MS disputes multimillion-dollar legal bill

Reuters reports that Microsoft says lawyers seeking $258 million in legal fees from the software giant`s $1.1 billion class action settlement in California are asking for too much.

The fees, the largest ever in an anti-trust settlement, work out to $3 019 per hour for Eugene Crew, the class action`s lead attorney, and more than $2 000 per hour for other attorneys as well as hourly fees of $1 000 for administrative work.

Microsoft, which will have to pay the fees on top of the settlement, told San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Paul Alvarado this week that the fees did not justify the work involved in the case.

A serious wireless network technology flaw has been identified that could lead to the breakdown of some critical infrastructures, according to the Queensland University of Technology`s Information Security Research Centre. The university says the flaw affects the 802.11b standard.

Computerworld Today (Australia) quotes QUT`s School of Software Engineering and Data Communications deputy head, associate professor Mark Looi, as saying the discovery of the flaw should send a warning to high levels of government and industry worldwide.

"Any organisation that continues to use the standard wireless technology [IEEE 802.11b] to operate critical infrastructure could be considered negligent," Looi said.

AP reports that sex is making its way into the world of video games. While most of the new games on show at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles feature shooting, racing, slashing and general mayhem, upcoming releases will focus on the libido too.

Planned releases such as "The Sims 2" and "Playboy: The Mansion" challenge the player to score points by having sex. To avoid getting an 'Adults Only` rating, games makers are reported to be limiting actual nudity, which some think is rather silly.

Brian Bilicki, lead software engineer of the game Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude, says it`s hypocritical that showing a cartoon woman`s breasts is regarded as taboo in an industry that embraces so many grotesquely violent games like "Manhunt" and "Grand Theft Auto III".