Windows XP allowed to live again

Microsoft's Windows XP first went on sale in 2001

Microsoft has given yet another reprieve to its seasoned Windows XP operating system.

The cut off date for PC makers to obtain licenses for the software was 31 January 2009.

But now Microsoft has put in place a scheme that will allow the hardware firms to get hold of XP licences until 30 May 2009.

Previously Microsoft extended XP's life until 2010 - provided it was installed on netbooks and low-cost laptops.

Windows XP was originally due to disappear off shop shelves on 30 January 2008. It was to be removed so as to make way for Windows Vista which went on sale to consumers early in 2008.

Despite Microsoft's claims that Vista has sold well, consumers have reacted badly to its release.

Microsoft granted the reprieve largely because of customer's preference for XP.

Many PC makers also got around the restrictions by exploiting a clause in Microsoft's licensing terms that allowed them to offer a "downgrade" licence. Issued with a new PC running Vista it allowed customers to replace it with XP.

The latest reprieve affects PC makers and resellers who were working to a 31 January 2009 deadline to order licences for XP.

Many feared they would have to stockpile licences before the cut-off and hope they could sell them in the coming months.

Now, Microsoft has changed the terms allowing the resellers to order before 31 January but take delivery at any time up to 30 May.

The change in policy is another indication of the general resistance to Windows Vista.

Early versions of Windows 7, the replacement for Vista, are due to appear in late 2009.

Computer grid aids film service

FilmOn says it will have movies from the moment they go into retail

A video on demand service has turned to the grid to help it get movies to viewers.

Called FilmOn the service offers users video streaming, film rental, and a number of free-to-watch movies.

By using a cluster of net-based computers FilmOn lets people watch broadcast quality movies over a basic broadband connection.

The computer cluster helps shrink the films so the high-quality images can be sent down the narrow pipes.

Media streaming made its debut in the mid 90s with the launch of RealAudio, although it was a number of years before video streaming was perfected.

FilmOn is not confined to a computer; the firm has developed a TV set-top box, and can also stream content to a mobile over a third-generation (3G) phone network.

FilmOn chairman Alki David outlines thinking behind his new video portal

There are also plans to expand community content, and matching up the films a subscriber chooses to those picked by folk with similar taste, which should - in theory - help people discover new movies they might like, but may never have heard of.

Digital Utilities's chief scientist - Richard Crosby - who helped design the network that delivers the video over the net, told the BBC that development of the system had taken nearly 15 years.

"The FilmOn Network Operation Centre makes use of the same grid and cloud technology used by CERN and government agencies."

"The processing power is spread out across the globe, rather than on a single server. We start off with a few servers in select places and as demand picks up, a fresh cluster kicks in."

The evolution of television Richard CrosbyDigital Utilities

"What makes us different from a traditional grid is that the CPU's actually talk to each other across the global network. So it knows where the loads are and where projected loads will occur," he added.

Speaking to the BBC, Ian Nathan, Empire magazine's executive editor, said he thought this kind of service would be popular, although he did have some reservations.

"It's early days yet," he said. "I don't think this is some grand change in the way we do things, but it may well be how we watch things in the future."

"People were sceptical about music downloads, now it's the norm. I think video on demand might curtail the sale of DVDs, much in the way online is killing off CD sales."

"That said, sites like this almost re-emphasise peoples interest in movies, so I cant see it affecting cinema attendances."

"Computers are becoming more like TVs and I think [video on demand] is the rental market of the future," he said. "It will be interesting to see how this affects, say, Sky Movies. They may well have to become a downloadable service to compete."

Said Mr Crosby from Digital Utilities: "We're providing a true television experience, as opposed to a just a computer service.

"It doesn't matter what you're viewing it on - PC, laptop, or mobile - you're still receiving broadcast quality visuals," he said. "This is the evolution of television."

Severed cable disrupts net access

Subsea cables are often damaged by ship's anchors and seismic activity

Internet and phone communications between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia have been seriously disrupted after submarine cables were severed.

