls while abroad by going online. But if this isn’t possible, then there are other options:
- Buy a local SIM card – compare prices on websites such as UK2Abroad.com, 0044.co.uk and Sim4travel.com
- Buy an international SIM card or ask your provider if it can offer you a mobile roaming add-on bundleRemember, in order to use a different SIM card, your phone must be unlocked. You will also need to pass on the new number to people who might wish to get in touch
- Use Vyke Callback – this claims to cut the cost of international calls by up to 75%
- Purchase a phonecard for calling home – this is usually cheaper than using your mobileUse a payphone - it may seem a little old-fashioned, but it might well be cheaper
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Computer- How exposed is your Facebook account ?
Updated: 17 May 2013
Expired emails provide easy route to Facebook hacking
UP TO a million Facebook accounts could be vulnerable to an all-too-simple method of email hijacking that
requires no programming skills or computer expertise. All you need, it turns out, is patience and someone's
expired Hotmail address.
So say security researchers at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. The threat arises, Panagiotis Karras
and colleagues say, because Microsoft retires unused Hotmail accounts after 270 days of inactivity and
reassigns the email addresses to new users who request them. Facebook, meanwhile, uses an email address
as a login. So an attacker can gain access to any Facebook account that uses an expired Hotmail address as a
login – if they know where to look.
To find out if a target's Hotmail address has expired, an attacker can simply send a test email. If a message
saying "mailbox unavailable" bounces back, they probably have a viable target. Importing Facebook contacts
into Windows Live Messenger makes things even easier, because it automatically tells a user whose addresses
have expired.
The attacker can then sign up to Hotmail, ask to be assigned the address and reactivate it. Entering the address
into the Facebook login screen and opting for "forgotten password" will trigger Facebook to send an email to
the reactivated email address, whereupon the attacker can reset the password and gain full control of an
account.
In a test, the researchers successfully gained access to 15 Facebook accounts, but then halted the experiment
to avoid "ethical dilemmas" and "potential legal problems". They estimate that attackers could gain access to
as many as a million Facebook accounts. This represents a small fraction of the service's one billion accounts.
The team will present the loophole this week at the World Wide Web conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Other online services could be similarly vulnerable, but a spokesperson at Google confirmed that the company
does not recycle its users' email addresses.
In an email to New Scientist, a member of Microsoft's Hotmail team wrote: "This isn't an issue with either
Facebook or Hotmail. When someone stops using their Microsoft account, they should similarly stop having it
associated with other internet services."
This article appeared in print under the headline "Expired emails provide easy way into Facebook profiles"
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Computer- Spam attack
Updated: 02 Apr 2013
Huge online attack exposes internet's vulnerability
It was the largest online attack ever reported.
Over the course of the past week, servers belonging to an international non-profit company called The
Spamhaus Project, which fights email spammers, were inundated with up to 38 gigabytes of traffic each second.
That's about 10 DVDs' worth of data.
The company ground to a halt, and another firm that tried to come to Spamhaus's online aid was also drawn into
the battle.
News reports suggested the onslaught was so big that the internet itself slowed down during the worst of it.
Such accounts may have been overblown, but in the aftermath it has become clear that the attackers can exploit
vulnerabilities in just about anything – from software to the infrastructure of the internet itself – to devastating effect.
In the case of the Spamhaus ambush, the attackers exploited open domain name server (DNS) resolvers, the
address books of the internet.
The majority of internet users only ever ask these internet address books to handle simple requests like, "Take
me to www.google.com". But a lot of DNS software comes with default settings that call for it to answer many other questions, like making sure that a website is what it says it is.
Such requests can massively boost the amount of traffic that the DNS resolver returns.
"If you make a request for DNS security labels or extensions, the response is very large," says Jared Mauch of
NTT America, who is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan .
The attackers query DNS resolvers en masse. In the process, they fake their own IP addresses, replacing them
with the address of the target.
This technique, called IP spoofing, results in a torrent of the DNS responses all flooding into the target at once.
Next big thing
There are fixes, but networks have been slow to adopt them.
One initiative, the Open DNS Resolver Project is set up to encourage people to make the adjustments: simply
changing the settings on software and equipment is enough.
But even if operators do shore up DNS resolvers, there are signs that attackers are already moving on to the
next big exploit.
Mike Smith, director of the customer security internet response team at Akamai in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
says he has been dealing with a hole in web-based content-management systems like Wordpress and Joomla
which lets attackers use other companies' hosting platforms to launch their attacks.
"These content-management systems are basically not managed," Smith says.
"People often have Wordpress
and Joomla installed on their servers, and they don't even know that they have it.
Attackers are taking over these applications."
Because company servers have faster internet connections than home computers, the infected software – which
forms a network known as the BroBot – can be taken over and made to launch highly powerful attacks.
"Those servers have 100 megabits of internet capacity each.
They can send a lot of traffic very quickly," he says
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Computer- 4G to cause Interference to Freeview
Updated: 28 Feb 2013
Indoor TV aerials to reduce 4G interference to Freeview
One For All develops two low-cost indoor aerials
Aerials to filter out 4G signals that will cause TV interference
Aerial manufacturer One For All has developed two indoor TV aerials with built-in filters to reduce interference from 4G signals
The upcoming rollout of 4G services sometime this spring or early summer is expected to affect the TV
reception of an expected 2m homes around the UK. Those homes that are likely to be seriously affected will be
in areas close to a 4G LTE transmitter or if the Freeview signal is weak.
Read more 4G news
Although the 4G auction winners have set up a not-for-profit organisation called Digital Mobile Spectrum
Limited (DMSL) which will pay for filters for many homes which will need them, not every household will qualify.
So One For All has developed the SV9395 and SV9385 aerials, which will work up to 15 miles from the nearest TV transmitter.
LTE (Long Term Evolution) is a standard for wireless communication of high speed data for mobile phones
and data terminals. The closer the mobile 4G LTE signal and the TV DVB-T signal are to each other, the more
likely there will be interference.
The filters in the aerials work by cleaning the transmission being received by the set top box, so that all signals
above the 790MHz spectrum are filtered out; thus eliminating signals from the 4G spectrum, which would
otherwise cause a Freeview box to potentially overload and receive no picture.
The company said the SV9395 is its top of the range model costing £49.99. The device is an amplified indoor
antenna allowing even Full HD and also 3D TV reception.
It has 360 degree multi-patch technology, which increases the reception capability and means the aerial can be
placed flat, standing or on the wall. It has a touch control digital amplifier up to 51dB for optimal signal
reception and is DVB-T/T2, Freeview and DAB compatible.
The smaller SV9385 costs £39.99 and uses active noise reduction filters including a 4G LTE filter and a GSM-
block filter to reduce interference. It also has dual-patch technology, giving the device a wide 180 degree
reception angle and an adjustable digital amplifier up to 47dB
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk |
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Computer- Osborne sells Britain short over 4G Auction
Updated: 22 Feb 2013
 The CWU says the 4G mobile auction has called into question the
competence of the Chancellor, George Osborne.
Ofcom confirmed yesterday that BT, Everything Everywhere, Telefonica O2, Vodafone and Hutchison were the
successful bidders in the auction for high-speed 4G spectrum.
However, the £2.4bn proceeds were far less than the £3.5bn projected by the Office for Budget Responsibility and
quoted by George Osborne in last year’s Autumn Statement.
Billy Hayes, CWU general secretary, said: “UK taxpayers will soon be able to enjoy quicker download speeds and
enhanced mobile services, but they have been cheated of a billion pounds which should have gone into public finances.
“In short, good service but shame about the tariff.
“The billion pound shortfall calls into question the competency of the Chancellor in using this projected income in
last year’s Autumn Statement.
“The auction was a one-off opportunity to bolster public finances in return for the private sector gaining a valuable
asset and one which the government wrote into the heart of its budget.
“But it has failed to ensure value for the taxpayer and once again exposed shortcomings in the government’s
economic policy.”
CWU has been pushing for 4G services in order that the UK keeps pace with competitor countries which have
already introduced high-speed mobile services, such as America, Australia and Scandinavian countries
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Computer- Is your Anti virus secure ?
Updated: 18 Feb 2013
Police shut down ransomware ring
responsible for infecting tens of thousands of computers
Criminals make over a million Euros by scamming people into handing over money to unlock infected computers
Money made from the scam was laundered through online services before ending up in Russia
A complex and prolific cybercrime ring has that made over one million Euros a year has been shut down.
Eleven people have been arrested for running what police described as "the largest and most complex cybercrime network" responsible for infecting tens of thousands of computers worldwide.
Read more: Security news | Security how-to guides
Europol, the Europe-wide police service, explained that the criminals used malicious software to stop people from being able to use their computers. Victims of the scam were told they had visited illegal websites containing images of child abuse or file sharing and had to be a €100 fine to unlock the computer.
Known as ransomware, the scam has also been affecting computer users in the UK. As well as taking money from their victims, the criminals also used the malicious software to steal personal and financial information.
The issue was first detected in May 2011 with Europol saying that more than 1200 cases had been reported in Spain alone.
Operation Ransom led to the arrest of a 27 year old Russian man currently living in the United Arab Emirates who was responsible for the development of the malicious software.
Europol also said it had shut down one of the criminal network's largest financial cells. Spanish police arrested 10 individuals linked to the cell - six Russians, two Ukrainians and two Georgians.
Six premises were searched in the Spanish province of Malaga where police confiscated computer equipment and credit cards. The criminals withdrew €26,000 in cash prior to their arrests.
Money gained from the scam was laundered through various online services including online gaming portals, electronic payment systems and virtual coins.
Fraudulent credit cards were also used to withdraw money using banking details stolen from computers infected with the malicious software. Money was also transferred through currency exchanges and call centres before arriving at its final destination in Russia
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2244053/police-shut-down-ransomware-ring-responsible-for-infecting-tens-of-thousands-of-computers#ixzz2LE1lKDeK |
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Computer- Amazing Technology from Japan
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Computer- BT-You may have it unlimited, but not me,and at a price - an inflated one ?-
Updated: 04 Feb 2013
BT finally makes broadband truly unlimited - with no restrictions
No restrictions, no fair use policy - BT's broadband is now actually unlimited
By James Temperton News Broadband 01/02/2013
Crack open the sparkling wine, BT broadband is finally truly unlimited
BT is finally offering truly unlimited broadband with no nasty fair-use policies hiding in the small print.
Previously BT broadband customers suffered from traffic management and fair use policies. All restrictions have now been lifted, meaning BT is finally offering truly unlimited broadband.
Read more: Tablet reviews | Broadband advice
The UK's largest internet provider said customers had said they didn't want their connections slowed down when watching catch-up TV or streaming films online.
John Petter, managing director of BT's consumer division, said the company was "confident" its network could stand up to the extra demands of offering a totally unlimited service.
Internet providers introduced fair use policies and traffic management in response to people using exceptionally large amounts of bandwidth downloading files or using peer to peer networks.
BT is also lowering its prices. BT Infinity 1 fibre optic broadband now costs £23 while BT Infinity 2 costs £26 a month
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2241003/bt-finally-makes-broadband-truly-unlimited#ixzz2Jvf3ovJd
Software, gadgets, magazines and more in our webstore.
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Computer -Upgrade to Internet Explorer (IE) 9 or 10 ?
Updated: 05 Jan 2013
Zero day vulnerability hits older versions of Internet Explorer
No patch exists for flaw which allows hackers to hijack vulnerable PCs and remotely control them
• By Dinah Greek
• News
• Security
• 03/01/2013
IE 9 and 10 not affected by latest flaw says security company
People using versions 6, 7, and 8 of Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) are being urged to upgrade to IE 9 or 10 or
use a different browser because of a zero-day vulnerability.
Security company Websense said it had already seen instances of hackers using the flaw to remotely execute
code on PCs running older versions of Microsoft's browser.
Microsoft is aware of the problem and said it may develop a patch in its monthly security update, but until this
happens users of the browser will have to use a one-click Fix it solution available on the company's website.
Read more: Safer browsing | 2013 security software reviews
Websense Security Labs' security research manager Carl Leonard said: "No sooner have we brought in the New
Year and we're already seeing new security threats.
This IE zero-day vulnerability preys on those using older versions of IE, a typical tactic used by malware authors.
"They wouldn't go to the trouble of creating these exploits if they didn't know the older versions were still being widely used.
So while many individuals resolve to get in the gym to kick-start the year, I would urge companies to do the same and get their security in the best shape it can be."
Microsoft is always urging users of its IE browsers to upgrade to the latest versions which offer better security.
People using other browsers should always ensure they install upgrades according to security experts.
The hackers using the current vulnerability in the older versions try to lure victims to visit a malicious Web site.
Once there, because of the way Internet Explorer accesses an object in memory that has been deleted or
improperly allocated, they can gain access to a vulnerable PC.
Internet Explorer versions 9 and 10 are not listed as being vulnerable |
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Computer- Technology News of 2012
Updated: 02 Jan 2013
Computeractive looks back at the technology news of 2012
From Windows 8 to the Raspberry Pi and legal cases galore on copyright and free speech,
technology-wise 2012 was a busy year
• By Computeractive staff
• News
• Crime
• 21/12/2012
2012 has been a roller coaster year in many ways, with new technology and gadgets along with court cases and closures but ups and downs and are all the fun of the fair
From the launch of Windows 8 and excitement around the Raspberry Pi to debates around porn blocking and free speech on social networks, 2012 has been a busy year in technology.
We take a look at the stories that affected computer users over the past year.
January
Wikipedia took its English-language website offline for 24 hours in protest against proposed US anti-piracy laws, Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act.
The bills called for internet censoring to stop films, TV shows and music from being shared illegally on file-sharing sites.
Critics argued that they would have given copyright-holders excessive powers to control the internet.
The European Union signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, which prompted MEP Kader Arif to walk
out in protest, saying he would he would no longer take part in "this masquerade". All bills have been shelved amid public and industry outcry.
The Computeractive team went to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show, which was dominated by
smartphones, tablets and ultrabooks - although 3D television, a major theme of years past, had been side-lined by talk of smart TV.
February
Web blocking in the UK became a reality when internet service providers Sky, Talk Talk, Everthing Everywhere
and Virgin Media were ordered by the courts to block access to file-sharing site, The Pirate Bay.
Hacking group Anonymous went on the war path attacking the ISPS despite the fact this was a legal order they
had to comply with and the blocks were circumnavigated easily by people wanting access to this site.
Raspberry Pi, the barebones computer, launched but distribution issues affecting the Chinese manufacturer
meant many were left waiting. In September, the Raspberry Pi Foundation clinched a deal with Sony to make Pis in Wales, bringing jobs to the UK.
March
Chancellor George Osborne urged UK cities to bid for a share of £150m to bring faster broadband speeds to their region.
Campaigners who had worked for years to bring faster broadband to rural areas throughout the rest of the year
accused the Government of going back on its pledge to ensure a minimum speed of 2Mbits/sec for all.
Apple quickened pulses by revealing its latest version of the iPad with a high-resolution retina display and faster processor.
The B4RN rural broadband project began in earnest this month with the first cables being laid.
The community broadband project will bring superfast broadband to rural areas in Lancashire.
April
MPs, organisations and peers resurrected the issue of children accessing adult sites.
They wanted legislation to force ISPs to control adult-content filtering.
This issue rumbled on throughout the year leading to David Cameron saying in May that the issue needed to go to a public consultation.
At the end of the year the Department for Education said this consultation showed that the public had "no
appetite" for such draconian measures and most felt keeping children safe on line was mainly the responsibility of parents.
ISPs will however have to continue to make parental control software easily available to customers.
Microsoft began gearing up to launch its latest operating system and finally revealed the Windows 8 editions that would be available to consumers.
May
While we may grumble about our broadband speeds and costs, pity the residents of St Helena.
We reported on a campaign to connect the "small British village" in the Atlantic to a cable being laid between South America and Africa.
Residents pay around £240 a month for unreliable 384Kbits/sec connections.
Google tested a driverless car, taking a computer-controlled Toyota Prius for a drive down the Las Vegas strip.
June
Millions of people were unable to get to their money when a software upgrade carried out by Natwest and RBS
caused transactions to be delayed. Software experts said the RBS fiasco was "an accident waiting to happen".
Microsoft revealed plans to make its first move into the hardware market, announcing a range of Surface tablets, which would run its new operating system.
The Surface RT powered by an ARM processor is already on sale but people will have to wait until 2013 for the Surface Pro, which uses Intel technology.
July
The FBI warned that people infected with malicious software in 2007 would no longer be able to access the
internet as it was shutting down rogue servers.
People affected were told to change their DNS settings or face going offline.
Authorities in Ukraine, the Netherlands, Russia and Panama took down the Grum botnet.
This network of hijacked PCs was responsible for sending out 34 per cent of the world's spam emails.
The notorious Twitter Joke trial finally reached a conclusion and accountant Paul Chambers won his two year
fight to a ruling that he had sent a 'menacing message' on Twitter overturned.
But his and other similar cases that ended up in court led the Director of Public Prosecutions to issue guidelines about online free speech at the end of the year.
August
During the London Olympics, more than 150 million tweets were sent and more than 116 million Facebook
comments made about the games, while 820,000 people watched the BBC's live stream of Andy Murray winning his gold medal.
On its busiest day the BBC delivered 2.8 petabytes of data.
This is more information than held in all the academic libraries in the entire USA.
NASA's Curiosity rover became the first device to get a software upgrade delivered from one planet to another.
It continues to tweet its findings from Mars and NASA hopes at some point to fly out a companion to the lonely robot.
September
Apple launched the iPhone 5.
While it had a faster processor and improved battery life, older docks and cables were incompatible, and the Maps app was so bad it became a running joke.
It is also only compatible with Everything Everywhere's 4G network
Conservative Party Co-Chairman Grant Shapps faced calls from MPs to undergo a criminal investigation into an
online business he co-founded, which was accused of illegally republishing material.
Mr Shapps said that he no longer had any involvement with the company, as he had sold his shares to his wife.
The sites associated with How to Corp disappeared.
October
Everything Everywhere launched the first UK 4G fast mobile broadband service.
Eleven lucky cities, including London were the first to get this service, which allowed Computeractive to take a
trip around the city to test the speeds.
Amazon bought its Kindle tablet to the UK, a year after its US launch.
The Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD went head-to-head with Apple's iPad Mini and Google's Nexus 7 this
Christmas as they sought to be the most popular gift.
The US Federal Trade Commission and UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency tried to tackle the on-going problem of cold-call scams claiming to be from Microsoft.
This fraud has conned thousands of people into parting with money because they believed their computer was infected with malicious software.
Home Secretary Theresa May finally stepped into bring a halt to the decade long legal attempt by the US to extradite Gary McKinnon to face hacking charges in America.
She was no doubt that McKinnon was "seriously ill" and there were genuine concerns he would commit suicide,
so to extradite him would be "incompatible" with the 46-year-old's human rights.
November
Beleaguered high street retailer Comet, trading since 1933, went into administration.
More than 6,000 people could lose their jobs and 236 stores will close around the UK.
The US backed down from trying to extradite student Richard O'Dwyer for copyright infringement.
Although under UK law he may have not committed a crime, he faced 10 years in jail if convicted in the US.
Although Home Secretary Theresa May had blocked the US extradition of Gary McKinnon in October on health
grounds, she refused to intervene on behalf of Mr O'Dwyer.
He reached a deal with US authorities to pay a £20,000 fine.
December
Portsmouth University created a website that revealed the havoc the Luftwaffe unleashed on London during the
Blitz in World War Two.
Visitors to the site can zoom in to specific areas, see where the bombs hit and discover what kind of bomb was dropped.
Meanwhile, porn distributor Golden Eye wanted another chance to sue people it said are guilty of illegally
downloading adult content.
Internet service provider O2 was ordered to give the company the names and addresses of thousands of people
earlier this year but Golden Eye went back to court this month to get the names the ISP can associate with a further 6,155 IP addresses.
Computeractive attended the hearing and although a ruling has not been handed down by the appeal court,
while listening to comments from the judges we wouldn't be surprised if Golden Eye wins this case.
Scammers quickly took the opportunity to cash in on the horrific events in Newtown, Connecticut setting up fake donation websites.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2233131/computeractive-looks-back-at-the-technology-news-of-2012#ixzz2GlFPKrOR
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Computer- Osborne's Auction of our Superfast Mobile Access is Selling off Britain's Silver
Updated: 28 Dec 2012
Mobile networks face £600m-a-year fees after spectrum auction for 4G services
By Jon Rees, Financial Mail On Sunday
PUBLISHED: 22:39, 22 December 2012 | UPDATED: 11:34, 23 December 2012
Logging in: The 4G services will allow superfast mobile access to the internet
Mobile phone networks face hugely increased fees of up to £600 million a year following the auction of spectrum
for fourth-generation mobile internet services, which has just begun.
The results of the 4G auction, which will allow superfast mobile access to the internet, will be known in March.
Chancellor George Osborne has said that the Treasury expects to raise £3.5billion and is already spending the
money in anticipation of receipts.
The Government did not consult Ofcom on how much it expected to raise.
The regulator believed it might be just £1.2billion.
The Government will use the sum raised as a guide for the charges it will levy on mobile operators for the use of
spectrum other than that used for 4G, which is known as the annual licence fee.
Accountancy group PricewaterhouseCoopers reckons that the industry will have to pay more than £600million
in annual fees to rent radio spectrum used for sending calls following the auction – a tenfold increase.
The decision on the scale of the annual charges will be made by Ofcom after the 4G auction, which is due to be completed in March.
It will also take into account the sums paid for spectrum in other countries
Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/markets/article-2252151/Mobile-networks-face-600m-year-fees-spectrum-auction-4G-services.html#ixzz2GJRyQSH9 |
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Computer- Technology News 2012
Updated: 22 Dec 2012
Computeractive looks back at the technology news of 2012
From Windows 8 to the Raspberry Pi and legal cases galore on copyright and free speech, technology-wise 2012 was a busy year
By Computeractive staff News Crime
21/12/2012
2012 has been a roller coaster year in many ways, with new technology and gadgets along with court cases and closures but ups and downs and are all the fun of the fair
From the launch of Windows 8 and excitement around the Raspberry Pi to debates around porn blocking and free speech on social networks, 2012 has been a busy year in technology.
We take a look at the stories that affected computer users over the past year.
January
Wikipedia took its English-language website offline for 24 hours in protest against proposed US anti-piracy laws, Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act.
The bills called for internet censoring to stop films, TV shows and music from being shared illegally on file-sharing sites. Critics argued that they would have given copyright-holders excessive powers to control the internet.
The European Union signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, which prompted MEP Kader Arif to walk out in protest, saying he would he would no longer take part in "this masquerade". All bills have been shelved amid public and industry outcry.
The Computeractive team went to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show, which was dominated by smartphones, tablets and ultrabooks - although 3D television, a major theme of years past, had been side-lined by talk of smart TV.
February
Web blocking in the UK became a reality when internet service providers Sky, Talk Talk, Everthing Everywhere and Virgin Media were ordered by the courts to block access to file-sharing site, The Pirate Bay.
Hacking group Anonymous went on the war path attacking the ISPS despite the fact this was a legal order they had to comply with and the blocks were circumnavigated easily by people wanting access to this site.
Raspberry Pi, the barebones computer, launched but distribution issues affecting the Chinese manufacturer meant many were left waiting. In September, the Raspberry Pi Foundation clinched a deal with Sony to make Pis in Wales, bringing jobs to the UK.
March
Chancellor George Osborne urged UK cities to bid for a share of £150m to bring faster broadband speeds to their region.
Campaigners who had worked for years to bring faster broadband to rural areas throughout the rest of the year accused the Government of going back on its pledge to ensure a minimum speed of 2Mbits/sec for all.
Apple quickened pulses by revealing its latest version of the iPad with a high-resolution retina display and faster processor.
The B4RN rural broadband project began in earnest this month with the first cables being laid. The community broadband project will bring superfast broadband to rural areas in Lancashire.
April
MPs, organisations and peers resurrected the issue of children accessing adult sites.
They wanted legislation to force ISPs to control adult-content filtering.
This issue rumbled on throughout the year leading to David Cameron saying in May that the issue needed to go to a public consultation.
At the end of the year the Department for Education said this consultation showed that the public had "no appetite" for such draconian measures and most felt keeping children safe on line was mainly the responsibility of parents.
ISPs will however have to continue to make parental control software easily available to customers.
Microsoft began gearing up to launch its latest operating system and finally revealed the Windows 8 editions that would be available to consumers.
May
While we may grumble about our broadband speeds and costs, pity the residents of St Helena.
We reported on a campaign to connect the "small British village" in the Atlantic to a cable being laid between South America and Africa.
Residents pay around £240 a month for unreliable 384Kbits/sec connections.
Google tested a driverless car, taking a computer-controlled Toyota Prius for a drive down the Las Vegas strip.
June
Millions of people were unable to get to their money when a software upgrade carried out by Natwest and RBS caused transactions to be delayed.
Software experts said the RBS fiasco was "an accident waiting to happen".
Microsoft revealed plans to make its first move into the hardware market, announcing a range of Surface tablets, which would run its new operating system.
The Surface RT powered by an ARM processor is already on sale but people will have to wait until 2013 for the Surface Pro, which uses Intel technology.
July
The FBI warned that people infected with malicious software in 2007 would no longer be able to access the internet as it was shutting down rogue servers.
People affected were told to change their DNS settings or face going offline.
Authorities in Ukraine, the Netherlands, Russia and Panama took down the Grum botnet. This network of hijacked PCs was responsible for sending out 34 per cent of the world's spam emails.
The notorious Twitter Joke trial finally reached a conclusion and accountant Paul Chambers won his two year fight to a ruling that he had sent a 'menacing message' on Twitter overturned.
But his and other similar cases that ended up in court led the Director of Public Prosecutions to issue guidelines about online free speech at the end of the year.
August
During the London Olympics, more than 150 million tweets were sent and more than 116 million Facebook comments made about the games, while 820,000 people watched the BBC's live stream of Andy Murray winning his gold medal.
On its busiest day the BBC delivered 2.8 petabytes of data.
This is more information than held in all the academic libraries in the entire USA.
NASA's Curiosity rover became the first device to get a software upgrade delivered from one planet to another.
It continues to tweet its findings from Mars and NASA hopes at some point to fly out a companion to the lonely robot.
September
Apple launched the iPhone 5. While it had a faster processor and improved battery life, older docks and cables were incompatible, and the Maps app was so bad it became a running joke.
It is also only compatible with Everything Everywhere's 4G network
Conservative Party Co-Chairman Grant Shapps faced calls from MPs to undergo a criminal investigation into an online business he co-founded, which was accused of illegally republishing material.
Mr Shapps said that he no longer had any involvement with the company, as he had sold his shares to his wife. The sites associated with How to Corp disappeared.
October
Everything Everywhere launched the first UK 4G fast mobile broadband service. Eleven lucky cities, including London were the first to get this service, which allowed Computeractive to take a trip around the city to test the speeds.
Amazon bought its Kindle tablet to the UK, a year after its US launch.
The Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD went head-to-head with Apple's iPad Mini and Google's Nexus 7 this Christmas as they sought to be the most popular gift.
The US Federal Trade Commission and UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency tried to tackle the on-going problem of cold-call scams claiming to be from Microsoft.
This fraud has conned thousands of people into parting with money because they believed their computer was infected with malicious software.
Home Secretary Theresa May finally stepped into bring a halt to the decade long legal attempt by the US to extradite Gary McKinnon to face hacking charges in America.
She was no doubt that McKinnon was "seriously ill" and there were genuine concerns he would commit suicide, so to extradite him would be "incompatible" with the 46-year-old's human rights.
November
Beleaguered high street retailer Comet, trading since 1933, went into administration. More than 6,000 people could lose their jobs and 236 stores will close around the UK.
The US backed down from trying to extradite student Richard O'Dwyer for copyright infringement.
Although under UK law he may have not committed a crime, he faced 10 years in jail if convicted in the US.
Although Home Secretary Theresa May had blocked the US extradition of Gary McKinnon in October on health grounds, she refused to intervene on behalf of Mr O'Dwyer.
He reached a deal with US authorities to pay a £20,000 fine.
December
Portsmouth University created a website that revealed the havoc the Luftwaffe unleashed on London during the Blitz in World War Two. Visitors to the site can zoom in to specific areas, see where the bombs hit and discover what kind of bomb was dropped.
Meanwhile, porn distributor Golden Eye wanted another chance to sue people it said are guilty of illegally downloading adult content.
Internet service provider O2 was ordered to give the company the names and addresses of thousands of people earlier this year but Golden Eye went back to court this month to get the names the ISP can associate with a further 6,155 IP addresses.
Computeractive attended the hearing and although a ruling has not been handed down by the appeal court, while listening to comments from the judges we wouldn't be surprised if Golden Eye wins this case.
Scammers quickly took the opportunity to cash in on the horrific events in Newtown, Connecticut setting up fake donation websites.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2233131/computeractive-looks-back-at-the-technology-news-of-2012#ixzz2Fo3LyjCG
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Computer- Facebook -Don't give away information you may later regret
Updated: 14 Dec 2012
Is this the end of Facebook democracy?
Meagre user turnout means Facebook could put end to 'democratic' votes on policy and governance changes
By James Temperton News Social network
13/12/2012
More than one billion people actively use Facebook, but just 668,872 voted on major changes to site policy
Facebook has responded bullishly to claims that it didn't make users aware of a potential major change to the way it handles user data.
A vote on new Facebook data and information governance asked users to choose between the sites existing
policy and a new version.
Just 0.067 per cent of users voted, with a 30 per cent turnout needed for the vote to be binding.
Of those who did vote, a total of 668,872, an overwhelming 88 per cent voted against changes to Facebook's governance and user data policies.
Read more: Facebook news | Take control of Facebook privacy
Some Facebook users reacted angrily, saying the company had not publicised the vote. When we asked
Facebook for a response the company said that all users had been emailed twice about the vote and that
notifications had been posted on its site governance page.
Facebook also said that in many instances feedback from users on policy changes was low quality, consisting
mostly of spam and cut and paste comments.
The proposed changes (detailed here and here) could see Facebook users no longer able to vote on changes
to site policy, while users may also no longer be notified of policy changes.
Facebook is also seeking to give itself permission to share user data with other companies, including data
collected from the recently acquired Instagram photo sharing service.
Facebook, whose European branch is based in Ireland, said that regardless of what changes it makes it will still
be answerable to the US Federal Trade Commission and Ireland's Data Protection Commission.
Speaking after the conclusion of the voting process Facebook's Elliot Scharge, vice president of
communications, public policy and marketing said that while voting numbers were "minimal" the site
understood that users wanted to be able to vote on how the site is governed.
As not enough people responded to make the vote binding it is up to Facebook to decide if it continues to let
users vote on site policy and privacy issues.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2231976/is-this-the-end-of-facebook-democracy#ixzz2EzyGab9H
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Computer- Text Spammers get fined -How to Claim
Updated: 01 Dec 2012
Privacy watchdog fines text spammers £440,000
ICO closing the net on companies sending out text spam
By Dinah Greek News Law 29/11/2012
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is closing in on companies that plague people with spam texts,
fining the owners of one firm £440,000.
Besides breaching the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), Christopher Niebel and
Gary McNeish, the owners of Tetrus Telecoms, could also be prosecuted for breaching the Data Protection Act.
Meanwhile, the ICO has three other companies involved in sending spam texts under investigation and they
could also face heavy fines for breaching the regulations. Eventually, all the firms involved in this illegal activity
could be shut down.
The privacy watchdog is also working with the Ministry of Justice to target claims management companies who
buy the data gathered by the spammers.
Information Commissioner Christopher Graham said: "The public have told us that they are distressed and
annoyed by the constant bombardment of illegal texts and calls and we are currently cracking down on the
companies responsible, using the full force of the law.
"We are working with the Ministry of Justice to consider whether further enforcement action should be taken
against any of these associated companies, including the cancellation of their authorisation to operate...[and] to
target claims management companies who purchase this information breaching the industry regulations, the
Data Protection Act, as well as electronic marketing regulations."
The ICO has been working with the Ministry of Justice, Ofcom, the OFT, the Direct Marketing Association and
mobile phone networks to track and trace those behind the texts since the start of 2011.
Tetrus Telecoms, which was set up in 2009, has been on the ICO's radar since May of last year after the privacy
watchdog was alerted to the fact the company was sending huge volumes of unsolicited text messages from offices in Stockport and Birmingham.
It was discovered that Niebel and McNeish raked in thousands of pounds using unregistered Pay As You Go SIM
cards to try to hide the company's activities, sending out as many as 840,000 illegal text messages daily.
In March this year a survey was set up on the ICO website and so far this has received over 60,000 responses
and the data given by people is being used to identify the firms behind the spam.
Graham added: "The two individuals we have served penalties on today made a substantial profit from the sale
of personal information. They knew they were breaking the law and the trail of evidence uncovered by my office
highlights the scale of their operations.
"We will continue to work with the relevant authorities as well as the network providers to ensure companies like this are punished.
Niebel has now been ordered to pay a penalty of £300,000, while McNeish, who appears to have taken less out of the business, has been fined £140,000.
Examples of the text messages sent out by Tetrus Telecoms include:
• CLAIM TODAY you may be entitled to £3500 for the accident you had. To claim free, reply CLAIM to this message. To opt out text STOP. Thank you
• URGENT! If you took out a Bank Loan prior to 2007 then you are almost certainly entitled to £2300 in compensation. To claim reply 'YES'
• You have still not claimed the compensation you are due for the accident you had. To claim then pls reply CLAIM. To opt out text STOP
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2228367/privacy-watchdog-fines-text-spammers-gbp440-000#ixzz2Dn0KzFCq
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Computer-EU Approval ?- Please Sir - May I have more Super Broadband-
Updated: 23 Nov 2012
Government gets EU approval
for £530m public funding of superfast broadband
Work on so-called superfast broadband network can start immediately
· By James Temperton
· Computeractive
· 22/11/2012
·
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Connecting rural areas to superfast broadband is key to Government plans
Plans to connect more UK homes and businesses to a new superfast broadband network have been given the go-ahead by the EU.
The approval will see a £530m pot of Government money tipped into Britain's faltering rural broadband network. Ambitious plans will potentially give 90 per cent of UK homes access to a 20Mbps internet connection. The remaining 10 per cent will get at least 2Mbps.
Read more: Broadband news | Broadband how-to guides
Following crunch talks in Brussels last week, Culture Secretary Maria Miller said the new network would be a boost to jobs and growth in the UK.
"Britain is in a global race today. To succeed in that race we must have the infrastructure to match our aspiration, providing people who work hard with the tools they need to get on and prosper; this green light will benefit both businesses and communities across the UK," she said.
Mrs Miller reiterated the Government's hope to deliver the best superfast network in Europe in the coming years. The plans have previously been criticised by a former BT boss who labelled the proposals "super slow".
Peter Cochrane, former chief technology officer at BT said the UK was using "a candle, while the rest of the world is using a light bulb."
"The UK risks being frozen out of the next industrial revolution," he warned.
The Government has so far steered clear of numbers when talking about speeds, preferring to label the new network as ‘superfast'. In background information the Department of Culture, Media and Sport defines superfast as having speeds greater than 24Mbps.
Andrew Ferguson, editor of broadband advice site Thinkbroadband said that while Mr Cochrane had a point, the issue was with funding:
"Mr Cochrane does have a point, but the big problem is whether there is the money and time to actually roll-out what he and others wish, which is for the UK to have full fibre to the home.
"Various estimates of the cost of doing this exist, from £20bn to £30bn, which throws the Government's £530m investment into a stark bright light."
Mr Ferguson said that the Government's plans should be sufficient:
"Is 36Mbps [a highend estimate of UK superfast broadband speeds] enough to keep the UK at the forefront of the digital revolution? Yes we believe so, the key is to make sure we do not stop improving broadband coverage in 2015, but adopt plans that will work towards the EU's 2020 goals." |
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Computer- Latest Malware & Scam reported- Get protected !
Updated: 17 Nov 2012
Thousands of PCs in UK could be infected with blackmailing Trojan
Bitdefender warns latest scam is highly effective as it launches free tool to remove the malware
Criminals blackmailing people by hijacking PCs
Thousands of PCs in the UK could be infected with malware used to extort money from people warned Bitdefender.
The security company, which has developed a new free tool to remove the Trojan, found on millions of PCs around the world, said the malware scans the user's IP address. It then sends a message saying purporting to come from the police accusing people of piracy.
People are told they can pay a fine of as much as £125 to avoid prosecution.
Read more: security news | security advice
These forms of attacks using malware such as Trojan Horses are being called ransomware by the security industry.
Research has shown this form of attack is growing and could become a major problem next year.
Trojan.Ransom.IcePol as the malware in this attack is known is so effective according to Bitdefender that even the police are warning people not to fall for the scam.
Alexandru Balan, chief security researcher at Bitdefender said: "The Piracy Trojan capitalises on that same sudden jolt of fear people experience when they hear a police siren and see the flashing lights behind them as they're being pulled over.
"The Trojan scans the victim's IP address, tells them the message is from the police, and then accuses them of an offense they very well may have committed without even knowing it.
Unlike older ransomware threatening fines for zoophilic pornography, this particular Trojan focuses on copyright infringement. It's highly effective."
According to the company the piracy Trojan has its roots in Russia but has now infected millions worldwide. Messages are customised to appear as if sent by the authorities in the victim's country.
