Welcome to another edition of the Prompt Newsletter.

We all hate spam, and it seems the scale of the problem is pretty startling. A Microsoft security report has found that 97% of all emails sent are spam. Read on to learn more.

Also this week, we take a look at new EU regulations that will require ISPs to record online conversations, Sony gaining some ground on Nintendo in the console wars, and Facebook signing up user number 200 million.

Prompt has also started an investigation to identify market trends in the current economic climate. It's quick and easy to complete, and participants will get an early copy of the research report. Take a look for yourself.

So please, enjoy the issue, and then why not check out our blog?

Hazel Butters
CEO
Prompt Communications

Spam, spam and more spam

By Laura Beynon

I was convinced that a late April fools joke managed to creep into this week's news, when I heard the findings from a Microsoft security report. The report found that more than 97% of all emails sent over the internet are spam and are therefore unwanted. I expected the figure to be high, but not that high.

Most of the spam emails were advertisements for drugs and other product pitches. Microsoft also found that most of these emails contained malicious attachments. According to the report, the global average for infected PCs is 8.6 for every 1000 uninfected machines.

The majority of attackers exploit the vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office and use security holes to attack computers. It's not all bad news though. The security holes that are being used by attackers have been plugged by updates that are available right now. People are being advised to keep operating systems, web browsers and all applications up to date with the latest versions, in order to protect themselves from further attacks.

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Another infringement on our privacy?

By Kathryn Cave

On Monday a new law came into effect which stipulated that internet service providers must keep a record of all email and online conversations. This legislation is part of an existing EU directive on data retention, which applied to telecoms providers, and is being extended to cover ISPs.

Developed in response to the London bombings of 2005, ISPs are now legally obliged to store details for 12 months as a potential tool to aid criminal investigations. "Knowing when someone sent an email or made an IP telephony call, and knowing who they emailed or called, is very revealing information - these regulations potentially put that information in the hands of a wide range of public bodies," said Sam Parr, a lawyer specialising in communications at Baker & McKenzie.

ISPs are only obliged to record the date, time and duration of online communications - not the content. However, this can still be seen as another intrusion to our rapidly eroding privacy. Isabella Sankey, Policy Director at Liberty, said the directive formalised what had already been taking place under a voluntary arrangement for years. "The problem is that this regime allows not just police to access this information but hundreds of other public bodies."

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Open source growth accelerating

By James Gerber

Forrester recently released results of a survey showing that companies in general are beginning to adopt open source software. Even so, there is significant room for more growth.

Previous research by Gartner showed that 85% of enterprises have already adopted open source, and Forrester found that 45% of companies use open source for mission critical applications.

Despite these numbers, there are still many areas of business where the uptake of open source has been slower. Open source has thrived around operating systems, databases and servers, but according to Forrester, business applications are the area that presents the most potential. BPM, content management, CRM, BI, ERP and even desktop applications are major hot spots where open source could increase its foothold.

The recession is driving interest in open source as a replacement for more expensive proprietary infrastructure and IT managers are re-evaluating software across the board. Open source is becoming more appealing, and adoption by larger organizations will lead to more options for buyers and increase its appeal to the small and medium businesses that would benefit from it most.

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Sony gains ground in the console wars

By Ellie Turner

Shocking gaming news this week - publishing firm Enterbrain has announced that Sony's PlayStation 3 has outsold the Nintendo Wii in Japan for the first time in 16 months. Sony was able to shift a mammoth 146,948 units while the Wii was lagging behind with 99,335 sold.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 has a limited presence in Japan, so it's up to Sony to keep the pressure on Nintendo. A surge of high profile titles for the Playstation 3 from Capcom and Sega (including Yakuza 3, Street Fighter IV and Resident Evil 5) have meant that sales of the console have dramatically increased, allowing it to overtake the Wii for the first time in a year and a half.

