Computer problems hit refunds

WAITING for a refund cheque that just won't come? It could be because you are known to the Child Support Agency.

Cloud service has solid silver lining

Delaying the purchase of new technology may prove costly, writes Julia Talevski.

Leading journalist contributed to Australia's economic reform

FRED Brenchley, one of the most outstanding Australian journalists of his time, and a man renowned for his integrity and decency, has died of cancer in Canberra. He was 67.

Greener Computer Afterlife

EVER wondered where all those old computers, printers, televisions and phones end up when they have passed their use-by date?

Computer Needs Of Schools Kept Secret

The Federal Government is refusing to say which schools were eligible for the first round of its computer giveaway because to do so would flag the country's most inadequately resourced schools.

Firms Turn To E-tectives To Combat Computer Crime

David Thompson used to be a policeman looking for fingerprints, now he hunts for evidence buried in email folders, deleted computer files, mobile phone SIMs and search engine histories. Five years ago forensic computing was a niche IT sector but in the past two years the number of dedicated specialists has doubled and their primary focus is employee fraud and misdemeanour.

Goldilocks Tries Price Discrimination For Size

Like baby bear's porridge, the middle product looks just right. Why do the ink cartridges for computer printers cost so much? It can be as much as 20 or 30 per cent of the cost of the printer itself. Why do the makers of software usually offer it in different-priced versions? Why does Microsoft sell its Word, Excel and PowerPoint programs bundled together in one Office ``suite"? The long answer is that all these things are ingenious examples of what economists call ``price discrimination". They

Sellers Know A Product's Worth Is Whatever You Are Willing To Pay

Why do the ink cartridges for computer printers cost so much? Why do the makers of software usually offer differently priced versions? The long answer is that all these things are ingenious examples of what economists call ``price discrimination". They are discussed in the best-ever book about Internet economics, Information Rules, by Carl Shapiro and Hal Varian (Harvard Business School Press, 1998).