The cyber criminals have also added an ironic twist sending a fraud alert warning victims about being beware of payment scams.
"With piracy losses rising up at billions of pounds a year and millions of computers worldwide harbouring pirated files, software, music, movies and more, the Piracy Trojan can claim victims in almost any country, among any social group," warned Bitdefender.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2225445/bitdefender-develops-free-tool-to-remove-blackmailing-trojan#ixzz2CVEonNeN |
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Computer- BT Packages with 10GB can be expensive
Updated: 11 Nov 2012
BT Packages
Broadband and Phone Packages with 10GB are expensive
Cheap and Cheerful – Not a chance
The minute you exceed the 10GB in a month –
Up go the costs - £5 for each extra GB
And 10GB ? Don't download a film or too many jokes
BT are not even funny
That is how Bloodly Telecom packages get you.
Stay clear of 10GB packages unless you want the hidden extras |
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Computer- National Museum of Computing receives funding from Google
Updated: 01 Nov 2012
Google provides more funding for National Museum of Computing
Donations from Google and private individuals will help museum upgrade and expand educational programmes
By Dinah Greek News Education
31/10/2012
The learning programme looks at the history of computing
The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC) has received new funding that will enable it to continue developing computer education programmes.
The money, donated by Google UK and private investors, will help the museum, which is based at Bletchley Park, enhance the hands-on experience of using computers spanning from the 1940s Colossus to the 2011 Touchtable.
It will also help TNMOC, which is an entirely separate charity to Bletchley Park, to increase the number of groups visiting the exhibitions, which is already on target to quadruple this number.
Chris Monk, Learning Co-ordinator at TNMOC, said: "Any self-respecting science needs to understand its past.
Today's young people are digital natives, and at TNMOC we can demonstrate to them that they are living through the latest chapter in the development of computing and technology.
"We encourage them to think about the heritage story we present at TNMOC and we explain the role that British computer scientists and engineers have played.
"But our key objective is to help inspire them to play a part in future developments and to write that next chapter of computing, contributing to a future gallery at our wonderful museum."
The developing learning programme at TNMOC looks back at the past to give students a grounding in the history of computing.
This includes examining the very specific context for problem-solving of the 1940s Colossus and Tunny machines, the calculation capabilities of the 1950s Harwell Dekatron computer that is currently being restored and the massive mainframes of the 1970s.
But it also includes today's technology from the birth of the personal computer, programming activities with the Acorn BBC and their link to today's cloud computing developments.
Andy Clark, TNMOC Chairman, said: "TNMOC began its Learning Programme with a grant from the Drapers' Foundation and our appeal for further development funding at the beginning of this year has been answered by Google and some private donors.
"We are extremely grateful to all our funders and I hope that they are delighted with the impact that we are already beginning to make.
Britain's digital legacy is astonishing and we believe the country's future impact can be every bit as exciting if we can inspire and equip forthcoming generations."
TNMOC would not say exactly how much funding the project received.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2221452/google-provides-more-funding-for-national-museum-of-computing#ixzz2Ax6DlqfH
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Computer- Published and be damned ?
Updated: 26 Oct 2012
Explicit pictures posted by teens stolen from Facebook and YouTube
Charity finds voyeur sites copy and republish 90 per cent of sexually explicit pictures posted on profiles
By Dinah Greek
News Social network 24/10/2012
Canadian teen Amanda Todd hanged herself after suffering severe bullying when topless pictures of her were posted online
Nearly nine out of 10 sexually explicit images uploaded by teenagers to social media sites will end up being copied and pasted onto voyeuristic websites, often with devastating consequences for the youngsters.
The figures from research carried out by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) illustrate the huge scale of the problem.
Read more: Manage Facebook privacy settings
Research by the charity, which works to stamp out online child abuse, found that in a period of 48 working hours over four weeks in September, 12,224 images and videos from sites such as Facebook and YouTube had been copied.
They reappeared on 68 of what the IWF is calling parasitic websites – those set up purely to host and promote these stolen images.
IWF's technical researcher, Sarah Smith, said: "During the course of our work, we encounter large quantities of self-generated sexual content, which has been copied from its original location and then uploaded elsewhere to form collections, but this is the first time we've been able to demonstrate the extent to which this occurs."
The IWF said, while these may seem like "lifeless numbers", real children are behind the statistics and publishing these images leads to real life tragedies, such as bullying and alcohol and drug abuse.
However there is no more graphic an example of this than the recent suicide of 15-year-old Amanda Todd.
The Canadian teen was viciously bulled on Facebook after a hate page was set up on the site featuring topless photos of her.
Despite moving to a new city and school the relentless bullying continued.
She recorded a video of her ordeal and on 10 October this year she hanged herself.
Letters from desperate and often suicidal teens to the IWF show that Amanda's story is not an isolated incident.
Susie Hargreaves, chief executive of the IWF, said: "This research gives an unsettling indication of the number of images and videos on the internet featuring young people performing sexually explicit acts or posing.
"We need young people to realise that once an image or a video has gone online, they may never be able to remove it entirely."
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2219615/explicit-pictures-posted-by-teens-stolen-from-facebook-and-youtube#ixzz2ANOEVn1J
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Computer- There is a Skype Virus about
Updated: 12 Oct 2012
Skype virus targets internet phone and chat users
Internet telephony service warns users who see the message "LOL is this your new profile pic?" when using Skype Chat
By James Temperton
News Security
11/10/2012
Skype warns people not to click on strange or unexpected messages, even if they come from friends
Scammers have targeted online chat service Skype in an attempt to trick people into downloading malicious software.
Users are being advised to not click on suspicious links received in Skype chats and to make sure they are running the latest version of the software.
Read more: Computer security news | Antivirus reviews
Skype confirmed that people had been receiving instant messages saying "LOL is this your new profile pic?" with a link to a malicious website. Security firm Sophos said the website contained software that could remotely control an infected PC.
In a statement, Skype said it was working to protect its users from the new threat, adding that people should be wary of clicking on any links received on Skype chat.
The company warned: "Following links – even when from your contacts – that look strange or are unexpected is not advisable."
The spam messages and malicious software detected are not unique to Skype. Similar scams have been found on social networks like Facebook and Twitter for years and have targeted other instant messaging services like MSN Messenger.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2216329/skype-virus-targets-internet-phone-and-chat-users#ixzz294B1ZYdC
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Computer- British Broadband Speeds - BT not fit for purpose ?
Updated: 24 Sep 2012
Government boosts broadband funding for 10 UK cities
Government boosts broadband funding for 10 UK cities
Faster broadband by 2015 for London, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Bradford
By Dinah Greek News Broadband 20/09/2012
Maria Miller announces first 10 UK cities that will share a £114m fund for broadband services
Ten UK cities will share extra government funding so they can widen their reach of superfast broadband services.
The money will be spent on building networks of fibre-optic cables in areas where BT and Virgin media have found it unprofitable to do so.
Read more: Broadband news | Broadband help
London will get £25m, the lion's share of the £114m set aside to help businesses and homes in the cities get much faster broadband speeds of up to 100 Mbits/sec.
Belfast will be given £13.7m, Cardiff £11m and Edinburgh £10.7m.
The rest of the money has been split between Newcastle, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and a joint project by Leeds and Bradford.
Culture Secretary Maria Miller, said: "Fast broadband is essential for growth, and is key to the country's economic future.
These ten cities have produced ambitious and comprehensive plans, which will turn them into digital leaders, and give their local economies a real boost."
However advice site Thinkbroadband said the funding comes at the expense of other broadband projects.
Originally £100m was allocated last November in the Chancellor's Autumn budget and 14 cities were eligible to bid for a slice of this funding; part of the £830m announced in the Comprehensive Spending review and TV licence settlement.
"While investment in broadband has been shown to improve the economy ... it appears the boost in funding for the 10 largest cities will be at the expense of the other projects," the site said.
The cities are all required to provide additional resources towards their project, with expected completion for 2015.
A second round of funding of £50m is open to 27 cities with a Royal Charter, such as Aberdeen, Chelmsford, Londonderry / Derry, Newport, and York.
The successful cities will be announced in this year's Autumn budget.
The allocations to each city are:
•Belfast £13.7m
•Birmingham £10m
•Bristol £11.3m
•Cardiff £11m
•Edinburgh £10.7m
•Leeds & Bradford (joint bid) £14.4m
•London £25m
•Manchester £12m
•Newcastle £6m
Consumers have faced a number of obstacles in getting broadband speeds of more than 30Mbits/sec. BT was forced to halt installation of fibre optic in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea because its cable junction boxes were too ugly.
Some communities have lost patience and built their own broadband networks.
Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN) was praised by EC vice president Neelie Kroes after community members set up their own ISP, with residents of villages that wanted better broadband even helping to dig trenches for cables
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2206987/government-boosts-broadband-funding-for-10-uk-cities#ixzz27LJuSmsW
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Computer- 4G Delayed by Operators Squabbling
Updated: 17 Sep 2012
4G delayed by four years due to legal bickering by networks
Lawsuits delayed auction of 4G spectrum for mobile broadband planned for 2008
By James Temperton News Broadband
14/09/2012
Computeractive
4G has been available in other countries for a number of years
Legal bickering between operators has delayed the launch of 4G mobile broadband in the UK by more than four years.
Plans were originally made to start an auction of 4G spectrum in July 2008, but both O2 and T-Mobile legally challenged the proposals and the auction never took place.
Read more: 4G mobile broadband news
An auction of 4G spectrum still hasn't happened, despite phones such as the new Apple iPhone 5 having 4G built in. Had the 2008 auction gone ahead it was hoped consumers would have had access to 4G as early as 2009.
Responding to our findings industry regulator Ofcom said legal action by mobile networks had let consumers down.
An Ofcom spokesman said: "It has been difficult to bring 4G to consumers in the face of so many legal challenges. The delay has been to the severe detriment of consumers."
It has emerged that a number of legal challenges have been made by companies seeking to defend their commercial positions, further delaying plans to bring 4G to the UK.
An industry insider who asked for their identity to be protected told Computeractive that in 2009 O2 started legal proceedings against Ofcom.
According to the insider, O2 claimed that the regulator had failed to implement an EU ruling that 900Mhz spectrum be made available for both 3G and 2G systems. Ofcom defended its implementation of the directive and won the case.
We put our findings to both O2 and T-Mobile. T-Mobile said the litigation happened prior to the purchase of the telecoms company by its current owners and that it supports Ofcom's plan to deliver 4G services.
"The company is now run by a completely different management team and it fully supports the rapid deployment of 4G services," the company said in a statement.
Everything Everywhere, the parent company of T-Mobile and Orange, was granted permission by Ofcom to use existing spectrum to launch a 4G network this October.
O2 and Vodafone reacted angrily to the decision.
The new network, now known as EE, will be the only network in the UK that supports 4G on the new iPhone 5.
Ofcom said its decision was good news for consumers but stated that it didn't concern itself with what individual manufacturers were doing.
An Ofcom spokesperson said: "Had we not allowed EE to start a 4G network then no consumers in the UK would benefit from the iPhone 5's 4G capabilities."
An auction for 4G spectrum is set to take place before the end of the year, which will allow O2, Vodafone and other networks to bid. Consumers should start seeing 4G networks from operators other than EE by mid-2013.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2205414/4g-delayed-by-four-years-due-to-legal-bickering-by-networks#ixzz26h3iAwxW
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Computer- BT contract ?- Never again !
Updated: 31 Aug 2012
BT heaps more pain onto households by raising prices
at TWICE the rate of inflation
By Joanna Robinson
UPDATED: 15:14, 28 August 2012
..
BT has announced price hikes on line rental, calls and broadband equivalent to twice the rate of inflation, with even higher rises on its TV packages.
It is a further blow to households struggling with higher bills, coming at a time when energy companies are also beginning to hike their prices ahead of winter.
The BT price rises come into force from the beginning of 2013 and will see most BT charges rise by around 5.8 per cent - far ahead of inflation (CPI) which hit 2.6 per cent in July.
Calls cost: BT has announced prices of as much as 5.9 per cent on phone calls
BT has 10million phone customers, and most will be affected by the price rises in some way. Its most popular calling plan – the Unlimited Anytime Plan, will see a 5.1 per cent price increase, from £4.90 a month to £5.15.
This package includes all landline calls, including those to 0845 and 0870 numbers, but does not include calls to mobiles.
Those who don’t have inclusive calls in a package will also be hit.
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Daytime local and national calls will rise by from 7.95p per minute to 8.41p per minute (5.79 per cent) and the cost of evening calls is set to rise from 1.05p to 1.11p per minute (5.71 per cent). In addition, BT’s call setup fee (charged per call) will also increase from 13.1p to 13.87p (5.88 per cent).
Perhaps of most annoyance to households will by an 5.82 per cent rise in line rental.
Most homes have no choice but to pay this in order to receive broadband, even when it is provided by another company.
The charge is rising by 85p, from £14.60 a month to £15.45, if you pay by direct debit.
The charge for paying by cash or cheque will also increase from £1.89 to £2, taking monthly line rental paid for via these methods to £17.45 a month.
The only way to avoid the rising price of line rental is to opt for BT’s 'Line Rental Saver', which requires customers to pay for the whole year upfront, at a cost of £129.
The steepest price rises come for BT's 728,000 Vision customers, who pay for TV channels.
The Vision Essentials plan – BT’s cheapest TV deal - will see the monthly charge rises from £4 to £5, a whopping 25 per cent price.
Sports channels will also be more expensive with some Vision packages seeing an increase of £2.70 a month.
Following January’s price rises, BT has said it will then freeze key costs until 2014, but this does not include all charges.
The company is also increasing some of its early termination fees.
Broadband packages are also affected with prices for the Total Broadband and Broadband Anywhere packages rising by around 5.8 per cent, although other 'bundled' packages are unaffected.
John Petter, managing director of BT’s Consumer division, said: ‘We’ll be changing some prices in January, but we’ll then be freezing many key prices until 2014. We’re also telling customers how they can save money with BT.’
BT will be writing to customers from 1 September to inform them of these changes and outlining how they can pay less for calls and broadband - but this involves signing up to the company’s bundled services, rather than shopping around for cheaper suppliers.
If customers want to cancel their BT contracts because of the price rise they can do so within ten days of being informed of the changes.
HOW THE PRICE CHANGES AFFECT YOU
Charge
Current cost New cost % change
Line rental
£14.60 per month
£15.45 per month 5.82 per cent
Daytime calls 7.95p per minute 8.41p per minute 5.79 per cent
Evening calls 1.05p per minute 1.11p per minute 5.71 per cent
Unlimited Anytime plan £4.90 per month £5.15 per month 5.1 per cent
Unlimited evening and weekend plan £3.15 per month £3.30 per month 4.76 per cent
BT Total Broadband 1 £17.80 per month £18.85 per month 5.90 per cent
Broadband Anywhere £32.20 per month £34.05 per month 5.75 per cent
Vision Essentials £4 per month £5 per month 25 per cent
Vision Sky 1&2 (12 and 18 month contract) £18.20 per month £20 per month 9.89 per cent
Vision Sky 1&2/ Total Sports Max (24 month contract) £12.30 per month £15 per month 21.95 per cent
..
Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-2194658/BT-piles-misery-households-raising-prices-TWICE-rate-inflation.html#ixzz256zAKUFx |
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Computer- Age UK organising over 65's computer classes- "I Tea and Biscuits"
Updated: 31 Aug 2012
AgeUK appeals for senior volunteers
to provide computer classes for over 65s
Charity says older people are more receptive to tutors of a similar age
as it gears up for annual "I Tea and Biscuits event"
By Dinah Greek News Desktops 30/08/2012
The week-long event runs classes and workshops for the elderly
For the past five years, Age UK has been giving the quintessentially British pastime of tea and biscuits a technological twist, with its ITea and Biscuits event that teaches elderly people computer skills.
Now the charity is asking for volunteers to help make the annual event go with more of a swing; especially if these volunteers are themselves older.
Keith Peterson, an internet champion at Age UK, said: “It is important to encourage more elderly people to become internet savvy, and for those already online to show that age is no barrier.
Older people have more empathy with their peers and are more likely to accept tuition from someone their age.
“In the UK, volunteering, especially for the retired, is a way of life.
Being able to help gives one a purpose and an inner glow,” he said.
The Age UK ITea and Biscuits event lasts a week starting on 17 September and involves a range of classes and workshops for older people, many of whom will be unfamiliar with, or have never used, the internet.
And although Ofcom figures show that 64 per cent of 65- to 74-year-olds are now online, Age UK wants more people to reap the benefits technology has to offer.
David Mortimer, head of digital inclusion at Age UK, explained that understanding technology was becoming very important for the elderly.
“The internet itself isn’t necessarily interesting to everyone, but the fun begins when people learn what it can allow them to do.
A great way to encourage someone to get online is by linking the experience to their hobbies and interests,” he said.
Visit their website or call 0800 169 6565 to find out more information on ITea and Biscuit sessions near you and details on how to help Age UK.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2201748/ageuk-appeals-for-senior-volunteers-to-provide-computer-classes-for-over-65s#ixzz255uOsZSR
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Computer- Online Crime soars- How retailers lose money
Updated: 29 Aug 2012
Retailers call for police help as cost of online crime soars over £200m
Inadequate police response means many businesses see reporting crime as a waste of time
By Dinah Greek News Crime 24/08/2012
Police must do more to catch online criminals says British Retail Consortium
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has called on the Government and police to take online crime more seriously following a report that shows web fraud retailers millions every year.
A study by the BRC found most of the online crimes retailers suffered originated in the UK and put the loss to these companies at more than £205 million each year. But the figure could higher as many crimes go unreported.
Read more: Fraud prevention news | Security guides
Stephen Robertson, director general of the BRC, said: "Retailers are investing significantly to protect customers and reduce the costs of e-crime but law makers and enforcers need to show a similarly strong commitment."
A recent report from CIFAS showed that 83 per cent of fraud is now carried out online. The BRC study, which took reports from 45 per cent of the retail sector, including supermarkets, department stores, and mixed retail is the first into online crime published by the trade body.
It looked at both the direct and indirect costs associated with computer crime, including lost revenue from honest customers deterred by additional security measures.
The report estimates that in 2011-2012 retailers lost 0.75 per cent of all sales due to online crime; a loss of £205.4 million from total sales of £28 billion.This is twice what is lost from all retail sales – 0.36 per cent of the total of £303bn.
But the study also found that six in ten online retailers surveyed as part of the study said it was "unlikely" that they would report any more than 10 per cent of online crimes they had suffered because police don't take the crime seriously enough.
How retailers lose money
The most prevalent fraud for retailers according to the BRC report involved identity theft, costing retailers £20m in 2011-12.
This is when a criminal hijacks someone's identity or bank account to carry out the crime.
Card fraud cost retailers £15m.
This is usually when another person's debit or credit card has been stolen or cloned to pay for purchases. Another problem for retailers is 'refund frauds'.
This is when the customer dishonestly claims that their purchase has never arrived or damage goods in order to get a refund. This crime accounted for an additional £10m worth of losses.
Phishing websites were also a problem, but although the BRC said the losses were harder to quantify it said these attacks could cost as much as £2m.
Reporting online crime
This according to the BRC is a huge problem for retailers. There is no single point of contact with the police such as there is for conumers and small businesses through Action Fraud.
Only 14 per cent of retailers who had reported an ecrime were happy with the help they received. Most claimed the police didn't view e-crime as a "priority".
A BRC spokeswoman said: "There is a real difficulty for retailers when trying to report online fraud or other ecrimes. Do they go to their local police, or do they go to the police where they believe the criminal is located?
"If retailers report to their local police and they have no expertise then they are passed on to another force. Also the individual figures involved in many of these crimes are too small for the attention of specialist units such as the Met's Police Central e-crime Unit or the City of London police, which is the national lead force for fraud."
Robertson said that the authorities should develop a consistent, centralised method for reporting and investigating e-crime and ensure sufficient resources were directed to tackle the "emerging threat."
"This will encourage retailers to report more offences and allow the police to better identify and combat new threats," he said
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2200822/retailers-call-for-police-help-as-cost-of-online-crime-soars-over-gbp200m#ixzz24tZSliik
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Computer- Which Windows 7 -32 bit or 64 bit
Updated: 11 Aug 2012
Which Windows 7 Is Right for You -- 32-Bit or 64-Bit?
Before choosing the right version of Windows 7,
one must consider a number of factors. Here's how to get the version you really need.
By Randall C. Kennedy, Infoworld
//
Oct 30, 2009 9:37 pm
For most would-be Windows 7 users, a 64-bit version of Windows 7 is the right move. But if you don't have sufficient RAM (at least 4GB), or you rely on devices that don't have supporting 64-bit drivers, or you need to upgrade an existing 32-bit installation, 32-bit Windows 7 might be the better choice. A few editions of 64-bit Windows 7 provide a Windows XP Mode that solves some backward-compatibility problems, but it isn't a universal panacea. In speedy Q&A format, here's just what you need to know.
Q. Is my PC supported under 64-bit Windows 7?
A. Most PCs manufactured in the past three years (i.e. after Vista's debut) are capable of running 64-bit Windows 7. The exceptions are those that ship with low-end CPUs that don't support the AMD or Intel 64-bit extensions. Examples include Intel's Atom line of low-powered CPUs and early Intel Core CPUs, like the Core Duo (not Core 2 Duo). If you're not sure what kind of CPU is in your system, or whether the CPU supports 64-bit operation, you can use the free Intel Processor Identification Utility to find out.
[ See what Windows stole from Mac OS X. See what Mac OS X stole from Windows . | Discover the top 10 free open source apps for Windows . ]
Q. What about all of my peripherals?
A. As with PC support, most peripherals manufactured in the Vista era work with 64-bit Windows 7. However, legacy hardware support is a hit-or-miss proposition. Some manufacturers -- for example, vendors of network interface cards or disk storage controllers -- are more up to date than others, thanks in part to the fact that they've been supporting 64-bit computing under Windows Server since the 2002-2003 timeframe. Devices that don't have obvious ties to the datacenter (such as custom input devices, multimedia hardware, and some printers) can be harder to integrate since they were manufactured at a time when 64-bit desktops were a rarity. Your best bet is to do a Web search to see if the manufacturer has published a 64-bit device driver and, barring that, if other users have come up with a solution.
Q. Can I use a 32-bit device driver under 64-bit Windows 7?
A. No. A device driver is privileged code that runs in the same address space as the Windows kernel. As such, it needs to match the architecture of the kernel itself. Some manufacturers bundle both 32-bit and 64-bit drivers within a single installation package, leading casual observers to sometimes misreport that a 32-bit driver worked under 64-bit Windows. However, while 32-bit drivers are not directly supported in 64-bit Windows 7, 64-bit Windows 7 users can install 32-bit drivers in Windows XP Mode and use USB-based printers and other USB-based legacy devices with the Windows XP virtual machine.
Q. Can I use Windows XP Mode with 64-bit Windows 7?
A. Yes. Windows XP Mode is fully supported under 64-bit Windows 7. In fact, using a Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM), like the Windows Virtual PC 7 product that underlies Windows XP Mode, is one of the only ways to use a 32-bit device driver under 64-bit Windows. The lone caveat is that the device must use a USB interface; legacy hardware that uses a proprietary expansion card or dongle will likely not work with a VMM solution like Windows XP Mode.
Q. What exactly is Windows XP Mode, and how do I get it?
A. The simple answer is that Windows XP Mode is a virtual machine containing Windows XP SP3 that runs under Windows Virtual PC 7. It is available as a free download to users of Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions.
The more precise answer is that Windows XP Mode is a native 64-bit application (actually, a series of 64-bit services and device drivers) that creates a separate, native 64-bit process emulating a 32-bit PC environment.
It's important to note that Windows XP Mode is limited to creating a 32-bit virtual environment. This is true even though the underlying Windows Virtual PC software is itself 64-bit and running on the x64 version of Windows 7. So, while you can install 32-bit Windows XP (or 32-bit Vista or 32-bit Windows 7) as guests inside the Windows Virtual PC environment (which is, after all, a generic VM solution with some additional integration for the Windows XP Mode image), you cannot install 64-bit Windows XP or the x64 versions of Vista or Windows 7
Q. Can I run 32-bit Windows applications under 64-bit Windows 7?
A. Yes. Virtually any 32-bit Windows application that is supported on Windows XP can run unmodified under 64-bit Windows. This is made possible by a technology known informally as "Win32 on Win64" (WOW for short), which translates 32-bit API calls from a legacy Win32 executable into 64-bit API calls that can be serviced by the native subsystems of 64-bit Windows 7. The net result is that 32-bit applications run seamlessly on 64-bit Windows and, thanks to optimizations in current generation Intel and AMD CPUs, at or near full speed. The few exceptions to the WOW compatibility rule usually involve applications that rely on one or more proprietary legacy 32-bit device drivers that have no equivalent 64-bit versions.
Note that the WOW concept is really nothing new. A similar technique was employed by the earliest versions of Windows NT to support legacy 16-bit Windows 3.xx applications.
Q. When I install a 32-bit application under 64-bit Windows 7, I can't see its registry entries. Why is this?
A. The 64-bit versions of Vista and Windows 7 include the WOW translation layer for running 32-bit applications (see description above). In addition to translating API calls, 64-bit Windows isolates registry changes made by 32-bit applications and redirects them to a special sub-key within the appropriate registry hive.
For example, a 32-bit application that updates a key within the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software structure will automatically have its changes redirected to the Wow6432Node key underneath the primary Software key. Expanding this key will reveal all of the 32-bit application registry keys and values that have been automatically redirected by WOW.
Q. Is there a performance advantage to using 64-bit Windows 7?
A. That depends. If you're working with large files or running applications that consume a great deal of memory, then 64-bit Windows will typically give you a slight performance advantage over 32-bit Windows running on identical hardware. This is true even when using 32-bit applications. That's because the OS and device drivers themselves benefit from the 64-bit wide registers of an Intel or AMD CPU running in 64-bit extended mode. In addition, because 64-bit Windows 7 supports more physical RAM than 32-bit Windows 7 (192GB on non-Home versions vs. 4GB for any 32-bit flavor), you can easily expand your PC's capabilities well beyond what is possible in a 32-bit world.
Q. Why does 64-bit Windows use more RAM than 32-bit Windows?
A. Any 64-bit OS will consume more memory than its 32-bit equivalent. This is due to the nature of 64-bit code: It uses larger internal structures that necessarily take up more space, both in RAM and on the hard disk. It's no surprise that the ISO image for the 64-bit versions of Vista and Windows 7 are roughly 50 to 70 percent larger than the equivalent 32-bit ISOs, or that 64-bit Windows shows 20 to 30 percent higher physical memory utilization after initial boot-up.
Q. Are there security advantages to using 64-bit Windows 7 vs. 32-bit Windows 7?
A. Yes. Many of the widely publicized kernel "hardening" initiatives Microsoft debuted with Vista are specific to the 64-bit flavor -- things like hardware-backed Data Execution Prevention and PatchGuard. Also, 64-bit Windows Vista and Windows 7 require device drivers to be digitally signed by their authors, making it tougher for hackers and root-kit developers to install their exploits covertly as kernel-mode drivers.
Q. Can I upgrade from a 32-bit flavor of Windows to 64-bit Windows 7?
A. No. Microsoft's upgrade process does not currently support moving between processor architectures. In order to upgrade from a 32-bit version of Windows you'll need to perform a "clean" installation of 64-bit Windows 7, then migrate your applications and data to the new OS. |
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Computer- Hotel room key cards are "unreliable"
Updated: 04 Aug 2012
Millions of hotel rooms vulnerable to £30 hack
Locking systems used in around 22,000 hotels worldwide
hacked open by software engineer
By James Temperton News Security
01/08/2012
Onity, the company who makes the key card locks, said the hack was "unreliable"
Millions of hotel rooms across the world could be opened using technology that costs just £30, with a hacker saying it is "stupidly simple" to do.
American software engineer Cody Brocious demonstrated a method of hacking into key card entry systems on hotel room doors.
With the help of an Arduino microcontroller unit – essentially a very small computer, he showed that it was possible to read the code needed to open the door from the lock itself.
Once the code has been read from the lock, the Arduino can then play the code back to the lock and the door will open. It took just 200 milliseconds for the code to be read and the lock to open.
"With how stupidly simple this is, it wouldn't surprise me if a thousand other people have found this same vulnerability and sold it to other governments," Mr Brocious told Forbes.com.
The hack was demonstrated at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas.
Read more: Crime news
The Onity lock system has nearly 10 million locks installed in hotels worldwide, including chains such as Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and Sofitel.
Onity downplayed the issue, saying the hack was difficult and unreliable.
The company said: "Onity understands the hacking methods to be unreliable, and complex to implement.
However to alleviate any concerns, the company is developing a firmware upgrade that will be available to customers to address any potential risks."
Mr Brocious explained that the hack was possible because the lock doesn't authenticate against devices plugged into it.
Every Onity key card lock has a small port for charging and adding new codes.
The Arduino can be plugged into this and then be used to control the lock. In his report on the hack Mr Brocious described the key card locks as "inherently flawed".
"For guests staying in any hotel, we recommend the use of door chains or latches whenever possible to add an extra layer of protection," Mr Brocious said.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2196094/millions-of-hotel-rooms-vulnerable-to-gbp30-hack#ixzz22cQDgkny
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Computer- Yahoo confirms the theft of 450,000 users passwords
Updated: 14 Jul 2012
Yahoo confirms theft of 450,000 users’ passwords
Associated Press
11:03 pm | Friday, July 13th, 2012
—Some 450,000 Yahoo users’ email addresses and passwords have been leaked because of a security breach, the company confirmed Thursday, adding that just a small fraction of the stolen passwords were valid.
The company said in a statement that an “old file” from the Yahoo Contributor Network was compromised Wednesday.
Among the stolen emails and passwords were many from Yahoo’s own email service along with those of other companies.
The Yahoo Contributor Network is a content-sharing platform.
Yahoo said it is fixing the vulnerability that led to the disclosure, changing the passwords of affected Yahoo users, and notifying other companies whose users’ accounts may have been compromised.
“We apologize to all affected users,” the company statement said.
Technology news websites including CNET, Ars Technica, and Mashable identified the hackers behind the attack as a little-known outfit calling itself the D33D Company.
The group was quoted as saying it had stolen the unencrypted passwords using an SQL injection — the name given to a commonly used attack in which hackers use rogue commands to extract data from vulnerable websites.
“We hope that the parties responsible for managing the security of this subdomain will take this as a wake-up call,” the group was quoted as saying.
Online security experts said Yahoo might have done more to protect the stored passwords, with Ohio-based TrustedSec describing the Internet giant’s decision not to encrypt them as “most alarming.”
Nevertheless, the haul does not appear as useful to hackers as they might have thought.
Yahoo cautioned that only 5 percent of passwords associated with its account holders were valid.
It was not immediately possible to contact the Ukraine-registered website associated with D33D Company.
Its contact form was inoperable Thursday, while an email address and a phone number attributed to the site’s registrant appeared to be invalid |
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Computer- Facebook launches Malware checkpoints
Updated: 12 Jul 2012
Facebook launches malware checkpoints
for users with infected computers
New Facebook feature allows users
to voluntarily lock their accounts and initiate malware scans
By Lucian Constantin
July 11, 2012 11:36 AM
. .IDG News Service -
Facebook on Tuesday launched a feature that allows users to lock down their Facebook accounts and perform malware scans if they suspect that their computers might be infected.
Facebook already uses internal scanners to detect spam and malicious messages that might have been sent from user accounts hijacked by malware.
When found, such accounts are temporarily locked down and their owners are asked to go through a multi-step account recovery process that involves downloading and running a malware scanner called McAfee Scan and Repair.
The new "malware checkpoints" feature will allow users who believe their computers might be infected with malware to initiate the account lockdown procedure themselves and perform an antivirus scan for free.
Users will be able to choose to scan their computers with McAfee Scan and Repair, a run-once anti-malware scanner, or with Microsoft Security Essentials, a full-featured antivirus product that must be downloaded and installed.
"If you are concerned that your device may have been infected by malware, you can visit http://on.fb.me/infectedMSE or http://on.fb.me/infectedMcA to be self-enrolled in either our Microsoft Security Essentials or McAfee Scan and Repair malware checkpoints," Facebook's security team said in a blog post.
The malware checkpoint feature will allow users to act proactively and not wait for Facebook's automated scanners to identify a threat, the security team said.
If users choose the McAfee Scan and Repair checkpoint they won't be able to unlock their account until the malware scan, whose progress is displayed on Facebook's website, is complete.
However, if users choose the Microsoft Security Essentials option they must manually certify, by checking a box on the website, that they downloaded, installed and performed a scan with the antivirus program before their account is unlocked.
Mac OS X users will be presented with a link to a page on Apple's support website from where they can download security updates and malware removal tools released by Apple.
However, they can also separately download the free Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac Home Edition from the AV Marketplace that Facebook launched in April.
"We hope that by making our technology available to more users, on demand, will help all the people who use our service keep their data and devices secure," the Facebook security team said |
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Computer- Free Wikipedia from Russian Censorship
Updated: 12 Jul 2012
Wikipedia Russia goes offline
to protest censorship laws
Wikipedia protests as the Russian government considers censorship laws
James Temperton News Web 11/07/2012
Wikipedia said it risked being taken offline in Russia if the proposed bill is passed
Wikipedia's Russian language site went offline yesterday as the online encyclopaedia hit out at proposed censorship laws.
The Russian government wants greater powers to censor websites containing child pornography, drugs, extremism and other illegal activities. Critics of the proposed bill have said it could result in widespread internet censorship in the country.
In a message on its website, Wikipedia likened the proposals to the Great Firewall of China, making reference to strict internet censorship laws in China.
Warning that the move could lead to Wikipedia being blocked, the website is encouraging people to oppose the bill: "The Wikipedia community protests against censorship that is dangerous to free knowledge, it must be open to all mankind."
Today is the second reading of the bill in the State Duma.
Changes could be brought into law after the third reading, the date of which is yet to be announced.
This isn't the first time Wikipedia has gone offline in protest against cenorship laws. In January the English language version of the site went offline as anti-piracy laws were proposed in the US.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2190726/wikipedia-russia-goes-offline-to-protest-censorship-laws#ixzz20Nbjz2E1
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Computer- BT - Bloody Terrible
Updated: 15 Jul 2012
BT – Bloody Terrible
Anyone who takes out a contract with BT
needs their brains examining.
NOTE WELL - The £13 Phone/Broadband a month offer is for 10GB download -"Perfect for Everday internet use" But thats rubbish unless if you use a computer daily - Over usage will cost up to £25 a month
I signed for a year, they then cancelled it. Delaying the connection
Connected they said leave it on for 10 days at my cost
They said it was “perfect for everyday us” - It wasn’t
The BT Vision box is not a freeview box with add on’s so useless at the end of contract.
The small print – boyo are they good at that – Check it out for yourself.
The speed for two months was so slow but they only compensated the Broadband fee
Not the usage,
Told Sky add on was £7.20 charged £17.20
It took one month to move the connection 25 yards within my own home
Multiple connectivity problems
I was given a 12 month contract and somehow they extended it for another 6 months
You write a formal complaint and no-one answers it.
They told me it would cost a fortune to cancel for a migration code but I did not need the migration code when I moved to Tesco.
Fibre optics – You must be joking – its all old copper right to your home from the control box.
Check the Broadband and phone packages – Only go for unlimited use.
We have moved to Tesco and are very relieved.
I wrote to BT a month ago and still await a reply and formally a written final bill |
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Computer- DNS Changer Software infection could shut down internet users today
Updated: 09 Jul 2012
Monday could mean lights-out for millions of internet users
Computers infected with the DNS Changer software
could lose their internet connection on Monday
• James Temperton
• News
• Security
• 06/07/2012
•
Time is running out for people to check their DNS settings
Thousands of computers in more than 100 countries could lose internet access on Monday as a result of the FBI shutting down servers previously used to host malicious computer software.
The software, known as DNS Changer, controlled which web pages people saw without their knowledge.
This was done by changing the Domain Name System (DNS) settings on a computer to point towards malicious websites.
In November last year an FBI investigation into the attacks led to six arrests in Estonia.
The threat surfaced in 2007 and the FBI says it could have infected more than 500,000 computers in the US alone.
The criminals used DNS Changer to manipulate internet advertising, netting them £14m in revenue. In its investigation the FBI found that in some cases system updates and anti-virus software stopped working, exposing infected computers to more threats.
When the arrests took place, the FBI took control of the rogue DNS servers and removed the malicious software.
The servers were left running in order to give users of infected computers time to remove the DNS Changer by changing DNS settings.
Time is now running out for people to check and change their DNS settings if necessary.
The FBI is switching off the servers on Monday 9 July.
Anyone who has not changed their DNS settings could lose their internet access.
To check if your system has been infected, go to the DNS checking tool at http://www.dns-ok.us.
The FBI has also produced an in-depth guide to checking and changing DNS settings.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2189941/monday-mean-lights-millions-internet-users#ixzz1zxykAiwO
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Computer- New cars to be fitted with eCall in case of an accident
Updated: 05 Jul 2012
Cars should automatically call for help after crashes, EU says
Voluntary adoption has been slow, so Parliament says all new cars in Europe should be fitted with eCall devices by 2015
By Loek Essers
July 4, 2012 11:44 AM ET
Computerworld
. .IDG News Service -
By 2015, the European Parliament wants all new cars to automatically alert emergency services in case of a crash, a service known as eCall.
