Web applications written in PHP likely account for 43 per cent of the security issues found so far in 2006. While flaws in the language itself account for a very small percentage the total, the problems with PHP underscore the difficulty that developers – many of them amateurs – have in locking down applications written in the language.

As we sit on the cusp of 2007 we can look forward to the Web being more readily accessible via the television. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is already capable of high-speed Internet access, Nintendo’s Wii has gained the Opera browser and Sony’s forthcoming Playstation 3 is also web enabled. The result: We can look forward to more people using their TV to access the Web.

Shoppers are likely to abandon a shopping website if it takes longer than four seconds to load, a survey suggests. The research published by Akamai in November 2006 revealed users’ dwindling patience with websites that take time to show up. The time it took a site to appear on screen came second only to high prices and shipping costs in the list of shoppers’ pet-hates.

Companies in the UK must include certain regulatory information on their websites and in their email footers before 1 January 2007 or they will breach the Companies Act and risk a fine.

Support does not mean that everybody gets the same thing. Expecting two users using different browser software to have an identical experience fails to embrace or acknowledge the heterogeneous essence of the Web. In fact, requiring the same experience for all users creates a barrier to participation. Availability and accessibility of content should be our key priority.