The Wii still stands proud in its native land, however. "PS3 hardware sales picked up due to brisk-selling software. But I don't see any drastic change in the industry landscape," Okasan Securities analyst Masashi Morita told the AFP news agency.

In the US, things couldn't be more different. In February, the Wii managed to sell close to three times as many PS3s. Also, last month, global sales of Nintendo Wii passed 50 million, making the Wii the fastest selling games console in history.

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Facebook hits 200 million users. Not literally.

By Duncan Heaney

This week, Facebook announced that it had signed up 200 million users. As the San Francisco Chronicle points out, Facebook is now more populated than Brazil and Japan.

The article also revealed some other interesting facts about the social networking behemoth. For example, more than half of Facebook's users log in at least once a day, presumably to throw sheep at each other and post pictures of lolcats, the wacky funsters.

The fastest growing demographic on Facebook is the over-35s, and 70% of Facebook's audience comes from overseas. It seems that people of all ages, from all nations are joining together to appreciate the pure thrill of virtual ovine abuse. And, of course, lolcats.

For the record, I don't know what influence lolcats pictures really have on Facebook membership. But they must have some, right? They're just so gosh-darn adorable.

But the stat that caught my eye comes at the end of the Chronicle's article. The average Facebook user has 120 'friends'. I only have 80 - that means I need to befriend another 40, otherwise people that hang around online might think I'm socially inadequate.

Maybe if I post more pictures of lolcats...

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By Sean McManus

Wordshoot

If you think Mavis Beacon is a lightweight, try this. This Flash game will see you fighting off tanks and aliens by typing the words underneath them. Get it right, and you can blow them away. Get it wrong, though, and the enemy will come ever closer. There are several difficulty settings but if you know your way around a keyboard, you should start at the highest level and work your way down. Each game starts off easy with a handful of three-letter foes, but slowly ramps up the difficulty.

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09 April 2009

Welcome

Technology News

Spam, spam and more spam

Another infringement on our privacy?

Open source growth accelerating

Sony gains ground in the console wars

Facebook hits 200 million users. Not literally.

Free report

Media News

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UK

Website of the Week

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US

By Laurie SantaLucia

Leander Kahney, website news editor at Wired will be leaving at the end of the month to blog for Cult of Mac. Kahney's last day with the technology magazine's Web site is April 24. After that, he will concentrate on his blog, which focuses on Macintosh.

Meanwhile, Popular Science senior technology editor Sean Captain is no longer with the publication. Captain joined Popular Science in January 2007 as senior associate editor, having previously worked in the same capacity at PC World. Consumer technology news will now be covered by Lauren Aaronson.

A new blog, Net Effect, offered by the Foreign Policy website will continue to explore the impact of technology on foreign affairs. The blog takes a look at how technology is being used, especially for political reasons, in less visible parts of the world

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UK

By Melanie Hesketh

Julian Goldsmith as has been appointed deputy editor at BNET UK. Previously Goldsmith was business editor of silicon.com. BNET UK is a website aimed at business professionals in the UK and features daily news and advice on company management.

From April 23, Maxim UK will cease publishing its print edition and will solely focus on its online edition. Dennis Publishing confirmed in a statement that following the June issue, on sale from April 23, the title will go online only. No redundancies have been announced as part of the move, but the publisher will enter into a consultation period with all staff 'to discuss future opportunities'.

Robert Mendick has been appointed as senior reporter for The Sunday Telegraph. Previously Mendick was a chief reporter at the Evening Standard. Prior to this he worked at the Independent on Sunday, as both senior reporter and news editor. He has been associate editor of The Lawyer magazine and was a crime reporter for the Oxford Mail.

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By Melanie Hesketh

A new study from Netpop Research reveals some trends about social networking

93%: growth of time spent on social networking sites

76%: estimated US broadband users that now contribute to social media in one way or another

1/3: online time US Internet users' spent communicating with each other

29%: drop of online time spent in 'traditional' forums of online entertainment

Source: gibLink

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