The Parliament adopted a resolution to this effect in a show of hands on Tuesday, and urged the European Commission to make eCall law.
The introduction of eCall, designed to automatically call the European emergency number 112 when a car crashes, would enable rescue services to arrive faster, saving up to 2,500 lives a year and reducing the severity of injuries by 10% to 15%, according to the European Parliament.
The call could be triggered by on-board sensors such as those in the airbag detecting a crash, or by any car occupant pushing a button.
The eCall systems will also use satellites and mobile telephony caller location to determine the location of the crashed car.
Based on the location, eCall will contact the nearest emergency center, and will also send a minimum set of data (MSD) that includes time, the direction in which the vehicle was travelling, vehicle identification, an indication if eCall was automatically or manually triggered and information about a possible service provider.
Sending the extra data is likely to reduce misunderstanding and stress and helps to eliminate language barriers between the vehicle occupants and the operator, said the parliament.
The system must not be used to monitor a person's movements or determine his or her location unless that person has been involved in an accident, the parliament said.
The idea for eCall has been floating around since 2003, and the European Commission signed a deal with car makers and technology companies in 2005 to equip new cars with eCall from 2009.
However, voluntary adoption has failed and to date only 0.4% of European cars are fitted with the system, the parliament said.
That is why Members of the European Parliament urged the European Commission to table legislation to make eCall mandatory, and to extend the system to other vehicles such as buses, motorcycles and trucks in the future.
The MEPs said the service should be free of charge to all drivers in Europe. An eCall device should cost around $125 when implemented in all vehicles, according to a document on the website of the European Commission.
The Commission expected that eCall can also be exploited commercially, for instance for advanced insurance schemes, stolen vehicle tracking and electronic road tolls.
The full deployment of eCall requires cooperation between public authorities, car companies and mobile phone operators.
If eCall becomes mandatory the car manufacturers will have to build it into every new car, and member states will have to upgrade their emergency call systems to comply with the eCall standards.
Not all the member states have agreed to use the system and those who did are still in the process of implementing it. |
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Computer- Tweets Off ?
Updated: 23 Jun 2012
Twitter explains Thursday outage
Exec says cascading bug,
not a hack or anything else, knocked Twitter off the Web twice yesterday
By Sharon Gaudin
June 22, 2012 07:30 AM
.Computerworld - A Twitter executive last night offered an explanation for the cause of an outage that twice knocked Twitter offline around the world on Thursday.
Twitter first crashed around 12:30 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday. The outage affected all platforms and took down both third-party and Twitter apps on the Android and iOS platforms.
The site returned around 1:15 p.m.
In a blog post on Thursday night, Twitter's vice president of engineering, Mazen Rawashdeh, said company engineers found a cascading bug in one of Twitter's infrastructure components. That means the bug didn't just hit one particular software element, but "cascaded" across the system, he said. "This wasn't due to a hack or our new office or Euro 2012 or GIF avatars, as some have speculated today," Rawashdeh added.
"One of the characteristics of such a bug is that it can have a significant impact on all users, worldwide, which was the case today. As soon as we discovered it, we took corrective actions, which included rolling back to a previous stable version of Twitter," he added.
A hacker group claimed to be responsible for Thursday's outages, but Twitter said that was not the case.
Shortly after the outage was fixed, Computerworld and other news organizations received an email from someone claiming to be a member of UGNazi, also known as the Underground Nazi Hacktivist Group. The email claimed that UGNazi took down Twitter with a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack.
"Twitter supports the CISPA bill and we wanted to show what we really are capable of," the group said in a separate email.
That email was referring to a controversial cybersecurity bill known as the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. If enacted, CISPA would increase the amount of information that is shared between technology companies and the government.
Gartner security analyst Lawrence Pingree said UGNazi could have launched an attack on Twitter, but that may have only been coincidental.
"If a company is being taken down by a third party, I don't really see them blaming themselves," he said. "Are [hacking groups] capable? Yeah. Denial of service isn't something you can completely stop [but] it's hard to say if there was an attack."
Chet Wisniewski, senior security adviser at Sophos, is skeptical of UGNazi's claim.
"There is no reason to believe the outage was due to any activities by UGNazi or others who say they were responsible for the outage," said Wisniewski.
"Ultimately, the only organization that knows the truth is Twitter, and there is no reason to believe the statements they have made are not true," Wisniewski added. "It is difficult to determine the exact nature of the outage from the outside, but my personal experiences during the outage are more consistent with Twitter's explanation." |
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Computer-20 Free alternatives to Windows built-in utilities
Updated: 21 Jun 2012
20 free alternatives to Windows built-in utilities
You might think Windows has all the utilities you want,
but we've found 20 that are free and do a better job.
We tell you what they do and where to download them
Julian Prokaza
PC help Windows 08/10/2011
Once you've tried the VCL Media Player you'll never go back to WMP
Windows includes enough built-in utilities to satisfy the needs of most users.
You probably use them dozens of times each day, but sticking with what Microsoft supplies isn’t always the best option.
Why? Because there are loads of alternatives to Windows’ tools and some of them are far better than those included with the operating system.
So, if you find yourself cursing the Windows Clipboard, exclaiming at the ineffectiveness of Windows Explorer or despairing at the deficiencies of Disk Defragmenter, don’t worry – help is at hand.
In this article, we’ve found 20 downloads that can supplant their built-in Windows equivalents.
All include useful extra features and most make using a computer just a bit more pleasurable.
Best of all, each utility is free to download and use, so read on to find out what you’ve been missing.
Xplorer 2 Lite
Windows Explorer is the interface that shows folders and icons for files. Although it has been refined over the years, Explorer is still clumsy for working with lots of files in different folders, which is where Xplorer 2 Lite comes in.
This free utility does away with open windows all over the Desktop in favour of a single pane with a hierarchical folder structure on one side and a split-window folder view on the other.
There are countless other clever features, but the most useful are bookmarks for quick access to certain folders and filtering tools that hide certain file types.
Teracopy
If Xplorer 2 Lite fixes on Windows Explorer’s navigation shortcomings, Teracopy fixes another. Moving and copying files with Explorer works adequately but it can be slow when transferring across different drives.
Moreover, there’s no way to pause the process mid-transfer, or stop one or more files being copied when dragging a folder to a new location. With Teracopy, there is.
Once installed, it automatically pops up whenever files or folders are being moved, and its dialogue box shows the detailed status of the transfer, along with options to tweak it without interrupting the process.
CLCL
The Windows Clipboard is adequate for copying and pasting one item at a time but hopeless when you need to perform several such operations. Try copying selected sentences from different paragraphs on a web page for pasting into one text document, for example, and the problem becomes apparent.
But CLCL can help. It doesn’t replace the Windows Clipboard, but instead builds a ‘stack’ of any number of copied items (the default is 30) and makes them available from a pop-up list when you press Alt + C.
Multimon Taskbar Free 2.1
Connecting a second monitor to a PC means the Windows Desktop can be stretched out to create much more screen space. The only problem is the Taskbar stays stuck on monitor one, so there is no easy way to tell which windows are open on the second display.
Multimon Taskbar solves that problem by putting a separate Taskbar on a second (and third, if need be) monitor that tracks its windows. It was designed for Windows XP, so Multimon doesn’t exploit Windows 7’s new Taskbar features – but it still works perfectly.
TaskswitchXP/Vistaswitcher
The Alt + Tab keyboard combination has long been the accepted way to switch between open windows in Windows, though Windows 7 added Win + Tab for a 3D take.
Neither is efficient when lots of programs are running though, but what about seeing a full list of all open windows, complete with an oversize thumbnail that gives a clear view on their contents?
That’s what Taskswitch XP and Vistaswitcher provide (plus quite a bit more) – just install the correct version for your operating system (Vistaswitcher also works with Windows 7) for a better way of managing windows in Windows.
Launchy
The Start menu is the simplest way to launch a program in Windows, while the Search box adds the option to launch a program by typing its name rather than first finding its folder.
Launchy combines the two, and adds much more, besides. Activated with a keyboard shortcut, Launchy can launch any program from the user typing just the first letter or two of its name, but it can also open documents in the same way, play music and open web pages just as easily.
It’s a must-have for anyone who hates reaching for the mouse and is a real time-saver for any PC with lots of programs installed.
Spacesniffer
Finding out how much space a folder occupies on the hard disk is as simple as right-clicking it and choosing Properties – and its size will be duly displayed. But doing this for every folder on a PC is a tedious process.
Spacesniffer speeds it up by quickly scanning a hard disk and displaying its contents as proportionally sized rectangles. It’s possible then to drill down into sub-folders to see their contents displayed in the same way, making it easy to see what’s wasting valuable space.
Notepad++
The Notepad tool included in Windows is a competent text editor, but its lack of frills can make working with anything more than simplest of files tricky.
Notepad++ doesn’t discard simplicity, but it does include features that are more befitting of a 21st-century text editor. Most useful of these is a tabbed interface that keeps several open files within one window.
Professional and amateur web designers alike will appreciate its automatic colour-coding of commands, plus the split-screen view that can keep one part of a file in view while another is edited.
Gadwin Printscreen 4.6
Press the Print Screen (or PrtScn) key on your PC’s keyboard and whatever is on the Windows Desktop is copied to the Clipboard. From here it can be pasted into an image editor and saved in a suitable image format to make a screenshot. This is fine for taking the occasional screenshot, but hugely inefficient for any more.
So, install Gadwin Printscreen 4.6 and use it as a replacement: now, tapping the Print Screen key will snag the whole Desktop, just the current window or even a selected area of the screen.
Printscreen will even automatically save the captured screen – all within a split second. And you can repeat as many times as you like, making it ideal for quick-fire screenshots.
Advancedrenamer
You can now rename groups of files in Windows, but it remains a basic tool.
Advancedrenamer, on the other hand, brings much more flexible bulk file renaming to all versions of Windows. Drag a group of files or folders onto its window, select one of the program’s many predefined renaming tags, click the Rename button and it’s all done in the blink of an eye.
Advancedrenamer can work with files from different folders too, and even move disparate groups of files into one folder.
Image Resizer
Readying high-resolution photos for uploading to the web means opening them in an image-editing program, reducing the dimensions to shrink the file sizes and then saving with new names.
In Microsoft Paint that takes at least 20 seconds per image. Now imagine there are 50 photos. Or 500.
Image Resizer takes the pain out of this routine task by putting a ‘Resize Pictures’ option on the Windows Explorer context (right-click) menu. Select a group of images, right-click to select the resize option and all are resized and saved with new names.
Adapter
Instead of resizing images, what about if they need to be converted between image-file formats (from BMP to JPEG, say)? That same 20-second editing process applies and it’s just as tedious when done for more than just a handful of photos.
But with Adapter any number of images can be converted between numerous popular file types using a drag-and-drop window.
But that’s not all: Adapter can convert the format of video and audio files in a similar fashion too, which is something Windows makes a real fuss about.
Autoruns
Microsoft’s System Configuration utility (often called MS Config, as it is launched by typing msconfig into the Run or Search box from the Start menu) is a built-in tool for seeing what programs start automatically with Windows. However, deciphering MS Config’s data can take some doing.
Autoruns is a replacement tool from Microsoft that does the same thing but splits startup items into categories and displays more detail about each one. It makes troubleshooting Windows startup problems and streamlining program installations more simple.
VLC Media Player
Windows Media Player (WMP) can play several popular video file types and, with some suitable coaxing and codec installations, can handle a few others – as long as such sophisticated features like subtitles aren’t required.
Contrast this with VLC Media Player, which plays almost all media file types, supports all manner of exotic video features and can even tweak a video file to improve its picture quality on the fly. Try it once and you’ll never go back to WMP.
Virtualbox
Running Windows XP applications in Windows 7 requires the costly Professional, Ultimate or Enterprise editions of the operating system, as these include a feature called ‘Windows XP mode’ that emulates the older version.
But this is no help to Windows 7 Home Premium or Vista users that have incompatible XP applications.
Virtualbox solves the problem by creating a ‘virtual’ PC within Windows that can run almost any operating system – even Windows 98. It requires the appropriate operating system installation disc but it’s perfect for running old applications that more recent versions of Windows might otherwise reject.
Cleartype Tuner Powertoy
Cleartype is a Microsoft technology that makes text easier to read on modern monitors and, in Windows 7, you can tweak the way it works from Control Panel’s Appearance and Personalization section. Windows XP and Vista users, though, have no such option.
Microsoft offers an online-tweaking tool that can be accessed via Internet Explorer but if you would rather have the controls to hand at all times then the Cleartype Tuner Powertoy is called for. This adds a Windows 7-like option under Appearance and Themes in Control Panel and launches an easy wizard to adjust how text looks.
CDBurnerXP
The most recent versions of Windows will happily burn CD and DVD discs but the operating system has no idea what to do with blank Blu-ray media. Moreover, even though XP has a tool to burn CDs, it can’t create DVDs.
But the free CDBurnerXP utility will do all these things, and a few more besides, in all versions of Windows. It even includes a basic cover-printing tool, which is handy for burning music compilations.
Disk Cleaner
All versions of Windows can delete digital detritus from a hard disk: just right-click a drive, choose Properties and click the Disk Cleanup button, but this doesn’t perform a particularly thorough flushing of unwanted files.
However, Disk Cleaner does. This free tool purges everything from old Adobe Flash data to web browser cookies. It even makes a note of unnecessary files that can’t be deleted because they’re in use, so it can delete them once Windows is restarted.
Font Frenzy
Having too many fonts installed can adversely affect Windows’ performance, so Font Frenzy is ideal for anyone who’s added more than a handful of styles. It can disable all bar the fonts that came with Windows, but stores them for safekeeping and will restore them with a mouse click.
Better still, it can also take ‘snapshots’ that save and restore different font configurations, which is perfect for anyone who has to install lots of them for work-related reasons.
Disk Defrag
Regular disk defragmentation is recommended to keep Windows running smoothly, but its built-in tool isn’t the best at rearranging fragmented files for most efficient use.
Disk Defrag is a better option, because not only does it provide the same features (including scheduled defrags), but also such useful new ones as putting frequently used files at the start of a disk for faster access, individual folder defragmentation (useful for large music or photo collections, for example) and the ability to defragment only the most scattered files by selecting them from a list.
Must-have add-ons for Windows
The main part of this article is concerned with utilities that do a better job than those included with Windows – but there still some useful tools that Microsoft doesn’t provide.
Windows, for example, has an irritating habit of ‘forgetting’ the position of Desktop icons when the screen resolution changes – after playing a full-screen game, for example.
Desktop Save and Restore fixes that with a right-click on the Desktop to save their positions and another to restore them.
Phraseexpress, on the other hand, is a real time-saver: it allows short ‘snippets’ to be typed and automatically replaced with longer words, full sentences or even entire paragraphs. So, with the program installed, typing ‘pht’ can become ‘phantasmagorical’, or ‘bye’ a pre-formatted letter sign-off, complete with a scanned signature image.
Finally, empty the Recycle Bin and Windows itself is unable to retrieve the deleted files.
While that might seem logical it is actually possible to recover accidentally erased files and folders, using a free tool such as Recuva.
This scans drives and presents a list of ‘lost’ files organised by type ready for recovery.
It also includes a secure-deletion function for personal files that need rendered permanently unrecoverable.
Windows knows best
We have recommended replacements for many Windows tools, but that’s not to say everything Microsoft supplies is sub-par.
Even if anti-virus software is already installed, for example, Windows Defender is an extremely capable spyware countermeasure that all PC users should use – it’s already part of Windows 7 and Vista, and a free download for XP.
Alternatively, Microsoft Security Essentials keeps spyware, viruses and other internet threats at bay, removing the need to buy costly third-party anti-virus software – another free download.
Windows 7’s Aero Snap feature makes moving and resizing a breeze. Just drag two windows to either side of the screen to have them automatically resize side by side, or drag a single window to the top of the display and Windows 7 will maximise it.
Explore the alternatives
Windows didn’t become the world’s most popular operating system by accident – the fact is that many people love the way it works, not to mention the numerous great tools it includes.
However, as we have shown, in many cases there are better free alternatives to Windows’ own built-in tools. Try some or all of them and you save time and effort every time you use the computer.
Article tags
Free software, Windows explorer, Windows xp, Windows vista, Windows 7, Windows media center, Photography, Cds, Fonts Reader Comments
Post a comment
You forgotI know this thread is a few months old but I figured I should add that you missed a good uninstaller for windows. Revo Uninstaller; it does a better job by finding all those useless pieces that are left behind by the windows built in uninstaller.
Posted by charles, 23 Jan 2012
UtilityI have been using 2xplorer filemanager since windows 98 and I've tried lot's ever since but nothing can beat it, even though it is only 784Kb in size and faultlessly runs on every version of windows.
Posted by Joe Birch, 29 Apr 2012
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/pc-help/2103397/free-alternatives-windows-built-utilities#ixzz1yP29ibMa
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Computer- BT Speeds slow Cumbria's decision- No Copper bottomed decision expected or accepted
Updated: 19 Jun 2012
Cumbria rejects tenders from both BT and Fujitsu
Thursday 14 June 2012 16:18:59
Some have been saying that BT has Cumbria in the bag with respect to the counties BDUK project, but it seems the council has rebuffed the existing advances from both BT and Fujtisu with concerns over the amount of funding from the bidders and the ability to hit the 90% of homes and businesses having access to superfast broadband target for 2015.
The project represents some £40m of subsidy to the winning bidder, but whoever wins the bid is expected to closely match fund or exceed this amount.
It is thought that the solution from Fujitsu will revolve around a full fibre to the premises roll-out, with fixed wireless for the most costly to reach areas, while BT is likely to relying on its usual mixture of full and partial fibre, plus smaller amounts of fixed wireless or satellite to cover the most remote areas.
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Computer- Tablet PC's in Africa -Adding cultural knowledge and traditional techniques
Updated: 19 Jun 2012
Tablet PCs preserve indigenous knowledge
18 June 2012 by Niall Firth
New Scientist
Tablet computers could help villagers in the Kalahari desert preserve cultural knowledge and traditional techniques for future generations
THE Herero people know just what to do when a horse is too wild or unpredictable: they lash a donkey to it, which forces the horse to slow down and helps to tame it.
Unruly animals have been dealt with this way for generations by the inhabitants of the small village of Erindiroukambe, which lies in the heart of the Kalahari desert in eastern Namibia.
But times are changing and, as young men leave to work or study in cities like Windhoek, 400 kilometres away, it becomes much harder to hang on to this kind of local knowledge.
Kasper Rodil, at Aalborg University in Denmark, and his colleagues want to see if tablet computers can help bridge the gap.
"The human race would lose some colour if we lost this kind of knowledge," says Rodil.
Typically, young men stay in the city for a few years before returning to their home village to pick up the traditional semi-nomadic lifestyle, working the land and keeping cows and goats.
But this gap means that they miss out on much of the village's accumulated knowledge, which is traditionally passed on orally by the elders.
Along with researchers at the Polytechnic of Namibia in Windhoek, Rodil's team is working with Erindiroukambe's elders to develop a 3D visualisation of the village on a tablet computer.
Their knowledge will be embedded in this virtual village to be stored for future generations.
Rodil is also developing a drawing app for the tablet which mimics the way the elders draw diagrams in the sand to explain what they mean.
"The idea is that we have as little friction as possible between the device and the user," he says.
It is crucial that the elders are involved in the development of such an app, says Rodil.
"The participatory design is key. We don't want to just impose our ways upon people."
For villagers who had never used a computer before, the intuitive swipes and finger taps of a tablet interface proved easy to pick up.
"If this is how to use computers, then I have no problems," said one old woman who tried it out.
The 3D environment, running on an Android-based Motorola Xoom tablet and based on a 3D video games engine, shows avatars that depict the villagers as they are engaged in various tasks.
Short video segments, such as the slaughtering of a goat, or the lighting of a sacred flame, pop up as floating 2D panels in the virtual village.
Other links will access more general knowledge, such as which herbs can be used to treat specific ailments, how to look after animals or how to navigate between scattered villages using the sun.
Despite a few teething problems - elders complained that the colouring of the cows was not accurate enough, for example - the animations met with overall approval.
"They are good in their look and in the sense that they will be kept there forever and they will never be forgotten," said one Erindiroukambe elder.
Rodil will present his latest work at the Participatory Design Conference in Roskilde, Denmark, in August.
Urban migration has disrupted how information has historically been passed down the generations, says Niall McNulty, who helps run the Ulwazi programme in Durban, South Africa.
This uses digital technology to enable communities in the area to record indigenous knowledge and history.
"As mobile devices become ubiquitous in Africa, the need for this type of regional and language-specific content, and the tangible link it provides between communities and their multiple pasts, becomes all the more important," McNulty says.
One tablet per child
Laptops are great, but if you've never seen one before, you need someone to show you how to use it.
Touchscreens are far more intuitive, which is why Nicholas Negroponte, who founded the One Laptop per Child initiative, is turning his attention to tablets instead.
Together with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab, he delivered solar-powered tablets to a handful of villages in Ethiopia, one per child.
Each tablet was preloaded with educational software, but no instructions, and logged how the children interacted with the device.
Within two weeks the children, who previously couldn't read, were using an average of 57 apps each and learning to recite the alphabet. |
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Computer- Scams are doing the rounds ! - Watch for bogus websites on DVLA
Updated: 12 Jun 2012
You will lose your driving licence, scam DVLA email warns
A new scam email doing the rounds is trying to trick people into updating their details on a bogus website
James Temperton News Security 11/06/2012
The fake website may look legitimate, but it is designed to steal your personal and financial information
An email claiming to be from the DVLA is telling people to update their details within two weeks, or lose their licence.
The email, which has a number of typos, claims that the DVLA is 'upgrading' its database and that drivers need to 'verify [sic] there driver's [sic] license details'.
It then asks people to click a link to update their details on the DVLA website.
While the links appears to be to the DVLA, it is in fact redirecting to a phishing website hosted in South Africa.
The phishing website, complete with spelling mistakes, looks genuine and even states 'this is the official website of the DVLA' at the bottom of the page.
It requires people to enter their licence details, name, date of birth, address and credit card details. It claims that cards will not be charged but that the information is needed 'for verification purposes only'.
The form is bogus and filling it in will cause your details to be stolen.
Anyone receiving this email, or similar emails, should delete it immediately.
No reputable company should ever ask you to update your details in this way.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2183442/lose-driving-licence-scam-dvla-email-warns#ixzz1xXxqyjVv
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Computer-Customers paying too much for broadband
Updated: 07 Jun 2012
Customers paying too much for broadband
Last updated: Aug 3rd, 2011News by Rebecca Rutt
Radical- Watch out for the BT- 10GB monthly Usage Limit scam package.
Exceed it and up goes the bill.
Yet BT said 10GB "Perfect for everday use"
Conned over the contract time, I have left BT ,never to return.
Customers in the UK are paying £2.7 billion too much for their broadband packages because they don't change providers often enough, according to uSwitch.
This equals an average £140 extra every year for each customer.
Recent research by uSwitch shows that 12 million customers have not changed their provider in the last year, while five million have never changed.
The average bill currently stands at £14.64 a month, but the comparison site says there are more competitive deals available - especially for new customers.
When choosing a new broadband package, 61% of customers said reliability of connection was the most important factor, with 57% choosing the speed of broadband, 54% opting for value for money and 11% saying customer support.
At the moment, there are six providers - Primus, TalkTalk, Sky, Plusnet, Orange and O2 - offering broadband deals for less than £10 per month.
Ernest Doku, spokesperson for uSwitch, says the broadband market has become extremely competitive, with a huge increase in low-cost packages - particularly those below £10 per month.
How to get faster broadband
"If you are coming to the end of your contract, now is the time to take a look at your broadband.
"Consumers should also pay close attention to their broadband usage levels by checking their bills, then ensuring that they get a speed and download limit that suits their household's needs," he adds. |
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Computer- Another BT Rip off
Updated: 07 Jun 2012
BT - Another Rip off!
by laurahares, 3 months agoBT Landlines
money hungry!!!
Currently in the process of moving from BT to try another supplier.
It currently costs me almost ?50 a month for line rental, broadband and calls.
We rarely use the phone, this cost is all based on standing charges and call packages.
I finally decided to do something about it and change to another provider when BT decided to tell me I would be charged for leaving them as I`m on a 12 month contract.
I informed them that I had been with them over three years so I must be out of contract and they informed me that they automatically then put you on 12 month rolling contract, without even informing and that you have to pay to get out of it - as I said "total ripoff!"
Customer Service:Poor, could be greatly improvedFlexibility & Fairness:Poor, could be greatly improvedProduct Features:TerribleValue For Money:Terrible
Read more: http://reviews.money.co.uk/review/101167-bt-another-rip-off.htm#ixzz1x4sAuGXM |
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Computer- Beware the BT Con Trick
Updated: 07 Jun 2012
BEWARE BT CON TRICK
I am nearing my minimum contract term with BT Option 3 Broadband.
This evening, I received the usual pigeon English third world phone call.
The caller identified themselves as calling on behalf of BT , and confirmed who I was.
I was then asked if "I had a laptop that I sometimes used away from home", I replied "Yes".
I was then asked if "I was interested in mobile Broadband". I replied "No, as I have BT Fon and Open Zone for free, and other dongles".
I was then told, "In that case, you qualify for £1 30p off your monthly fee".
I replied "Oh yes" and that seemed the end of the conversation. I then thought I would ask what the reduction was in aid of, and was told "because you will be taking out a further 12 month contract"! to which I replied, "NO I WON'T YOU CRAFTY COW".
I repeated that I WAS NOT INTERESTED in their "Offer", and that far from retaining a customer, they had probably lost one.
BE ON YOUR GUARD, as there was NO mention of a new contract until I asked. |
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Computer-Latest version of Windows 8 features 'do not track' web browser
Updated: 05 Jun 2012
Latest version of Windows 8 features 'do not track' web browser
Windows 8 Release Preview will include a number of new features and thousands of improvements –
and it's available to download now
James Temperton News Windows 01/06/2012
Computeractive
Microsoft announced that Internet Explorer would have web-tracking turned off by default
Microsoft has released the latest and most complete version of its Windows 8 operating system to date, saying that it contains 'tens of thousands of refinements'.
Windows 8 Release Preview follows on from the release of the Consumer Preview, which was made available in February.
Microsoft said that the new version had more personalisation options, improved support for multiple monitors, more apps and new family safety features.
Also included is the latest version of Microsoft's web browser, Internet Explorer 10.
The new browser has been developed with touch-screen devices in mind to make the internet feel 'fast and fluid'.
The browser will also have a 'do not track' feature enabled by default, giving users greater privacy online.
Speaking about the decision, Microsoft's chief privacy officer Brendon Lynch said it was time to put the user first.
"We believe that consumers should have more control over how information about their online behaviour is tracked, shared and used," he said.
A number of new apps are also available, including Bing Travel, news and sports apps, Xbox gaming and music.
Improvements have also been made to the Mail, Photos and People applications.
More third-party apps are now available in the Windows 8 Store.
The Windows 8 Release Preview is available to download now.
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Comuter-Over-55s pick passwords twice as secure as teenagers'
Updated: 05 Jun 2012
Over-55s pick passwords twice as secure as teenagers'
11:19 01 June 2012 by Jacob Aron
For similar stories, visit the Computer crime Topic Guide
New Scientist
People over the age of 55 pick passwords double the strength of those chosen by people under 25 years old.
That's according to the largest ever study of password security, which also found that most of us choose passwords that are less secure than security experts recommend.
Joseph Bonneau, a computer scientist at the University of Cambridge, analysed the passwords of nearly 70 million Yahoo! users.
The data had been protected using a security technique called hashing, which ensured he did not have access to the individual accounts.
He calculated the password strengths for different demographic groups and compared the results.
A comparison of different nationalities found that German and Korean speakers choose the strongest passwords, whereas Indonesians pick the weakest.
People with a credit card stored on their account do little to increase their security other than avoiding very weak passwords such as "123456".
Unsurprisingly, people who change their password from time to time tend to select the strongest ones.
Traditionally, security researchers look at the difficulty of breaking every password in a database, but that makes the problem seem much harder than it is, because the most secure randomly-generated passwords are almost impossible to crack.
Bonneau instead looked at more realistic attacker scenarios.
"Maybe an attacker is happy to only break one per cent of accounts they have access to, or 50 or even 90 per cent," he says.
"Those are all very different than 100 per cent."
Another important factor is whether attackers are trying to guess the password of a particular user by typing it onto a login screen, or attempting to crack an entire leaked database of passwords.
These are known as online and offline attacks respectively.
Cracking bits
Password strength is measured in bits, where cracking one bit is equivalent to the chance of correctly calling a fair coin toss, and each additional bit doubles the password's strength.
On average, Bonneau found that user-chosen passwords offer less than 10 bits of security against online attacks, meaning it would only take around 1000 attempts to try every possible password, and around 20 bits of security against offline attacks.
That's surprising, because even a randomly chosen six-character password composed of digits and upper and lower case letters should offer 32 bits of security.
Bonneau says the discrepancy is due to people picking much easier passwords than those theoretically allowed.
He suggests assigning people randomly chosen nine-digit numbers instead, which would offer 30 bits of security against every type of attack – a 1000-fold increase in security on average.
"I think it's reasonable to expect people to have the capacity to remember that, because they do it for phone numbers," he says.
Bonneau presented the findings at the Symposium on Security and Privacy in San Francisco, California, on 23 May.
"This is one of the rare studies based on a large set of passwords that are actively used and have been obtained legitimately," says Lujo Bauer, who studies passwords at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Most other studies are based on leaked databases that may be incomplete.
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Computer - Hacker Jailed after 30 milllion computers infected
Updated: 31 May 2012
Man jailed for creating botnet that infected 30 million computers
The Bredolab botnet sent up to 3 billion spam emails a day
James Temperton
News Security 28/05/2012
Computeractive
Security experts say the attack was successful because people didn't know their computers had been infected
The man behind malicious software that hijacked 30 million computers around the world has been sentenced to four years in jail for 'computer sabotage'.
Georgiy Avanesov, an Armenian man of Russian descent, was charged with creating and distributing a computer virus, an act that reportedly earned him £80,000 a month.
The software, known as Bredolab, was developed during 2009 in Armenia. A district court in the Armenian capital Yerevan heard that Avanesov used computer servers in the Netherlands and France to spread the virus.
30 million computers had been infected by October 2010, creating what is known as a botnet of hijacked machines.
Malicious phishing emails were used to spread the virus, with Bredolab sending up to three billion junk emails every day at its peak. The attack stole online banking passwords and other confidential information.
In late 2010, Dutch police said they had regained control of 143 servers being used by the Bredolab botnet. Shortly afterwards, Avanesov was arrested at Yerevan airport in Armenia.
Avanesov's defence lawyer, Gegham Hakobian, said his client "did not intend to deliberately harm anyone."
Graham Cluely from security firm Sophos said Bredolab was successful because people didn't know the virus had installed on their computers.
"It's easy to see how such a large network of infected PCs was created, as people clicked on seemingly legitimate attachments and websites, oblivious to the infection that would go on to take control of their PC, and in some cases steal passwords and usernames," he said.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2180230/jailed-creating-botnet-infected-million-computers#ixzz1wPDIQ4w9
Software, gadgets, magazines and more in our webstore. Click here to see our latest offers.
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Computer- ISP's still patchy on revealing Broadband Speeds
Updated: 26 May 2012
ISPs still patchy on revealing broadband speeds says Ofcom
Regulator said ISPs need to train sales staff more effectively
Dinah Greek News Broadband 16/05/2012
Customers should not have to prompt ISPs for estimated broadband speeds
Internet service providers (ISPs) are still failing to provide customers with clear information about broadband speed estimates according to Ofcom.
The regulator carried out a mystery shopping exercise between mid-December last year and January this year to check that ISPs were complying with its voluntary Code of Practice on broadband speeds.
It found that although in 93 per cent of its telephone enquiries an estimate of the broadband speed was given by the provider, in 41 per cent of cases the mystery shopper had to ask for this information.
Bob Warner, chairman of the Communications Consumer Panel, said: "ISPs must give consumers information on their likely broadband speeds early in the sales process, before any decision is made.
"Consumers can only make an informed choice if they can easily compare different packages and providers."
Ofcom said this research shows that ISPs need to improve sales training because the CoP requires that this information should be volunteered as early as possible in the sales process.
It said ISPs who were most likely to give callers an estimated speed without prompting were Karoo (76 per cent of cases), Sky (72 per cent) and Plusnet (67 per cent).
Talk Talk (47 per cent of cases) and BT Total Broadband (48 per cent) were significantly less likely to provide a speed estimate without prompting from the caller.
Following discussions with Ofcom, both BT and Talk Talk have agreed to address this issue by amending their staff training and sales processes.
Claudio Pollack, Ofcom's Consumer Group Director, said: "It is vital that as the choice of broadband services expands, UK consumers get the best possible information when choosing a broadband provider.
"Our mystery shopping shows that, while consumer information about broadband speeds has improved in important areas, there is still more to be done.
"We are working with internet providers to improve information that consumers receive when they sign up to a new service and will continue to monitor this area closely."
Both Ofcom and the Consumer Panel said they would be closely monitoring the situation and the regulator plans further mystery shopping exercises.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2175285/isps-patchy-revealing-broadband-speeds-ofcom#ixzz1vxHzAJOP
Software, gadgets, magazines and more in our webstore. Click here to see our latest offers.
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Computer- ISP Broadband Speeds- What's yours ? Low ?-Demand action & compensation or tell Ofcom
Updated: 24 May 2012
ISPs still patchy on revealing broadband speeds says Ofcom
Regulator said ISPs need to train sales staff more effectively
Dinah Greek News Broadband 16/05/2012
Customers should not have to prompt ISPs for estimated broadband speeds
Internet service providers (ISPs) are still failing to provide customers with clear information about broadband speed estimates according to Ofcom.
The regulator carried out a mystery shopping exercise between mid-December last year and January this year to check that ISPs were complying with its voluntary Code of Practice on broadband speeds.
It found that although in 93 per cent of its telephone enquiries an estimate of the broadband speed was given by the provider, in 41 per cent of cases the mystery shopper had to ask for this information.
Bob Warner, chairman of the Communications Consumer Panel, said: "ISPs must give consumers information on their likely broadband speeds early in the sales process, before any decision is made.
"Consumers can only make an informed choice if they can easily compare different packages and providers."
Ofcom said this research shows that ISPs need to improve sales training because the CoP requires that this information should be volunteered as early as possible in the sales process.
It said ISPs who were most likely to give callers an estimated speed without prompting were Karoo (76 per cent of cases), Sky (72 per cent) and Plusnet (67 per cent).
Talk Talk (47 per cent of cases) and BT Total Broadband (48 per cent) were significantly less likely to provide a speed estimate without prompting from the caller.
Following discussions with Ofcom, both BT and Talk Talk have agreed to address this issue by amending their staff training and sales processes.
Claudio Pollack, Ofcom's Consumer Group Director, said: "It is vital that as the choice of broadband services expands, UK consumers get the best possible information when choosing a broadband provider.
"Our mystery shopping shows that, while consumer information about broadband speeds has improved in important areas, there is still more to be done.
"We are working with internet providers to improve information that consumers receive when they sign up to a new service and will continue to monitor this area closely."
Both Ofcom and the Consumer Panel said they would be closely monitoring the situation and the regulator plans further mystery shopping exercises
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2175285/isps-patchy-revealing-broadband-speeds-ofcom#ixzz1vlNFhXOt
Software, gadgets, magazines and more in our webstore. Click here to see our latest offers.
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Computer- Superfast Broadband comes to 63% at a price
Updated: 22 May 2012
63% of UK households have access to superfast broadband
Andrew Ferguson
Superfast comes at an increased price so why should BT improve their old network?
Its all about profit not service
Ofcom in theory has access to lots of data from providers, and should thus be able to produce statistics easily on what services are available to parts of the UK, and an interesting UK wide figure has emerged.
To quote exactly "Customers who are unhappy with their current speed could also consider switching to a faster package or provider, particularly if superfast broadband services are available to them (63% of UK households now have access to superfast broadband )."
Inexplicably the figure was buried in amongst the latest round of mystery shopper research published by the telecoms regulator.
On immediate viewing the figure looks far too high, as Openreach superfast coverage has only just reached 38% of the UK, and Virgin Media cable services only cover 48% of UK households.
The solution seems to be that there is not a total 1:1 mapping between Openreach and the Virgin Media cable network, which some have accused Openreach of having.
The 63% figure is feasible if 15 percentage points of the Openreach FTTC and FTTP coverage are outside Virgin Media areas.
The actual figure for Openreach outside Virgin Media areas may be a few percentage points lower due to the presence of alt-nets, e.g. Digital Region has a footprint of around 3% of UK households.
Update 20:30 Added a figure for Digital Region, who provide VDSL2 in South Yorkshire via sub-LLU, though their coverage does overlap some Virgin Media and Openreach FTTC areas too
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Computer - YouView - You are late
Updated: 22 May 2012
YouView, you are late!
Monday 21 May 2012 09:24:50 by andrew@thinkbroadband.com">
Andrew Ferguson
YouView which is a joint venture between broadcasters, set-top box manufacturers and broadband providers looks likely to not see the light of day until at least September 2012 now.