It is thought the FLAG FEA, SMW4, and SMW3 lines, near the Alexandria cable station in Egypt, have all been cut.

A fault was also reported on the GO submarine cable 130km off Sicily.

Experts warned that it may be days before the fault is fixed and said the knock on effect could have serious repercussions on regional economies.

For this to happen twice in one year, on the same cable, is a serious cause for concern. Jonathan Wright, Interoute

Jonathan Wright - director of wholesale products at Interoute which manages part of the optical fibre network - told the BBC that the effects of the break would be felt for many days.

"This will grind economies to a halt for a short space of time," he said "If you look at, say, local financial markets who trade with European and US markets, the speed at which they get live data will be compromised."

"If you think how quickly trades can be placed, if they are suffering from bad latency times, then by the time a trade is placed, the market may well have moved on."

The cause of the break is as yet unknown, although some seismic activity was reported near Malta shortly before the cut was detected.

A second subsea cable to Malta is currently being laid

In a statement released in relation to one of the breaks, France Telecom said: "The causes of the cut, which is located in the Mediterranean between Sicily and Tunisia, on sections linking Sicily to Egypt, remain unclear."

The French firm said it was sending a ship out to fix the line between Italy and Egypt, although it could take until 31 December to fully repair the line.

The main damage through is to the four submarine cables running across the Mediterranean and through the Suez Canal.

It is thought that 65% of traffic to India was down, while services to Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Taiwan and Pakistan have also been severely affected.

Earlier this year, the same line was damaged in the same area - off the Egyptian coast - although only two lines were snapped then.

"We've lost three out of four lines. If the fourth cable breaks, we're looking at a total blackout in the Middle East," said Mr Wright.

"These three circuits account for 90% of the traffic and we're going to see more international phone calls dropping and a huge degradation in the quality of local internet," he added.

"Normally you would expect to see one major break per cable per year. With four you should have an insurance policy. For this to happen twice in one year, on the same cable, is a serious cause for concern."

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A selection of your comments on this story:

Over weekend 13th to 16th December had considerable delays and time-outs reaching my email server in Germany and various homepages in Switzerland and the UK. I suspected that a breakdown somewhere was at fault but was surprised to be unable to get any info from Google etc. You can check your ADSL speed easily but finding the speed of a connection from one continent to another seems to be lacking.John Russell, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia

I began downloading something this afternoon but late this evening it suddenly became six or seven times slower. I now know why.Max, Wallasey, UK

I teach English at a high school in Sisaket. The last few days our connections have been very, very slow. Yesterday, when I was trying to teach some students how to use Limewire to download movies and songs, the connection seemed to be nearly non-existent. We thought that maybe the wire to our building had been damaged.Les Blane, Sisaket, Thailand

I work at a call centre. We are unable to make calls as the latency is too high which only ends up in dropping of every call that we dial and the internet speed has been downgraded like anything. I hope this gets fixed by Sunday (December 21), otherwise we will be in total blackout and will suffer in great loss of business in this high time.Adeel Awan, Karachi, Pakistan

Yesterday's cuts in Malta were a big hassle to all GO subscribers. One here seems to all of a sudden realise how dependent we all are on internet. At least alternative measures have been taken in Malta by GO in conjunction with another internet service provider which was not affected, and therefore today almost all Malta is back to normal - albeit with slower connections.George Bugeja, Zebbug, Malta

Internet is very slow. I could not connect to any sites except by using a socks server I installed on one of my servers located in USA. I wonder why they do not use separated cables with separated routes? Why are the four main cables located with each other? It is just like putting all eggs in the same basket.Walaa Waguih, Alexandria, Egypt

Currently staying in Brazil - cannot access virginmedia.com - don

Radio 'could go digital in 2017'

The DRWG want DAB radios to be made cheaper

Radio listeners could have just nine years to switch to digital sets, a government-backed report has said.

The Digital Radio Working Group (DRWG) says that by 2015, less than half of all radio listening could be via traditional FM or AM sets.

It says that if DAB broadcasts reach enough of the country by then, a switch to digital would be possible by 2017.

