Microsoft debuts search engine

Microsoft has unveiled the full-release version of its search engine, which will compete against Web search leader Google.

According to Reuters, the launch of MSN Search comes three months after the release of an initial beta version. Microsoft had been using Yahoo unit Inktomi to power its search services, but will no longer do so with the full release of its search engine, which uses Microsoft`s own technology to sift through the Web.

The software maker says it has also revamped its MSN.com Web portal to make its search engine more prominent, and also tweaked the site`s content and advertising to remove clutter.

Netscape is expected to release a test version next month of a Web browser designed to resist phishing schemes.

The company will likely release both the beta version of Netscape 8 and a redesigned Netscape.com portal site, reports News.com.

Netscape is in negotiations with various security companies to supply the Netscape 8 beta with frequently updated blacklists of Web sites that are suspected of purveying spyware, phishing schemes and other hostile code.

When someone accesses such a site using Netscape 8, the browser would flash warnings to the user and disable various technologies with security implications, including ActiveX, scripting and cookies.

Sites thought to be harmless would join a whitelist and gain a green-light icon in the address bar. Unknown sites would be coded yellow.

Sun Microsystems yesterday rolled out pay-per-use computing power and data storage, as well as new software packages tailored for specific projects.

The company said its on-demand computing will cost customers $1 (R6) per microprocessor per hour. Microprocessors are the computing engines of computer servers, which have one, two or multiple processors per box, reports Reuters.

The storage offering will cost Sun customers $1 per gigabyte used per month. Both computing and storage offerings will be powered by Sun grids.

Sun said it has Grid Centres in Virginia, Texas, New Jersey, Canada and Scotland, the first phase of a worldwide roll-out.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is offering a free program to parents worried that their children are illegally downloading copyrighted content.

The MPAA-funded Parent File Scan program searches computers for installed P2P applications as well as movie and music files. Once identified, the parent will be able to delete the files.

However, the software is unable to differentiate between legal and illegal copies, and so parents may end up erasing legitimately purchased music downloads, PC Pro reports.

The site says it is up to the parent to confront the child to establish whether the content has been obtained legally or illegally.