TalkTalk through its purchase of Tiscali a couple of years ago acquired Tiscali TV (aka HomeChoice launched in 2000), but for most including the existing TV customers that is but a distant memory, and represents a lost opportunity, as launching another IPTV based service in a market that has lots of free and also subscription services like NetFlix and LoveFilm Instant will prove a difficult task.
Also with the digital switchover of the UK all but complete the window for spending on set-top boxes may have closed, with many people now content to avoid spending extra money to replace something only recently purchased. Dido Harding CEO of TalkTalk remains upbeat.
"Our triple play proposition that will feature YouView, is on track for launch during Q2 fy13 [Autumn 2012]. YouView will bring to our customers all of the 'plug-in-and-watch' simplicity of Freeview, plus the UK’s leading internet catch-up and video on-demand services…
Development within the YouView team is progressing well and within TalkTalk we are making good progress on provisioning capability, as well as operational and CRM readiness to support our TV service within our existing operational structures."
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Computer-Monmouth-Becomes a Wikipedia Town
Updated: 21 May 2012
Monmouth in south Wales will become the first "Wikipedia town" and the Monmouthpedia will feature all notable places, people, flora and fauna.
Wikipedia has urged people to contribute articles and photographs on as many aspects of life in Monmouth as possible.
Smart phone technology will then allow users to scan barcodes at points of interest and have information about the landmark sent to their mobiles in their own language.
Wikimedia UK, the charity body that promotes Wikipedia and other wiki projects in the UK, has funded the project along with Monmouthshire County Council.
Tomorrow Monmouth Library will host drop-in sessions so people can learn to edit Wikipedia before the signing of the agreement between Monmouthshire County Council and Wikimedia UK to create the world's first Wikipedia town.
Roger Bamkin, a director of Wikimedia UK and co-creator of QRpedia, said: "We're delighted that Monmouth is becoming the world's first Wikipedia town.
"Both the quality and quantity of the new Monmouth Wikipedia content is outstanding, reflecting the rich cultural, historical and natural heritage of the town. At last foreign visitors can not only read information in their own language, but they can edit it too."
Mr Bamkin said the project can be replicated in every town, city or village around the world.
"We've shown in Monmouth that all it takes is a little creativity, energy and cooperation to put a town on the map and take it to an audience of 480 million people a month.
Monmouth may be the first Wikipedia town but we're hoping for many, many more to follow.
Your town could be next, and we hope it is."
Residents, businesses and volunteers have created hundreds of new articles about Monmouth in 25 different languages, as well as improving hundreds of others.
John Cummings, the local project leader, said: "Wikipedia is all about working to share the sum of all human knowledge with everyone.
"Monmouthpedia has shown that whole towns can make a contribution to this effort.
Because QRpedia codes (the barcodes) can be accessed in different languages, they have been used throughout the world.
I think that giving free access to information in this way allows us to have a richer experience of the world around us."
Kellie Beirne, Monmouthshire County Council's chief officer for regeneration and culture, said the project had already boosted tourism: "Monmouth has always been known in the UK as a great place to visit and do business.
"We very quickly realised that embracing technology and fantastic global community projects like this benefits everyone in Monmouthshire and we are delighted to be involved in something so innovative, creative and forward-looking."
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales said he was looking forward to seeing other towns following suit.
"I'm really excited by the Monmouthpedia project. Bringing a whole town to life on Wikipedia is something new and is a testament to the forward-thinking people of Monmouth, all of the volunteers and the Wikimedia UK team.
"I'm looking forward to seeing other towns and cities doing the same thing." |
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Computer- HP Laptops & Printers plan massive layoffs
Updated: 18 May 2012
HP plans massive layoff, say reports
PC and printer division merger would explain some aspects of move, but not all of it
By Patrick Thibodeau
May 17, 2012 05:34 PM
What's this?.Computerworld -
The last time Hewlett-Packard Co. announced a layoff of 25,000 people, it was on the same day that Lehman Brothers collapsed and the stock market nose-dived. That was in September 2008.
Now, HP is reportedly considering another layoff of equal number -- and possibly as many as 30,000 -- according to a report by Bloomberg.
The timing of HP's big 2008 announcement was coincidental, and not unexpected because it followed the acquisition of EDS. But it nonetheless was the first big layoff in a tech industry that was retrenching. The industry eventually lost more than 250,000 IT jobs as the recession deepened.
An HP spokesman today declined to comment on the latest layoff plan, calling it speculation.
HP update
HP plans massive layoff, say reports
Why Israel is a hotbed for flash storage innovation
Does the HP Folio 13 Ultrabook Succeed in Business?
HP expands cloud services beta
Potential bidding war emerges for Quest Software
Apple's e-store satisfaction score jumps, thumps Microsoft's
HP tries to beat ultrabook pricing with 'Sleekbooks'
Tibco adds Hadoop support to Spotfire analytics tool
Facebook's open-source data-center project gains ground
AT&T, Google among top lobbying spenders in Q1
More HP news, features... For IT employment generally, what will matter is where HP cuts its labor force. It employs about 350,000 worldwide, but does not report on the exact number of people who work for it in the U.S.
Analysts say that some cutbacks were expected following HP's recent announcement that it plans to combine its personal systems and printer divisions.
Frank Gillett, an analyst at Forrester, said he didn't think that the reorganization would result in 25,000 layoffs.
HP CEO Meg Whitman has faulted prior decisions to cut R&D, and Gillett believes the company may be trying to find efficiencies elsewhere to increase R&D investment. "I don't think there is a company-wide contraction going on," said Gillett.
Charles King, an analyst at Pund-IT, also sees the printer and PC division as a major reason for any cut. The personal system division, which is responsible for PCs, is the company's lowest margin business "and margins have been falling pretty dramatically," he said.
King said the reported layoffs are "lousy news for a whole lot of people, especially when the economy doesn't have 25,000 jobs to be given up right now."
Whitman has signaled the need for cost cutting at HP. In a critique of operations earlier this year, she said the company was "too complex and too slow," and she said that there was "still much more that we can do to streamline operations."
HP sites in United Kingdom
1. Belfast
2. Birmingham
3. Bracknell
4. Bristol
5. Edinburgh
6. Erskine
7. Leeds 8. London
9. Manchester
10. Newcastle
11. Warrington
12. Watford |
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Computer-136,000 new customer in the last quarter but did they read the small print ?
Updated: 15 May 2012
BT Group publishes fourth quarter results
Thursday 10 May 2012 09:19:49 by andrew@thinkbroadband.com
BT is the latest telecoms operator to publish its quarterly results ending 31st March 2012, and continues to reflect the gradual shift from a copper based local loop to one where the core fibre is getting pushed closer to the consumer.
"We have now passed 10m homes and businesses with our fibre roll-out.
This is many months ahead of schedule and brings the benefits of super-fast broadband to families and businesses in cities, towns and rural areas across the UK.
We remain the leading provider of broadband in the UK and over half a million customers are already taking our fibre-based BT Infinity product.
At a time when many of our corporate customers are facing their own challenges, our investments internationally will help those seeking to expand in faster growing economies and this is reflected in £2bn of new orders won by BT Global Services this quarter."
Ian Livingston, CEO BT Group PLC
The Openreach division has seen its revenue increase by 4%, benefiting from increased income from Ethernet, LLU and fibre sources.
They have passed 10 million homes with their FTTC/P products, though the full fibre (FTTP) service is still considered to be in the early stages of roll-out.
BT Retail continues to gain broadband customers, in the face of increasing popularity of LLU services.
Adding 136,000 retail broadband customers in the last quarter, BT Infinity added some 131,000 connections in the quarter (some of these will be existing BT Retail customers), giving BT Retail a total of 550,000 fibre based customers.
BT Vision continues to grow, though at a slower rate, adding 28,000 in the quarter with over 700,000 customers, a growth of 23% in the last 12 months. |
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Computer - BT Profits up but losses 2% of revenue from calls & lines
Updated: 15 May 2012
BT Group plc
RESULTS FOR THE YEAR TO 31 MARCH 2012
GROUP RESULTS
Operating results overview for the year
Underlying revenue excluding transit decreased by 1.9%, within our target range, reflecting lower revenue from calls and lines and the challenging environment in certain markets. Adjusted revenue was 4% lower at £19,307m with transit revenue down by £392m (including mobile termination rate reductions of £286m), favourable foreign exchange movements of £22m and disposals of £55m. Reported revenue was down 6% reflecting the specific charge to revenue of £410m this year that had no impact on profits or cash (see Specific items below). Total operating costs before depreciation and amortisation and specific items decreased by £933m, or 6%, to £13,630m. These costs have reduced by £2.9bn, and by £3.4bn including the reduction in capital expenditure, over the last three years. Underlying operating costs were down 6% for the year. Net labour costs decreased by 1% to £4,812m after adjusting for certain labour related costs of £87m classified as other costs in the prior year. Leaver costs, which are included in net labour costs, increased by £40m to £97m. Payments to telecommunications operators were down 16%, reflecting lower mobile termination rates and reduced transit and wholesale call volumes. Property and energy costs were 7% lower and network operating and IT costs were 11% lower as we rationalise our networks and systems. Other operating costs decreased by 3% |
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Computer- BT -"pulling a fast one" over cancelling contracts
Updated: 15 May 2012
BT 'pulling a fast one' over contract cancellations
BT could be breaking the law by failing to adhere to distance selling regulations, a consumer group has said.
11:59AM GMT 22 Feb 2010
An investigation claimed the company did not provide "sufficient cancellation rights" when existing customers signed up to renewable contracts over the phone.
The Which? study found that these customers were not supplied with written details of their termination rights until it was too late for them to cancel without incurring a penalty. Complaints relating to such contracts prompted Which? to call BT 10 times posing as prospective customers.
Only one sales rep informed the "customer" of early termination charges and three failed to mention that the contract was renewable until they were quizzed specifically on the subject. According to the consumer group, this breaches distance selling regulations.
Peter Vicary-Smith, chief executive at Which?, accused BT of "pulling a fast one". He said: "Many phone companies aren't doing enough to make the cost of getting out of contracts clear upfront and some charge exorbitant cancellation fees."
"We think BT is pulling a fast one by not ensuring some customers get written notice of a cooling-off period and we are encouraging it to formally add appropriate cancellation rights to its contracts as soon as possible."
The company has now agreed to introduce an "early termination right" for customers which means they will be able to cancel their contracts within a "statutory cancellation period" without incurring charges.
BT spokesman Michael Jarvis said the company complied "as far as possible" with the British regulations and "fully" with the EU Distance Selling Directive. "To improve matters further we are going to introduce an early termination right for our customers so that they cancel within the statutory cancellation period without suffering early termination charges," he said.
"BT complies as far as possible with the UK regulations that implement the EU Distance Selling Directive but in order to provide service to customers as quickly as possible – as they expect of us – it is not possible to give written notification of the information required by the UK regulations before the service starts.
"We make this clear to customers before they complete their order with us and ensure that they accept this before proceeding." Which? spoke to 1,965 people about their various home phone contracts in December last year.
The study revealed that the cancellation cost was often "sky high". According to researchers, most people were in the dark about how much it would cost them to terminate their contract early. Only half of those who were locked into a contract lasting more than a month said they were sure they would have to pay a fee to cancel before their tie-in ended.
And of these, nearly half either did not know how much it would cost to cancel or thought they would only pay a small admin fee.
Which? found that Orange customers were obliged to pay all outstanding monthly charges for the rest of the contract, meaning it would cost £120 to leave one of its basic 18-month phone/broadband deals after a year. TalkTalk was found to operate in a similar way but the company caps termination fees at £70.
AOL, BT, Tesco and Virgin Media all charge a fixed fee for each month remaining on the contract, depending on the customer's package, the study found. The Post Office and Utility Warehouse have short notice periods with no cancellation fees for a stand-alone home phone but both charge a fee to end their phone/broadband contracts early.
BT is the only leading provider to offer renewable phone deals where, once the initial tie-in ends, a contract is automatically renewed for the same period – often 12 months – unless the customer actively cancels in advance.
Which? said it was making all its findings available to phone regulator Ofcom. |
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Computer- Cancelling a BT contract
Updated: 15 May 2012
Cancelling a BT contract.
My contract with the hated BT ends soon and as had I contacted them because of over 2 months of slow speed to confirm the £15 compensation, offered, I was told to phone the Customer Option Team on 0800 800 030 one month prior to their confirmed date.
Whether is legally required is a mute point, because when I took out a Contract with BT they immediately cancelled it, because a new offer has superseded it which caost more.
Who am I moving to? Tesco seems to have the offer that best meets my needs and they have said I do not need the Migration Code to open their account.
This is doubly useful to know as I shall settle BT’s last bill and then cancel my direct debit arrangement with them. In fact I might do that during the one month of “notice” and settle their last bill by cheque.
Anyone wanting to know more can “Get in Touch” |
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Computer- Problems Problems Problems
Updated: 14 May 2012
Problems Problems Problems
Front page problems pasting the weekend music.
Apologies
Mondays articles were lost but back to normal an Tuesday |
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Computer- I -Spy -the "Snooper's Charter" by Cloak and Dagger MP's
Updated: 10 May 2012
Britain unveils “Snooper’s Charter”
The British parliament will be discussing a draft bill that gives spy agencies new powers to monitor emails, phone calls and internet use.
Wed May 9, 2012 4:7PM GMT
"We're really worried about these new plans for internet snooping, they represent a huge increase in the amount of surveillance government has that are really not appropriate”, said Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group.
Britain has unveiled a controversial proposal that gives spy agencies new powers to monitor emails, phone calls and internet use, local media reported.
The controversial government proposals to increase digital surveillance were announced in the Queen's Speech on Wednesday, British media reported.
The Home Office wants powers to monitor internet traffic, known as communications data, to keep track of serious criminals and terrorists.
However, the measures were described by civil liberties campaigners as a "Snooper's Charter" and a "dangerous" invasion of privacy.
"We're really worried about these new plans for internet snooping, they represent a huge increase in the amount of surveillance government has that are really not appropriate”, said Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group.
"People need to be suspected before they're surveilled - that's how the law should work, but what the government's saying is: 'Were going to treat you all as suspects, and ask you to trust us not to abuse that data”, added Killock.
"These are very dangerous measures - they cross a line, they take us from targeting people that we suspect, to targeting everybody and really lowering the barriers of what the government can find out about you without going through a court."
The proposals would involve recording "communications data" - the digital fingerprint of who messaged who, when and where - not the actual content of the communication.
The legislation would update existing procedures on how information like email addresses and phone numbers can be collected by authorities.
The government argues the law is needed to keep pace with technological changes and enable security services to confront threats to the U-K.
MOL/JR/HE |
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Computer- How Revealing is Facebook about you ?
Updated: 09 May 2012
Mindreader: Facebook of revelations
02 May 2012 by Jim Giles
New Scientist
Your social networks know far more about you than you reveal – they might even know you better than you know yourself
Editorial: "Are we selling our souls to social networks?"
I'M A Facebook curmudgeon.
The world's most popular social network is all about sharing, but my profile doesn't give much away.
The interests field is blank. Ditto for educational history.
I have listed neither the sports teams I support nor the political views I hold.
My reticence isn't confined to Facebook - I don't reveal much on Twitter, either.
I recently deleted my account for location-sharing service Foursquare.
I doubt anyone wants to view my Flickr photos, but they are password protected anyway.
And I'm not alone: more than half of people who use social networks try to control the information others see about them, by not filling it in or by adjusting their privacy settings, according to one recent Pew Research survey.
Here's the thing about our antisocial behaviour: it might not matter.
Even the little information I post online could be enough for someone to guess where I live.
In fact, my sexual orientation, mood and personality type can all be worked out from snippets of online data.
Throw in some cellphone records and algorithms have enough information to predict where I will go tomorrow and who I will be with.
The data can even be used to gauge whether my lack of sociability is run-of-the-mill grumpiness, or a sign of impending depression.
Though many people might find this loss of privacy disturbing, advocates point to the many benefits we accrue from allowing algorithms to sift through our data.
They might have a point.
Allowing websites and phone companies to peer into our minds could allow social networks to put us in touch with like-minded people that we would never otherwise befriend, enriching our offline lives.
It could even give our phones the ability to warn our loved ones when we need help.
How much are we willing to share in order to reap these rewards? And do we still have any choice in the matter?
It is a fact of connected online life that privacy concerns flare up from time to time:
Facebook has come under fire for changing its privacy settings on a dime, and search engines have been accused of harvesting too much data.
However, if you were vigilant about keeping up with the fine print, you could take some comfort in the fact that your data was only available to designated people.
The new mind-reading algorithms are changing that.
They make use of machine learning techniques and network theory, a field at the intersection of computer science and mathematics, whose roots go back to the 18th century.
Network theory is the study of the structure and dynamics of networks, ranging from gene regulatory systems to the internet.
In particular, it can reveal unseen relationships between a network's nodes.
The mathematicians of the 1700s could not have imagined the era of Facebook, or that their theory would be able to reveal so much about individuals.
And yet that is exactly what data scientists at Facebook and elsewhere use network theory to do.
Facebook's algorithms, for example, know more about your social life than you post on the site. I have friends I am not linked to online whom the site can nonetheless identify.
At the simplest level, the algorithms know that most new friendships close a triangle: if I am friends with Alice, and Alice is friends with Bob, there is a good chance that I am friends with Bob, too.
The algorithm refines its decisions with supporting information, such as when Alice became friends with both of us.
Once it is satisfied that I know Bob, the site will suggest that we connect.
I can choose not to declare a friendship, but the site still knows.
What about other things I choose to keep to myself, such as the university I attended?
There is an algorithm for that, too.
To tease out the answer, the method relies on a basic human trait: we tend to befriend people that are a similar age and have similar interests to us.
If just a fraction of my university friends publish the name of their university and graduation date, the right algorithm can fill in the blanks in my profile with an accuracy of 80 per cent (Proc. Third ACM Int. Conf. on Web Search and Data Mining, p 251).
A similar algorithm for guessing sexual orientation also boasts an 80 per cent accuracy (First Monday, vol 14, no 10).
The more information an algorithm has about the friends, family and colleagues that populate your social network, the more it knows about you.
Take your address.
If you post it on Facebook, you probably don't make it openly available for everyone to see.
I don't share mine at all. But 6 per cent of the site's users do.
That probably includes some of your friends, and because we tend to live close to them, the internet's crystal ball can use friends to take a competent stab at where you live.
In 2010, Lars Backstrom, a researcher at Facebook, showed that he could locate two-thirds of the site's users to within 40 kilometres by identifying where their friends live (Proc. 19th Int. Conf. on World Wide Web, p 61).
Add the location information that those friends make public on Twitter and it often becomes possible to home in on someone's exact location.
This February, Adam Sadilek at the University of Rochester in New York showed that if just nine of a person's friends attach GPS tags to their tweets, around half of the time it is possible to pinpoint that person to within a 100-metre radius (Fifth ACM Int. Conf. on Web Search and Data Mining, p 723).
While neither technique is perfect, both invalidate the idea that not publishing your location is the same as not revealing it.
Getting to know you
Is this necessarily a bad thing?
With the ability to pinpoint your location, it might be possible for social networks to predict not just the friends you have now, but tell you who you might become friends with in the future.
Certain places, for example, define our social dynamics: offices are fertile ground for new friendships; airports are not.
To quantify this effect, Salvatore Scellato and colleagues at the University of Cambridge ranked locations obtained from around 300,000 people using Gowalla, a now-defunct location-tracking service that allowed cellphone users to announce their presence at restaurants, bars, airports and the like.
A low score - indicating that the place was frequented by a small number of people - suggested high friendship-forming potential.
By watching for pairs of users who simultaneously visited low-scoring locations, Scellato was able to identify two-thirds of the friendships that users subsequently declared (Proc. 17th ACM SIGKDD Int. Conf. Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining, p 1046).
Though many of these bonds probably existed before these people joined Gowalla, Scellato's method almost certainly predicted some genuinely new friendships.
It is not just future friendships that can be deciphered; the algorithms can also provide insights into someone's personality. Mine is certainly not apparent from my Facebook profile, which is populated chiefly by tumbleweed. I don't keep a personal blog.
When I do use Twitter, I am conservative both about my language and the topics I cover.
And yet the 715 tweets I have sent may be enough to gauge my personality with unexpected precision.
The language we use in tweets - and in many other forms of writing - can provide a surprisingly clear window into our personality.
Jennifer Golbeck at the University of Maryland in College Park scored 50 people on the five traits that psychologists use to define personality: extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness, assigning each participant a 1-to-5 ranking in these qualities. When she looked at their tweets, she found some unsurprising correlations: agreeable types tended to talk to others more often, as revealed by their frequent use of "you" and "your".
Conscientious folk avoided words with negative connotations, such as "kill".
But there were also some odd surprises. For some reason, conscientious people used more colons.
People who tweeted at length about eating were found to be agreeable; those who peppered their speech with achievement-related terms such as "earning" and "winning" were not.
Combining these and other correlations, she was able to predict volunteers' trait scores to within almost 10 per cent. (Proc. 3rd IEEE Int. Conf. Social Computing, p 149).
Facebook and Twitter aren't the only technologies that can tap into your social network to figure you out: your cellphone also knows your quirks.
Daniel Gatica-Perez, a researcher at the Idiap Research Institute in Martigny, Switzerland, and colleagues spent 18 months tracking 117 volunteers using an app that logged the numbers they called and how often they did so.
Then the team looked for correlations between this data and the volunteers' personalities.
Some findings were unsurprising: extroverts made longer calls; introverts preferred to text.
When combined, these seemingly obvious correlations proved more powerful than the sum of their parts: the data could identify whether a person would score above or below average on the five personality traits (Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, DOI: 10.1007/s00779-011-0490-1).
Combine enough of this data and you get a crystal ball that could yield some useful insights.
You could figure out, for example, whether a friend is feeling depressed. Using a similar phone app, Anmol Madan and his colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology tracked 70 residents of a US university dormitory.
For about two years, the volunteers filled in regular health surveys, reporting back on everything from their mood to the presence of a sniffle.
After crunching the numbers, Madan found that depressed students tended to communicate less and spend less time with friends.
That is not a surprise: a well-known and perverse effect of depression is that people who suffer from it tend to isolate themselves, eschewing the very help they need.
The surprise was that this information could now be determined from phone data alone.
If your cellphone knew you were depressed, it could send an automatic alert to a friend or family member - even when you're too low to do it yourself.
Similarly, what if an app could alert your loved ones to an unusually prolonged period of inactivity?
Ingrid Burbey, who studies location prediction at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, thinks such algorithms could monitor the movements of older people and send an alert when they sense a problem.
The predictions of the social oracle could also usher in smaller conveniences for the rest of us.
Location prediction could lead to more useful advertising, enabling stores to send discounts to consumers heading their way.
Websites and cellphone apps might use personality profiling to tailor interfaces to specific users.
And yet, despite the conveniences they offer, many people consider such algorithms deeply unsettling.
Shifting ground
We all have very different feelings about privacy: some of us over-share, others play their cards close to their chest. Nearly all of us want to remain in charge of our decisions.
The new algorithms are taking away the choice.
By inferring information that we have chosen not to reveal, they take privacy decisions out of our hands, including our control over some very sensitive data.
I am not sure I want my cellphone provider to know I am feeling depressed.
After all, how can I be sure that information won't get into the hands of, say, my insurance company?
For now, the algorithms' power is limited by the segregation of our digital data.
Facebook guards its data jealously; the company will not send your entire private profile data to Starbucks.
Neither will cellphone companies let Starbucks know when you're next likely to pass by. But there is no guarantee that this will remain the status quo.
On occasion, the companies that control our data have been less than transparent about how they share it. In 2010, The Wall Street Journal revealed that Facebook was passing the personal details of its users - including those with strict privacy settings - to advertisers.
More recently, cellphone companies have come under similar scrutiny.
Last year, independent computer programmers discovered cellphone software that, unknown to users, relays data about phone use to providers.
In a separate investigation, programmers discovered that iPhones and iPads log users' locations, although Apple insists that the data is not used to track people.
"The tension between utility and privacy is a genuinely hard problem," says Jon Kleinberg, who studies social and information networks at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
It is not yet clear how to strike the right balance. Individuals, governments and companies are taking different approaches to the problem. Some are creating tools that help people fine-tune their privacy preferences: for example, programmer Tea Vui Huang created software that removes the GPS traces that are automatically added to most smartphone photos.
Others have begun to demand better privacy controls: the US government, for example, is a supporter of the Do Not Track tool, which lets users instruct websites not to track them as they move across the web.
New algorithms can analyse personal data without exposing private information (Proc. 41st Ann. ACM Symp. Theory of Computing, p 169).
"That said," Kleinberg admits, "it's going to be hard for anyone to anticipate the new ways in which conclusions can be drawn from your data.
After all, these algorithms can often pick up statistical patterns in your behaviour that even you are not aware of."
Whether we like it or not, we have made a deal with these companies.
As the saying goes: if you are not paying for it, the product is you.
This oft-repeated mantra sets out the internet's social contract. If you want to use the free services out there, you must accept the conditions - in this case, the ability of companies to track your movements, activities, relationships and perhaps, soon, your emotional state.
We are all free, of course, to simply delete our accounts, switch off our smartphones and become Luddites.
But despite my grumbles, I like knowing what my friends are up to on social networks.
And if I ever want to meet up with them again I need my cellphone.
I just wish I could use these convenient technologies without granting marketers a window into my mind.
Jim Giles is a correspondent for New Scientist in an undisclosed location |
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Computer - Can I monitor my Internet Usage ?
Updated: 09 May 2012
Can I monitor my internet usage?
There are several tools available for monitoring how much data you download from the internet each month -
offering daily, weekly or monthly reports
• Computeractive staff
• PC help
• Broadband
• 06/05/2012
It is possible to get a daily, weekly or monthly report of internet usage
Q I have been researching broadband packages.
There seems to be very little useful information as to what all the numbers actually mean on a daily basis.
It also seems that many ISPs have some form of penalty for going over the allocated usage.
BT, for example, breaks down what 10GB usage per month will give me but how can I establish my actual likely usage for each thing I do?
How much do I use in just connecting to the internet, for instance?
Or visiting a website? Or is it not that simple?
And are there any time–related concerns?
Malcolm McBride
A We understand how confusing these matters can be and it is a topic we have covered many times in different ways.
Most recently, we explored the meanings download speeds and usage limits in our ‘Cut the cost of your broadband bill’ article.
However, the simple answer is to install a bandwidth-monitoring tool for a couple of months to gauge just how much data you transfer to and from the internet (some ISPs include both uploads and downloads in their caps).
There are plenty of these around, such as Networx, which you can download here.
Also, read our step-by-step article 'Stay below web download limits'.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/pc-help/2156001/monitor-internet-usage#ixzz1uDHx894H
Software, gadgets, magazines and more in our webstore. Click here to see our latest offers.
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Computer- BT & Broadband Britain - heading for the slow Lane
Updated: 08 May 2012
Why Britain's broadband is heading for the slow lane
The UK generates more money online than any other G20 nation, but lack of investment leaves downloads 16th slowest in Europe
•
o Juliette Garside
o guardian.co.uk, Monday 7 May 2012 16.08 BST
Other nations have fibre optic cables running directly to households, but the UK's broadband relies on copper connections from BT's fibre network in the street.
The internet is a bigger part of the British economy than education, healthcare or construction.
Britons generate more money online than any other G20 nation.
But when it comes to high-speed broadband, the country is falling behind.
The UK's average download speed is ranked 16th in Europe, according to IT company Akamai, and experts warn that the country is beginning to miss out as a result.
"Britain is being frozen out of the next industrial revolution," Peter Cochrane, a former BT chief technology officer, has warned.
"In terms of broadband, the UK is at the back of the pack.
We're beaten by almost every other European country and Asia leaves us for dust."
While other countries are racing to replace the old copper telephone networks with fibre optic cables running right to household doorsteps, and capable of almost unlimited speeds, the UK has settled for a compromise.
BT Group, with a network that reaches nearly every home in the country, is laying fibre to cabinets in the streets, and relying on copper to carry the broadband signal the last leg to the doorstep.
Today, that means speeds limited to 80 megabits per second (Mbps), compared with 1,000Mbps or more available in all-fibre networks.
Russia already has 12m homes with fibre to the doorstep.
France has 6m and says 70% of premises will be connected by 2020.
The UK has just 400,000, and there are no targets to increase that number.
Ministers rank broadband as one of Britain's top four infrastructure priorities, alongside roads, rail and energy, and George Osborne has committed £200bn to these sectors over the next five years.
But a fraction of that will go to broadband – just £1.3bn from local and central government has been earmarked.
If the UK had committed as much as the Chinese per head of population, some £7bn of taxpayer funds would be invested.
Australia is pushing fibre to 93% of homes by 2018. In the UK, this would cost up to £29bn.
The government has made a rather vague promise that we will have the best superfast broadband network in Europe by 2015. And by 2017, 90% of homes will have access to superfast speeds, with the final 10%, the most remote dwellings, getting a basic 2Mbps service.
BT says it will pay for two-thirds of the work itself, but the government and local councils are finding most of the money needed to reach the final third of the population through a process being organised by the BDUK quango.
Superfast is defined by the government as 24Mbps and over.
BT says two-thirds of homes will have access to its Infinity product of up to 80Mpbs if they want it by the end of 2014, with rival Virgin Media offering even higher speeds via its cable network to 12m of the UK's 26m homes.
"In terms of superfast broadband the UK will be among a leading group by 2015, but the trade-off is there will be very little ultrafast fibre to the home," says Rupert Wood at research house Analysys Mason.
All-fibre networks take time to build and Wood believes if the UK wants one it must start planning now.
"Eighty Mbps is more than people need," says BT's strategy head, Sean Williams. "We are not of the school that universal fibre to the premises is the solution."
BT believes it will finish its rollout on time, if not ahead of schedule.
Gangs of engineers and cable-layers have been hired, with ex-servicemen drafted in to dig for broadband Britain. "We are going as fast as we possibly can and as widely as we possibly can," says Williams.
No matter how quickly BT digs, though, fibre evangelists say that by 2017, the national targets will be out of date.
We will have moved from needing superfast to wishing for ultrafast broadband.
Television and Skype video calling will demand more than BT's hybrid network can cope with.
"These targets are fulfilling the demands of the past," says Boris Ivanovic, the entrepreneur whose Hyperoptic group is selling fibre connections to upmarket UK apartment blocks.
"Fibre to the cabinet is a stop-gap solution, and will not put the UK in a leadership position."
He says the £17bn committed by the government to a high-speed rail line from London to Birmingham could cover most of the costs of a future-proof all-fibre network.
"If we had those links we wouldn't need to travel as often to Birmingham and we wouldn't be polluting the environment as much."
With the number of screens per household increasing, watching television is becoming an increasingly solitary activity.
Even with a 100Mbps connection, a Blu-ray quality film takes 13 minutes to download. BT's top-tier broadband services can cope with streaming several high-definition channels at once, but ultrahigh definition is on its way.
The Japanese state broadcaster NHK will use it to record the London Olympics, with public screenings promised, and speeds of 100 to 200 Mbps are needed to transmit a single channel.
"If the country is happy to travel at the speed determined by the driver that is fine, if we want to force the driver to accelerate then we have to change the model," says Francesco Caio, a former Cable & Wireless chief executive and a government adviser to the last government on broadband infrastructure.
He says the ultimate aim should be "infinite bandwidth between any two points in the country" and that no single company is capable of achieving that.
Instead, the government should recreate the kind of national company through which the state built the copper network before BT was privatised.
This could be owned by the existing telecoms companies and need not involve piles of taxpayers' cash.
To get fibre to rural and sprawling suburban areas, TalkTalk, BSkyB, Virgin, BT, and perhaps the state could jointly invest.
The new company would concentrate on laying the pipes and have no direct relationship with consumers.
Prices would be capped by regulators, and in exchange Virgin Media and others told to stay out of its territory.
TalkTalk's chief executive, Dido Harding, argues that the priority should be getting more of the country online. Many of those left behind are elderly, on low incomes or have poor English.
"I think that Britain's broadband vision needs to be about more people using broadband rather than macho claims about the speed of the technology," says Harding.
"The UK has got 8 million people who have never used the internet and they are often the people in society who would most benefit from it."
To make this happen, she says the government should deliver more services online, so that people have no choice but to log on, while also working with companies to make connections cheaper.
TalkTalk customers on benefits can get a £49 reconditioned computer and £5-a-month broadband. Harding also believes the prices at which BT rents its fibre to broadband resellers such as hers is too expensive.
She wants the telecoms watchdog Ofcom to begin consulting this year on the prices BT should charge for fibre after 2014, when it will have reached two-thirds of the UK.
TalkTalk and Sky have no intention at the moment of laying their own fibre.
But they want to rent BT's fibre at the same low prices they pay for access to copper broadband.
Even BT recognises that the broadband market only took off when other companies got involved and competition forced customer prices down.
"Competition drives growth in the end as opposed to monopolies. The regulatory framework today is a little too skewed to driving investment and not enough to driving competition."
With BT reporting its annual results next week, the Guardian is starting the debate over what new targets the government should set.
We will be asking the experts and you, our readers, for ideas on what Britain's Broadband Vision should look like.
Help to create the most up-to-date internet speed map of the UK at guardian.co.uk/technology, and join this Friday's discussion with internet entrepreneur Boris Ivanovic, who will be online on Guardian Technology between 2pm and 3pm. |
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Computer- BT-" Bloody Terrible" and Not up to Speed
Updated: 08 May 2012
BT-“Bloody Terrible” and Not up to Speed
Its been nearly two months since I reported to BT that my Broadband speed was either slow or non existent.
They tell me they are looking at it, ask for more time and say I cannot get it if I agree to accept compensation from my fees.
The point is that there should be some mechanism for BT to release me without charge from my contract if their service is deemed unacceptable and unacceptable by them included for 30 days.
I have religiously kept a record of the Speedtester.com which send the results to BT as ISP.
These records confirm.
They may have fibre optics to the control box but though it is no more than 200 yards from my home the copper cable is not up to scratch.
Of course I am using a direct cable from my home hub to my laptop, restricting its movement, and I have followed all their instructions and they confirm my computer is not the cause.
BT – Bloody Terrible and have been since I returned to the UK.
The Communications Ombudsman ?
Far too close to BT geographically and in every other way as far as I am concerned.
YES – I will be applying for the Migration Code although I understand not every alternative ISP companies require it.
And frankly I advice you do likewise, that is unless you like paying BT over the odds.
The Radical |
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Computer- Has the Internet run out of ideas ?
Updated: 30 Apr 2012
Has the internet run out of ideas already?
The internet has delivered much,
but now seems in a state of inventive stasis
John Naughton
The Observer,
Sunday 29 April 2012
Earlier this year, American legal scholar Tim Wu published a sobering book: The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires.
In it, he surveyed the history of the great communications technologies of the 20th century – the telephone, movies, broadcast radio and TV.
And in the story of each of these technologies, Wu discerned a pattern – "a typical progression of information technologies: from somebody's hobby to somebody's industry; from jury-rigged contraption to slick production marvel; from a freely accessible channel to one strictly controlled by a single corporation or cartel – from open to closed system.
It is a progression so common as to seem inevitable, though it would hardly have seemed so at the dawn of any of the past century's transformative technologies, whether telephony, radio, television or film."
Each of these technologies, Wu argued, started out as gloriously creative, anarchic and uncontrolled. But in the end each was "captured" by corporate power, usually aided and abetted by the state.
And the process in each case was the same: a charismatic entrepreneur arrived with a better consumer proposition – for example, a unified system and the guarantee of a dial tone in telephony; or a steady flow of good-quality movies created by a vertically integrated studio system in the case of movies – that enabled a corporation or a cartel to attain control of the industry.
The big question, Wu asked, is whether this will happen to the net.
It's a good question. The internet was another one of those gloriously creative, anarchic technologies that spawned utopian dreams.
Its internal architecture – its technical DNA, if you like – enabled an explosion of what Barbara van Schewick called "permissionless innovation": all you needed to prosper was ingenuity, software skills and imagination. So what the network's designers created was, in effect, a global machine for springing surprises.
For the last two decades, we've been gratified, bamboozled, astonished and sometimes alarmed by the surprises it has sprung.
The first-order ones were innovations such as the world wide web, file-sharing, VoIP (internet telephony) and malicious software. In turn, these first-order surprises generated other, second-order ones.
The web, for example, served as the foundation for search engines, Flickr, blogging, YouTube, Wikipedia and, latterly, smartphones and Facebook.
We're now at the stage where we should be getting the next wave of disruptive surprises.
But – guess what? – they're nowhere to be seen. Instead, we're getting an endless stream of incremental changes and me-tooism. If I see one more proposal for a photo-sharing or location-based web service, anything with "app" in it, or anything that invites me to "rate" something, I'll scream.
We're stuck.
We're clean out of ideas. And if you want evidence of that, just look at the nauseating epidemic of patent wars that now disfigures the entire world of information technology.
The first thing a start-up has to do now is to hire a patent attorney. I had a fascinating conversation recently with someone who's good at getting the pin-ups of the industry – the bosses of Google, Facebook, Amazon et al – into one room.
