Web development

Google I/O: LLM capabilities power agentic AI search

As Google strives to make AI universal, it is starting to integrate agentic AI into Google Search to fast-track purchasing on websites Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Options for Google as DoJ seeks divestiture

The US Department of Justice is calling for Google to divest its adtech business. Google says it’s impossible. But is there an alternative? Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Interview: Tomer Cohen, chief product officer, LinkedIn

The professional social network’s product chief is leading the introduction of artificial intelligence for the firm’s in-house development processes and to enhance services for users Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

SEO vs. SEM: What's the difference?

SEO and SEM strategies help marketers put digital content in front of the right audience. However, SEO strategies focus on organic search, whereas SEM generates paid traffic. Continue Reading

By

• Tim Murphy, Site editor

Apple slated in CMA mobile browser investigation

Apple policies are main focus, but Google doesn’t escape the regulator’s scrutiny either, with its business practices to promote Chrome coming under fire Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Behind the scenes at Amazon UK’s robotic-powered warehouse

Robots, automation, artificial intelligence and people power – Computer Weekly tours the tech-heavy Amazon warehouse in Swindon Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

What is single-page application (SPA)?

A single-page application (SPA) is a web app that is presented to the user through a single HTML page to be more responsive and to more closely replicate a desktop application or native app. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati

What is HTTP and how does it work? Hypertext Transfer Protocol

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the set of rules for transferring files -- such as text, images, sound, video and other multimedia files -- over the web. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati
• Wesley Chai
• Kevin Ferguson

Interview: Digital tech fuels AutoTrader’s drive into the future

Led by a technology enthusiast, AutoTrader is on a digital journey that began when it decided to take a different route in 2007 Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

EU law could usher in transformative change to digital ecosystems

The EU’s Digital Fairness Act aims to end exploitative practices online and enhance consumer protection, but civil society groups say it must address the power and information asymmetries between users and tech firms Continue Reading

By

• Adele Zeynep Walton

High Court: Sky Betting ‘parasitic’ in targeting problem gambler

UK High Court rules that Sky Betting acted unlawfully after breaching a customer’s data protection rights when it obtained his personal data through cookies and used it to profile him for the purposes of direct marketing, despite his ‘impaired’ ability to provide meaningful consent Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Drupal vs. WordPress vs. Joomla: What's the difference?

Drupal supports extensive customization but has a steep learning curve. On the other hand, WordPress and Joomla are more user-friendly but lack flexibility. Continue Reading

By

• Jordan Jones

Top 10 data and ethics stories of 2024

Here are Computer Weekly’s top 10 data and ethics stories of 2024 Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

What is a web server?

A web server is software and hardware that uses HTTP and other protocols to respond to client requests made over the World Wide Web. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati
• Alexander S. Gillis, Technical Writer and Editor

Stage is set for legal battles over Big Tech dominance

Having lost its case to drop a £7bn collective claim, Google is facing increased legal scrutiny on a number of fronts over its business practices Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

What is web application (web apps) and its benefits?

A web application (web app) is an application program that is stored on a remote server and delivered over the internet through a browser interface. Continue Reading

By

• Kinza Yasar, Technical Writer

What is a framework?

In general, a framework is a real or conceptual structure intended to serve as a support or guide for the building of something that expands the structure into something useful. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati
• Ben Lutkevich, Site Editor

Innovating with weather data at the Met Office

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how the Met Office is using its vast stores of weather data to create innovative new products. Our latest buyer’s guide looks into identity and access management systems. And we examine the geopolitical threats that could curb the openness of open source. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Government to roll out Gov.uk Forms across its websites

The tool, which is already in use, aims to transform how the public fill out applications and information online, making it easier and more intuitive Continue Reading

By

• Lis Evenstad

Autumn Budget 2024: Chancellor emphasises importance of tech for UK growth

In her first budget, Rachel Reeves reiterated the vital role of technology in delivering economic growth and improving productivity and efficiency in public services Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Rewiring Whitehall: The next steps in digital government