DRWG chairman Barry Cox said nearly a million DAB sets were expected to be sold this Christmas.

The group wants drivers to be encouraged to install DAB radios in their cars, and says the government should consider making digital sets cheaper by introducing a duty exemption.

"We know listeners are already benefiting from the choice of channels available at the moment," Mr Cox said.

"We have always believed in the future of digital radio and now urge the industry, along with Government and Ofcom to address the barriers to successful migration, so people can access even more choice and functionality in the future.

"Most importantly we need to see overall coverage for DAB improve, along with more focus to get motorists to adopt DAB so that it can be a real alternative to FM services."

BBC iPlayer now available on Mac

The BBC's iPlayer made its public debut in July 2007

The BBC has created a version of the iPlayer that works with both Mac and Linux computers.

The two systems, which have been able to stream BBC programmes via the iPlayer for a year, will now be able to handle downloads.

The BBC, working with Adobe, has developed the new version, known as BBC iPlayer Desktop.

The Corporation also ran tests of a system to help ISPs cope with increase in traffic generated by the iPlayer.

Lab edition

The iPlayer is the BBC's online media player that lets viewers stream programmes for up to seven days after broadcast or download and watch them for up to 30 days.

When the iPlayer first launched the BBC was criticised for producing versions that only worked with Microsoft's Windows XP and which used Microsoft's digital rights management (DRM) system to enforce viewing restrictions.

The BBC's head of digital media technology, Anthony Rose, who is responsible for delivering the next generation of BBC iPlayer, said the structures put in place by the BBC Trust on how the iPlayer can operate meant DRM was a necessity.

"The BBC Trust said we could make content available for seven or 30 days after broadcast," he said. "The ability to take things away after some time requires DRM."

The new version of the iPlayer has been written with Adobe's AIR technology which aims to make it possible to create applications that can be downloaded to your computer, rather than just embedded in browser web pages as is possible with the widely used Flash software.

Those who want to try the new version can get a trial version from the Labs section of the iPlayer site.

A beta version of the BBC iPlayer Desktop that uses the Adobe AIR technology was made available on 18 December with a finished version likely to be released in February 2009.

The cross-platform nature of Adobe AIR means the iPlayer will work with Open Source and Apple Mac computers "out of the box" on 18 December, said Mr Rose. It fulfilled the Trust's demand that the iPlayer be "platform neutral", he said.

Mr Rose said the iPlayer now supported three separate DRM technologies: Microsoft, Adobe, and the OMA standards for mobiles.

"We may embrace other DRMs as needed," said Mr Rose, adding that putting the iPlayer on phones, game consoles and many more computers was helping to drive the success of the application.

Traffic congestion

At the same time, said Mr Rose, the BBC has carried out tests to help ISPs mitigate the bandwidth demands of iPlayer users.

In early 2008 ISPs complained that the popularity of the iPlayer was putting a strain on their networks and forcing up their costs.

Net provider Plusnet published figures which suggested the cost of carrying streaming traffic increased from

Sky moves towards 3D broadcasts

By Rory Cellan-Jones Technology correspondent, BBC News

Sky has filmed several sporting events using the new technology

Sky TV says it has made a significant step towards bringing 3D television to British viewers.

The satellite broadcaster says it has successfully tested the delivery of 3D programming to a domestic television, via a high-definition set-top box.

Sky has been filming a number of events using 3D cameras over recent months.

Such broadcasts would require the use of 3D televisions, not yet available in UK stores, and viewers would need to wear 3D polarising glasses.

Earlier this year BBC engineers broadcast a Six Nations rugby union international in 3D to an audience at a theatre in London.

Sky says it has gone further by showing that 3D could be delivered into homes, straight to its Sky+HD set-top box, without much difficulty.

Sky is stressing is not making a product launch, but producing a technological demonstration.

"We have shown it is a technical reality," Sky's director of strategic product development, Gerry O'Sullivan, told BBC News.

"Now we have to find a way to bring it to viewers."