He recounted how at a recent such gathering, he suddenly realised that everyone present was currently suing or being sued for patent infringement by one or more of the others.
How have we got ourselves into this mess?
How long have you got?
But here are a few of the obvious culprits.
One is our obsolete intellectual property regime, which, instead of encouraging innovation, is nowadays mainly used to discourage it.
Another is our failure to build the kind of networking infrastructure that could form the basis for really disruptive applications of IT. Fixed-line bandwidth in the UK is poor enough, but it's lightspeed compared with the shambles of mobile broadband, as any smartphone user will testify.
A third sheet-anchor is provided by the business models currently dominant in the industry, namely the provision of "free" services in return for massive intrusions on privacy and other swindles.
As a nice chart on the Pinboard blog shows, the bigger free services get, the more money they lose – and that revenue has to come from somewhere.
In the end, the only stable, ethical business models will be those based on consumers paying for services. And the likelihood of that happening soon is negligible.
But perhaps the biggest curb on innovation is the fact that the technologies that might serve as the springboards for next-generation surprises are increasingly closed and controlled.
Facebook, for example, was built on the web, which is an open platform.
But Facebook is busily creating a walled garden in which the only innovations that can arise from it are ones allowed by the proprietors.
The same applies to the tethered devices that we know as smartphones and tablets.
We look like being the first civilisation in history that invented a golden goose – and then strangled it. |
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Computer - Copyright Laws are outdated
Updated: 28 Apr 2012
UK copyright laws must be updated warn organisations
Copyright laws stiffle innovation and are unfair say leading consumer and professional bodies
Dinah Greek News Copyright 24/04/2012
Computeractive
Government urged to implement Hargreave's recommendations without delay
The copyright law in the UK is "outdated" and parts of it "ludicrous" a group of consumer and professional organisations has said.
They called on the Government to implement changes suggested by last year's Hargreaves report "without delay" following a survey by Consumers International which revealed that the country "continues to significantly lag behind other developed nations on copyright issues".
Only Jordan and Argentina had worse copyright laws according to the IP Watchlist 2012.
Now Consumer Focus, The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec), the Open Rights Group, the Libraries and Archives Copyright Alliance (LACA) and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), have said the UK should take advantage of its ability to update copyright exceptions under European law.
Mike O'Connor, chief executive of Consumer Focus, said: "Our copyright regime, especially on exceptions, is outdated and is both unfair for consumers and hinders economic growth.
"It is ludicrous that it is illegal for people to put CDs they have paid for onto laptops or MP3 players or to back-up their digital purchases."
According to the survey, which looked at how copyright laws in 30 countries balance the interests of copyright owners with those of consumers, the UK was ranked third from the bottom.
Overall Consumers International gave the UK a C- rating, only Jordan and Argentina fared worse.
Israel was ranked highest followed by Indonesia, India, New Zealand and the USA.
In 2009 the UK was placed last and was third bottom in both 2010 and 2011.
Besides it still being illegal for consumers to make copies of media they own, the organisations also pointed out that lack of an exception for parodies stifles expression.
Outdated copyright exceptions also impact on cultural institutions.
They highlighted that the UK law also stifles the ability for libraries and other cultural organisations to run.
Jim Killock, chief executive of the Open Rights Group said "Parodies are legitimate ways" for people to engage with each other and John Dolan, of CILIP Council argued it was " ridiculous" that audio and video cannot be copied by libraries and researchers in the same way that print materials can.
As Tim Padfield, of LACA pointed out this restriction meant that many films, sound recordings and photos had "already been lost because it was not permitted to copy them".
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Computer- Slow Speeds from BT ? Its down to their Copper Wire connection to your home
Updated: 23 Apr 2012
How is my broadband speed affected by the way I connect in my home?
By BT
But its just BT's- Excuse for Slow speeds ? Copper Wire is history
Ask BT - Is my home connected by Fibre Optics or Copper wire.
If not - Find out which ISP has laid Fibre Optic cables
The way you connect to your broadband at home can significantly affect the broadband speed you experience.
Click the numbered buttons above for advice on simple changes you can make at home to achieve the best speed.
1. Position your router to avoid electrical interference
Did you know that everyday items such as TVs, lighting and power cables produce electrical interference that can affect your broadband speed?
You can reduce interference by making sure that your Hub or router is on a desk or table, not on the floor. You should check that all wires are firmly connected and secure.
Also check that all electrical devices that cause interference are at least five feet
2. Microfilters not used properly
You need microfilters for broadband to work properly over the same line as your telephone service. Without microfilters you may hear a noise on the line when you make or receive a telephone call, or you may have broadband connection problems.
You need a microfilter for every telephone socket in your home that has equipment plugged in. (It's recommended you have a maximum of four extension sockets with microfilters attached for each telephone line you have.)
You can get microfilters from most High Street electrical shops, and online in the BT Shop
Not using the main phone socket
Try to connect your Hub directly (using a microfilter) to your home's main phone socket instead of an extension socket. This will reduce the chances of you getting electrical interference and take your home wiring out of the loop.
You'll probably find the main socket in your front room or hall, near where the phone line enters your house.
If you don't want to move your computer, you can think about connecting wirelessly instead.
4. Out of date wireless router
If you have upgraded to a faster broadband service but still have an old wireless router, it may not be able to provide the broadband signal as fast as a more up-to-date router.
There are broadly three types of wireless router:
Wireless-B: routers can provide speeds of around 5-6Mbps
Wireless-G: routers can provide speeds of around 20Mbps
Wireless-N: routers can provide speeds of around 100Mbps
If you check your router, you may find you aren't using the most up-to-date way of connecting to broadband.
Please note - the wireless Mbps speeds quoted are maximums and the layout of your home and distance of your PC from your wireless router will affect actual performance.
5. Wireless interference
If you're using wireless broadband in your home, make sure you place your broadband router away from barriers that may block the signal, including thick walls or ceilings, large metallic surfaces such as radiators, mirrors and refrigerators. Wireless works best when there's a clear space to your computer.
Although a wireless connection gives you more flexibility to position your devices around your home, it can occasionally suffer from interference, which can affect your internet browsing. An Ethernet cable is generally not affected by interference so may give you a faster, more reliable connection. And if you use a USB cable to connect your computer to your router, the speed of the connection can be affected by other USB devices, such as your keyboard, mouse and webcam all using USB at the same time.
You can stop most wireless interference and improve performance just by taking a couple of minutes to change the wireless channel that you're using.
6. Other users in your home
It's worth remembering that the number of people sharing your broadband connection will affect your speed.
Is your download speed continuously lower than your IP profile, but not by much? If so, you should check the number of devices (such as smartphones, computers and games consoles) that are connecting to your Hub or router. You can then ask other users to consider using your broadband at different times, so your speed increases.
7. Using an old computer
If your computer is more than five years old you may not get the maximum broadband speed you can receive. So it’s worth checking that your computer meets the minimum system requirements needed for BT Broadband. If your computer’s too old and slow, you may need a new one.
Does my computer meet the minimum specification for BT Broadband?
You can also perform a ‘PC health check’ if you think your computer is slow using BT Broadband Desktop Help, just click on the link below (if you don't have it already, you'll be asked to install the free BT Broadband Desktop Help tool).
8. Avoid heavy traffic
The speed you'll get from BT Broadband isn't fixed. It depends partly on how many people are using the network, with busy times causing a general slowdown for everyone. The peak period is 5pm to 12 midnight.
If you can, try to identify the internet activities that don't have to be carried out at peak times and do them at different times of day. You'll then be able to share your connection better between your home users and the rest of the online community.
For example, if someone uses peer-to-peer software, find out how to turn it off at times when other people at home want to use the internet. |
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Computer- Gransnet- Forum for the Silver Surfer
Updated: 23 Apr 2012
http://www.gransnet.com/life-and-style/technology
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Computer- Speak out against the End of Internet Privacy
Updated: 19 Apr 2012
The end of Internet privacy
Wednesday, 18 April, 2012 16:55
Dalia Hashad - Avaaz.org" <avaaz@avaaz.org
;Dear friends,
Right now, corporations like Microsoft and Facebook are supporting a powerful new law that would allow the US to spy on almost everything we do online.
But if enough of us speak out, we can demand that the corporations withdraw their support and stop the cyber-spying. Join the call:
Right now, the US is poised to pass a new law that would permit US agents to spy on almost everything we do online. But we can stop them before the final vote.
Companies that we trust with our personal information, like Microsoft and Facebook, are key supporters of this bill that lets corporations share all user activity and content with US government agents without needing a warrant in the name of cyber-security -- nullifying privacy guarantees for almost everyone around the world, no matter where we live and surf online.
If enough of us speak out, we can stop companies that profit from our business from supporting cyber-spying. Sign the petition to these key net corporations now:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_cispa_corporate_global/?vl
The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) would allow companies doing business in the US to collect exact records of all of our online activities and hand them over to the US government, without ever notifying us that we are being watched. No warrant, no legal cause and no due process required. To make matters worse, the bill provides the government and corporations with blanket immunity to protect them from being sued for violation of privacy and other illegal actions.
The bill’s supporters claim that consumer information will be protected, but the reality is that huge loopholes would make everything we do online fair game -- and nowadays, from banking to shopping, our private information is all stored on the Internet.
CISPA is being moved forward in Congress and will be voted upon in days. Let’s raise a massive outcry to stop corporations from giving the US a blank check to monitor our every move. Click below to take action:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/stop_cispa_corporate_global/?vl
This year, we helped stop SOPA, PIPA and ACTA -- all dire threats to the Internet. Now, let’s block CISPA and end the US government attack on our Internet.
WIth hope and determination,
Dalia, Allison, Emma, Ricken, Rewan, Andrew, Wen-Hua, and the rest of the Avaaz team
More information:
CISPA: The internet finds a new enemy (Global Post)
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/the-grid/cispa-the-internet-finds-new-enemy-sopa
CISPA protests begin amid key changes to legislation (Los Angeles Times)
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-cispa-protests-begin-amid-key-changes-to-legislation-20120416,0,5314596.story
Cybersecurity Bill FAQ: The Disturbing Privacy Dangers in CISPA and How To Stop It (Electronic Frontier Foundation)
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/04/cybersecurity-bill-faq-disturbing-privacy-dangers-cispa-and-how-you-stop-it
New CISPA Draft Narrows Cybersecurity Language as Protests Loom (Mashable)
http://news.yahoo.com/cispa-draft-narrows-cybersecurity-language-protests-loom-134202431.html
Support the Avaaz Community!
We're entirely funded by donations and receive no money from governments or corporations. Our dedicated team ensures even the smallest contributions go a long way.
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Computers -Software for new Computers
Updated: 12 Apr 2012
Software for new computers
Tuesday, 10 April, 2012 15:01
From: "Computeractive Letters"
The inclusion of Office with a new computer has always been down to the individual supplier.
There's normally an extra cost involved as Office is not a cheap product, but it is often much cheaper to buy it bundled with a new computer.
Security software is a similar situation. I believe most new computers are likely to be supplied with a starter version of Office.
Microsoft produces a free security product, Security Essentials, that you can download from
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows/products/security-essentials
There is a very good office suite called LibreOffice that can be downloaded at no cost from http://www.libreoffice.org/. It is compatible with Microsoft Office documents.
You can find more office and security programs in the Downloads section of our website at www.computeractive.co.uk/downloads
Kind regards
Tim
Tim Smith
Communities Editor | Computeractive.
NB. The "Radical" wrote to Computeractive to point out that New Computers now come with little bundled software.This makes buying a new computer with original bundles added more expensive by ? £100
Check the Internet for free downloads.
I downloaded Microsoft Word 2003 for free and it works OK also AVG security Free and that work fine.Here is more good advice. |
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Computer- No essential software in New Computers
Updated: 06 Apr 2012
You have received an eMessage from Acer Direct
Thursday, 5 April, 2012 17:59
"emessage@acerdirect.co.uk
Dear ……….
None of the laptops come with Microsoft office it is always an added extra, the home premium or windows 7 machines come with a starter version of word and excel, but are classed as having limited functionality.
Thank you.
Radical- No essential Software in included with most laptops.
Essential means Microsoft Office- Word,Excel and a Security system |
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Computer- Pre -Installed Software
Updated: 06 Apr 2012
Pre-installed software
Pre-installed software (also known as bundled software) is the software already installed and licensed on a computer bought from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM).[1]
Bundled software
Bundled software is another name for pre-installed software, as pre-installed are all bundled with a hardware device of some kind.
However, bundled software may also refer to the practice of including several related computer programs into a single software suite.
For example, Blizzard Software sells "Battle Chests" in which all releases of such games as Diablo II, StarCraft and the Warcraft series are sold in one package.
Bundled software may also be older video game titles being resold to maximize profits or to deplete the remainder inventory.
Benefits
Purchasing hardware and software together is cost-effective, and discounts are possible from OEMs on bulk orders. [1]
Pre-installation provides the convenience of turnkey solution, when the user does not have to worry about installation of various commonly used software, such as operating system or word processors.
Drawbacks
Pre-installed software commonly suffers from one of more of the following problems:
Pre-installed software is usually licensed for use only on the computer on which it was pre-installed, and is not transferable to other computers.[1]
Pre-installed software is often functionally or time limited, in an effort to get the user to purchase the "full" version.
Pre-installed software often does not come with any media, should the user need to reinstall it.
Pre-installed software sometimes modifies or replaces the default browser or system settings, in an effort to target specific advertisements to the user; or may otherwise contain functionality the user might consider to be malware.
Pre-installed software often consumes system resources, even if not actively being run by the user, adversely affecting system responsiveness and startup time.
Pre-installed software is sometimes difficult or impossible for users to remove, such as via the standard uninstall utility provided by the system. |
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Computer - How fast is my broadband connection ?
Updated: 05 Apr 2012
How fast is my broadband?
A guide to upload speed, download speed and how to check it
Were you looking for our speed test?
Alongside price, speed is one of the key factors people talk about when it comes to choosing broadband.
All of the internet service providers (ISPs) quote the broadband download speed as a key part of their advertising, while discussions on download speeds have become mainstream news thanks to the government's Digital Britain report.
And then there are upload speeds, megabits and speed tests - but what does it all mean?
Megabits and megabytes
Broadband speed is measured in megabits per second, commonly written as Mb or Mbps (as in 24Mb, or 24Mbps).
Make sure you don't get confused between megabits and megabytes (which tends to be written as MB, or GB when referring to gigabytes) -
In summary, there are eight bits in a byte, so, if your download speed is 8 megabits per second (8Mb), then that's actually shifting 1 megabyte per second (1MB).
It's an important distinction, because file sizes (such as songs, pictures and movie clips) are described in megabytes, as are download allowances.
So to recap, its megabits per second (Mb) when talking about broadband speed, and megabytes (MB) - or gigabytes (GB) for large files - when talking about file sizes and download caps.
You may also come across Kb and KB - kilobits and kilobytes - there are 1,024KB in a MB, and 1,024MB in a GB - the same goes for Kb/Mb/Gb.
Download speed
When you connect to the internet, the download speed is the pace at which data (websites, programmes, music etc) is transferred from another computer to yours.
Currently, when it comes to home broadband, advertised download speeds range from 8Mb to 100Mb, but this is rising at a pretty quick rate - you can expect a broadband download speed of between 120Mb and 200Mb to become commonplace over the next few years.
Pretty impressive, as a 2Mb download speed was the common UK standard just a few years ago.
Broadband download speed doesn't have to be a big factor in your decision on which broadband deal to choose.
If you're simply going to be leisurely checking your email and surfing around a few web pages, the slowest packages available through Broadband Genie will comfortably suffice.
However, if you're going to be sharing the connection between a lot of simultaneous connections, downloading a lot of files, especially large ones, or listening and watching a lot of streamed content (such as watching the BBC iPlayer and YouTube, especially in HD) it will be more of a concern.
A slow internet download speed can become very annoying if your downloads take forever and the video clip you're trying to watch keeps stalling.
As a general rule, if you're going to rely on downloading a lot of content, or play a lot of online games, it is definitely worth looking at getting the fastest connection you can comfortably budget for.
Upload speed
So what is upload speed?
If you hadn't already guessed, it's the speed at which data (such as your fab new holiday pics and videos) is uploaded to the internet - perhaps to put onto a social networking site such as Facebook, or to a photo print ordering company's website.
Essentially, the upload is going in the opposite direction to the download - from your computer to someone else's.
Broadband upload speeds are generally much slower than download speeds.
The reason for this is that people generally do far more downloading than uploading, so downloading is given priority by the ISPs (who regulate how their networks deal with the various traffic that is vying to be sent across the ether).
Upload speeds become more important to someone who is going to be doing large amounts of uploading, such as someone who works from home and wants to exchange files with a remote network, or people who play a lot of online games.
If upload broadband speeds are important to you, be sure to choose an ISP that takes its upload speed seriously.
The best upload speeds you can currently expect from consumer ADSL lines are on O2 and Be Broadband's 'Pro' packages, which claims an upload broadband speed of 'up to' 2.5Mb.
The 100Mb Virgin Media cable offering promises an impressive upload speed of 'up to' 10Mb, while dedicated business broadband can include even better upload speeds.
Again, distance from your telephone exchange, as well as other considerations such as old household wiring, can also be factors in slowing down your upload speed.
Actual speed
It's important to note that you won't always get the broadband speed you might expect - in fact it is likely that you will never actually get a speed of 8Mb on an 8Mb line unless you can see your telephone exchange out of your window.
While advertised broadband download speeds now tend to start at 'up to 8Mb', the 'up to' can cover a pretty big range - one man's 8Mb connection can be another's 2Mb connection.
However, as fibre cable becomes more common place, this situation is improving.
The main reason for slow speeds over longer distances is that BT's old copper wires aren't designed to carry data, so information is lost and has to be sent again. T
his is much less of a probelm with fibre.
The actual download speed you will achieve is dependent on a number of factors, not least the distance you live from your local telephone exchange.
ISPs will tell you during the sign-up process what maximum speed you are likely to get - if they don't, make sure to get them to check.
People living in big urban areas are likely to have access to faster speeds that those living in the countryside.
How fast is my broadband connection?
So how can you find out the actual download speed and upload speed?
The easiest way is to do a broadband speed test, and Broadband Genie offers one of the best and most reliable ones around: just head over to our speed test and follow the simple instructions - it's fast and free.
There are a couple of things to note with a broadband speed test: before you do a test, make sure you have closed any other applications using the internet such as email and instant messaging programs.
Secondly, your broadband speed can vary wildly at different times of the day depending on external factors, such as the number of users online in your building, your street, and even your country.
Also, as more people are online, some ISPs deliberately slow down lines in busy periods of the day - this is called 'traffic shaping'.
For these reasons, make sure you do a number of broadband speed tests at different times of the day - and on different days (weekdays, weekends etc) - to get a better picture of the kind of broadband speeds you are receiving |
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Computer - BT speeds are rubbish - R&W making very slow progress
Updated: 03 Apr 2012
Test Results show BT failing on Speed again
1.12 Mbbps download
0 Mbps upload
R&W is making very slow progress |
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Computer- Talk Talk to increase their Line Rental Charges
Updated: 02 Apr 2012
TalkTalk telephone line rental to increase 1st May
Monday 02 April 2012 09:25:48
Radical - Don't Talk Talk - Walk Walk
Ofcom announced price cuts for a range of Openreach products that telephone and broadband providers use in March, the saving for TalkTalk fully unbundled products was just 34p per month.
At the time lots of coverage suggested we would see prices in the retail sector fall.
We advised caution to not expect price cuts, and now we can report that TalkTalk are actually increasing their telephone line rental.
MoneySavingExpert.com spotted over the weekend that TalkTalk is to increase its line rental from £13.80 a month to £14.50 on the 1st May. Emails and letters should be going out to customers to inform them of any changes.
TalkTalk is not alone in increasing its pricing for phone services, most providers have gradually raised the price, in TalkTalk's case the last price rise was October 2011.
A way to reduce the cost is to pre-pay the line rental, where paying for 12 months line rental in advance (£114) means the monthly price is equivalent to £9.50.
As with most price rises, the variation of contract should mean that if you decide to cancel the contract due to the price rise within 10 days of notification that you can cancel the contract without penalty.
While many may want to vote with their feet, you need to factor in the costs of migrating to another provider, even the simplest move to another full LLU provider can incur a new activation fee, which would wipe out the saving for many months, so do the sums carefully before moving
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Computer- Viruses - Symptoms-Removal-Protection
Updated: 28 Mar 2012
Symptoms of a computer virus
If you suspect or confirm that your computer is infected with a computer virus, obtain the current antivirus software. The following are some primary indicators that a computer may be infected:
• The computer runs slower than usual.
• The computer stops responding, or it locks up frequently.
• The computer crashes, and then it restarts every few minutes.
• The computer restarts on its own. Additionally, the computer does not run as usual.
• Applications on the computer do not work correctly.
• Disks or disk drives are inaccessible.
• You cannot print items correctly.
• You see unusual error messages.
• You see distorted menus and dialog boxes.
• There is a double extension on an attachment that you recently opened, such as a .jpg, .vbs, .gif, or .exe. extension.
• An antivirus program is disabled for no reason. Additionally, the antivirus program cannot be restarted.
• An antivirus program cannot be installed on the computer, or the antivirus program will not run.
• New icons appear on the desktop that you did not put there, or the icons are not associated with any recently installed programs.
• Strange sounds or music plays from the speakers unexpectedly.
• A program disappears from the computer even though you did not intentionally remove the program.
Note These are common signs of infection. However, these signs may also be caused by hardware or software problems that have nothing to do with a computer virus. Unless you run the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool, and then you install industry-standard, up-to-date antivirus software on your computer, you cannot be certain whether a computer is infected with a computer virus or not.
How to remove a computer virus and spyware.
Even for an expert, removing a computer virus or spyware can be a difficult task without the help of computer malicious software removal tools. Some computer viruses and other unwanted softwarereinstall themselves after the viruses and spyware have been detected and removed. Fortunately, by updating the computer and by using malicious software removal tools, you can help permanently remove unwanted software.
To remove a computer virus and other malicious software, follow these steps:
Install the latest updates from Microsoft Update:
1. For Windows Vista and Windows 7:
a. Click the Pearl (Start) button, then type Windows Update in the search box.
b. In the results area, click Windows Update.
c. Click Check for Updates.
d. Follow the instructions to download and install the latest Windows Updates.
2. For Windows XP:
. Click Start, then click Run.
a. Type sysdm.cpl and press the Enter key.
b. Click the Automatic Updates tab and choose the Automatic (recommended) option.
c. Click OK.
Use the Microsoft Safety Scanner
Microsoft offers a free online tool that will scan and remove potential threats from your computer. To perform the scan, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/
Install and run Microsoft Security Essentials
Microsoft offers a free malicious removal program; Microsoft Security Essentials that will also help protect your computer from being infected. To install Microsoft Security Essentials, follow the steps below:
1. Go to the Microsoft Security Essentials website at: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials
2. Click Download Now.
3. If your browser prompts you to save or run the file, click Run.
4. Follow the steps to install Microsoft Security Essentials.
5. After installation, restart your computer and open Microsoft Security Essentials.
6. On the Home tab, choose the Full scan option, and then click Scan now.
Install Windows Defender Offline Beta
Windows Defender Offline Beta is a malware tool desgined to remove hard to eliminate viruses that start before Windows boots. To use Windows Defender Offline Beta, follow the steps below:
1. On a non-infected computer, visit: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/what-is-windows-defender-offline
2. Click Download the 32 bit version or Download the 64 bit version depending on which version of Windows you are running. If you're unsure of which version of Windows you are running, visit: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/find-out-32-or-64-bit
3. When prompted, click Save As. Save the file to a removable media source, such as a DVD, CD, or USB drive.
4. On the infected computer, insert the DVD, CD, or USB drive and restart the computer.
5. When prompted, press the key to choose boot options, such as F12, F5, or F8, depending on your BIOS.
6. Use the arrow key to scroll to the drive containg the Windows Defender Offline Beta file. The computer will start Windows Defender Offline Beta, which will immediatley start scanning for malware.
For more information about how to remove a computer virus, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/viruses/remove.mspx
How to protect your computer against viruses
To protect your computer against viruses, follow these steps:
1. Turn on the firewall.
a. For information on how to turn on your firewall with Windows XP, visit: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/283673
b. For information on how to turn on your firewall with Windows Vista, visit: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Turn-Windows-Firewall-on-or-off
c. For information on how to turn on your firewall with Windows 7, visit: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Turn-Windows-Firewall-on-or-off
2. Keep your computer up-to-date.
. For information on how to set Automatic Updates in Windows, visit: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306525
3. Install Microsoft Security Essentials and keep it up to date.
. For more information on how to install and use Microsoft Security Essentials, visit: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials
For more information about how to protect a computer against viruses, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/computer/default.mspx |
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Computer - Ofcom (claims) to move a step closer to a better migration system
Updated: 26 Mar 2012
Ofcom moves a step closer to a better migration system for the UK
Thursday 09 February 2012 10:55:45
Ofcom is consulting on a series of changes to how moves between telephone and broadband providers can be made to work better in the UK. The consultation runs until 23rd April 2012, and it will be a year or more after that before any changes take place, so if you are changing provider now, carry on as you had planned.
The new proposals for a variety of migration systems only cover services using the Openreach copper network, i.e. ADSL, ADSL2+ and FTTC. Fibre to the Premises, KCom (Karoo) and Virgin Media cable network are outside the scope of the consultation, but will be addressed in a later document. Ideally FTTP should have been included in this consultation, since we will start to see more people wanting to migrate onto that emerging service in the next year or two.
The impression one gets from reading the Ofcom report is that the market has been allowed to dictate what process it will use, rather than sticking to the Code of Practices Ofcom issues. A shocking statistic is that some half a million phone and broadband customers get slammed a year, and many do not get returned to their old provider. Even where a customer wanted to move customers are often asked to do a cease and provide, rather than use a migration process that exists for the move they are making.
Three main options are being considered by Ofcom:
- Leave existing processes in place, but tweak to avoid some of the current problems.
- Gaining Provider Led systems, variations range from how you currently switch voice providers, through to ones where an independent third party confirms a persons intent to switch.
- Losing provider led, similar to the current MAC system, but with rules in place to ensure reactive saves are not possible.
Ofcom appears to be favouring a gaining provider led (GPL) approach, with the consumers intent to move being confirmed by an independent third party. This third party will have to funded by communications providers, and how this is done will be subject to lots of debate for sure. No doubt any costs will be passed onto the consumer, but if this makes for smoother switching and in particular can avoid the weeks without broadband many suffer when moving away from a fully unbundled service (e.g. TalkTalk and Sky) then it will be worth it. The need for a verification process is because of the amount of slamming activity that has gone on in the UK.
So it is business as usual, with consumers getting confused by the myriad of bundles and option with some that are only available in parts of the UK, and sales staff who often don't understand the implications involved in switching onto or away from their service. With another consultation due in Q2/3 of 2012-2013 and a statement on migrations in Q4 2012-2013, any concrete changes to migration processes are a long way away.
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Computer- Broadband Migration Survey
Updated: 26 Mar 2012
Friday 23 March 2012 19:31:49
Changing provider can often be a traumatic experience and even more so with everyone becoming more dependent on their broadband.
So we have decided to run a poll to see how long people have to wait between their old providers service breaking, and the new providers service being up and running.
The poll can be found to the right hand side of this news item, and we will publish the results within a couple of days of the poll closing.
We intend to re-ask this question again once Ofcom has finished its consultation on switching provider, and implemented new switching systems.
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Computer-Switching Broadband Provider - 10 tips
Updated: 16 Mar 2012
Switch broadband provider - 10 Tips
Whether you’ve had poor service, an unreliable connection or are just tired of paying too much for your internet, switching broadband provider can save you money and get you a better service.
Simply follow our 10 tips to get the most out of your broadband.
1. Ask for a better broadband deal
It may seem obvious, but simply asking your current provider for a better deal could be the answer. As the market continues to become more competitive, companies have to work harder to keep their customers.
The average 1Mb connection cost a massive £50 in 2003; today you can get a 24Mb broadband package from as little as £6.99 a month. So if you’ve had your contract for some time, chances are that you could get the same thing for a lot less just by asking for it. You never know, so try your luck and ask for the latest deal.
Check out our list of broadband switching offers, which are available exclusively to customers migrating to a new broadband provider.
2. Know your rights
Ofcom’s switching rules work to fairly facilitate the “migration” of customers from one supplier to another. Your current provider will issue you with a Migration Authorisation Code (MAC), which you simply pass on to your new provider, allowing your service to be set up without a break in your connection.
Although MAC codes can’t be used to switch between cable and copper wire ADSL providers, or some full local loop unbundled (LLU) providers, all participating ISPs must issue your MAC code within five days of your request.
Check: Are you free of your contract obligations? If you have signed a contract you have to see it out or incur a cancellation fee, even if your current provider is signed up to the Migration Code of Practice. If you’re unsure of your contractual duties, speak to your ISP.
Check: Read the details of your warranty - has your supplier made a service agreement they may have breached? If so, you might be able to terminate your contract with them on these grounds, but make sure you read the small print and get professional advice first.
3. Keep a log
If you’ve been having trouble with your broadband connection, make sure that you keep a record each time you experience a problem. Take a screen grab of your error message, or keep a detailed written log.
Keep a diary of calls made to customer services; who you spoke to and how long you had to wait. Calls to premium or 0870 numbers can be expensive - for example, 10 calls for 10 minutes at 15p per minute is £15. Call costs to customer service centres can range from free, up to £1 a minute, so check first and keep your phone bills as a record of the total call charges.
This information may be crucial evidence if you want to cancel when you're still within your minimum contract period.
4. Ombudsman Services: Communications and Ofcom
If you are having service problems and want to switch provider but are having trouble doing so, you can write an open letter to Ombudsman Services: Communications, the office of the telecommunications ombudsman. Around 300 telecoms companies are signed up to Ombudsman Services: Communications, which was set up to investigate complaints made by telecommunications customers. While the service is free for members of the public, it will actually cost your supplier money to be investigated, so you will be taken more seriously if Ombudsman Services: Communications get involved.
If your supplier isn’t a member of Ombudsman Services: Communications, you can still write to Ofcom, the independent regulator for the UK, for help.
It’s always a good idea to send a copy to the head of customer services at your supplier too.
5. Keep up the pressure
Being on hold for long periods of time and then getting nowhere can be disheartening, but don’t give up. Ring regularly, stay cool and don’t be abusive.
Make sure that you are well organised and have your facts to hand - you could also offer to post factual evidence of your problems.
For £51 for a year, you can get easily accessible, reliable legal advice from the Which? Legal Service, so you can make sure you know your rights before relaying them clearly to your service provider.
6. Make yourself heard
If none of this works, get in touch with the papers. You can also send us details of your problems at advice@broadbandchoices.co.uk">advice@broadbandchoices.co.uk - we may be able to get our contacts in the media to help lobby.
But make sure you have your facts straight before you get the media involved.
7. Complications
The type of broadband you currently have could limit your choices. If you are currently with Virgin Media (www.Virginmedia.com) or Kingston Communications, then you have a cable connection and will need a “BT” landline installed if you want to switch to an ADSL connection.
There is currently no migration procedure in place if you want to do a full LLU to LLU swap, which means that it can take longer to switch.
8. When is 'free' really free?
Before you switch, make sure you have checked out any hidden costs in your chosen package. If you are considering a cheap or “free broadband” deal, take into account the quality of service you will be getting. Your new contract might also have a download limit which could mean that you to end up paying more than your monthly rate for heavy downloading. Click here to read our article on the hidden costs of broadband.
9. Think about service
There is more to broadband than a cheap monthly charge. Consider the opening hours and costs of the call centre on our calculator.
Also, if you're a technophobe and want to get through to a UK-based call centre when you have a technical problem, make sure you check out where your new supplier’s technical support and customer service is based.
10. Talk to us
If you have any questions about switching, email advice@broadbandchoices.co.ukor call us.
Use our broadband comparison calculator to find the best deals in your area.
You can also find detailed information on each service by clicking on individual package deals to find out more about broadband speeds, download allowances and any hidden costs |
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Computer- Talk Talk & BT - Two of a kind - to avoid like the plague
Updated: 07 Mar 2012
TalkTalk and BT defeated in court battle over internet piracy crackdown
By Rob Davies and This Is Money Reporter
Last updated at 12:33 PM on 6th March 2012
BT and TalkTalk have lost a court challenge against controversial measures intended to curb illegal internet file-sharing.
The companies had asked Court of Appeal judges to overturn an earlier ruling backing the Government's action to tackle copyright infringement online.
The creative industries estimate the practice is costing them some £400million a year, especially with regard to films, music and books.
Silent: BT and TalkTalk were singled out for criticism by the probe
But BT and TalkTalk, which are two of the UK's largest internet service providers (ISPs), say the proposed measures are incompatible with EU law and oppose them on a number of technical grounds.
Their lawyers also argued at an appeal court hearing in January that the measures would result in an invasion of privacy and run up disproportionate costs for ISPs and consumers.
The legal setback came as BT and TalkTalk were accused of turning a blind eye to illegal downloads after an undercover investigation.
Today, the appeal court ruled that High Court judge Mr Justice Kenneth Parker had reached a correct decision in April last year, his ruling was 'soundly based' and there was no need to refer the case to the European Court of Justice for a final ruling.
The High Court judge had declared the proposals under the Digital Economy Act 2010 a proportionate parliamentary response to the serious economic problem of peer-to-peer file-sharing, and the likely costs were justified.
He upheld submissions made by lawyers for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) that there were sufficient safeguards to protect the rights of consumers and ISPs.
Lawyers for BT and TalkTalk unsuccessfully asked the appeal court to rule that the High Court had 'erred in law' and the contested provisions were incompatible with a number of EU directives related to 'electronic commerce'.
TalkTalk and BT caught in piracy row following undercover probe
In an investigation by mystery shoppers and the Mail, a string of calls were made to telecoms companies asking for advice on the best broadband deal for anyone wanting to use file sharing sites on a regular basis.
But instead of warning callers that such activity may breach copyright law, customer services operators told them their activities would require unlimited broadband packages.
Such deals also happen to be the most expensive on the menu of available options.
Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the BPI, which represents the UK recorded music industry, said: ‘It is shocking if broadband providers have been boosting their revenues selling broadband to customers who make it clear they intend to break the law.’
‘This is not the behaviour we should expect from responsible companies.’
Richard Mollet, chief executive of the Publishers Association, said: ‘It is highly disturbing, although not that surprising, to discover that the very two companies challenging the Digital Economy Act also appear to be enticing potential customers on the back of copyright infringement.’
A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport said: ‘Unlawful file-sharing damages Britain’s creative industries. It hampers growth and costs artists and businesses jobs and opportunities.’
In one call to TalkTalk, the customer services operator admits to their own use of file-sharing site Bit-Torrent, before advising that another website, Pirate Bay, will work best with a pricier, unlimited access deal.
‘Now that broadband service then comes with the latest equipment… what it does mean is that the Pirate Bay will run very very fast.’
In a call to BT, the ‘customer’ specifically mentions file-sharing websites such as PirateBay and isohunt, saying they want to download Harry Potter or Cars 2.
The BT staff member describes how such sites enable you to ‘pole vault’ information onto your computer, adding that ‘you’ll be able to basically pull a film down in less time than it would take to watch the film’.
A string of similar calls elicited no warnings about the potential illegality of such activity.
In every call, the use of such sites is mentioned clearly by the caller as a reason for signing up to a faster broadband package.
A spokesman for BT said it did not condone copyright infringement and asked for details of the calls so that the company can investigate.
He added: ‘However we would emphasise that call centre advisors are not in a position to give advice on what sites are and are not legal – nor would thi s be a reasonable expectation.’
TalkTalk said: ‘We encourage all of our customers to use the internet responsibly and to obey the law.
‘Our unique HomeSafe network level controls make it easy for customers to block peer-to-peer file- sharing services.’
Lost ruling: BT and TalkTalk have lost their Court of Appeal challenge against Government moves to tackle copyright infringement online
Reaction to court ruling on file sharing crackdown
The Court of Appeal's ruling today was welcomed by employers and unions in the creative industries, who say copyright infringement - online 'piracy' - is taking place on 'a massive scale', costing millions and threatening livelihoods.
John McVay, chief executive of the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television (Pact), said: 'We always believed that the judicial review was misconceived.
'Rather than needlessly spending more time and money on further legal challenges, BT and TalkTalk now need to focus on working with (copyright) rights holders and the Government in implementing the Digital Economy Act (DEA) with immediate effect.'
Actors' union Equity also called on BT and TalkTalk to 'stop fighting and start obeying the law'.
General secretary Christine Payne said: 'Once again the court is on the side of the almost two million workers in the creative industries whose livelihoods are put at risk because creative content is stolen on a daily basis.'
Lord Puttnam, president of the Film Distributors' Association, said: 'Hopefully this brings to an end a long chapter of uncertainty, and the DEA can now help in implementing a mass consumer education programme so that people, especially young people, can come to appreciate the damage piracy inflicts on the whole of the creative community.'
Geoff Taylor, chief executive of the British Recorded Music Industry (BPI), which represents independent and major record companies in the UK, said the BT/TalkTalk challenge had meant 'another year of harm to British musicians and creators from illegal filesharing'.
Mr Taylor joined the chorus from the creative world calling on the ISPs 'to work constructively' with the Government and rights-holders and now implement the DEA.
Lavinia Carey, director general of the British Video Association, which represents UK publishers and rights owners of all forms of video entertainment, expressed delight with today's ruling.
Association members were 'blighted by the endemic use of unlawful P2P file-sharing to avoid paying for video content'.
Ms Carey said several other countries were adopting measures to tackle the problem and 'it would be bad for Britain's creative industries to be left behind more forward-thinking nations who are supporting their creative economies at this difficult time of transition towards increased digital consumption during this period of recession'
Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-2110950/TalkTalk-BT-defeated-court-battle-internet-piracy-crackdown.html#ixzz1oMai90sS
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BT -Particulars of a Claim against BT- get in touch-
Updated: 20 Feb 2012
Particulars of Claim against BT
A Breach of Contract
Failed in its basic level of service
Under Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982
Failed to be reasonable and skilful within a reasonable time
Misleading advertising- Unfair trading practice
- Contract made with BT and paid for who then cancelled it, but failed to offer another or correct their action all for £6.
- BT Connection engineer told us to leave the broadband hub power on or lose signal power. Effectively paying commenced when the hub was switched on not when computer connected to the internet.
- It took 10 days of low connectivity for “stabilisation to take place” after connection. Extreme frustration leading up to Christmas.
- The package we took out stated that “It was perfect for everyday internet use”. This misleading, inaccurate and deceitful statement has cost us extra every month.
- A slow Connection service continued but no response to formal complaints.
- Prompted by BT advert to buy a BT Vision box, as a one, off but was charged £90 when £60 was the agreed price.
- Overcharged £47 40 taken from my bank as a result and of an incorrect credit note, then re- charged the same on the next bill. Corrected eventually.
- Sky Sports 1&2 addition offered at £7.20 but charged £17.40-cancellation took too long.
- Openzone option included in the package but no password sent with the package or details in the User Guide.
- Network upgrading resulted in extremely slow connection speed for 13 days. This was after BT sent an email “We’ve upgraded our network”.
- In May we asked for the Phone line to be moved within our home,- 25 metres, to another live line, but it took more than one month and we were inconvenienced. After this we were told online “You do not have an account with us” when I was trying to check the connection speed.
- As we had spent hours on the phone sorting these problems out and received not one letter from BT until Nov 2011 we contacted Otelo ( Ombudsman Communication -who awarded us £30 and a BT apology. We told Otelo this would hardly cover postage stamps spent on communicating letters and phone calls to them.
- Charged for “free” weekend/ evening calls because wife on the phone for over one hour. Yet small print in BT contract took days to discover. Told by BT, when enquired, to switch off phone after 59 mins. and redial !
- Paid for one year phone connection but nothing signed or said about the Broadband connection being 18 months. Had presumed the total package was for one year.
- Requested BT give a Migration Code after 12 months paid contract to leave after one year. BT Refused -Instead they requested cessation fee of £282.
I am asking the Court to award a Migration Code and compensation of £500 plus Court expenses for complaint letters, time wasted, slow Broadband connection not settled at the time adequately.
Delays and Distress & any immediate cessation fees and cost of renegotiating a another contract with their competition.
Particular reference to
1.Re-engaging the Contract withdrawn involved considerable time effort and cost.
2.The slogan “Perfect for everyday internet use” which since has been withdrawn as an advert for their promotion Package BT Total Broadband Option 1. |
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Computer- Broadband Providers get it in the neck again
Updated: 18 Feb 2012
Ofcom calls for measures to stop 'slamming' by broadband providers
Regulator puts forward proposals that would see independent checks when people switch phone or broadband suppliers
Ofcom plans to stamp down on slamming
With hundreds of thousands of people finding their phone or broadband provider has been changed without their permission, Ofcom has proposed new measures to protect them.
The communications regulator said last year this practice, known as slamming, had affected an estimated 520,000 households. Ofcom also found problems when people changed broadband supplier, with one in five consumers losing their internet connection for about a week.
During a 12-month period, around 130,000 households had problems such as being given the wrong telephone line during the switching process or when moving house.
Now the regulator wants to introduce a process where the new provider would manage the switching process.
To guard against slamming, this switch would be checked and verified by an independent third party.
Ofcom Chief Executive, Ed Richards said: "Smooth switching processes are essential to ensure that consumers can change providers with confidence.
Many people think that the current systems are too difficult and unreliable which is why we have made it one of our priorities to tackle this problem.
"Ofcom has improved consumer information on broadband speeds and enhanced competition in the market but it is also essential that people are able to switch easily to exercise their choice.
"Today's proposals are designed to make the process easier, more reliable and safe from slamming.
We believe that the proposals would improve consumers' experience of switching and ensure that they continue to benefit from competition."
The new proposals are now in the consultation phase, but the news has been welcomed by Consumer Focus. Adam Scorer, the statutory consumer rights body's director of policy said:
"Making switching simpler should be the goal in these types of markets, so we welcome Ofcom's plans to make switching easier in the fixed line phone and broadband sectors.
"According to Ofcom's own figures households switching broadband supplier is relatively low, often a sign of weak competition in a market.
Hopefully these measures will lead higher numbers of people moving to better deals.
"We strongly support the plan to move towards gaining provider-led switching processes. When you switch to a new supplier, it should be responsible for making the process quick and simple – the company losing the business has few incentives to do this.
"When the new company handles the move it tends to bring down costs, limit disruption and encourage quick completion; all of which is good news for consumers.
"Ofcom should now also look at switching bundles such as broadband, TV and mobile as they are increasingly popular among consumers, but have switching rates even lower than broadband."
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2145254/ofcom-calls-measures-stop-slamming-broadband-providers#ixzz1mjI59bVr . |
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Computer -The Scandal of the Hated Broadband Contracts and Migration Authorisation Code delays
Updated: 14 Feb 2012
One small step closer to easier broadband and telephone switching
Tuesday 07 February 2012 20:27:58 by andrew@thinkbroadband.com">Andrew Ferguson
The launch of a full LLU service by TalkTalk in April 2006 saw demand for the product explode in the UK, and with Sky adopting full LLU as standard from September 2011, the need for a simple way for consumers to switch their broadband and telephone service back to another provider once out of contract is some years overdue.
Ofcom launched its first consultation into a new migration process in 2010, and it appears we can expect in the next few days (if the early February 2012 deadline is to be met) a second consultation.
Apparently the delay in the publication was caused by the complex issues arising from the multitude of switching options available in the market.
If it takes Ofcom 18 months from one consultation to another, then it would suggest that Ofcom has allowed processes unfit for the market to remain in place for a long time.
A lot of the confusion stems from two types of LLU service existing:
Shared LLU (SMPF) where the voice phone service remains connected to BT hardware, allowing for WLR products or CPS, with their relative ease of switching.
Only the broadband is unbundled connecting it to the providers own hardware, and switching onto and away from a shared LLU service is straight forward using the Migration Authorisation Code (MAC) process.
Full LLU (MPF). both voice and broadband are connected to the providers hardware at the exchange.
Moving to a full LLU service requires no codes from the losing provider, which sometimes leads to confusion over when billing should finish, resulting in the consumer over paying for overlapping services.
Moving from one full LLU provider to another one is pretty straight forward, in fact the ease of switching can lead to slamming.
Leaving a full LLU service, means finding a suitable telephone provider and broadband provider, many people end up going back to BT Retail for the phone line as they are keener than many others to handle the move.
It is not unusual for people to be without broadband for a couple of weeks when moving away from a full LLU service.
Lets hope Ofcom arrives at a process that works for the consumer rather than just being the minimum the industry is prepared to do, is cheap, simple to use, and guards against over keen sales staff.
Switching should focus on presenting a simple process to the consumer, and providers who do not follow the procedures should suffer penalties.
Ofcom has in the past taken action where providers transgress, but only after months of problems, we would like to see incentives for providers to follow the rules all the time, e.g. penalties for breaking the rules on a per end-user basis.
Fingers crossed Ofcom will ensure that whatever processes they arrive at, also work with fibre products and ensure number portability. |
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Computer- Wanted: An Internet Defence Squad
Updated: 09 Feb 2012
Wanted: an Internet defence squad
Wednesday, 8 February, 2012 6:47
Alex Wilks - Avaaz.org" <avaaz@avaaz.org>
Dear Friends
Governments are launching an all-out assault on the Internet, with new laws being quietly introduced across the world.
With 12.6 million people in every nation, Avaaz is the only movement that can meet this threat everywhere. If 20,000 of us donate now, we can support a rapid reaction network of campaigners to mobilize massive public opposition anytime and everywhere the net is threatened:
It's a showdown across the world. Almost everywhere, governments are launching an all-out assault on the freedom and promise of the Internet. But people are responding like lightning, and we can win.
An unholy alliance of freedom-curbing governments and profit-hungry corporations is bringing a flood of new legislation to censor and control everything we do and see online. New laws are being quietly tabled right now from Canada to Brazil to India. A whopping 3 million of us helped face down the threat from the US government 3 weeks ago, and almost 2 million of us have opposed the global ACTA treaty, but to really save our Internet, we need to go to the next level.
12.6 million of us are receiving this email, and we are the only global, rapid response, mass-citizen based movement that can meet the threat to the net instantly and massively wherever it rears its ugly head. If enough of us chip in, we can maintain a powerful watch system with rapid response campaigning, while also proactively pressing a few countries to become safe zones for the free Internet. The threat is immediate, but if 20,000 of us donate a small amount each right now, we can help save the net for good. It's our Internet, let's fight for it:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/an_internet_defence_squad_c/?vl
The Internet is proving to be the most empowering democratic tool since, well, democracy. It's helping us to take democracy to a new level of engagement and accountability and active citizenship, and it's having a powerful effect on our economies as well -- allowing small businesses to break the strangleholds of larger ones. And that's exactly why so many vested interests are seeking to curtail it. With members in every country on earth, our community has a unique potential to win this fight -- donations will support:
•a powerful network of campaigners that can watch for threats and respond quickly
•rapid, well-resourced campaigns that use the full range of media and advocacy tactics to safeguard the net
•proactive efforts to persuade key countries to offer protection to companies and sites, and eventually pass legislation that establishes safe zones for the free Internet
A threat anywhere can be a threat everywhere, because the whole idea of the net is that it is an open, borderless public domain. These national laws will carve up the net and erect chinese-style firewalls and censorship systems around national borders -- but they will also threaten all of us because any website with staff or assets in the country concerned will be forced to comply, affecting the entire global net.
These laws are being drafted in backrooms and quietly tabled in legislatures right now. The US law that 3 million of us fought was suddenly tabled on a Friday with a vote on a Tuesday. We can't afford to be slow if we want to win this. So we need to maintain a global network of campaigners that are watching and ready at a moment's notice to counter this threat. Click below to make it happen:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/an_internet_defence_squad_c/?vl
In the past few months we've helped beat back threats to Internet freedom in Italy, India, Brazil, India and the US. We’ve also provided the technology that’s enabled unbelievably brave Syrians to punch a hole in their communications blackout and show the world the atrocities their government is committing. The hope and enthusiasm of citizens rising to these challenges is beautiful to watch, and be part of. The momentum is with us, let's keep it up.
With hope and determination,
Alex, Ricken, Dalia, Benj, Emma, Diego and the whole Avaaz team
SOURCES
Can Avaaz change the world in a click? (The Times):
http://www.scribd.com/doc/48808533/The-Times-profile-of-Avaaz-and-Ricken-Patel-Feb-9-2011
From the web to the streets (The Guardian):
http://www.scribd.com/doc/60655424/From-the-Web-to-the-Streets-The-Guardian-s-Patrick-Kingsley-on-the-power-of-clicktivism
Success stories from the Avaaz movement worldwide:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/highlights--media-and-internet.php
A town crier in the global village (The Economist):
http://www.economist.com/node/16943875?story_id=16943875 |
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Computer-BBC to investigate cost of Ink -Jet Cartridges
Updated: 02 Feb 2012
BBC looking for people to take part in show
on the cost of ink-jet cartridges
The cost of ink-jet cartridges has been a source of contention for many people for some time.
The BBC is on the look-out for people who are willing to contribute to a televised discussion into the cost of ink-jet cartridges.
So the broadcaster has asked Computeractive to put out some feelers to see if any of our readers would be interested in taking part in a show that will look at a number of angles on this topic.
People who are interested in putting their opinions across need to be available for filming on Tuesday, 7th February, in Stratford, London.
So if you have an opinion either way on the cost of these compatibles and want to take part, contact Lyndsay Rowan at the BBC (lyndsay.rowan@bbc.co.uk) for more information.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2143062/bbc-looking-people-cost-ink-jet-cartridges#ixzz1lC4QN4qF |
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Computer- America's Attack on the Internet
Updated: 27 Jan 2012
Dear friends,
Last week, 3 million of us beat back America's attack on our Internet! --- but there is an even bigger threat out there, and our global movement for freedom online is perfectly poised to kill it for good.
ACTA - a global treaty - could allow corporations to censor the Internet. Negotiated in secret by a small number of rich countries and corporate powers, it would set up a shadowy new anti-counterfeiting body to allow private interests to police everything that we do online and impose massive penalties -- even prison sentences -- against people they say have harmed their business.
Europe is deciding right now whether to ratify ACTA -- and without them, this global attack on Internet freedom will collapse. We know they have opposed ACTA before, but some members of Parliament are wavering -- let's give them the push they need to reject the treaty. Sign the petition -- we'll do a spectacular delivery in Brussels when we reach 500,000 signatures:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/eu_save_the_internet/?tta
It's outrageous -- governments of four fifths of the world’s people were excluded from the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiations and unelected bureaucrats have worked closely with corporate lobbyists to craft new rules and a dangerously powerful enforcement regime. ACTA would initially cover the US, EU and 9 other countries, then be rolled out across the world. But if we can get the EU to say no now, the treaty will lose momentum and could stall for good.
The oppressively strict regulations could mean people everywhere are punished for simple acts such as sharing a newspaper article or uploading a video of a party where copyrighted music is played. Sold as a trade agreement to protect copyrights, ACTA could also ban lifesaving generic drugs and threaten local farmers' access to the seeds they need. And, amazingly, the ACTA committee will have carte blanche to change its own rules and sanctions with no democratic scrutiny.
Big corporate interests are pushing hard for this, but the EU Parliament stands in the way. Let's send a loud call to Parliamentarians to face down the lobbies and stand firm for Internet freedom. Sign now and send to everyone you know.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/eu_save_the_internet/?tta
Last week, we saw the strength of our collective power when millions of us joined forces to stop the US from passing an Internet censorship law that would have struck at the heart of the Internet. We also showed the world how powerful our voices can be. Let's raise them again to tackle this new threat.
With hope and determination,
Dalia, Alice, Pascal, Emma, Ricken, Maria Paz and the rest of the Avaaz team
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Computer- Twitter Revolution ?- Which came first ?
Updated: 24 Jan 2012
Twitter revolution?
Pluto author Joss Hands looks at the debates over the role of new social media in the Tunisian uprising.
Popular uprisings are now regularly accompanied with speculation as to whether they are ‘Twitter’ revolutions, and much of this speculation consists in counter-claims that Twitter’s importance has been overblown.
We have seen this now with at least three different events – in Moldova and Iran in 2009 and now Tunisia.
A flavour of this is captured in the debate between Evgeny Morozov and Clay Shirky.
A search through the many reports and commentaries on this topic suggests there is not some kind of consensus of the naïve, who are cheerleading for Twitter, and whose naivety can be knowingly upended.
Indeed there appears to be as much, or far more, scepticism on the topic than there is support.
In fact it is difficult to locate the explicit Twitter revolution arguments, against which many critical commentators claim they are reacting.
Even stories that do present a somewhat enthusiastic tone are still equivocal, one that has generated sceptical commentary is Elizabeth Dickenson’s piece on Wikileaks and Tunisia in Foreign Policy.com, but in fact this is still a fairly measured commentary.
The common feature of these critiques is that they tend to isolate Twitter from its context and frame it as an overhyped tool rather than as a capacity.
This attitude internalises a form of technological determinism.
A tool implies an object or technique used to directly leverage an outcome, and thought of in this way Twitter’s impact can be judged on some kind of scale to be argued over– and from here scepticism can easily spring.
Yet the ‘virtual’ and the ‘real’ are no more separable than ‘mind’ and ‘body’.
Twitter, social media or the Internet as a whole, can’t be isolated as the cause, or not, of anything, because they are part of the fabric of social life and the terrain of struggle.
What is significant in these uprisings is that Twitter, whatever its actual role, is a new element in the struggle.
From that perspective it stands out, and therefore is an inevitable subject of speculation – and so it should be.
Thus when there is discussion about a ‘Twitter Revolution’ in Tunisia it is not quite as stupid as the sceptics suggest.
The phrase should not necessarily be taken literally, but read as part of the necessary task of articulating a new element into the revolutionary process, in which new dynamics and new capacities need to be absorbed and understood.
So it is that ‘Twitter revolution’ can mean a lot more than a blunt empirical claim, but rather the recognition of a new historical moment.
Ethan Zuckerman rightly argues that ‘Tunisians took to the streets due to decades of frustration, not in reaction to a Wikileaks cable, a denial-of-service attack, or a Facebook update.’
But that is not to say that Twitter, and social media more broadly, haven’t helped set the tone for these uprisings. |
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Computer- Broadband Contracts Explained
Updated: 24 Jan 2012
Broadband Contracts Explained
The Check Small Print Guide is to help you understand the importance of checking the small print in your broadband contract so that you are aware of the potential pitfalls and at the same time a better understanding of the broadband providers commitment to you in terms of services they should deliver.
Not only should this help to avoid the pitfalls or hidden charges that exist in almost every broadband contract, it should also better prepare you if you have any problems with your provider that you are in dispute with.
Broadband Contracts Explained
In recent years, broadband has quickly become the preferred way of going online for the UK’s internet users. More than two thirds of net users have broadband connections, according to recent figures from the UK's Office of National Statistics.
Even more significant, 57% of broadband internet users go online every day, with the average time spent in front of a computer running to almost half an hour a day.
But as broadband use continues to grow sharply, so does the level of dissatisfaction with the service received by many users. Surveys regularly show that anything up to 25% of all broadband users are unhappy with the service they receive – and that percentage is growing.
The problem for many users is that when they sign up for a deal, they often don’t realise that they are entering into a legal contract with their broadband provider.
A contract works both ways: on the one hand, a user’s obligation is to pay his or her bills on time and not default on payments. Failure to do so can lead to penalties being imposed.
On the other hand, a broadband provider also has obligations as well: it must provide a service to you at an acceptable level, (i.e. a service level agreement) and meet its own side of any contract with customers.
So if the position is so clear, why is there still so much dissatisfaction?
Part of the reason is that most broadband contracts have a wide range of quirks contained in the small print, ranging from the charges you may face for exceeding your download capacity, to levying contract "cancellation fees" – even where a provider says there is no minimum contract.
Yet most users fail to spot these quirks in their contracts before they sign up. A survey by moneysupermarket.com recently found that the majority of people signing up for broadband (55%) fail to look for extra charges and catches contained within contract small print and many fall foul of them.
This guide will take you some of the various quirks and show you how to spot them. This will then allow you to steer clear of those providers whose contracts you don’t like.
It will also give you guidance on what to do if you are unhappy with any aspect of the contract you have signed – including who to complain to.
The small print when you sign up to broadband
Few of us bother to read the small print in any contract, but before you sign up to any broadband deal, it is vital that you do so.
After all, you are likely to be spending hundreds of hours online. And failing to understand exactly what is involved in your contract may means poor quality service – or paying excessively for a deal.
So what are the things you should be looking out for? Here are a few tips:
Set-up fees/upfront charges: Some providers will ask you to pay a set-up fee to cover the cost of installing the equipment in your home. Virgin Media, Talk Talk, Sky and Be ask for between £20-50 in one off set up fees.
Direct Save Telecom goes even further, as well as asking for a £40 set-up fee, it also asks for the first two months’ subscription upfront – at a cost of £33.90 – taking the total upfront charge to £73.90 before you even go live with broadband.
Charges for exceeding the download capacity: Some providers impose a charge if you exceed the agreed download capacity of your deal. BT, PIPEX and Madasafish charge 30p per GB, £2.70 for 3GB and £2 per GB respectively for exceeding your download capacity.
Sky and Orange will upgrade you to a new deal with a bigger download capacity and start charging you at the higher rate, but they will notify you of this.
Non-direct debit charges: These tend to hit people from lower income backgrounds the hardest as they may have reduced access to personal banking. The major brands levying this extra fee include Virgin Media, TalkTalk and BT, charging between £3.50 and £5 a month for non-direct debit payments. Vodafone at Home gives you no option but to pay by direct debit only.
Helpline call charges: Several providers provide 0845 or 0870 numbers that charge 3.65p (evening) to 7p (daytime) a minute, (AOL, Direct Save Telecom, Talk Talk, Tiscali).
However BT and Orange charge the highest amounts for making a technical support call, up to £1.05 and 50p a minute respectively. Vodafone at Home is the only provider that allows you to call customer service or technical support for free - but it has to be on a Vodafone mobile phone.
Free calls to UK landline charges: Free calls to UK landlines is a very attractive reason why people would want to switch to a broadband/phone deal. But be aware that these "free calls" offers only apply to numbers starting with 01 and 02. Meanwhile, making calls to 0845 numbers – used by many banks and businesses – continue to be charged at national rates.
The small print when you move home or leave your broadband deal
For many broadband users who find themselves in a contract they don't like, the thought of escape is uppermost in their minds.
But then they discover that the cost of ending the contract and moving to a better deal elsewhere is so high that it would cost them at least six months' worth of benefits from the new contract.
Here are some of the charges you could end up paying:
Late payment fees: Namesco, BT, Directsave Telecom and Virgin Media all charge late payment fees, ranging from £7.50 - £25, offering limited flexibility for people to pay when they can afford to.
Direct Save Telecom not only charges a £14.95 disconnection fee for late payment. You also pay a £14.95 administration fee for insufficient funds for a direct debit. Namesco charges a fixed £25 for any non payment or late payment.
Moving home charges: Madasafish, Namesco and Be*** all charge at least £50 to reconnect you once you have moved.
Contract termination fees: Cancellation fees are uniform across all broadband providers. The standard cancellation policy is that you have to pay off the remaining monthly subscription fees of the contract period - this could be anything up to 18 months.
Be aware however that if a provider says there is no minimum contract that doesn’t mean you won’t pay a cancellation fee. Some, such as PlusNet, Direct Save Telecom and Be Broadband, will charge a fixed cancellation fee of between £47 and £80 within the first 12 months.
Contract termination - equipment fees: BT charges a £45 equipment fee if you cancel your contract. Eclipse is probably the worst, charging £51 plus VAT for unreturned equipment.
What other small print quirks are there?
BT offers 250 wi-fi minutes a month for free but if you look in the small print this is for the first year only after which a monthly charge kicks in.
Pipex is entitled to charge the customer for internal relocation.
Vodafone at Home charges £25 per month for its service – but the fee rises to £35 per month if the customer cancels their combined mobile phone contract.
Eclipse, Orange, Tiscali and Virgin Media will request a security deposit upfront if the customer persistently defaults payments.
TalkTalk may request a deposit or impose credit limits before allowing the customer to use mobile and international services.
BT may ask the customer to pay an upfront deposit before receiving his or her broadband service.
What can I do next?
In theory, signing a contract with any service provider – including broadband – ought to be like marriage: you live happily ever after.
Unfortunately, things do not work out like that in practice. There may well come a time when you feel the service you receive is not what you signed up for, or the charges you are paying are too high.
This is even more likely to be the case in a situation where broadband suppliers vie with each other to come up with better deals all the time.
So what should you do when faced with a problem? Here are some tips.
If you think your provider has broken its contract with you, you need to be sure you are right in that view. So read your contract and check the small print carefully.
Approach your provider – by mail or phone - and tell them about the problem.
Keep a record of everything, including phone conversations and the name of the person you speak to (and their title). If you are sending letters, make sure they are posted by recorded delivery.
If you are unhappy with the provider's response, you can contact the Office of the Telecommunications Ombudsman (OTELO) , whose job to sort out disagreements between public communications providers and their customers. OTELO’s website has masses on useful information on what to do next.
Alternatively, you may want to use the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS) , whose service is free to members of the public. CISAS also has details on its website of all companies that are members of to its arbitration service (http://www.cisas.org.uk/members.asp).
Another great source of information and advice is our own website, particularly our forum . It is likely that other users will have encountered the same or similar problems to yours and will have tips to offer on what to do next.
Also on our forums is an Ask the Experts section, where you can pose a question to our broadband experts and we will try to offer you advice or help.
Finally, we regularly receive requests from the media for help with stories they are writing.
They often want to interview people about their experience with various broadband providers.
It is worth checking into the Case Studies section of our forums to see if your experience matches a request for a case study.
We offer generous rewards for every case study you take part in.
Whatever you do, let us know what happens.
We want to improve our service to you and find out more about providers and how they treat their customers.
You can contact us on james.parker@moneysupermarket.com |
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Computer- Websites also supported Wikipedia "blackout"
Updated: 20 Jan 2012
Websites support Wikipedia move during 'blackout Wednesday'
Civil and open rights groups join Wikipedia to highlight problems
with US anti-piracy Bills by shutting down their websites for a day
• Dinah Greek
• News
• Web
• 18/01/2012
• Computeractive
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The Open Rights Group is one of a number of open-rights groups joining the protest by restricting access to their websites' contents
There has been a huge groundswell of support for Wikipedia's 24-hour web blackout protest against the proposed US anti-piracy laws, Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA).
A number of prominent open and civil rights groups and other organisations have joined in the protest and blacked out their web pages as well.
These include the Open Rights Group (ORG), Big Brother Watch and La Quadrature du Net's sites.
By restricting access to content on these websites, the groups want to highlight the harm they say would occur to a free internet if SOPA and PIPA are passed into law.
Peter Bradwell of the ORG said: "These two bills are so badly worded and too broad that perfectly lawful sites could be censored.
One reason we're joining these protests is that we face very similar issues in UK copyright enforcement policies. Highlighting these flaws should help UK policy makers avoid making the same mistakes."
Along with a number of civil rights groups including Index on Censorship, Amnesty International and Access, the ORG has co-signed a letter to US senator Harry Reid international civil society groups outlining why they are so concerned.
However in a statement that could be seen as superb irony considering it is one of the organisations pushing for the Bills and which has immense clout, the Motion Picture Association of America chairman and chief executive Senator Chris Dodd said that the move by the websites was "an abuse of power" , an "irresponsible response" and a "gimmick".
He went on to say "It is our hope that the White House and the Congress will call on those who intend to stage this "blackout" to stop the hyperbole and PR stunts and engage in meaningful efforts to combat piracy."
All the organisations who have joined Wikipedia in the protest have posted messages on their home pages.
Many such as Fight for the Future, have also added links, so people can read more about the issues these organisations have with the Bills
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Computer- Virgin Media broadband outage
Updated: 20 Jan 2012
Virgin Media apologises for broadband outage
ISP customers around UK lose broadband services for around three hours last night
• Dinah Greek
• News
• Broadband
• 18/01/2012
•Computeractive
ISP apologies for service outage
Virgin Media issued an apology to its customers after they suffered a broadband outage last night.
The black-out that occurred on Tuesday evening between around 17:00 to 20:00 GMT was due to a problem with routers according to the broadband supplier.
This issue has now been fixed but the internet service provider (ISP) issued an apology to its customers; many of whom were unable to find out what the problem was because of the high volume of calls the company was getting.
A Virgin representative said the ISP was sorry people had been inconvenienced but the fault was fixed as quickly as possible.
"It was fixed before 8pm so less than a couple of hours after it started.
It was a routing issue whereby some customers were unaffected, some were unable to access certain sites, while others were without service for that short period," he said.
The outage came just days after Virgin Media announced that it would be doubling the speeds that more than four million of its broadband customers will get.
The upgrade will start next month, February and subscribers to the internet service provider's current 10Mbits/sec, 20Mbits/sec, 30 and 50Mbits/sec services will see their speeds at least doubled.
Users of Virgin's top 100Mbits/sec service will be upgraded to 120Mbits/sec.
The upgrade work is expected to take 18 months.
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Computer- Closing down the Internet - protest
Updated: 19 Jan 2012
Blackout - Save the Internet today
Wednesday, 18 January, 2012 20:16
Dear friends,
![]()
Today could be the day we save the free Internet. We've flipped the White House and Congress is on the back foot. Now Wikipedia's blackout has pushed the US web censorship bills to the top of the news. Today we've reached the tipping point. Let’s bury the bill for good. Click to sign the petition:
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Today could be the day we save the free Internet.
The US Congress was poised to pass a law allowing officials to censor access to any website around the world.
But after we delivered our 1.25 million strong petition to the White House, it came out against the bill and with public pressure at a boiling point even some bill backers are switching sides.
Now, the Wikipedia - led blackout protest has rocketed the public campaign to the top of the news.
We are turning the tide.
But the dark forces of censorship are trying to revive the bill right now.
Let’s bury it for good today. Click to sign this emergency petition to save the Internet now and if you've signed already, to email, call, Facebook, and tweet Congressional and corporate targets.
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) would allow the US government to block any of us from accessing sites like YouTube, Google, or Facebook.
We got the White House to switch sides and now our global campaign and the growing public pressure is forcing Congress to abandon the bill.
Last weekend, Senator Cardin, who cosponsored the legislation, announced he will vote against it!
Then six prominent Republicans penned a letter requesting that the bill be shelved. Now the lower house vote is reportedly on ice.
Just days ago we were told it was impossible to stop the corporate censorship cabal, but now this is at a tipping point and amazingly we could win!
Let’s stop US censorship today.
But if we win, we will show that when people unite with one voice from all over the world we can stop the abuse of power anywhere. We have brought this bill back from the brink.
Now, if we amplify our voices today, we can put an end to the most powerful Internet censorship threat that the world has ever seen. With hope, Dalia, Ian, Alice, Ricken, Diego, David, and the Avaaz Team Sources:White House statement:https://secure.avaaz.org/whitehouse_internet_statementWikipedia joins web blackout in SOPA protest (BBC):http://www.avaaz.org/bbc_sopa_wikipediaAmerican Censorship's fact sheet on SOPA: http://americancensorship.org/infographic.htmlEverything you need to know about Congress's online piracy bills in one post (Washington Post):http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/everything-you-need-to-know-about-congresss-online-piracy-bills-in-one-post/2011/12/16/gIQAz4ggyO_blog.htmlSOPA and PIPA sponsors caving in to opposition (Talking Points Memo):http://idealab.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/01/sopa-and-pipa-sponsors-caving-into-opposition.phpWhite House will not support SOPA, PIPA (Huffington Post):http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/14/white-house-sopa-pipa_n_1206347.htmlControversial online piracy bill ‘shelved’ until consensus is found (The Hill):http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/204167-sopa-shelved-until-consensus-is-found
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Computer- Talk Talk misleading advert banned
Updated: 10 Jan 2012
TalkTalk don't have safest broadband according to ASA
Wednesday 04 January 2012 17:21:12
The ASA have ruled that TalkTalk's claims that they have the safest broadband are misleading following some ads the company ran on television, in the national press and on posters.
BT and two members of the public complained about the ads stating that the claim "UK's safest broadband" were misleading.
TalkTalk backed up their claim by detailing that their 'HomeSafe' feature, includes network level security which doesn't rely on software being installed on computers which most other broadband providers offer.
In those instances, the software is usually only available for Windows computers so Apple Mac computers, games consoles and smart phones wouldn't be protected as they are through the TalkTalk system.
The ASA in upholding the complaints noted that customers could consider safety as referring to various features, including virus protection, or hacking protection, but HomeSafe only offered a basic range of security options.
TalkTalk were not able to substantiate that customers would enjoy the safest online experience.
TalkTalk have been told that the ads used must not appear in their current form, and that the basis for comparison of claims was made clear in the future.
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Computer- BT complaint !
Updated: 18 Dec 2011
Particulars of Claim against BT
A Breach of Contract
Failed in its basic level of service
Under Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982
Failed to be reasonable and skilful within a reasonable time
Misleading advertising- Unfair trading practice
- Contract made with BT and paid for who then cancelled it, but failed to offer another or correct their action all for £6.
- BT Connection engineer told us to leave the broadband hub power on or lose signal power. Effectively paying commenced when the hub was switched on not when computer connected to the internet.
- It took 10 days of low connectivity for “stabilisation to take place” after connection. Extreme frustration leading up to Christmas.
- The package we took out stated that “It was perfect for everyday internet use”. This misleading, inaccurate and deceitful statement has cost us extra every month.
- A slow Connection service continued but no response to formal complaints.
- Prompted by BT advert to buy a BT Vision box, as a one, off but was charged £90 when £60 was the agreed price.
- Overcharged £47 40 taken from my bank as a result and of an incorrect credit note, then re- charged the same on the next bill. Corrected eventually.
- Sky Sports 1&2 addition offered at £7.20 but charged £17.40-cancellation took too long.
- Openzone option included in the package but no password sent with the package or details in the User Guide.
- Network upgrading resulted in extremely slow connection speed for 13 days. This was after BT sent an email “We’ve upgraded our network”.
- In May we asked for the Phone line to be moved within our home,- 25 metres, to another live line, but it took more than one month and we were inconvenienced. After this we were told online “You do not have an account with us” when I was trying to check the connection speed.
- As we had spent hours on the phone sorting these problems out and received not one letter from BT until Nov 2011 we contacted Otelo ( Ombudsman Communication -who awarded us £30 and a BT apology. We told Otelo this would hardly cover postage stamps spent on communicating letters and phone calls to them.
- Charged for “free” weekend/ evening calls because wife on the phone for over one hour. Yet small print in BT contract took days to discover. Told by BT, when enquired, to switch off phone after 59 mins. and redial !
- Paid for one year phone connection but nothing signed or said about the Broadband connection being 18 months. Had presumed the total package was for one year.
- Requested BT give a Migration Code after 12 months paid contract to leave after one year. BT Refused -Instead they requested cessation fee of £282.
I am asking a Court to award a Migration Code and compensation plus Court expenses for complaint letters, time wasted, slow Broadband connection not settled at the time adequately.
Delays and Distress & any immediate cessation fees and cost of renegotiating a another contract with their competition.
Particular reference to
1.Re-engaging the Contract withdrawn involved considerable time effort and cost.
2.The slogan “Perfect for everyday internet use” which since has been withdrawn as an advert for their promotion Package BT Total Broadband Option 1.
Have you cause to complain about BT ?
Do please get in touch ! |
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Computer- Telehealth
Updated: 08 Dec 2011
Telehealth can reduce deaths by 45%, study shows
Wireless monitoring devices help patients be healthier, live independently
By Lucas Mearian
December 7, 2011 03:21 PM ET
Computerworld - Using remote monitoring technology to keep tabs on patients' blood sugar and cardiopulmonary disease can reduce the risk of patient mortality by up to 45%, according to a U.K. Department of Health study.
The preliminary findings (download PDF) showed that, if used correctly, TeleHealth can deliver a 15% reduction in emergency room visits; a 20% reduction in emergency admissions; a 14% reduction in elective admissions; a 14% reduction in bed days; and an 8% reduction in tariff costs.
More strikingly, the findings showed a 45% reduction in mortality rates.
In the U.S., the federal government is aggressively pushing for electronic health records (EHR).
Telehealth technology, which allows doctors to monitor their patients' health wirelessly in real time, could be combined with online health records for a highly accessible, interactive patient history.
Last year, a report from Accenture showed that the rise of inexpensive Internet connectivity and smaller, cheaper and "smarter" health electronics should deliver better, more efficient health care.
The U.K. Department of Health said its study was the first of its kind and one of the most complex and comprehensive studies it has ever undertaken.
It involved about 6,000 chronically-ill patients at 238 healthcare practices across three counties in the UK. It took two years to complete.
The study looked at how the adoption of telehealth monitoring technologies could reduce the mounting financial burden of healthcare for the chronically ill.
The study focused on patients with three conditions: diabetes, coronary heart disease and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
It also showed how technology supports people who live independently, and how they can be more in control of their own health and care.
"The first set of initial findings ... show that, if delivered properly, telehealth can substantially reduce mortality, reduce the need for admissions to hospital, lower the number of bed days spent in hospital and reduce the time spent in [emergency rooms]," the Health Department saidn in a statement.
"At least three million people with long-term conditions and/or social care needs could benefit from using telehealth and telecare."
Currently, six schools are evaluating the data, including City University London, University of Oxford, University of Manchester, and the London School of Economics.
The study looked at the data under five themes -- service utilization; reported outcomes such as quality of life; cost effectiveness; user and professionals' experience; and influence of organizational factors to adoption).
Three TeleHealth technology providers were selected for the program, offering remote patient management systems for study:
Philips HealthCare used its Motiva technology to monitor about 550 heart failure, COPD and diabetes patients in the London borough of Newham.
Philips Motiva is an interactive healthcare platform that connects patients with chronic conditions to their healthcare providers through a home television and a broadband Internet connection.
Newham, England is challenged with providing long-term healthcare for more than 17% of its chronically-ill population as well as being ranked as having the highest diabetes rate and death rate from stroke in the UK.