There’s a new government in place with fresh impetus to accelerate the digital transformation of public services – but what’s going to be different, better and more successful this time around? Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Google to appeal Play Store ruling

Google’s ongoing fight with Epic Games is game-over, after a judge ruled in favour of the developer to open up access to Android apps Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Building the next generation of digital public services

The UK's plans for the digital transformation of public services have lost their way - making it even harder to engage with government digitally. Other countries are showing us there is a better solution Continue Reading

By

• Richard Pope

New Qilin tactics a ‘bonus multiplier’ for ransomware chaos

Sophos X-Ops caught the Qilin ransomware gang stealing credentials stored by victims' employees in Google Chrome, heralding further cyber attacks and breaches down the line. Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Interview: Embedding better accessibility in software and websites

We speak to a CIO who relies on a screen reader to do his job and find out how accessibility technology has evolved Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Accessibility: A Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

CIO, Suleyman Gokyigit discusses his experiences of using screen readers to support blind and visually impaired users navigate websites and apps Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

The human side of the industrial metaverse

As the metaverse evolves, could workers get lost in the process of implementing advanced simulations, automated operations and increasing connectivity between systems? Continue Reading

By

• Martin Schwirn, Computer Weekly

Tennis and technology: How Wimbledon gave fans a GenAI experience

Computer Weekly goes behind the scenes at Wimbledon to see how tennis fans are benefiting from the latest developments in artificial intelligence Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Glick, Editor in chief

Week one of a new government and it’s time to talk tech

The new UK government is already making changes around technology delivery and its legislative agenda needs to focus on some important digital priorities, says Lord Chris Holmes Continue Reading

By

• Lord Chris Holmes, House of Lords

Digital transformation - the missing government mission?

Not for the first time, an incoming government has an enormous opportunity to improve public services through digital transformation - but whoever wins the general election will need to learn the lessons of the past Continue Reading

By

• Jerry Fishenden

European data chief prepares bid to get UK to join EU digital single market

Data initiative Gaia-X is trying to plug the UK into a planned digital European single market, as the EU seeks to extend the reach of vast and controversial data laws over global supply chains Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

Executive interview: Richard Wazacz, CEO, Travelex

The data-savvy chief executive is rebuilding Travelex as an omnichannel, digital business after the company foundered during the pandemic Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Invasive tracking ‘endemic’ on sensitive support websites

Websites set up by police, charities and universities to help people get support for sensitive issues like addiction and sexual harassment are deploying tracking technologies that harvest information without proper consent Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor

Interview: EU data chief Ulrich Ahle on obstacles to Europe’s digital single market

EU data scheme Gaia-X is trying to plug the UK into Europe’s planned digital single market as opposition mounts to efforts to extend the reach of Europe’s vast and controversial data laws over global supply chains Continue Reading

By

• Mark Ballard

Norway bolsters digital transformation drive

Norway’s government backs digital transformation with major capital investment this year Continue Reading

By

• Gerard O'Dwyer

RESTful API

A RESTful API is an architectural style for an application programming interface that uses HTTP requests to access and use data. Continue Reading

By

• Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor
• Alexander S. Gillis, Technical Writer and Editor

user interface (UI)

The user interface (UI) is the point of human-computer interaction and communication in a device. Continue Reading

By

• Cameron Hashemi-Pour, Former Site Editor
• Fred Churchville, TechTarget

web application development

Web application development is the creation of application programs that reside on remote servers and are delivered to the user's device over the internet. Continue Reading

By

• Cameron Hashemi-Pour, Former Site Editor

Google Cloud debuts agent builder to ease GenAI adoption

Vertex AI Agent Builder is touted to enable developers with different levels of expertise to build conversational AI agents grounded in enterprise data Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

US sues Apple, alleging smartphone monopoly

A major legal action against Apple over its dominance of the smartphone market has kicked off in the US, alleging anticompetitive practices on Apple’s part that have damaged the sector and restricted consumer choice Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

web services

Web services are a type of internet software that use standardized messaging protocols and are made available from an application service provider's web server for a client or other web-based programs to use. Continue Reading

