Web Headlines

Headlines from around the Web for Thursday, Jan. 24, 2008
Compiled by Melanie Bender

Like It or Not, More Federal Workers Telecommuting

NetworkWorld

By law, all executive agencies should be enabling eligible employees to telecommute, but a number of agencies are unsure of telecommuting policy. Others still are concerned with security. So, boosting the ranks of federal employees who telework is a slow, sometimes painful process, despite numerous incentives and legislative edicts lobbed at U.S. agencies over the years.

Draft of HTML 5 Hints at a Brave New Web

Wired

The release of a draft specification for HTML 5 marks another important step toward creating the next version of HTML, the hypertext markup language that powers the web. This week, the HTML Working Group, which is the arm of World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) charged with updating HTML, published the first official draft of HTML 5, which will eventually supersede HTML 4.

OMB, GAO to Go Digital on Key Reports

The Washington Post

The Office of Management and Budget will not print 3,000 copies of the president's budget to hand out on Feb. 4. Instead, the four books that lay out the president's spending priorities will be put on the Web. Across town, the Government Accountability Office is dropping publication of its famed blue-cover reports for distribution on Capitol Hill, at agencies and at conferences.

Microsoft's New E-Gov Platform: Help Fed, Local Agencies Reach Citizens

Government Computer News

Microsoft has introduced Citizen Service Platform, a suite of tools it will provide without charge to local and regional governments worldwide to help them deliver Web-based services to citizens. It incorporates the company’s work with local and regional governments over the past several years, and consists of templates designed to run in Microsoft operating environments for the most commonly deployed e-government services.

New York City Says: "Just 311 It"

Government Technology

Yesterday, in a video presentation, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jonathan Mintz and Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications Commissioner Paul J. Cosgrave demonstrated the city's online 311 service request tracking and business licensing capabilities.

Paper Ballots Win Over Colorado Gov.

The Denver Post

Gov. Bill Ritter, backed by a bipartisan line of key legislative leaders, announced he wants the state to use traditional paper ballots filled out at polling places in the 2008 elections, saying the decision â€" reached after lengthy discussion with state and county officials â€" is the best way to hold a safe, verifiable election, and it was met with applause by a number of voting activists.

New Malware Toolkit Infected More Than 10,000 Web Sites

Government Technology

Finjan's Malicious Code Research Center the latest significant Web attack in a genre of crimeware that threatens to turn highly trusted Web sites into insidious traps for unwary visitors. More than 10,000 Web sites in the U.S. were infected in December by this latest malware.

Report: Schools Will Increase Spending on Open Source

InfoWorld

Educational institutions will increase spending on open-source software and services over the next few years, but that doesn't mean proprietary software will be left in the dark, according to a new report covering 14 countries. A market research company predicts that primary and secondary schools and universities will spend $489.9 million on open-source software by 2012, up from $286.2 million now.

In Georgia, New Electronic System to Shorten Wait for Vital Records

The Macon Telegraph

A new statewide system aims to shorten the wait time to receive birth and death certificates, the Georgia Department of Human Resources has announced. The new $3 million Vital Events Information System electronically registers vital events, such as births and deaths, within a few days, as opposed to the several weeks it took the old paper-based system.