In Depth

In Depth

IT hardware

• Action catalogue links with Biomni

  Action Computer Supplies is looking to increase its presence in the corporate market by linking its product catalogue to...  Continue Reading

• Storage now cheaper than ever

  Nothing is more annoying than having your C drive so full that Windows grinds to a halt. These days, storage is so cheap that...  Continue Reading

• Cabinet Office adopts property data description standard

  The government is to adopt a British standard for the description of property in online public sector IT projects.  Continue Reading

• Security alert over Microsoft vulnerability

  Microsoft has announced vulnerabilities in Internet Information Server 5.0 and Exchange 2000 that could allow a hacker to bring...  Continue Reading

• Virtual lessons entice the truants

  Virtual reality lessons and computer games in the classroom may raise eyebrows among educational traditionalists, but they are...  Continue Reading

• Setback won't halt rise of PDAs

  While Psion's poor results are bad news for fans of Epoc, handheld computer use is flourishing - probably by stealth. It is time...  Continue Reading

• Python has the full monty

  Programs written in Python can be five times shorter than equivalent Java programs, writes Nick Langley  Continue Reading

• Microsoft signs NAS tools deal

  Microsoft has signed a licensing agreement with software provider WQuinn to embed the company's Storagecentral SRM software in...  Continue Reading

• Contractors called on to raise their profile

  IT contract staff are being urged to raise the profile of their contribution to the IT industry - not least through greater...  Continue Reading

• Users to benefit from IBM pSeries auction

  IBM's decision to sell pSeries servers via an Internet auction is good news for users, according to industry experts.  Continue Reading

• Domino's thin-base IT plan

  Domino's Pizza will roll out Microsoft's Windows 2000 this summer and is switching to a server-based computing system in a bid to...  Continue Reading

• IBM to auction servers on Web

  IBM claims to have become the first vendor to put new servers up for auction on the Internet in Europe with the launch of a...  Continue Reading

• WStore claims profits are in sight

  E-tailer WStore claims it will turn in a profit by the end of this year after bolstering its presence in the corporate market by...  Continue Reading

• TMB accreditation scheme will shift focus to companies

  The government-backed Technology Means Business (TMB) scheme to accredit resellers selling e-commerce and IT systems to SMEs is...  Continue Reading

• Government funds online access to bridge digital divide

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• Analyst predicts mobile service take-off by 2005

  IT suppliers are constantly throwing out new concepts and ideas which they will shout from the rooftops as the next big thing....  Continue Reading

• Liffe to spin off IT department

  One of the world's best known financial exchanges has outlined ambitious plans to spin off its IT division and boost its revenues...  Continue Reading

• People will buy anything online

  Unlikely as it may seem, a simply designed site selling mud over the Internet has had over 100,000 hits already  Continue Reading

• The usual suspects

  The personal digital assistant (PDA) field is set to hot up this year, but many enterprises remain in the cold when it comes to...  Continue Reading

• Agency-PCG tiff is resolved

  Computer People has expressed regret over a "poorly worded document" that sparked a row with the Professional Contractors Group...  Continue Reading

• Cabinet inherits dumped Compaq kit

  The Cabinet Office has been left with millions of pounds worth of Compaq kit after the computer manufacturer was dumped as...  Continue Reading

• Pentium 4 production rockets

  Preparing to increase production of the Pentium 4 to meet expected demand in the fourth quarter, chip leviathan Intel is...  Continue Reading

• Acceptance of Rosettanet on the increase in Europe

  E-business process standards group Rosettanet believes vendors across Europe are pushing forward implementation plans, finally...  Continue Reading

• Channel competition increases

  The battle for dominance of the emerging channel marketplace sector has picked up a gear with the launch of Elcom’s...  Continue Reading

• I love … Kirsty and Hursty

  Five minute interview with Mike Gordon, channel sales manager of Actinic  Continue Reading

• ISA card to revitalise outmoded PCs

  Computacenter’s subsidiary RDC has signed to use Hypertech's ISA card, which simplifies and accelerates the upgrading of...  Continue Reading

• Powerdesk 4

  Powerdesk 4, available free from Ontrack Data International, is a Windows Explorer replacement that significantly improves on the...  Continue Reading

• Stinger and Symbian 3G smartphones to start market trials

  Microsoft is set to start trials of third generation smartphones based on its Stinger operating system in spring, following a...  Continue Reading

• 3G mobile woes continue

  Telecommunications companies are trying to predict which of the third-generation mobile services are going to appeal most to...  Continue Reading

• Industry faces rise in litigation expenditure

  IT users could find themselves embroiled in increasingly expensive and time-consuming litigation, legal experts have warned.  Continue Reading

• On your marks

  As Computastars, the IT industry's annual sporting event, enters its 24th year, Roisin Woolnough investigates the philosophy...  Continue Reading

• Powerful PDAs will sprint past lame mobile phones

  Next week, I am hoping to get one of the precursors of the future - a Handspring Visorphone connected to the OmniSky wireless...  Continue Reading

• Grpup-buying sites prove unpopular

  Group buying sites seemed like a good idea, but failed to attract much attention. Sun and Microsoft's sites, on the other hand,...  Continue Reading

• The trouble with B2C

  The business-to-consumer sector has undergone a total transformation and the bricks-and-mortar companies that were once chided...  Continue Reading

• Finding the right Web recipe

  Take two companies with the necessary ingredients. How do you make them gel? Stir in a project manager  Continue Reading

• Awards herald arrival of GPRS

  This week's 3GSM World Congress in Cannes has led to a clutch of new product announcements, most of which are related to the...  Continue Reading

• £22m overcharge from tax glitch

  The Inland Revenue is sitting on £22m of overpaid taxes as a result of its inability to reconcile data between its national...  Continue Reading

• High hopes for IBM's iSeries launch

  IBM is preparing a major iSeries announcement for the end of March. User expectations are high after a prolonged absence of any...  Continue Reading

• Nurturing the IT/user relationship

  Working for training and development firm KD Bancroft has given Karen Lewis a chance to observe both sides of the technology...  Continue Reading

• Technology for technology's sake?

  In an announcement about its latest Web-enabled PDA platform, one big consultancy chose an interesting example of how it might be...  Continue Reading

• An NHS accident waiting to happen

  Government plans for a national patient booking system have kept NHS IT managers in the dark and left them fearful of another...  Continue Reading

• Leaving the rat race

  In 1999, software developer John Grady joined the VSO and followed his conscience to Ethiopia. Here he tells Roisin Woolnough why...  Continue Reading

• IT chiefs see role as teacher

  An influential group of IT directors is putting forward solutions to an age-old problem of IT management - how to communicate the...  Continue Reading

• World Time

  There are numerous programs that claim to be able to synchronise your PC clock with a timeserver using the Network Time Protocol...  Continue Reading

• US slips down IT rankings as Scandinavia forges ahead

  Sweden has maintained its position as the world's most successful information economy, according to newly published rankings,...  Continue Reading

• Electronic makeover

  Watford Electronics, winner if the IT Industry category of Computer Weekly's E-Business Excellence Awards, is using the Internet...  Continue Reading

• Blair's NHS booking plan heads for national disaster

  Tony Blair wants a nationwide computer system to enable patients to book hospital appointments, but NHS IT professionals warn against complexity which could lose up to £140m  Continue Reading

• Translation software advances

  Developing accurate translation software remains complicated and elusive.  Continue Reading

• Am I too old to return to IT?