By

• Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor
• Sarah Lewis

How AllSaints, L’Oreal and Deliveroo are using AI to improve CX

From fuelling chatbots and digital assistants, to helping with retail media targeting, retailers continue to announce ways artificial intelligence is helping them boost customer experiences online Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

CIO interview: Craig Donald, CIO, The Football Association

England men’s and women’s football teams have had a good few years – and like any successful organisation, they are supported by technology. We meet the IT chief behind football in England and Wales Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Vonage unveils network API availability

Comms platform provider announces network API availability, and claims first-to-market developer registration service to simplify network API access and adoption Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

Resetting digital government

After years of trying to digitally transform the public sector, with varying degrees of success, could a change of government finally herald a new and better approach? Continue Reading

By

• Jerry Fishenden, Philip Sinclair, Paul Waller

How will the metaverse affect the future of work?

Virtual field trips to the Louvre for inspiration, accelerated learning, onboarding reimagined -- how will the metaverse change our working environments and when? It depends. Continue Reading

By

• George Lawton

Immigration clampdown could worsen UK IT skills shortage

The UK government’s recent clampdown on immigration could exacerbate the IT skills shortage in the country, especially in web design and development Continue Reading

By

• Brian McKenna, Enterprise Applications Editor

session ID

A session ID, also called a session token, is a unique identifier that a web server assigns to a user for the duration of the current session. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Sheldon

Currys data strategy takes major step forward with launch of Connected Media

Data is the foundation for the future success of the new Currys retail media platform, as the tech retailer’s CDO explains Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Cancer Research UK uses AWS for payments and trial search function

Charity Cancer Research UK has been using AWS to make its donations platform more scalable, as well as making it easier for patients to find clinical trials Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Facebook pins future on Quest 3 and AI development

Parent company Meta has focused on establishing Twitter rival Threads and its new augmented reality headset Quest 3 Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

CW EMEA: Prepare for AI explosion

In this month’s CW EMEA, we look at generative artificial intelligence, which Accenture claims is the next big thing in enterprise IT. The IT services giant says GenAI will transform 40% of all working hours – and it is putting its money where its mouth is with plans to invest $3bn in AI and create 40,000 AI-focused roles. Part of the huge investment has already been assigned to the creation of an AI and generative AI lab in Brussels focused on the public sector in Europe. We also look at a Deutsche Telekom-led consortium’s demo of multi-supplier non-real-time RAN optimisation, how last month’s Ryder Cup tested out technology to improve how fans digitally consume the event, and find out how Zurich Insurance has cut the time it takes to complete development of ServiceNow applications. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Ending the online fraud epidemic

A different approach to managing personal data across the web is possible - and it could minimise online fraud, boost e-commerce, and help make the web more secure. So why isn't the government doing it? Continue Reading

By

• Jon Nash, Demos

Google, Microsoft and Mozilla push browser updates to foil zero-day

A zero-day in Google’s Chrome browser was first reported by surveillance researchers at The Citizen Lab and Apple, but also affects other browsers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Banks less focused on metaverse technology than last year

Senior banking executives have reduced their focus on investigating metaverse technology in the past 12 months Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Innovative UK SMEs spend half of turnover on tech

UK SMEs are increasing spending on technology, with dedicated IT teams set up to enable them to keep pace with tech change Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Link rot explained: Everything you need to know

Link rot, the deterioration of hyperlinks over time, leads to broken links on the internet, data loss and other issues. Prevent and fix link rot with proper mitigation techniques. Continue Reading

By

• Kinza Yasar, Technical Writer

Google speeds up security update frequency for Chrome

Changes to Google’s security update policy are supposed to help close the gap in which cyber criminals can exploit n-day vulnerabilities Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Delivery charges and slow payments have customers abandoning baskets

Customer expectation has been on the rise, both on and offline, and no-code automation firm Primer finds there are several reasons why consumers are choosing not to checkout Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Enterprise and industrial metaverses exceeding expectations

Across use cases, particularly industrial and enterprise, early metaverse adopters report benefits more often than companies still in the planning phase, with capex reduction and sustainability showing largest difference Continue Reading

By

• Joe O’Halloran, Computer Weekly

What are the benefits of a knowledge base?