Lucas Mearian covers storage, disaster recovery and business continuity, financial services infrastructure and health care IT for Computerworld. Follow Lucas on Twitter at @lucasmearian or subscribe to Lucas's RSS feed . His e-mail address is lmearian@computerworld.com">lmearian@computerworld.com.
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Computer -High Definition ?
Updated: 08 Dec 2011
High definition – what it means
It's hard to miss the HD hype, but what is it exactly?
We explain the jargon surrounding it and explain what you need to enjoy HD pictures on your TV and PC
Nigel Whitfield
07/12/2011
Large HD screens give much better picture quality than older TVs
The high-definition (HD) hype has been hard to miss.
Most new television sets bear stickers proclaiming them to be ‘HD ready’, broadcasters such as Sky have spent millions aggressively marketing packages of HD channels and even BBC One is available in HD, so equipped viewers can watch the latest Eastenders in full HD glory.
However, all the jargon surrounding HD can be confusing.
Venture into an electrical store and the assistant is likely to tempt you with phrases like 1080i, 720p, Blu-ray and much more – not to mention sell you a few expensive cables to improve the picture quality.
And that, of course, is just the equipment: there are numerous confusing TV-service packages to navigate, including cable, satellite and traditional over-the-air options such as Freeview and Freeview HD.
In fact, a surprising number of people still don’t know what they need to watch films or live TV in high definition. Some are even convinced that they’re watching HD when they’re not.
But don’t panic – understanding all the terminology attached to HD is quite straightforward, and in this article we’re going to explain all you could ever want or need to know about HD. By the end, you’ll understand the difference between standard- and high-definition pictures and have confidence that you’re watching HD.
Looking for clarity
No-one likes to receive a photograph with details that are hard to make out, watch a TV channel where the faces are fuzzy, or be handed a printout where the text and graphics are blocky and tricky to decipher (from a fax machine, for example).
Issues like these are often a matter of definition, or resolution – the amount of available detail.
However, trying to define definition is complicated and depends on various factors.
Fax machines send and receive images measured by the number of dots per inch (dpi), for example, while a traditional printed photograph’s definition can be traced right down to the film’s grain.
Electron gun
The resolution of television sets, on the other hand, was for a long time defined by the number of picture lines displayed by the screen, from the top to the bottom.
These lines were created by an extremely fast-moving electron gun that fired at phosphors adhering to the screen’s rearside.
On European sets, there were 625 of these lines (though some of these were used for the old Ceefax and Oracle teletext services, rather than the picture – but let’s not digress).
With the digital revolution it has all changed.
The TV screens and computer displays that we all use today have digital screens controlled by sophisticated electronics. The picture is made up of a matrix of tiny dots, called pixels.
Each pixel can have its brightness or colour changed to help make up the whole picture, whether that picture is supplied by the graphics card in a computer, a broadcast TV signal or a DVD or Blu-ray disc.
The digital equivalent of a traditional TV picture is often referred to as ‘standard definition’ and made up of a line of 720 pixels across the screen, and 576 lines, or pixels, from top to bottom; 576 may seem less than the 625 of analogue TV, but because of that old teletext information, the actual picture definition is roughly the same.
American pictures – which used to be 525 lines – have a height of 480 pixels for standard definition, but the same width.
A better standard
So, if that’s standard definition, what’s HD and why does anyone need it?
The second question is fairly simple to answer – with a limited number of dots, the bigger the screen or the closer the viewer is to the picture, the more they are likely to notice the individual pixels.
As TV screens in living rooms become ever larger, standard definition quickly starts to look less detailed. The same is true of a PC screen, incidentally, which is why they have more dots than a TV screen – typically at least 1024 x 768 pixels – because they’re viewed at much closer distances.
It would be nice to think that there’s only one way to describe HD but, unfortunately, that’s not quite true.
There are two distinct picture sizes that fall under the HD banner and, just to make it more complicated, some variations within those sizes.
To start with, the size of HD pictures can be either 1,280 pixels across with 720 lines down (1,280x720), or it can be even better at 1,920x1,080, a size often referred to as ‘full HD’ by TV manufacturers. Often, though, these two standards are shortened to just the number of lines, so you’ll see them referred to as 720 or 1080.
However, these two figures are themselves almost always suffixed with a letter ‘p’ or ‘i’.
These stand for ‘progressive’ or ‘interlaced’ and refer to how the picture is created on the screen.
When a picture is interlaced, first the odd-numbered lines are displayed and then the even-numbered ones.
Interlacing was a requirement of older TV technology, as electron guns could only move so fast: only half the picture was drawn with each sweep, but human persistence of vision helps to build a complete picture.
Some sensitive people may notice flickering caused by interlacing.
Interlacing is no longer a technical requirement of modern screens, but it has persisted because displays have needed to remain compatible with existing broadcasts: standard definition pictures are broadcast interlaced, and this is sometimes referred to as 576i.
The most common standards for HD are 720p, 1080i and 1080p.
In-store salespeople will often explain that the best TVs you can buy are the ones that can display 1080p and to an extent they’re correct.
However, before we explain why it’s important to think about not just the resolution of those HD pictures, but where they are coming from.
In the picture
As explained, regardless of whether they are standard or HD, pictures have a certain size – measured in pixels.
So too does a display, like the 1,024x768 of a computer monitor, or the 1,920x1,080 of a ‘full HD’ flat-screen TV set.
So what happens when they don’t match?
This is actually easy to see. Fire up a PC with a DVD player and often the video will first appear in a window that doesn’t fill the screen.
This is because the DVD is in standard definition (576 lines), which is usually rather less than the display’s resolution. There’s usually an option to play it full screen, but this will make it look a little less sharp.
Much the same thing happens when viewing a standard-definition picture on an HD TV: the picture has to be made bigger to fit.
This process, managed either by the TV or DVD player, is known as ‘upscaling’.
The results can be variable, with some upscaled pictures looking good, but others looking decidedly dodgy and disappointing.
Why is this important? For many people in the UK, much of what they are watching is still standard definition, even if the TV boasts ‘full HD’ on the front. In other words, much of the time your flash HD TV may be displaying nothing more than upscaled standard-definition pictures.
Where does HD come from?
Watch a DVD and it is standard definition.
Watch Freeview, cable or even satellite and most channels are standard definition too.
That may come as something of a shock, but only a small proportion of the channels on these services are broadcast in HD.
There’s no guarantee that programmes broadcast on HD channels were actually shot in HD in the first place, so they might be standard definition too.
Watch a Blu-ray disc on an HD TV, though, and the picture really is HD – it’s the best quality currently available to home viewers.
The point to understand here is that unless the source of the programme is itself HD, it doesn’t matter what the label on a TV set or PC display says, or how big the picture is; you are watching standard definition.
Remember that upscaling will have been used to make the picture fill the screen and, while technical trickery can make this look a bit better, a standard-definition source can’t magically be turned into HD.
Regardless of TV service, there are both standard-definition and HD versions of some channels – usually depending on the package chosen.
But even when there’s an HD channel available, viewers still need to select it.
BBC One and BBC One HD have different channel numbers, for example: tune in to the standard version, and you’ll be watching standard-definition pictures, regardless of the TV set.
Both Sky and Virgin Media subscribers can pay for packages that include HD channels, though the complexity of these deals is so great that we can’t cover all the options here.
Freesat and Freeview viewers don’t have to pay any extra for HD channels, but neither has as many channels as the pay-TV services.
There’s another element – a receiver that can decode and display HD pictures. Sky subscribers need a Sky HD box, Freeview viewers a Freeview HD one, and so on.
In many cases, new Freeview boxes and TVs have HD decoders built in, but it’s always worth checking before signing a contract or paying for an expensive new bit of kit.
Anyone who’s been with Virgin or Sky for a while may need to upgrade their box to be able to receive HD channels.
Are you really HD ready?
One area that causes no end of confusion is the ‘HD ready’ label that’s stuck to most new TVs, especially when it comes to people who want to watch Freeview without using a set-top box.
The HD-ready label – and its close relative ‘HD-ready 1080p’ – essentially means that a display has at least 720 lines (or pixels) from top to bottom and that it has one or more HDMI connectors, through which it can accept an HD signal to display either 720p or 1080i.
The 1080p version of the label means the set can display a 1080p image too, while ‘full HD’ usually means the display has a resolution of 1920x1080.
HD ready does NOT mean that the set can receive and decode HD signals.
That’s especially important in the case of a TV with a built-in Freeview tuner – and these days you’ll find that it’s hard to buy one without.
Crazy as it may sound, it’s common for a TV that’s labelled as ‘HD ready’, ‘HD ready 1080p’ or ‘Full HD’ to have a tuner – the bit that picks up the Freeview signal – that is only standard definition.
In fact, any set sold before around Easter 2010 will certainly fall into that category, as the first equipment capable of receiving Freeview’s HD channels didn’t go on sale until then.
In short, the HD ready label means merely that a TV is ready to display HD pictures – not that it can or will when you switch it on. Appalling, but true.
To be sure that HD programmes can be picked up through the aerial, look for the Freeview HD logo.
Without it, it won’t be showing HD pictures unless it’s connected to a separate device (such as a Sky HD box or a Blu-ray player).
Can I watch HD on my PC?
There’s no simple answer to this question, because it depends what you want to watch.
Most computer monitors can display HD pictures – some have a higher resolution than a ‘full HD’ TV set, in fact.
If a monitor has an HDMI connector, it will be possible to plug in a set-top box, or a Blu-ray player, and watch in HD.
If necessary, the picture will be scaled, just as on a TV.
Many newer PCs have a built-in Blu-ray drives, so can play HD discs and it’s also possible to play HD content downloaded legally from the internet.
When it comes to watching TV, though, things are a little more complicated. As a rule of thumb, the PC will need an up-to-date graphics card, as well as either a satellite or Freeview TV tuner card.
For satellite, a DVB-S2 expansion card is needed, and for Freeview HD, a DVB-T2 card.
In both cases, the ‘2’ is vital – DVB-S and DVB-T cards are cheaper, but use older versions of the standards and, in the case of Freeview, will only pick up standard-definition channels; while for satellite, many HD channels are switching to use DVB-S2.
Ultimately, though, watching TV on a PC tends to be a compromise: computer screens are designed to be viewed up close, not from a sofa across the room, and often the supplied software is rarely as simple to use as a real TV.
Simple facts
It might seem like there’s a lot to think about, but it is actually pretty simple.
If you want HD, then you need three things: a screen with enough pixels for an HD picture; something that supplies HD pictures – like a set-top box, a Blu-ray player, or a built-in Freeview HD tuner – and the HD picture itself, like the HD version of a TV channel, or a Blu-ray disc (rather than a standard DVD).
Unless all three are in place, you’re not watching HD – and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/pc-help/2118776/definition-means#ixzz1fumS1oDo |
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Computer-Piracy on the Net
Updated: 07 Dec 2011
Digital mutiny sinks piracy bill
05 December 2011 by Jim Giles
An online revolt has forced US Congress to rethink a draconian piracy bill,
but the war isn't over
SO THAT'S what a digital revolt looks like.
A million-and-a-half emails and almost 90,000 phone calls to US Congress.
Public complaints from Google and Facebook.
Even a few thousand old-fashioned letters to the US House of Representatives.
This internet ire, marshalled under the banner of American Censorship Day on 16 November, came in opposition to the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), legislation aimed at tackling the online trade in copyrighted movies and music.
Claims that the act, if passed, will "break the internet" helped persuade several big companies, including a trade group which represents Apple and Microsoft, to withdraw their support.
Then, last week, SOPA's backers in the House said they were open to changing the bill.
Internet Activists 1, Big Media 0.
But elsewhere the media barons appear to be winning.
Over the past few years, several countries have debated or enacted laws that, in the name of tackling piracy, have handed more power to large companies.
In the process, say activists, the movie and music industries have gained the ability to censor websites.
The recent revolt was louder because SOPA is one of the more radical new proposals.
It would give copyright holders the legal right to have sites which they deem to be peddling stolen content shut down, a controversial power the European Court of Justice has just ruled against.
Concern here is less about blatant piracy, which gets limited sympathy from activists, and more about sites on which copyrighted content is used in creative ways.
YouTube, for example, is packed with satirical remixes of songs and films.
If SOPA were enacted, just one such mash-up could bring down an entire site, notes Eric Goldman, a technology lawyer at Santa Clara University in California.
"Talk about collateral damage," he says.
The bill also gives copyright holders the right to force search engines to expunge infringing sites from search results.
Google and others know that it is often impossible to determine whether a site is engaging in piracy or creative reuse or some combination of the two.
That's one reason why the search engine teamed up with Facebook and other sites to run a full-page advert opposing the bill in The New York Times.
Other moves by copyright advocates have been less crude and more successful.
This July, five big US internet service providers committed to repeatedly caution - and then potentially disconnect - subscribers who share copyrighted material.
The measure had limited opposition, but Goldman and others warn that it is not sufficiently overseen.
That's a fear shared across the Atlantic, where British activists have warned that any proposals to speed up processing of industry requests will erode courts' ability to assess claims of copyright breaches.
In Ireland, judges have already been sidelined.
After a legal battle in 2009 with a recording industry group, eircom, the country's largest ISP said it would no longer contest blocking requests from the group.
None have yet been submitted.
There is a lot of copyright theft online, and content creators have a right to demand protection.
Yet the reusers of content, from music remixers to bloggers, are also creators.
Striking a balance between the two will prove important if politicians want to stop the angry emails.
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Computer - Nokia Siemens to slash 17,000 jobs worldwide
Updated: 24 Nov 2011
Nokia Siemens to slash 17,000 jobs worldwide
The company will shift focus to mobile broadband and related services as it seeks to slash costs
By Mikael Ricknäs
Computer World
November 23, 2011 10:36 AM ETAdd a comment.IDG News Service - Struggling network infrastructure vendor Nokia Siemens Networks is planning to cut 17,000 jobs worldwide, as it aims to cut ¬1 billion (US$1.35 billion) from its annual costs by the end of 2013, the company said Wednesday.
About 23 percent of the company's 74,000 employees will be laid off.
The 4 1/2-year-old joint venture between Nokia and Siemens has been struggling to compete with Swedish Ericsson and Chinese vendor Huawei. Parent company Nokia's ongoing problems have made Nokia Siemens' situation even more difficult.
The announcement was not a surprise to Mark Newman, chief research officer at market research company Informa Telecoms & Media.
Earlier this year, the two parent companies gave up on finding an external investor, and injected ¬1 billion into the company, he said.
"We knew Nokia Siemens needed to make some decisions because sooner or later the cash injection is going to run out," said Newman.
Since its inception, Nokia Siemens has gone through different cycles. Between two and four years ago, the company was struggling to compete on price with Huawei and Ericsson, and became very aggressive on pricing with some success in winning new business, according to Newman.
"But the question was if that was a profitable business or not.
Today, the company is still aggressive, but not to the extent it was a year ago," said Newman.
Nokia Siemens has said a vendor has to be first or second in a market to be successful.
"It is setting themselves a pretty tough challenge, because Huawei and Ericsson are the most successful vendors in the wireless infrastructure business. It is difficult to see who Nokia Siemens is going to dislodge," said Newman.
Going forward, the company will focus on mobile broadband and related services.
Other areas like its wireline business will be sold or "managed for value," according to Nokia Siemens.
Besides savings from staff cuts, Nokia Siemens will also target areas such as real estate, information technology, product and service procurement costs, overall general and administrative expenses, and aim for a significant reduction of suppliers in order to further lower costs and improve quality, the company said.
"What we are seeing now is a genuine attempt to turn it into a single company with no overlapping functions," said Newman, who also hopes Nokia Siemens has a clear idea of where it is going to make cuts, so it doesn't turn into a drawn-out process that drags the company down.
Nokia Siemens will now begin talks with employee representatives in accordance with country-specific legal requirements. |
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Computer- The End of You Tube as you know and love it ?
Updated: 17 Nov 2011
The end of YouTube
Wednesday, 16 November, 2011 5:57
Dear friends,
Right now, the US Congress is debating a law that would give them the power to censor the world's Internet -- creating a blacklist that could target YouTube, WikiLeaks and even groups like Avaaz! Under the new law, the US could force Internet providers to block any website on suspicion of violating copyright or trademark legislation, or even failing to sufficiently police their users' activities. And, because so much of the Internet's hosts and hardware are located in the US, their blacklist would clamp down on the free web for all of us. The vote could happen any day now, but we can help stop this -- champions in Congress want to preserve free speech and tell us that an international outcry would strengthen their hand. Let’s urgently raise our voices from every corner of the world and build an unprecedented global petition calling on US decision makers to reject the bill and stop Internet censorship. Click below to sign and then forward as widely as possible -- our message will be delivered directly to key members of the US Congress ahead of the crucial vote: http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_internet/?vl For years, the US government has condemned countries like China and Iran for their clampdown on Internet use. But now, the impact of America's new censorship laws could be far worse -- effectively blocking sites to every Internet user across the globe. Last year, a similar Internet censorship bill was killed before reaching the US Senate floor, but it's now back in a different form. Copyright laws already exist and are enforced by courts. But this new law goes much further -- granting the government and big corporations enormous powers to force service providers and search engines to block websites based just on allegations of violations -- without a trial or being found guilty of any crime! US free speech advocates have already raised the alarm, and some key Senators are trying to gather enough support to stop this dangerous bill. We have no time to lose. Let's stand with them to ensure American lawmakers preserve the right to a free and open Internet as an essential way for people around the world to exchange ideas, share communication and work collectively to build the world we want. Sign below to stop US censorship, and save the Internet as we know it: http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_internet/?vl In the past months, from the Arab Spring to the global Occupy Movement, we've seen first hand how the Internet can galvanize, unify and change the world. Now, if we stand together, we can stop this new attack on Internet freedom. We've done it before -- in Brazil and Italy, Avaaz members have won major victories in the fight for a free Internet. Let's take the fight global, and mobilize to defeat the most powerful censorship threat that the Internet has ever seen. With hope, Luis, Dalia, Diego, Emma, Ricken, Aaron, Antonia, Benjamin and the rest of the Avaaz team
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Computer- Friend or Fiend ?
Updated: 08 Nov 2011
Technology just makes us all busier
Computers have saved us all time, but what have we done with it?
asks Jonathan Wolff
Jonathan Wolff
guardian.co.uk,
Once upon a time, the departmental secretaries would type up teachers' books and papers over the summer break.
There was great excitement the year I started lecturing in the philosophy department.
Not, sadly, about me, but because we had obtained, for the first time, a usable computer in the department.
It was placed in an attic room, and I would get to work at eight in the morning to use it for two – well, OK, three – hours, before anyone else rolled in.
It was several years before we each had our own computer.
And a few weeks later, all were gone.
Security, covering their backs, insinuated that one of the faculty must have turned up over the weekend in a hired Ford Transit.
But now that the department actually possessed things worth stealing, the university installed some industrial-strength locks.
We bought some more computers and tried again, thereby learning other new ways in which modern technology can routinely ruin your mood.
It is hard to think back to academic life before computers.
I was there only as a witness.
My teachers used to write out the drafts of their books and papers by hand, with expensive, though smudgy, fountain pens, and the departmental secretaries would type them up over the summer break.
The secretaries also had to type all student references and important correspondence.
No more, of course.
Every few years, another computing triumph was achieved.
Email saved the time and trouble of printing letters, folding them up and putting them in envelopes.
The internet, eventually, put the resources of a reference library on your desk.
And, in the last couple of years, the widespread electronic availability of journal articles has cut out the need to root through dusty shelves and stand in line at the photocopier.
Just as the end of the Cold War was meant to produce a "peace dividend", we should now be experiencing a "technology dividend", luxuriating in the spare time we have created for ourselves.
But what has happened to all that time saved?
I vaguely recall a story in which the central character did everything he could to save time, counting out the seconds banked.
But at the end of each day he realised, to his despair, that just as much time had gone as usual, whatever he did. Beckett makes the point the other way round: Vladimir: "Well, that passed the time." Estragon: "It would have passed anyway."
Innovations are introduced with the promise that they will save time, or money, or make us safer or more comfortable.
But, as my UCL colleague John Adams observed, innovations can have a perverse effect.
Notoriously, he claimed that when seat belts were introduced, people simply took more risks when they drove.
If we really want road safety, he suggests, we should put a sharpened spike right in the middle of the steering wheel.
Then you'd watch your braking distance.
Karl Marx noticed something similar.
In early industrial Britain, he reports, a factory boy modified his machine in order to complete his day's work in a couple of hours, and laze around the rest of the time.
So impressed was the factory owner that he modified all the machines and multiplied the production targets.
I'm hardly the first to point out that instead of consuming the time-saving benefits of information technology by making the work day less pressured, we have found other ways of filling up the time.
Now that we have such whizzy computers, university administrators can do valuable things that we had no time for before, such as making sure every member of the department has signed a piece of paper swearing that they know where the fire exits are.
And what, as an academic, do I do with the hours and minutes I save by not having to traipse off to the library each time I need to check a reference?
I would like to tell you that I have finally taken up the tuba, or, at the least, am using the time for ever deeper reflection.
But the truth is I still begin every email with the line "Sorry to be slow replying, it has been exceptionally busy over the last few days".
• Jonathan Wolff is professor of philosophy at University College London.
His column appears monthly
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Computer- Internet Freedoms and Dangers- Who is your Big Brother ?
Updated: 08 Nov 2011
World unites to discuss internet freedoms and dangers
Updated 10:15 02 November 2011 by Niall Firth
The whole world has finally decided to talk about the internet.
The London Conference on Cyberspace, the first international gathering of its kind, kicked off today, bringing together senior political figures from across the world and tech royalty such as Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales.
Among the topics scheduled for discussion are how to ensure global access to the internet and dealing with net's darker elements: child safety, cybercrime and cyberwar.
Nations that try to restrict internet use, like China and some in the Middle East, particularly during times of peaceful uprisings, came in for harsh criticism.
"We reject the view that government suppression of the internet, phone networks and social media at times of unrest is acceptable," said UK foreign secretary William Hague.
People power
Underlining this point, Yemeni activist and blogger Atiaf Alwazir said: "Before the internet in Yemen, everything was controlled. This has changed: now we are in control.
"People say that Facebook and Twitter created the revolution," she added. "I disagree.
People are the agents of change and the internet helped accelerate the process."
US vice-president Joe Biden made an explicit reference to demands from China and Russia for more international regulation of cyberspace:
"What citizens do online should not, as some have suggested, be decreed solely by groups of governments making decisions for them somewhere on high."
He added: "No citizen of any country should be subject to a repressive global code."
Wales suggested that governments learn from Wikipedia's policy of openness.
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Computer- BT and Its Critics
Updated: 08 Nov 2011
BT Group latest quarterly and half year results
Thursday 03 November 2011 09:36:56
Half year profits £1100 Million up 17%
Ian Livingston, Chief Executive, commenting on the results, said:
“We have increased cash flow, profits and underlying revenue2 in the quarter.
This progress has been supplemented with positive operational performances in most of our businesses.
We achieved a market leading 63% share of broadband net additions and another quarter of growth in fixed lines.
“We expect to continue to offset the economic headwinds through improved customer service and processes, better efficiency, and investment in the future of the business.
This strategy and our financial results allow us to invest when others are merely talking about it.
We are accelerating our fibre roll-out programme to cover two-thirds of the UK by the end of 2014 – one year earlier than planned and creating 520 new jobs.
With the already announced government support, we believe there is the potential for fibre-based services to reach more than 90% of the UK within a few years thereafter.
“We are also investing across the world and have announced a programme to double our business in key Latin American countries in addition to our expansion in the Asia Pacific region announced last year.
“Our performance in the quarter reinforces but does not change our outlook for the year.”
The latest quarterly results from the BT Group show growth in broadband customer numbers, which in the face of the competition from other providers such as Virgin Media, Sky, TalkTalk and others has to be seen as impressive.
BT Retail who market the BT Total and BT Infinity products, had some 166,000 net additions in the quarter (63% of the total new broadband connections), and this took them past the six million broadband customer milestone.
BT Infinity alone added some 88,000 new customers taking the total number of customers to 300,000 and represents a doubling in customer numbers in the last six months.
BT Vision the IPTV/Freeview hybrid continues to grow with another 41,000 installations taking the customer base to some 640,000 homes.
BT Wholesale has continued its roll out of the Wholesale Broadband Connect (WBC) network, which is now providing ADSL2+ on 1,450 exchanges covering 70% of UK households.
The Openreach division that look after the local loop actually added 11,000 telephone lines and the fibre to the cabinet (with a small proportion of fibre to the premises) passes some six million homes, with this expanding to 66% of UK homes by 2014.
"We expect to continue to offset the economic headwinds through improved customer service and processes, better efficiency, and investment in the future of the business.
This strategy and our financial results allow us to invest when others are merely talking about it.
We are accelerating our fibre roll-out programme to cover two-thirds of the UK by the end of 2014 – one year earlier than planned and creating 520 new jobs.
With the already announced government support, we believe there is the potential for fibre-based services to reach more than 90% of the UK within a few years thereafter."
Ian Livingston, Chief Executive
There are vocal critics of BT and its position as a dominant player in around a third of the country, but we should remember that without its dominance we would probably have a nation where ADSL and ADSL2+ was only available to perhaps 70% of households.
Additionally even in areas where BT is dominant there is still a vast area of choice of providers at the retail level who offer varying quality of service, alas the myth that where no LLU is available that all services are equal in terms of peak time performance still persists.
Broadband is the only utility in the UK to have consistently fell in price over its eleven year life span, back in 2000 a half meg service would set you back between £40 to £50.
The broadband provider that started the price war Pipex is now just another identity within the TalkTalk group, who in 2006 with their 'free' broadband launch took broadband in the UK to a whole new level.
The question now is who is the provider or application that will kick start demand for the superfast broadband products.
One possible candidate could be Netflix who if they launch with HD video in the UK that is as good or better quality than broadcast HD content as part of a subscription could lead to households finding a reason to switch to faster services
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Computer- Quick Quick Slow Broadband
Updated: 01 Nov 2011
Survey finds some people can save over £6 a month on broadband costs
Not everyone feels the need for speeds as we find out
People can save money by opting for cheaper, albeit it slower broadband packages
Nearly nine in ten people in the UK (85 per cent) are paying for high speed connections that they may not really need and could get a cheaper deal.
This was the findings of a new home technology study of 2,000 people which revealed many major UK broadband providers are guilty of charging customers for broadband speeds they never use to their full potential.
By investigating what people used their broadband services for, and then looking at the deals on offer, this latest survey from Computeractive showed that people can save themselves around £6.12 (based on the recommended average of £9.60) on a monthly deal.
The average person in the UK pays £15.72 for broadband without landline or any other service. However the majority of people use their broadband connections for low bandwidth activities.
This means a £5 per month broadband contract would easily accommodate their needs.
Only around 15 per cent of the 2,000 people surveyed used broadband for activities requiring a faster connection.
As the government ramps up the excitement around new superfast broadband set to roll out across the UK by 2015, before signing on the dotted line, people should slow down.
They should take the time to ask themselves if they really need a high speed broadband package.
The top ten reasons for using the internet at home are as follows:
Online shopping - 62 per cent;
Online banking - 58 per cent;
Social Networking - 57 per cent;
Reading Entertainment/ News sites - 45 per cent;
Watching online - 39 per cent;
Buying tickets - 32 per cent;
Downloading music - 31per cent; Work - 26 per cent;
Transport updates - 20 per cent and Downloading films - 15 per cent.
People should also read the small print because many high-speed broadband contracts have what is called a bandwidth cap.
This limits the amount of data that can be downloaded per month; so there is not much point having a high-speed service if the monthly allowance is comparatively low.
Other findings found that the 55 plus group is paying an average of £17 per month on broadband.
This is more than younger age groups, yet the older generation tends to spend the least time doing the very thing high-bandwidth services are designed for such as watching TV or video online
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Computer- Broadband + Telephone Service wanted without my becoming a nervous wreck
Updated: 31 Oct 2011
Computer
Broadband + Home Telephone
Talk Talk rang today asking for my support – I told them never again. I gave them a chance once before and I nearly had a nervous breakdown. “We have changed” said the caller. I was going to ask “ For better or worse”? Then I felt a nervous breakdown coming on so I hung up !
I’m with BT now and I nearly have had another nervous breakdown so I cant wait to drop them over the cliff.
I got a “sincere” letter of apology and £30.
I felt insulted and said so to Ombudsman Services- Communications.
I listed the 12 verifiable complaints and asked if I could press Button B.
What is it about these Broadband services ?
I am looking at Phonecoop, Plusnet, Primus, Utility Warehouse and Tesco for my next contract.
And I am trying to avoid my 19th nervous breakdown
Any suggestions ?
And I don’t mind paying a bit extra for a good service. |
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Computer- Complaints against BT
Updated: 26 Oct 2011
Complaints against BT
Why are there so many entries on Google
complaining about the service given by BT ?
I am not going to catalogue them here. It would take too long !
Because if you are a BT customer, you become exasperated at their ignorance in dealing with our complaints.
Contacting the Ombudsman – Communications is a waste of time.
I did and I thought they worked for BT
Just keep hammering away at BT you can get them off your back
Oh and tell 10 people about their poor service and sooner or later they will get the message. |
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Computer- What causes Broadband Outage ?
Updated: 25 Oct 2011
BT power fail causes broadband outage
Broadband services are lost for many after power goes down at a Birmingham facility.
By Tom Brewster, 3 Oct 2011 at 15:54
BT today admitted a power failure at a major exchange in Birmingham has left many without broadband.
Reports have suggested there were problems for businesses and consumers across the UK, stretching as far as Belfast and Cornwall.
BT said most services had been restored, claiming for the majority of customers the outage would have only lasted an hour.
“We can confirm that, as a result of a power failure at one of our major exchanges, some customers may currently be experiencing loss of broadband service,” BT said.
"Our engineers are on-site and the majority of customers' service has already been restored. We are working to restore service to remaining customers as soon as possible this afternoon.
Should any customers continue to experience difficulty in accessing their broadband service, they are advised to turn their hub or modem off and on again."
Many have taken to Twitter to vent their frustration at a lack of services, some complaining BT has not been answering its helpline.
Even comedian Richard Herring decided to post about the problems, tweeting: “BT confirmed massive broadband outage causing problems for most of their customers. Sounds like business as usual.”
As with any ISP, BT has had to deal with its fair share of broadband outages.
The last significant one was in November 2010, when thousands reportedly lost connectivity due to a fault in a switch at an exchange in the Edinburgh area
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Computer- Broadband problems with BT in Stepney Green
Updated: 25 Oct 2011
Major broadband outage affecting multiple providers
Friday 21 October 2011 10:46:55
At around 08:45 this morning, many broadband service providers experienced an outage lasting anywhere up to an hour due to a reported problem in Stepney Green with interconnects to BT.
Many affected providers including PlusNet which published details on its website. Indications are that services began restoring around twenty minutes later, although our broadband quality monitoring system indicated that many users were affected for longer periods in excess of an hour.
Some users may need to reset their routers to re-establish a connection.
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Computer- Hard Drive Disc production under threat in Thailand
Updated: 20 Oct 2011
Production of HDD severely disrupted by Thai floods
With the situation still volatile, prices could rise as companies panic buy
Disruption to HDD production could see price hike
The supply of hard disks (HDD) will be seriously disrupted and could see the cost of the devices rise following last week's massive floods in Thailand.
The factories of two of the world's biggest manufacturers, Western Digital and Seagate were seriously damaged by flood water. The disaster, which has affected huge parts of the country is causing even more substantial issues to the hard drive industry than last year's earthquake.
Two of Western Digital's factories were affected and the company said it would not be shipping any supplies of HDDs from the country until 1 November.
In a statement the company said that "it now expects that the flooding of its Thailand facilities, combined with flood damage to the company's supply chain in Thailand, will have significant impact on the company's overall operations"
Only one of Seagate's factories was directly affected by the floods, and it is still shipping but the affects on Thailand's infrastructure is having an impact.
"Given the volatility of the situation it is unclear what the magnitude of the supply chain disruption will be to Seagate's hard disk drive output from its Thailand operations.
"Seagate is actively managing its supply chain and factory output to align production capabilities and optimize its build schedule to meet customer requirements.
"As a result of the disruption caused by the floods, Seagate anticipates hard drive supply will be constrained throughout the current quarter."
Although Toshiba and Hitachi have not been directly affected by flood water damage to their facilities, Toshiba's factory is closed because of the Thai Governments evactuation orders.
What doesn't help the companies is the fact the authorities have given no indication on when this order will be lifted.
In addition component level supply for HDDs has also been severely disrupted which will also have an adverse effect on production.
Origin Storage Solutions therefore foresees the price rising sharply and product going into constraint as panic buying sets in.
It said it would be doing everything in its power to hold pricing; and give continuity of stock and would update all customers on the on-going situation.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2118449/production-hdd-severely-disrupted-thai-floods#ixzz1bITCPYMM Software, gadgets, magazines and more in our webstore. Click here to see our latest offers. |
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Computer-2011 and still areas of the country with low or no mobile/internet reception ?
Updated: 10 Oct 2011
£150m government investment in mobile masts to improve coverage
£150m will be spent by the UK government on improving mobile coverage in the UK, the Chancellor, George Osborne, has announced today at the conservative party conference.
It's estimated that this will improve coverage for 5 to 10% of consumers and businesses in rural areas which often suffer for very poor or non-existent mobile coverage.
The government aim to reach 99% of the population and will release funding so that the roll out of new masts can begin from 2012.
Ofcom will be in charge of procuring the sites for these new masts.
It's imagined that the mobile networks would have to have equal access to these sites to ensure that the deployment does not unfairly favour one operator over another, and to ensure that coverage of all operators is achieved.
Ofcom could follow in the footsteps of Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), the body tasked with assigning funds for broadband roll-out through local authorities, to create an open-access wholesale mobile network that can be used by all operators, but this is likely to delay the roll-out and it could be difficult to achieve agreement from all the operators to ensure interoperability.
"We have maintained for some time that market forces alone will not solve these problems. In particular, poor and unreliable coverage, which exists mostly in rural areas, is likely to persist to some degree as there is limited scope for commercially-driven improvements."
Ofcom Statement
There could be some real joint incentives by working with BDUK on this deployment however. By ensuring that all new sites that are enabled will support 4G services, some broadband not-spots could be filled in and get access to faster services through the mobile network.
It's also a government ambition to get a fibre 'village pump' installed in all communities, and this may correlate with fibre-backhaul that is required by the mobile networks to support the new masts.
Whilst 99% coverage seems like a great target, lets not forget that the crucial 1% being missed does leave out over 600,000 people who will still receive little to no coverage, and there will be little incentive for the mobile providers to improve networks to reach these final people.
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Computer-Tories threaten consumer protection,say OFT
Updated: 05 Oct 2011
OFT says changes to consumer organisations will weaken regime
Watchdog warns that with no central body, consumer protection would suffer
Plans to fragment consumer protection will weaken the regime
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said the Government's plans to radically reform the UK's consumer protection regime could lead to a weakening of the way consumer law is enforced.
The Government's consumer watchdog also said in its response to the proposed changes that while it supports the aim of reducing complexity and overlap, it had sympathy with the views already expressed by organisations such as Consumer Focus, "that this is a missed opportunity to consider bigger changes that would make consumer protection 'fit for the 21st Century' ".
The plans announced by the Government in June would essentially split the way consumer protection in the UK is currently enforced.
In its review of publically funded bodies last November, the Government had already announced that it would axe Consumer Focus and farm out the consumer-related protection, advice, advocacy and research work carried out by this organisation and the OFT to other organisations.
It is planned that the charity, Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB), will be principally responsible for developing and delivering consumer advice and assistance. Local Trading Standards offices would have to take on a significant increase in regional and national enforcement actions.
There are also plans to create a new Trading Standards Policy Board (TSPB) which would take on "large complex [consumer] cases which may ... raise novel legal issues across the UK".
However, both Trading Standards and individual CAB bodies around the country are facing huge cuts to their budgets. Funding for local CAB and Trading Standards for example comes from a number of sources that have had to make huge budgetary cuts, such as local authorities.
The OFT also said it raised the question about the future of consumer educational campaigns it runs in conjunction with Trading Standards, such as its annual Scamnesty awareness month and website sweeps when it closes down fraudulent sites.
The OFT warned that these financial and structural constraints on both CAB and Trading Standard, coupled with the lack of a central body such as itself to coordinate and oversee consumer protection, means the proposed reforms will lead to "a weakening of the consumer protection regime's capacity to protect consumers where they need it most."
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2114358/oft-changes-consumer-organisations-weaken-regime#ixzz1Zs2qOveL
Software, gadgets, magazines and more in our webstore. Click here to see our latest offers.
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Computer-Cartridges Discount ?- Not any more
Updated: 04 Oct 2011
Cartridges Discount
I used to buy my Epson substitute replacement printer cartridges from this firm.
I had an Epson CX3200 printer until it broke down and repairs prohibitive.
So I returned the spare cartridges – 3 Black and 3 Colour to the firm and asked them for the equivalent for my Epson 3650 printer.
All at a cost of 2 pounds 60 pence in postage
Nothing except the return of my 3 black cartridges saying they were out of date. –
The cheeky sods kept the colour cartridges and sent no replacements.
So now I go to Ebay or Amazon for cartridge replacements and hey what ?
They are cheaper than Cartridge Direct !
Sorry "Cartridges Discount" don't trade or recommend you anymore.
