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Sixteen-year-old Emily has known her way around a computer from a wee age, but remains a bit naive when it comes to file-sharing safety. Ill-advised downloading practices from P2P networks compel her to restore her system three times. Is all the drama worth it for this teen computing queen? This week's Spyware Horror Story tells all.

There is an ugly feeling growing against Microsoft in its attempts to have a few of its shared-source licenses certified as OSI (Open Source Initiative)-approved. The general sentiment is that OSI approval is for everyone except Microsoft.

I compete with Microsoft. My livelihood depends on beating Microsoft. I have worked for two companies that have been run over by Microsoft and its leveraging of monopoly power. I'm at least as familiar with Microsoft's legal and business tactics as most people, and probably more so than most. I've been on the losing end of Microsoft's monopoly power more than once.

But I don't believe in discrimination. Not even of the "bad guys."… Read more

Partying with "cute blondes," and maintaining one of the world's most influential underground Web sites keeps The Pirate Bay team busy, according to cofounder Peter Sunde. But in their spare time, the three Scandinavians have labored to bring back SuprNova.org.

In an e-mail interview with CNET News.com, Sunde detailed some of the site's new features and launch timetable (there isn't one). He also outlined why his group wanted to bring back SuprNova, which boasted a rabid following before shutting down in 2004 as a result of legal action by the movie industry.

"… Read more

No, believe it or not, you're not reading that headline in a time traveling device, I actually said that the Internet's next big thing will be file sharing. And why will file sharing be so popular in the next few years even though organizations are doing everything possible to stop the spread of such "egregious" activities? Because organizations are doing everything possible to stop the spread of such "egregious" activities.

Sometimes I wonder if government officials and the RIAA cronies ever had mothers that taught them how to handle with things they didn't … Read more

SuprNova.org, a well-known BitTorrent hub before being forced to shut down three years ago, is apparently making a comeback.

An agreement was reached that allows the operators of The Pirate Bay to use the domain name, according to reports published Thursday on blogs, TorrentFreak and Slyck.com.

Like The Pirate Bay, SuprNova helped users locate BitTorrent files of movies, TV shows, and books. It's believed that a large number of the files are copyright copies and scores of people from all over the world download them in violation of copyright law. Hollywood has accused such sites of encouraging … Read more

Shipments of digital cameras jumped 22 percent in the second quarter compared with the year earlier, and growth for coming months likely will outpace earlier expectations, analyst firm IDC said Thursday.

"IDC expects to raise its forecast for the CY2007 year due to this continued, stronger-than-expected growth," analyst Christopher Chute said in a statement.

Consumers are replacing earlier cameras with new models that stabilize images to counteract camera shake, but more importantly, they're also responding to lower prices, he said.

Canon remained the No. 1 seller, with 26 percent of shipments in the second quarter. Sony was … Read more

Of all the various file-sharing clients out there, DC++ is probably the most complex, requiring the most patience and skill to use. But is it really that difficult?

Watch this First Look video to see if you've got what it takes.

For years Microsoft kept its "shared source" distinct from the broader open-source movement, but now the company is seeking official blessing for its work from the organization that bestows official open-source status.

The company said last week at the O'Reilly's Open Source Conference that it's submitting its shared-source licenses to the Open Source Initiative, which judges whether new licenses meet its criteria for listing. Increasingly, the organization also is trying to cut down on the number of open-source licenses, too, which is a problem for programmers who don't want legal obstacles in the way … Read more

Tim notes that Microsoft will be submitting its shared-source licenses to the OSI for approval. He calls this "huge, long-awaited,...and earthshaking." It's actually none of the above, but it is welcome.

It will do little to blur the "bright line between Microsoft and the open-source community," as Tim suggests it will. That bright line is increasingly drawn by Microsoft, and not by the community. This will not erase patent FUD, for example, from the collective consciousness. But I suppose it does help Microsoft to start acting like a full participant, rather than an outsider.

But this isn't the real news.… Read more