The approach requires new recording as well as playback equipment

At a demonstration at its West London headquarters, the company showed clips from programmes it had filmed in 3D, including a Ricky Hatton boxing match, a rugby union international and an episode of Gladiators.

Mr O'Sullivan said major TV manufacturers were beginning to look at building 3D sets and at January's Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas, a number of prototypes are expected to be on display.

He explained that for broadcasters, the move to 3D would not be anything like as expensive as the investment the industry had made in high-definition television.

"It's not hugely costly," he explained, "because it piggybacks on the investment in HD."

Hollywood is beginning to invest heavily in 3D movie production and in Japan some television channels are already broadcasting in 3D.

It is a technology that first surfaced in the 1950s, but modern digital technology has brought new interest from producers and manufacturers.

Mr O'Sullivan dismissed the idea that it would appeal only to a small minority of viewers.

"I heard HD described as a niche product," he said. "Now we've got nearly 600,000 HD customers."

Microsoft issues patch to fix IE

IE is one of the most popular browsers with a market share of over 70%

Microsoft has issued a security patch to fix a critical vulnerability in its Internet Explorer browser it said has attacked over 2m Windows users.

The flaw is believed to have already infected as many as 10,000 websites.

The "zero day" exploit let criminals to take over victims' computers by steering them to infected websites.

Microsoft's Christopher Budd said the software giant "encourages all IE customers to test and deploy this update as soon as possible".

He also said the threat lead Microsoft to mobilize security engineering teams worldwide to deliver a software cure "in the unprecedented time of eight days".

MICROSOFT SECURITY ADVICE Change IE security settings to high (Look under Tools/Internet Options) Switch to a Windows user account with limited rights to change a PC's settings With IE7 or 8 on Vista turn on Protected Mode Ensure your PC is updated Keep anti-virus and anti-spyware software up to date

The company's security response team said the patch consists of more than 300 distinct updates for more than half-a-dozen versions of IE in around 50 languages.

"Even with that, the release Emergency Response process isn't over," said Security Response Alliance director Mike Reavey.

"There is additional support to customers and additional refinement of our product development efforts."

Microsoft stressed that the flaw was proven to exist only in IE 7 on all applicable versions of Windows, but that IE 6 and the "beta" release of IE 8 were "potentially vulnerable".

Users who have automatic updates turned on will receive the patch over the next 24 hours while others can access it via a download.

"Wildfire"

The AZN Trojan has been making the rounds since the beginning of December but became public knowledge in the last week . Unlike other exploits, users only have to visit a malicious site with Trojans or other malware in order to become contaminated.

Microsoft developed a patch for the "Zero day" flaw in record time

Once an infected web page is opened, malicious downloaders are installed on the computer designed to record keystrokes and steal passwords, credit card details and other financial information.

The sites affected are mostly Chinese and have been serving up programmes to steal passwords for computer games which can then be sold for cash on the black market.

Internet Explorer is the world's most widely used web browser with nearly three quarters of the market share.

Microsoft estimated that one in every 500 Windows users had been exposed to sites that try to exploit the flaw and the number of victims was increasing at a rate of 50% daily.

Researchers at the software security firm Trend Micro said attacks were speaking "like wildfire".

"This vulnerability is being actively exploited by cyber-criminals and getting worse every day," said the company's advanced threat researcher Paul Ferguson.

Microsoft labelled the bug as "critical," the most serious threat ranking in its four-step scouring programme.

Firefox update

The update is something of an unusual move for Microsoft and underscores the seriousness of the zero day flaw.

The company rarely issues security fixes for its software outside of its regular monthly patch updates.

Firefox will soon end its support of earlier versions of its popular browser

Meanwhile Mozilla has released a scheduled update for its open source Firefox web browsers for at least 10 different vulnerabilities.

The bugs in the browser could have been "used to run attacker code and install software, requiring no user interaction beyond normal browsing," said Mozilla.

It is also reissuing calls for users to upgrade from Firefox 2.0 to Firefox 3.0 as soon as possible and said it is "not planning any further security and stability updates for Firefox 2".

This means Mozilla will no longer support the Firefox 2 browser against future online scams and attacks.