  I have been in IT since the mid-1970s, mainly as a programmer, analyst or developer, using C, FoxPro and GML. I have recently...  Continue Reading

• Switching channels

  Failure to recognise that the Internet cannot change everything overnight is costing the IT industry dear  Continue Reading

• Kindergarten boss

  The Internet is a new medium and many dotcom millionaires are still in their teens. Is youth now a better asset than experience?...  Continue Reading

• Self-healing server tool could slash downtime

  New management software from IBM could reduce costly server downtime by predicting and repairing software failures before they...  Continue Reading

• Internet drives a swing to colour

  The Internet is enabling a fundamental shift in the print process; cutting down the amount of paper used between and within the...  Continue Reading

• TEC lets users drink and 'drive'

  Daniel Thomas reports on a scheme to help people learn to "drive" their PCs from a variety of locations  Continue Reading

• HP hits out at server report

  A Merrill Lynch report in the US slating the performance of Hewlett-Packard's flagship enterprise server has triggered an angry...  Continue Reading

• Slow Athlon outpaces P4

  AMD scored valuable points in its chip war against Intel last week after the influential Microprocessor Report said that AMD's...  Continue Reading

• ITers reach the heights in Vanco Three Peaks Challenge

  The Vanco Three Peaks Challenge sees teams of ITers climb the three highest peaks in Britain in 24 hours.  Continue Reading

• Intel pays cash for foundering notebook specialist

  
  
  John Sabine

  Notebook communications specialist Xircom is to be bought by Intel for $748m (£500m) in cash. The news follows a sharp drop in...

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• Psion warns of handheld security risks

  
  
  Ross Bentley

  IT managers have been warned to reorganise the use of mobile devices within an organisation or risk security breaches, the...

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• Online archive shows the life of Alan Turing

  The BCS has part-funded an online archive which opens up both the thinking and the personal life of computing pioneer Alan...  Continue Reading

• Voyage of discovery for computer giants

  The MS Starship is on the final leg of its three-year journey around the globe. Patrick Hook takes a look at the work of this...  Continue Reading

• Back to the future

  The future of computing looks set to be as fascinating as its past. In the first of a new series of articles focusing on future...  Continue Reading

• Rombyte chip robbery prompts security warning

  
  
  James Rogers

  Firms should be extra-vigilant when it comes to on-site security, according to Newbury-based reseller Rombyte, which last week...

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• Making information accessible

  Venetia Thompson found the information needed when she met the man behind the Google search engine  Continue Reading

• Upgrade to help fight against crime

  Sussex police force is using mobile data technology to prioritise calls and boost efficiency  Continue Reading

• Euro chiefs clamp down on computer crime

  The European Commission is to unveil a comprehensive action plan to strengthen laws across Europe to tackle the growth in...  Continue Reading

• Intel and Apple act to fend off a recession

  Intel and Apple are both taking action to boost sales as the computer market starts to feel the pinch of belts being tightened in...  Continue Reading

• IT helps in the appliance of science

  Science and computing have come together to map the human gene structure. Simon Quicke takes a looks at the role of machines in...  Continue Reading

• Nats buys back holidays as launch deadline nears

  
  
  Mike Simons

  National Air Traffic Services (Nats) is trying to buy-out air traffic controllers' holidays to cope with the training...

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• Dell brings lower costs to full line of servers

  Dell is broadening its product range with the aim of bringing its cost-cutting approach to the enterprise datacentre server and...  Continue Reading

• A computer ghost story

  The attacks only happened when there was no-one around. How come? Sten Kalenda explains  Continue Reading

• Power dressing takes on new meaning

  Take a last look at your laptop, mobile phone and handheld computer because they will look totally different before the decade is...  Continue Reading

• Oldies are once more goldies

  IT staff with legacy skills are once again in vogue, according to GCS Computer Recruitment Services.  Continue Reading

• Sentimental journey for inventor of the Internet

  His creation of the World Wide Web was the original Internet start-up. Roisin Woolnough reminisces with Tim Berners-Lee  Continue Reading

• Alliance aims to stop that syncing feeling

  One of the biggest problems with personal digital assistants (PDAs), smart phones and online services is that it can be difficult...  Continue Reading

• 2000: the year Linux invaded Wintel's wonderland

  The year began with a whimper in place of a much-feared bang. But there were still plenty of surprises in store. Nicholas...  Continue Reading