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Computer-Broadband Speed test results expected
Updated: 04 Oct 2011
ASA report into broadband advert
speed claims expected this week
Monday 26 September 2011 13:01:45 by john@thinkbroadband.com">John Hunt
A leaked report seen by the Independent states that the ASA will allow broadband suppliers to advertise speeds claims for their products only if 10% of customers can actually receive these speeds.
The ASA launched a review last year in to how broadband products were advertised and this was carried out by CAP and BCAP on their behalf.
A small caveat though, the ASA have told PC Pro that there are inaccuracies within the Independent's story but they wouldn't say which bits were inaccurate.
The full report is expected to be published this week, which will give a clearer picture of where the industry will stand.
Broadband providers are also expected to have to clearly state in adverts what speed range 20% of customers and 80% of their customers receive and the average speed should be shown within the main part of the advert.
More information for consumers is a good thing, but there needs to be a sensible way of getting the information out that will not be confusing.
The guidance within the report are also expected only to apply to broadband providers who use copper wire.
This would therefore encompass all existing broadband products, including Virgin Media's cable products, but would exclude those delivered over Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH).
These don't suffer from slow downs in the same way as DSL based products as the speed is guaranteed from the end user to the local distribution point, but congestion and contention could occur elsewhere.
Mobile broadband and satellite products will be excluded, but this is a sensible decision as it is harder to predict the speed of these.
There is no mention by the Independent of the study that was occurring alongside this which was looking at the use of 'unlimited' usage limits and whether products that had fair-usage policies / traffic management could continue to use this wording.
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Computer- Big Brother is watching over us-Yahoo in this case
Updated: 03 Oct 2011
I'm afraid the change of editor is due to an upgrade of your existing editor due to security reasons.
(This is because I was having copy and paste problems, I never had before)
It is working differently because pasting can sometimes spread viruses and other nasties.
Ctrl + V automatically sort out pasted text to remove such nasties but a right click works differently so a box pops up.
I suggest you use Ctrl + V from now on to paste and the box will not pop up.
I have however tested the right click method with both Chrome and IE and they are working fine for me.
Are you using IE and at what version? |
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Slowest Broadband Street in UK-Computer
Updated: 27 Sep 2011
Slowest street in the UK? Really?
Tuesday 20 September 2011 14:59:12 by Andrew Ferguson
The ease with which an on-the-spot broadband speed test can be completed means that many users have tested their broadband connections speed using numerous web-based speed tests. Today a press release by uSwitch talks about the slowest fifty streets in the UK based on such data, confusing journalists and the public, based in part on the lack of clear information in the original release.
A number of news websites including The Guardian have mis-interpreted the 0.128Mb figure in the uSwitch report as 0.128 MegaBytes per second (MB/s), when it would appear to be 0.128 Megabits per second (Mb/s or Mbps). The original report should have been clearer and adopted a common notation such as 0.128Mbps (Megabits per second), i.e. show the full meaning in brackets the first time the units are used; missing off the time unit is a common shortening that pervades advertising and press releases for broadband. The average user struggles to understand the difference between a megabit and a megabyte, measurement units in a ratio of 1:8 apart (1MB/s or MegaByte per second = 8Mb/s Megabits per second).
One of the common ways of trying to explain what this means to users is to relate it to a 'real-world' example, however in this press release the company further confuses users by use of statistics which appear to, at least in our opinion, be questionable. It suggests that on these slowest connections, a movie would take 48 hours to download whilst a single music track would take 90 minutes. These numbers would equate to a movie being 2.7GB (Gigabytes) in size, although most standard definition movies manage between 1 to 1.5GB. Whilst this may be a perfectly valid point, it does warrant an explanation.
Getting the sums right
However what is more surprising is the discrepancy over the music track which based on their figures would have to be 90MB in size. Even taking an uncompressed CD-quality track, this would need to be 10 minutes in length, whereas most are shorter, and with common compression technologies such as MP3, most tracks are a fraction of this size, often around 5MB. At 0.134Mbps, a single 5MB MP3 single would take around 5 minutes to download. Even assuming the use high quality 160kbit/s (kilobits per second) encoding as used by the Apple iTunes service, the figures quoted by the compay are grossly over-estimated. Did they mean an album?
"Things are almost as bad on Forestfield, in the West Sussex town of Horsham, where the average broadband speed of just 0.134Mb again harks back to the Nineties. At that speed it may take up to a frustrating 90 minutes to download just one music track."
uSwitch Press Release
We have already seen evidence that broadband speeds are a factor which new home-buyers take into consideration when looking to purchase a property, so home owners on the streets labelled the UK's slowest may be concerned about how these types of results may put off potential buyers. The press release does not offer any detail on the statistiscal accuracy or sample size of the data at street-level, making the analysis at best, incomplete. If the results are based on repeated tests from a couple of properties for example, this could be grossly under-estimating speeds for the entire road, as speed issues could be caused by traffic shaping, selection of broadband package, wireless interference or problems with telephone wiring inside the homes. The use of 'mean' averages for this kind of statistic is perhaps also questionable, where medians or percentiles tell a fuller story. The company compares its results to the May 2011 Ofcom research, but surprisingly does not provide a UK-wide average of its data in the press release.
If we look more closely at the slowest street in the entire UK based on this data (Mount Pleasant in Hasleworth, Suffolk), this is less than 300 metres away from the telephone exhange based on uSwitch's own data and a nearby result 380 metres away is 5.9Mbps—We would very much like to see why the speed variation is so large if uSwitch believe this is the slowest street in the country.
Screenshot of test result nearby to the UK's slowest street; Source: uSwitch.com;
Map data by Google Maps/Tele Atlas.We agree there is a problem with broadband speeds which warrants discussion and debate and using case studies is helpful to translate this into plain english, but highlighting the 'worst 50 broadband streets' is often prone to problems as the data set is unlikely to be complete enough, even though they attract many headlines. We have already seen users contacting us some months ago to complain about their village being labelled as one of the slowest in Britain based on this type of press release, whilst excluding niche broadband providers which offer much faster services from the data set. When focussing on trying to name very small areas, in-depth analysis is very important. Average speeds tell us a story about the development of UK broadband, but they are difficult to compare statistically at street-level when reducing the figure to a single number. The range of speeds, providers and other information is essential before making judgements about an area.
We contacted uSwitch to seek clarification on the units, calculation methodology and statistical significance and received the following response:
"Firstly, we are referring to MB/s (Mbps) in the release. We use the shortened terminology as widely used by the UK's most popular ISPs. As for the calculations, the data is based on more than 1,500,000 speed tests were conducted through the uSwitch.com website between March and August 2011. The reason the map may have different results is because we do not show all results on the map - just the most recent tests for each postcode. However, all tests are logged, which is why we have such extensive data. The calculations are based on a uSwitch methodology, which uses our own data."
Statement by uSwitch.com
We're honestly not quite sure what to make of it. If this is the case, their figures are even more implausible. We'll try to seek further clarification and will of course update the article in due course.
Disclosure: We feel it is appropriate to highlight to readers that thinkbroadband collects and analyses speed test data of its own and therefore we are generally reluctant to openly criticise methodologies/analysis used by other sites which carry out similar functions, after all, it is in the consumers' interests to access such analysis from multiple sources. However, due to the number of significant concerns we have raised about this release and the fact it has already been covered in the national media, we believe that it is in the public interest for us to make our concerns known.
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Govt Scraps plan for Electronic NHS database- Computer
Updated: 27 Sep 2011
Government scraps plans for electronic NHS database
Services such as electronic prescriptions will remain unaffected by budget cuts
Some parts of national NHS IT system to be retained
The Government has scrapped plans to set up a national database of electronic patient records for the NHS, but some areas of the service's national IT programme will be retained.
Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, recently announced the Government is axing much of the £12.7bn scheme that was meant to link all parts of the NHS, but some areas are considered to be working well. These include the Choose and Book process for hospital referrals, patient archiving and electronic prescriptions will continue to be supported.
"There is no point throwing the baby out with the bathwater," a representative for the Department of Health said.
The national Programme for IT was set up by Labour in 2002 to save money and time. As the Cabinet Office's Major Projects Authority has pointed out, the ambitious IT project was not a single programme but "a portfolio of major programmes with interdependencies, different timescales and varied contributions to benefits delivery".
The core part of the project was the creation of a fully integrated, national electronic patient care records database. This would have allowed NHS practitioners to get instant access to patient notes, appointments and histories.
However, this fell behind schedule and of the total £6.4bn allocated to the programme in March of this year, £2.7bn has been spent on the electronic records system. But this part of the project has been widely criticised. In May, the National Audit Office said that delivery of care records systems, "continues to fall well below expectations."
Now the Cabinet Office majority projects authority has concluded in a report that the majority of the programme is "unwieldy" and has not "delivered in line with the original intent ..." and should be scrapped.
It sugggested "dismember[ing] the programme and reconstitute[ing] it under new management and organisation arrangements", otherwise it would be " hard to see how the perception can ever be shifted from the faults of the past and allowed to progress effectively to support the delivery of effective healthcare."
But it has also said that the overall impression that the National project has delivered no benefits is unfair.
"In fact, there have been substantial achievements which are now firmly established. The Spine, N3 Network, NHSmail, Choose and Book, Secondary Uses Service and Picture Archiving and Communications Service are all business as usual and form essential infrastructure," it said.
Lansley said last week: "We will be moving to an innovative new system driven by local decision-making. This is the only way to make sure we get value for money from IT systems that better meet the needs of a modernised NHS."
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2112001/government-scraps-plans-electronic-nhs-database#ixzz1Z7kaHRBc
Software, gadgets, magazines and more in our webstore. Click here to see our latest offers. |
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COMPUTER- AMERICANS ONLINE FOR SOCIAL GOSSIP INCREASES
Updated: 13 Sep 2011
Social networks eat up Americans' online time
Nielsen report shows social networking has reached 'killer app' status, one analyst notes (see chart below)
By Sharon Gaudin
Computerworld
September 12, 2011 06:55 PM ET
Computerworld - A new survey shows that Americans are increasingly transfixed with social networking sites, with Facebook grabbing more of our time than any other blog or social media.
Social networks and blogs are taking up more and more of Americans time online, now accounting for nearly a quarter of our time spent on the Internet, according Nielsen's social media report. Internet users in the U.S. spend more than twice as much time on social networks than they do in the second-most popular category: playing online games.
Facebook is the top destination of all social networks and blogs. Nielsen reported that 140 million people visited Facebook in May. That's 70% of all active U.S. Internet users. Google's Blogger came in second with a distant 50 million visitors that month, while Twitter was in the third spot with 23 million.
In addition to more people using Facebook, they also spend the most time at that site.
According to Nielsen, Facebook users spent 53.5 billion minutes on the site this past May. By comparison, users spent 17.5 billion minutes on Yahoo in the same month. Google users spent 12.5 billion minutes there.
"I'm not all that surprised to see that people spend 25% of their online time on social networks," said Dan Olds, an analyst with The Gabriel Consulting Group. "Social networks have become the online focus for many new computer users -- particularly older people who might not have extensively used computers in their working lives."
Olds is right. Nielsen reported that users 55 and older are the fastest growing group on social networks. However, people aged between 18 and 34 are the most active age group.
"I think social networking might have reached that 'killer app' status where it draws people into computing who haven't been there before," Olds added.
The report, which just came out this week, also notes that people are increasingly using sites like Facebook and Twitter when they're shopping.
According to Nielsen, 70% of active online adult social networkers shop online, 12% more likely than the average adult Internet user.
Time spent online
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Category
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Pct
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Social networks & blogs
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22.5
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Online games
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9.8
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Email
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7.6
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Portals
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4.5
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Videos/movies
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4.4
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Search
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4.0
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IM
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3.3
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SW mnfrs
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3.2
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Classifieds/auctions
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2.9
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|
News/current events
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2.6
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|
Other
|
35.1
|
Source: Nielsen Q3 2011 Social Media Report, measuring top 10 online categories for U.S. Internet users
"Social media's popularity continues to grow, connecting people with just about everything they watch and buy," the study noted. "In the U.S., social networks and blogs reach nearly 80% of active U.S. Internet users and represent the majority of Americans' time online."
And while we're connecting and shopping online more and more, we're also doing so with our mobile devices. Nielsen noted that about 40% of social media users access sites from their smartphones.
Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. |
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COMPUTER- WHOSE HACKING WHO ?
Updated: 07 Sep 2011
After hacking claims, second firm pulls digital certificates
GlobalSign is no longer issuing digital certificates as it investigates the incident
By Robert McMillan
September 6, 2011 07:30 PM ET
Computer World
IDG News Service - Digital certificates issued by GlobalSign have come under scrutiny after a hacker's claim that he broke into the company's computer systems.
If true, it would be the second such compromise in the past few weeks.
The hacker, known as Comodohacker, said on Monday he had broken into Dutch certificate authority (CA) DigiNotar and that he had access to four other such companies, including GlobalSign, a certificate authority based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
On Tuesday, GlobalSign said it was investigating the claim and had "decided to temporarily cease issuance of all certificates until the investigation is complete."
"We will post updates as frequently as possible," the company said in a post to its website. "We apologize for any inconvenience."
GlobalSign couldn't immediately be reached for comment, but earlier in the day, Steve Roylance, GlobalSign's business development director, said his company was "taking this very seriously."
Comodohacker, also known as Ich Sun, is the person who earlier this year claimed to have broken into security vendor and certificate issuer Comodo.
At the time he said he was a 21-year-old student who had also compromised another certificate authority, but he didn't name his other victim.
Little noticed by most Web surfers, digital certificates are an important part of the Internet's foundations. They help browsers know when they are visiting legitimate websites rather than fakes.
A country that has control over its Internet service providers and has access to fake digital certificates could create a website that would be almost impossible to distinguish from, for example, Gmail.com.
That's what some experts think happened in Iran last month.
A forensics report commissioned by DigiNotar found someone had hacked into DigiNotar and set up a fake Google.com site that was used in late July and August to spy on as many as 300,000 Iranians.
Most browsers no longer trust the DigiNotar certificates, but if Comodohacker's claims are true there could be further problems in store.
Robert McMillan covers computer security and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Robert on Twitter at @bobmcmillan. Robert's e-mail address is robert_mcmillan@idg.com |
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COMPUTER- POLICY TO CLOSE CRIMINAL WEBSITES-BUT LOOK WHO DECIDES WHAT IS "CRIMINAL"
Updated: 07 Sep 2011
Nominet proposes abuse policy to shut down criminal websites fast
Registry for .uk domains discusses recommendations to speed up site closure
- 06/09/2011
- COMPUTERACTIVE
Nominet says there are strict rules governing taking down a site
Police may be able to shut down websites that use .uk domains for criminal activities within two hours if Nominet passes new policy recommendations.
In a response to a proposal submitted by Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) in March, the registry for .uk domains is considering a fast-track method of shutting down these sites.
Normally the police have to obtain a court order to suspend a site, which means the longer it stays live the longer criminals have to carry out their scams. After the request from SOCA, Nominet set up a group to look at this issue, and it has recently released its first report.
The group has now recommended that Nominet introduces an abuse policy that “specifically addresses criminal activity in its registrant terms and conditions”.
Alex Blowers, Nominet’s policy and legal director told Computeractive that the group will now meet again on 21 September for further consultation. The recommendations will then go to the Nominet board for approval.
“There will be strict rules governing suspending a website. We can if needed take down a site within two hours but there are strict criteria. It must be a site that could cause serious harm to consumers and crimes that fall under the Serious Crime Act 2007. This would include fraud, physical harm, counterfeiting, fake pharmaceutical websites and those used for phishing and botnets,” Mr Blowers said.
A representative for SOCA said it was too early to comment on the move because the recommendations have not been approved.
However Mr Blowers said that although a number of steps still had to be worked out, if the recommendations are passed by the board, he expected the changes to be in place within a few months.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2106998/nominet-proposes-abuse-policy-shut-criminal-websites-fast#ixzz1XELIhAtU
Software, gadgets, magazines and more in our webstore. Click here to see our latest offers. |
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COMPUTER- 82.3% OF BRITISH ADULTS HAVE USED THE INTERNET
Updated: 05 Sep 2011
82.3% of adults in Britain
have used the Internet
Wednesday 31 August 2011 15:34:01
The Office of National Statistics (ONS) have released data from their survey of Internet Access which encompasses both Households and Individuals in Great Britian.
41.26 million adults have used the Internet at some time in their lives whilst 8.73 million had never used it.
One of the key points illustrated within the reports is the increase in mobile use of Internet access with over 6 million people accessing the Internet from their mobile phone for the first time in the last year.
The rate of growth in this is highest in the 16-24 year old age group, with 71% now using a mobile phone for Internet access.
This is a rise from 44% in 2010 and 33% in 2009.
19 million households had an Internet Connection, representing 77% of households, a 4% increase on 2010. 93% of those questioned used broadband to access the Internet whilst only 2% used dial-up.
The remainder used a mobile Internet connection.
Of those not online, over half said they didn't need an Internet connection, whilst around a fifth said equipment costs were too high and another fifth said they lacked the skills to get online.
Internet use through Wi-Fi hotspots has also increased with a near doubling of the number of people connecting.
4.9 million people connected in 2011, compared with 2.6 million in 2010 and an estimated 0.7 million in 2007.
This is largely due to the increase in number of Wi-Fi hotspots and the number of hotspots that are available for free, whether this be free for everyone, or free through a bundle with a fixed Internet connection or mobile phone subscriptions such as through those available to BT broadband customers.
Social networking is ever popular, with over 91% of 16 to 24 year old saying they used social networking websites.
Interestingly, these are also popular with the older age groups, with nearly one fifth of Internet users aged over 65 using social networking. 66% of all adults had purchased goods or services over the Internet (a 4% increase on 2010), with clothes and sporting goods the most popular items, particularly with women.
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COMPUTER- ITS GOOD TO TALK UP PROFITS ! - BT PHONE & BROADBAND CONNECTION PRICES UP IN DECEMBER
Updated: 05 Sep 2011
BT announce higher phone bills for customers from December
Wednesday 31 August 2011 10:17:02 by John Hunt
The cost of broadband and using the phone is set to increase as BT have announced price rises for phone line users which will come in to affect from December 2011.
This follows a price rise which occurred in April, and one in October 2010 which saw call charges rise by 10%.
Line rental charges will increase by 70p to £14.60, an increase from £11.50 in 2009 and £9.50 in 2004.
Other costs are also to increase, including the daytime and evening calls, the call set-up fee (which is charged when a call is started), and the BT Anytime call plan.
Some options will remain unchanged, with calls to the main mobile companies to stay at current rates.
BT have said that the prices that are being changed will remain fixed until 2013, but there is no guarantee that other charges won't change.
Other operators tend to follow suit when price rises are announced, but it can still work out cheaper to switch.
O2, for example, offer a line rental fee of just £7.50 a month when you take an O2 home broadband package.
"We are making a series of price updates in December, but are then freezing some of our main prices until 2013.
This will provide our customers with greater certainty over their bills."
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COMPUTER- HELP MY COMPUTER IS SLOW- SYSTEM RESTORE HELPS ?
Updated: 25 Aug 2011
Help! My computer is slow!
There are several reasons why your computer can be slow. Especially when it happens suddenly, then it can be slow because of malware (spyware, adware, trojans, viruses..) present.
However, it's not always malware causing this.
Installing new software which may not be compatible with other software present already, a fragmented drive, uncontrolled applications, lack of maintenance, a full disk etc etc.. cause a serious system slowdown.
A lot of programs running in the background may cause a system slowdown as well, as they will steal away trace amounts of memory and processing time as your computer runs.
It is also a fact that older computers run slower than new computers. Unfortunately there isn't much you can change about this.
So, when your computer is slow, use next troubleshooting checklist to improve Computer Performance:
1. What are the Specifications of your computer, especially RAM (128MB, 256MB, 512MB, more...?)
To find out, rightclick My Computer and choose Properties > General tab.
If less than 512MB, pay attention to what software you install (memory requirement and processing time) and make sure you don't let them all start up with windows. The more programs that start up with windows, the more resources they need > result > slow computer.
Every computer needs Security software installed (Antivirus+Firewall) and should start up with Windows/run in the background.
This is called the Real Time protection. In case you are having 512MB or less, choose an Antivirus and Firewall that doesn't require that much memory and processing time.
So don't install "heavy" programs like Norton, Panda, McAfee, TrendMicro... in such cases. Because even though 512MB is enough to run them smoothly, keep in mind that there may be other programs installed/running in the background which require a lot from your processor as well.
So be selective here and check the system requirements first before you download and install them.
Even though you have more than 512MB ram and you have one of above Security Suites installed, test if it causes the slowdown by temporary uninstalling it (disconnect from the internet in a meanwhile) and see if that improves system speed.
If so, then reconsider another Antivirus/Security Suite. Look here for the ones I recommend.
I am especially talking about Norton (Norton Internet Security), McAfee Security Suite and Zonealarm because they are known to cause a serious slowdown on some systems. Zonealarm mainly causes a startup delay.
This is the same for other software. Desktop enhancement tools, for example Window Blinds, XP Visual Styles, DesktopX.. may also slow down your system.
Also take a look here: What Really Slows Windows Down.
Don't let several programs start up with Windows if you don't need them right away. Many programs add a key in the registry automatically during install to let it start up with Windows.
So once Windows has loaded, these programs stay running in the background without you really needing them. You can always start these programs manually via Start > All Programs when you need them.
However, it is still important that your Antivirus and Firewall stays enabled and starts up with Windows.
All the rest is optional and it's up to you to decide which programs you think are useful to start up with Windows or not.
To disable some programs from starting up with windows, go to start > run and type: "msconfig" (without the quotes). Select the tab "Startup" and uncheck what you don't want to start up with Windows. You can always enable them afterwards again by selecting them.
If you don't know some programs listed there or unsure if they are needed or not, leave them enabled, or use RubberDucky's StartUpLite.
This will display all unnecessary startupentries - so actually, everything it displays there is not necessary to start up with Windows.
The choice is up to you whether you need some to start up with Windows (in that case, select "No action" for them) - but you can always start them manually via start > all programs.
(Do not choose the "Remove" checkboxes, because this will delete it from the Registry - only select the "Remove" checkboxes if you are sure you don't want to enable them again in the future)
2. Don't install more than one Antivirus and Firewall with Realtime Protection enabled.
This is a common mistake many users make. They think that having more than one Antivirus and Firewall installed will protect them in a better way. It won't.. On the contrary..
Rather than giving you extra protection, it will seriously decrease reliability and effectiveness !
The reason for this is that if both products have their automatic (Real-Time) protection switched on, your system may lock up due to both software products attempting to access the same file at the same time.
Also, if more than one Antivirus and Firewall installed are not compatible with eachother, it can cause system performance problems and a serious system slowdown.
It happens quite a lot that a system won't even boot properly because of more than one Antivirus and Firewall installed.
When having general computer problems and you have more than one AV/Firewall installed, this can be the main cause of your problems.
Concerning Antispywarescanners, it's ok for you to install more than one.However, it's not advised that you let them all start up with Windows, running as a Real Time scanner. Only keep one running in the background and disable the rest, because AntispywareScanners are also resource hogs.
They are actually all doing the same, so it's really not needed to have more of them running in the background. After all, you do not use more than one different vacuum cleaner either to clean your carpet with.
Just let the Antispyware scanner(s) scan once in a while on demand.
3. Clean forgotten programs
Many users install Software and leave it installed without ever using it. They only use it a few times and never use it again because it's not exactly what they were looking for or not necessary anymore. In this case, uninstall them if you won't use them again.
In case you have software trials installed, keep in mind that most trials only work for a certain period of time. Once the trial expires, if you're not planning to purchase it, there is really no need to keep it installed, even running in the background/using extra disc space. So uninstall them.
To uninstall programs, go to start > controlpanel > software > add/remove programs and select what programs you want to uninstall. Make sure you reboot afterwards!
4. Clean unused files from your system
Deleting unused files allows Windows to run faster by freeing up valuable hard disk space.. These unused files are especially Temporary Files, URL history, cookies, Autocomplete form history, files present in Recycle bin...
Easy steps to do this manually:
* Clean Cache and Cookies in IE:
- Close all instances of Outlook Express and Internet Explorer.
- Go to Control Panel > Internet Options > General tab
- Under Browsing History, click "Delete". This should open a new Window.
- Click "Delete Files", "Delete cookies" and "Delete history"
* Clean Cache and Cookies in Firefox (In case Firefox installed):
- Go to Tools > Options.
- Click Privacy in the menu..
- Click the Clear now button below.. A new window will popup what to clear.
- Select all and click the Clear button again.
- Click OK to close the Options window.
* Clean other Temporary files + Recycle bin
- Go to start > run and type: cleanmgr and click ok.
- Let it scan your system for files to remove.
- Make sure Temporary Files, Temporary Internet Files, and Recycle Bin are the only things checked.
- Click ok to remove them
There are some free programs doing this automatically for you. Some of them I recommend are:
Check your Cache size in Internet Explorer to see if it has the recommended size. If the Cache size is set too low or too high, it can cause slower performance. You can check the Cache Size under Tools > Internet Options > General Tab > Temporary Internet Files > Settings (button) > "Amount of disk space to use". Ideal would be between 50MB - 100MB.
If you have XP, and you have System Restore enabled (recommended), it won't hurt to delete all previous System Restore Points except for the latest one.
This because System restore points may use a lot of disk space as well.
To delete all restore points except the latest one, rightclick your drive (C:\ for example) and select "properties".
Click the "Disk Cleanup". Click the "more options" tab and select "Clean up" in the System Restore dialog box.
As a sidenote.. I do not recommend Registry Cleaners. This because some may rather damage than cleaning/fixing your registry.
Only use it if you have basic knowledge about the registry and know if a certain key/value is safe to be removed or not. Cleaning the registry won't really improve system performance anyway even though there are a lot of orphaned keys.
If registry cleaning was really required, then Microsoft would have added this option already imho.
So use at your own risk. After all, a corrupted registry is a corrupted Windows.
Also, many people use tools to "tweak" Windows in order to improve system performance without really understanding what they are doing. Other people may instead manually tweak Windows settings such as disabling services, modifying the registry etc.
When doing this, it is important to be careful and fully understand the settings you are changing. Otherwise, this tweaking may not improve system performance, but actually cause future problems.
Just don't fix when it ain't broken.
5. Defragment Your Computer.
A fragmented drive causes a slow system.
Easy steps to defragment your drive:
1. open My Computer.
2. Rightclick on the drive you want to defragment and select "Properties".
3. Click on the Tools tab.
4. Select Defragment Now....
If all above steps were performed and you're still having the same problems - then check the IDE channels to see if they are running in PIO or DMA mode.
To do this, go to start > run and type: devmgmt.msc in order to open the Device Manager.
Doubleclick IDE ATA/ATAPI-Controllers > rightclick the Primary IDE Channel > Properties > Advanced Settings tab
In the Transfer Mode dropdown list - it should be set to "DMA if available"
Read here and here for more info.
The PC Pitstop Full Tests runs some tests on your computer and displays the results afterwards + tips how to fix certain problems.
For more detailed info how to Restore Your Computer's Performance (XP), read here.
In case above steps didn't work to improve speed/system performance, then you are most probably dealing with a Hardware or Malware issue. |
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COMPUTER- BROADBAND SPEEDS TO GET OUT OF FIRST GEAR ?
Updated: 22 Aug 2011
£363 million of broadband investment will go to England and Scotland
Tuesday 16 August 2011 12:45:09 by John Hunt
The government are to invest £363 million in England and Scotland to enhance the UK's broadband services it has been announced today.
The funding comes from £530m that has been set aside for broadband projects in the UK, to be distributed by Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) to councils.
England will receive £294.8 million whilst Scotland is set to get £68.8 million, whilst Wales is getting £56.9 million and Northern Ireland £4.4 million.
"Fast broadband is absolutely vital to our economic growth, to delivering public services effectively, and to conducting our everyday lives.
But some areas of the UK are missing out, with many rural and hard-to-reach communities suffering painfully slow internet connections or no coverage at all.
We are not prepared to let some parts of our country get left behind in the digital age.
Jeremy Hunt, Culture Secretary
The government's intention is to create the "best super-fast broadband network in Europe by 2015", and also allow everyone to get online at speeds of at least 2Mbps.
Private industry is already progressing towards this, with BT looking to get 40% of the country enabled for fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) or fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband by the Summer of 2012, whilst around 2/3rd's of the country is expected to be reached without government assistance.
The funding being made available is based on where it expects the market will fail to deliver next-generation service to enough premises rather than it being based on the number of residents in the county.
As such, Greater London has currently been awarded no funding as it is assumed that the private sector will provide suitable coverage here.
Many rural areas will see the most help and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) have praised the government for helping rural areas the most.
"I am delighted the Government recognises that rural areas are missing out on all the benefits broadband brings and that the countryside should not be overlooked.
Rural areas are woefully underserved by even an adequate broadband service let alone superfast.
The CLA has argued for eight years that a Public Private Partnership (PPP) should be created to provide the correct level of investment for a superfast broadband infrastructure and today’s announcement by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt supports this."
William Worsley, (President) CLA
It will now be up to local councils to place the money toward suitable projects to ensure that enough people are given access to next-generation broadband.
They may also search for additional funding which may come from their own budgets or from matched funding from the private sector. |
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COMPUTER- TALK TALK FINED £3MILLION FOR CHEATING CUSTOMERS FOR SERVICES NOT RECEIVED
Updated: 20 Aug 2011
Talktalk fined £3million by Ofcom
Regulator raps ISP for incorrectly billing 65,000 Tiscali and Talktalk customers
- Jessie Donnelly
- 19/08/2011
- COMPUTERACTIVE
Ofcom said the fine would have been larger if Talktalk had not already made "goodwill payments" and refunds to its customers
The internet service providers Talktalk have between them been fined £3 million by telecoms regulator Ofcom.
The fine was levied after the ISPs incorrectly issued bills to 65,000 customers for services they didn't receive, in particular to customers who had closed their accounts. Tiscali UK was bought by Talktalk in 2009.
The independent regulator opened an investigation into the two companies in July 2010 after receiving more than 1,000 complaints from customers. It found that bills were wrongly issued to over 62,000 customers between 1 January and 1 November 2010. Following the investigation, Ofcom gave the companies a deadline of 2 December 2010 to "take steps to sort out their billing problems".
However, as Computeractive reported in February this year, complaints continued to come in, despite changes to Talktalk and Tiscali UK's customer management systems. Ofcom found that a further 3,000 customers were incorrectly billed between December 2, 2010 and March 4, 2011.
Talktalk said it was "disappointed" at receiving what amounts to the largest fine Ofcom has given to a telecoms firm, though Ofcom said the amount reflected the seriousness of the breach of its rules.
It warned that the fine could have been much larger had Talktalk and Tiscali UK not already made goodwill payments and refunds totalling £2.5m to over 65,000 affected customers.
Read more: http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/news/2103165/talktalk-fined-gbp3million-ofcom#ixzz1VWucpZux
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COMPUTER- AUSSIE COLLAR BOMBERS TECH GAFFE
Updated: 18 Aug 2011
The collar bomber's explosive tech gaffe
The man who said he had fixed a bomb around a girl's neck handed his name to police ... on a flash drive
By Robert McMillan
August 17, 2011 07:49 PM ET
IDG News Service - The man who claimed to have attached a bomb collar to an Australian high school student two weeks ago thought it would be a good idea to leave a ransom note on a USB stick looped around her neck. What he probably didn't realize is that he also left his name, hidden deep in the device's memory.
Court documents unsealed Tuesday describe the harrowing Aug. 3 incident, which began when a man broke into Madeline Pulver's bedroom wearing a striped balaclava and wielding a black aluminum baseball bat. He told her to sit down and chained a black box around her neck.
He also draped a purple lanyard over the terrified girl with a note saying that the black box was a bomb. The note included ransom instructions for Pulver's family, telling them to e-mail a Google address -- dirkstraun1840@gmail.com -- for further instructions. Also on the lanyard was a 4GB USB stick that contained a digital version of the note, saved as a pdf file.
The next 10 hours were a gruelling ordeal for the girl before a Sydney police bomb squad was able to determined that the threat was a hoax. But a closer look at the USB drive turned up a couple of files that the criminal thought he'd deleted. One of them, a version of the ransom note written in Microsoft Word, contained metadata about the document's author, including his name: "Paul P."
On Monday, U.S. authorities arrested Paul "Doug" Peters, 50, in La Grange, Kentucky, seeking to extradite him to Australia to face kidnapping and breaking-and-entering charges. It's not clear why Peters attempted such a bizarre crime, but U.S. prosecutors say he once worked for a company linked to Pulver's family. The girl's father, Bill Pulver, is the CEO of voice recognition software company Appen Butler Hill.
Police collected footage from surveillance cameras in a library where a computer was used to access the Gmail account. The footage, along with the USB drive and circumstantial evidence, such as purchases made around the time of the incident, link Peters to the crime, prosecutors say.
Even if the collar bomber had known his name was on the USB drive, it would have been very hard to remove it, according to Frank McClain, an independent computer forensics expert.
As computer geeks and investigators know, when users delete a file from a computer the file isn't deleted immediately from the hard drive. Instead, the computer takes note that the area of the disk where the file is stored is now available to be written over. So investigators can often recover at least snippets of data from files that are supposed to have been deleted.
With flash drives things are more complex, thanks to mechanisms built into the drives to prolong their lifespan. Because flash memory cells stop working after they've been overwritten too many times, flash devices use tricks called "wear leveling" to even out how the memory cells are used. A side effect of wear levelling is that it is "almost impossible" to completely erase data from a flash device, McClain said.
That can come in handy for people trying to recover photos or other files they've accidentally deleted, and there are many tools, some of them free, to help recover their data.
The collar bomber's first mistake was thinking he could delete something completely from his USB stick. But he also erred by not altering the metadata in his Word document. When Word saves a document, it automatically saves data, such as the user's login name, as part of the file. Office 2007 users can see this metadata by hitting the Office button, then "Prepare" and "Properties."
Robert McMillan covers computer security and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Robert on Twitter at @bobmcmillan. Robert's e-mail address is robert_mcmillan@idg.com
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COMPUTER- THAT'S WHERE WE GET OUR OWN BACK ?
Updated: 18 Aug 2011
Anonymous claims release of BART police officers' data
Hack of 102 officers' data in apparent retaliation for last weeks mobile phone service service cut-off
By Jaikumar Vijayan
August 17, 2011 07:15 PM ET
Computerworld - Hackers claiming to belong to the Anonymous hacking collective this morning publicly posted the names, home addresses, email addresses and passwords of 102 police officers belonging to San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) agency.
The move was in apparent retaliation for BARTs decision to temporarily cut off underground cell phone service to commuters last Thursday in response to a planned protest against the shooting of a homeless man by BART police in March.
News of the attack was released via a Twitter account associated with Anonymous' attacks on BART. However, another Twitter account used by Anonymous noted that "no one claimed responsibility" for this morning's incident.
"Some random Joe joined a channel and released the data to the press," the tweet noted. Another tweet noted that the leak of BART police data "could be the work sanctioned by those who truly support anonymous, or agent provocateurs.
Stay skeptical."
This is the second time in less than a week that hackers claiming to be from Anonymous have attacked BART for the same reason. Earlier this week members of the group broke into a BART website and released user names, addresses and phone numbers of more than 2,000 BART customers.
BART did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment on the latest intrusion. But a brief statement posted on BARTs main site condemned the attack.
"We are deeply concerned about the safety and security of our employees and their families," BART's interim general manager, Sherwood Wakeman, said in the statement. "We stand behind them and our customers who were the subject of an earlier attack. We are deeply troubled by these actions."
As of late Wednesday afternoon, the BART police union website from which the data was accessed remained unavailable.
The attacks by Anonymous against BART are similar to numerous other attacks the group has carried out recently. Over the last one year, its victims have included PayPal, Amazon.com, Sony and Booz Allen Hamilton.
In June, Anonymous was labeled a cyberterrorism group by the Arizona Department of Public Safety after members of the group repeatedly attacked Arizona police union.
Most of the attacks have been in retaliation for some perceived wrongdoing on the part of the targeted organization. PayPal for instance was attacked for its perceived opposition to WikiLeaks, while the Arizona law enforcement websites were targeted to protest the state's tough immigration laws.
In BART's case, the agency has been targeted for temporarily shutting down cell phone service at several stations last week. BART officials claimed that the move was necessary to preserve public safety after several protestors planned a demonstration to protest the killing of Charles Hill by BART police.
Though BART has stoutly defended its action, it has been roundly slammed by civil rights groups for its decision. The FCC has said it will look into/a> the incident.
The continuing attacks by Anonymous are sure to increase pressure on law enforcement to track down members of the group. In July, the FBI arrested 14 alleged members of Anonymous for their supposed role in launching a series of distributed denial of service attacks PayPal last December. Similar arrests have been made in other countries as well.
So far, those actions appear to have done little to slow down the attacks. In fact, soon after the arrests, members of Anonymous and LulzSec, a splinter group, issued a joint statement vowing to carry on the attacks and daring law enforcement to catch them.
Jaikumar Vijayan covers data security and privacy issues, financial services security and e-voting for Computerworld. Follow Jaikumar on Twitter at @jaivijayan or subscribe to Jaikumar's RSS feed . His e-mail address is jvijayan@computerworld.com. |
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