As a knowledge base lets customers and employees quickly find answers, it can boost an organization's customer satisfaction score and overall efficiency. Continue Reading

By

• Tim Murphy, Site editor

Unicode

Unicode is a universal character encoding standard that is maintained by the Unicode Consortium, a standards organization founded in 1991 for the internationalization of software and services. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Sheldon

Microsoft and Google go into battle for enterprise AI

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as developments in generative AI accelerate, Microsoft and Google have each unveiled their plans around enterprise applications. Nobody doubts the importance of digital transformation – but experts say it won’t work without cultural change as well. And we examine the emerging practice of FinOps as part of cloud automation projects. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

How to build a WordPress knowledge base

A knowledge base lets customers quickly find answers to their questions, which benefits CX. Organizations can use WordPress plugins and themes to build their own knowledge bases. Continue Reading

By

• Laurence Hart, CGI Federal

Bing AI push rings in price change

Microsoft’s large investment in OpenAI has seen an expansion of AI in Bing. This appears to be reflected in new Bing API licensing Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

cloaking

Cloaking is a technique where a different version of web content is returned to users than to the search engine crawlers. Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Researchers deal blow to Gootloader gang that supported REvil

Thousands of compromised WordPress blogs have been spreading the Gootloader malware for years, but eSentire’s security research team are turning the tables on the gang that played a key role in REvil ransomware attacks Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

From Nokia to Merge Mansion: Helsinki’s tech expertise is sparking a new era for global gaming

Helsinki has a reputation as the go-to place for game development, and now the city’s tech community is taking gaming into new areas Continue Reading

By

• Matthew Staff

The CIO challenges brought by e-commerce in Kuwait

E-commerce is growing fast in Kuwait, resulting in new challenges for CIOs in the retail sector Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor)

PHP (Hypertext Processor) is a general-purpose scripting language and interpreter that is freely available and widely used for web development. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Sheldon

HTML5

HTML5 is commonly thought to be the fifth version, or release, of the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), a standardized descriptive language that specifies how to structure webpages. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Sheldon

How William Hill’s IT copes with big sporting events

The Grand National is one of those events that pushes online betting sites beyond their limits. Understanding where there are bottlenecks is key Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Millions in the Arab world use VPNs to overcome restrictions and bandwidth throttling

Citizens in the Arab world are using VPNs to help them bypass internet restrictions and increase available bandwidth Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

hosting (website hosting, web hosting and webhosting)

Web hosting -- also known as website hosting or webhosting -- is the process where a web hosting provider stores and maintains website files and applications on a server to make its customers' websites accessible on the internet. Continue Reading

By

• Kinza Yasar, Technical Writer

BNPL accounted for 12% of UK online spending in January

Buy now, pay later products from fintech providers accounted for 12% of the £8bn spent online in the UK in January, according to analysis Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Digital banking changing the high street forever as banks close branches and open alternatives

Banks are reshaping their channels as customers move to digital services, with physical innovation complementing digital strategies Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

World Wide Web (WWW)

The World Wide Web -- also known as the web, WWW or W3 -- refers to all the public websites or pages that users can access on their local computers and other devices through the internet. Continue Reading

By

• Rahul Awati

CIO interview: Matt Grest, Very Group

The Covid-19 pandemic changed many things, including an increase in remote working – so how is the Very Group approaching the workplace and talent post-Covid? Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

Top trends in tech, and retail’s early adopters

Computer Weekly identifies the retail industry’s early adopters of what McKinsey & Co deems the top tech trends Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Developed for Big Science in Europe, highly accurate time protocols ensure fair trading in finance

Protocols developed for use at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research are now being used for many other applications, including financial services Continue Reading

By

• Pat Brans, Pat Brans Associates/Grenoble Ecole de Management

Top 10 retail technology stories of 2022

Computer Weekly looks at what 2022 had in store for the retail industry – after the pandemic increasing technology adoption for most of the retail sector, what have firms put in place to survive the next few years? Continue Reading

By

• Clare McDonald, Business Editor

A retail tech tour of the Battersea Power Station development

We check out the customer-facing digital features on display in the UK’s newest shopping site at Battersea Power Station Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Twitter ‘replacement’ Hive Social shuts off service in privacy alert

Hive Social, a recently established social media network, has temporarily closed its servers to address deep structural privacy issues identified by ethical hackers Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Is Elon Musk’s Twitter safe, and should you stop using it?