• Bringing up Daddy

  Almost three-quarters of 7-14 year olds teach their mums and dads how to use computers, a new survey has revealed.  Continue Reading

• My true love gave to me

  What to buy for Christmas? Never mind partridges, hens and doves, let Xtra!'s gadget reviewer, Paul Smith, guide you through the...  Continue Reading

• Old computers: the Epson HX-20

  We have received reader feedback on old computer kit. Here are more fond memories...  Continue Reading

• Spotlight: Adaptec USBXchange

  If you want to move drives or devices between machines and are unwilling to open your PC to add a SCSI card, Adaptec may have the...  Continue Reading

• A competitive step too far for government?

  Successful e-government services may compete with the private sector. Should they be allowed to? David Bicknell reports  Continue Reading

• Web watching

  Many companies are still taking shortcuts when setting up a Web site, says Clive Bates  Continue Reading

• HP serves up virtual partitioning

  Hewlett-Packard has introduced a new top end model in its L class family of Unix servers, the L3000, write Nicholas Enticknap and...  Continue Reading

• Why new London Ambulance computer system caused delays

  
  
  A new computer system at the London Ambulance Service has caused major delays in answering emergency calls.

  Staff at the service took more than 20...

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• Meet the man who invented the Web - Tim Berners Lee

  In an exclusive interview, creator of the World-Wide Web Tim Berners-Lee tells Roisin Woolnough where it is all going.  Continue Reading

• Archiving for the digital age

  As the quest for the paperless office continues, Philip Hunter reports on current thinking on digital archiving  Continue Reading

• EDI-XML adapters released

  
  
  WebMethods and Neon have both released adapter software aimed at bridging the gap between EDI (electronic data interchange) systems and XML, writes...  Continue Reading

• Users get first look at 64-bit Intel chip

  
  
  Intel is releasing supplies of its Itanium 64-bit chip to early evaluators.

  Initially, limited supplies will be sent to preferred customers, which...

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• Demise of the desktop?

  What’s going to be the buzz consumer product this Christmas? Early indications are that it won’t be the PC, despite the boost...  Continue Reading

• Stifling the Net's creative spirit

  
  
  Emanuela Agni takes issue with comments by usability guru Jakob Nielsen made in Computer Weekly's 9 November issue

  Jakob...

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• Stock exchange to move to new IP-based network

  
  
  Nick Huber

  The London Stock Exchange is to overhaul its network and introduce a new user group as an olive branch to disgruntled IT...

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• Comdex speakers see shift to wireless Internet in face of PC market slowdown

  The Comdex trade fair last week heralded a computing future splintered into a variety of mobile units communicating via the...  Continue Reading

• Is Bluetooth still 'blue sky'?

  Bluetooth promised an end to cables, but, one year on, where is it? Marc Ambasna-Jones reports  Continue Reading

• Do computers really boost productivity?

  Paul Mason offers a 10-point briefing on the issues confronting strategists and policy makers as they get to grips with the new...  Continue Reading

• Back to the floor: Bigwig survives helpdesk shift

  
  
  When Graham Salmons learned that he was to spend a morning on his company's helpdesk, he went into shock. "I was terrified beyond the capacity for rational...  Continue Reading

• Xmas booze fears over off-licence IT problems

  Off-licence group First Quench is suffering from network capacity problems when processing credit and debit card payments,...  Continue Reading

• An alphabetical slice of the telecoms pie

  To get real value for money from your communications infrastructure, you've got to understand exactly what the suppliers are...  Continue Reading

• AS/400: the host with the most?

  Question: which IBM server range can run applications written for Windows NT and 2000, Novell NetWare, Aix and OS/2 as well as...  Continue Reading

• Is there any bite in Bluetooth?

  Bluetooth is a new short-range radio technology on a chip that enables devices such as laptops, phones, printers, pagers and PDAs...  Continue Reading

• IBM-Compaq alliance: is it showing signs of strain?

  As the disk storage market continues its inexorable growth, the alliance between IBM and Compaq is 'not a side-show but two...  Continue Reading