News Microsoft settles anti-trust case

From the Beeb:

Software giant Microsoft has settled a class-action anti-trust lawsuit bought against it by customers in Minnesota who claimed they had been overcharged.

Microsoft said final terms of the settlement - which ends a jury trial that started in March - had yet to be worked out.

Lawyers for the customers had said they were seeking as much as $505m (£279m).

It comes days after Microsoft agreed to pay Californian firm InterTrust $440m to end a legal row over patents.

Full report here

I wonder if MS has a line on it's P&L sheets called "Settlements and Law Suits"?

 

Passwords revealed by sweet deal

So, according to this article from the Beeb, Computer security is at the mercy of the Cocoa Bean! Well, that and choc-oholics need for a quick fix:

More than 70% of people would reveal their computer password in exchange for a bar of chocolate, a survey has found.

It also showed that 34% of respondents volunteered their password when asked without even needing to be bribed.

A second survey found that 79% of people unwittingly gave away information that could be used to steal their identity when questioned.

Security firms predict that the lax security practices will fuel a British boom in online identity theft.

More here

Anybody fancy a Mars bar?