With a litany of security and compliance issues exposed and in many cases caused by Elon Musk’s takeover of social media platform Twitter, some may be asking if it’s still safe or appropriate to use Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language)

XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language) is a family of standards that specifies how to define Extensible Markup Language (XML) document transformation and presentation. Continue Reading

By

• Robert Sheldon

Metaverse could add up to $1.4tn a year to Asia’s GDP

The metaverse may still be in its infancy, but sustained investments in the technology over the next decade could have a significant impact on Asia’s economy Continue Reading

By

• Aaron Tan, Informa TechTarget

Kubernetes and the open-source maintainer question

While much of last month’s KubeCon-CloudNativeCon North America was focused on specific software projects, case studies and tech challenges, there was a discernible undercurrent of concern. And it ... Continue Reading

By

• Bryan Betts, Freeform Dynamics

Justice transparency: A Computer Weekly Downtime Upload podcast

We speak to The National Archives about how it is using semantic data to make court and tribunal judgments searchable Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

The Security Interviews: Building trust online

Consumer reviews website Trustpilot has built and scaled its IT security team and is now turning to agile methods and DevSecOps to further enhance its cyber capabilities Continue Reading

By

• Mark Samuels

Government bins IR35 reforms – what you need to know

In this week’s Computer Weekly, after the government scrapped its IR35 reforms, we examine what IT contractors need to know. With hybrid working, employee experience is a priority – we look at how it meshes with customer experience initiatives. And we assess the options for unstructured data storage in the cloud and on-premise. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Online marketplace momentum ushers in new era for retailers

Superdrug is the latest in a growing list of retailers to launch its own online marketplace, joining B&Q, Boots and others in driving a new era for UK retail Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Morrisons joins the fast-growing retail media movement

More retailers are becoming publishers as they realise the potential of their online assets, helping to fuel a new fast-growth segment of digital marketing – and Morrisons is no exception Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

KPMG: IT chiefs vote for innovation, but are they forgetting tech debt?

New study from KPMG shows businesses are keen to adopt new technologies to drive improvements to customer experience Continue Reading

By

• Cliff Saran, Managing Editor

Privacy Pledge signatories dream of alternative internet

A group of privacy-focused organisations have come together to establish a set of principles for taking the internet back from big tech and surveillance capitalism Continue Reading

By

• Alex Scroxton, Security Editor

Reimagining ethical digital technology

With ever-increasing digitisation leading to greater dependence on a range of digital technologies, enterprises need to urgently look at how they can incorporate ethical and social considerations into the tech they develop Continue Reading

By

• Simon Rogerson

Bootstrap

Bootstrap is a free, open source front-end development framework for the creation of websites and web apps. Continue Reading

By

• Andrew Zola

W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)

The W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) is an international organization that creates standards for the World Wide Web. Continue Reading

By

• Alexander S. Gillis, Technical Writer and Editor

Government pauses Online Safety Bill’s progress

The government has paused the Online Safety Bill’s journey towards becoming law, amid timetable pressure Continue Reading

By

• Karl Flinders, Chief reporter and senior editor EMEA

Pandemic turns e-commerce doubters into believers

Notable UK retail e-commerce avoiders Primark, B&M and Poundland are now online players. But what are their respective digital approaches? Continue Reading

By

• Ben Sillitoe

Ofcom publishes Online Safety Roadmap

The roadmap sets out how the online harms regulator will approach implementing the UK’s online safety regime, and tells tech firms to start preparing for the new rules Continue Reading

By

• Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor