A lingering goodbye to the checkout Prospects for online retailing may grab the headlines, but sales are tiny with few site visitors ever placing orders. Shoppers still prefer to buy in-store and that's where some of IT's most exciting innovations are to be found 09:34  | Read Powerful incentives for trading in 'real time' Financial markets are aiming for faster transactions - an electronic continuum that will reduce risks, while saving time and money. But the plan will affect the entire global financial system 08:28  | Read Operating systems Linux makes significant inroads As a free operating system, Linux offers cost-savings over rival environments, but critics claim the software has yet to prove it can handle the core trading systems run by banks Web personalisation A key technology for online profitability Companies are seeking to giver their websites 'the human touch' in order to form closer links with internet users.