Top 10 articles, 21 August 09

Most popular this week has been news that early adopters of Windows 7 can have access to the upcoming operating system for free for 120 days. Potential buyers can install and run the software for the normal 30-day period without an activation key, but it is also possible to reset the trial period three times, just as it was with Windows Vista, according to reports.

Another example has surfaced this week of why it's not a good idea to share too much information on social networking sites, after an employee was sacked for posting negative comments about her boss on Facebook.

Our latest top 10 also proved a hit with readers. This week we looked at the top 10 workplace time wasters, with sites such as YouTube, I Can Has Cheezburger and Twitter all vying for the top spot. However, according to the results of our related poll asking V3.co.uk readers for their vote for the most addictive web site, IT professionals don't have enough spare time to visit these sites very often, with almost four out of 10 respondents selecting 'I'm far too busy to visit any of these sites'.

Windows 7 can be used free for four months
30-day trial period can be extended three times, report claims

Facebook sacking highlights hidden dangers
The perils of mixing business and pleasure on social networking sites

Top 10 workplace time wasters
Daytime indulgences every boss fears

Pirate Party overwhelmed by file sharing response
About 100 people signing up every hour to support copyright reform

LG watchphone lands in Orange stores next week
New device is £500 on a pay-as-you-go deal

Apple iPhone tops user satisfaction poll
Palm Pre does well, but not well enough

Rogue Facebook app harvests user credentials
Security experts urge caution on popular social networking site

IE8 reaches 80 million malware blocks
New filtering technology shows the extent of socially engineered malware

Apple investigates exploding iPhone reports
European Commission elicits response over alarming incidents

Apple-Psystar legal battle hots up
Mac clone firm takes testimony from Apple execs in acrimonious court case