Microsoft cuts retail Vista prices
Discounts affect mainly developing countries; U.S., Europe to see fewer, if any
February 28, 2008 (Computerworld) Microsoft Corp. on Thursday said it plans to slash prices for retail copies of Windows Vista up to almost 50% for certain editions in poorer countries, in order to boost sales that one analyst said have failed to meet expectations.
But many customers, especially those in wealthier countries such as the U.S. or Europe, may only see additional discounts as small as 3 percent -- or none at all -- depending on which of Vista's four consumer versions they are interested in.
"The vast majority of our retail customers -- especially those in developed markets -- may not notice anything different from the promotions they've already seen in their region," according to a spokeswoman. "This is really about formalizing promotions we've run with several partners already to continue to grow our retail business."
In a Q&A interview posted on the PressPass section of Microsoft's Web site, Brad Brooks, the new corporate vice-president for Windows consumer product marketing, said that the cuts will arrive "with the retail release of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 later this year," though some markets will see reduced prices sooner through promotions such as with Amazon.com in the U.S.
In developed markets, according to Brooks, Microsoft is mostly cutting prices for retail upgrade versions of Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate. "In emerging markets, we are combining full and upgrade Home Basic and Home Premium versions into full versions of these editions and instituting price changes to meet the demand we see among first-time Windows customers who want more functionality than is available in current Windows XP editions. "In addition, we are also adjusting pricing on Windows Vista Ultimate in emerging markets to be comparable to price changes developed market customers will see."
"I think this is a smart strategic move," said NPD Group Inc. analyst, Chris Swenson. "Vista hasn't hit their initial expectations."
While Microsoft has sold more than 100 million Vista licenses in its first year -- a figure which excludes the tens of millions of Windows licenses sold to corporations -- more than 80% of those licenses have been sold to PC makers to install on new PCs, according to Swenson.
Retail copies of Vista sold through online and brick-and-mortar stores make up most of the rest, Swenson said. They are mostly bought by consumers upgrading their existing computers, as well as some do-it-yourselfers assembling their own PCs, he said.
Microsoft can afford to make the discounts, since it makes much more money per retail copy of Vista sold compared to OEM licenses sold to a PC manufacturer.
In fact, Microsoft has previously done just that, offering a flock of retail discounts at Vista's launch a year ago.
But first-week retail Vista sales in the U.S. were off 60% from those of its predecessor, Windows XP, according to NPD.
U.S. retail sales for all versions of Windows in 2007 were up 41% from 2006, according to NPD. (That figure sounds less impressive when one considers that 2006 Windows sales were actually down 18% from 2005.)
In terms of the mix in the U.S., half of the copies of retail Vista sold last year were for the Home Premium edition, which sold for about $174, according to NPD. The pricey Ultimate edition, which sold for an average $274, made up 24% of unit volume.
Swenson says one reason retail Vista sales are weaker than XP's is because of the many years -- five -- between its release and XP's. By contrast, XP was released only one year after Windows 2000 and ME. That meant that consumers who bought a new PC with 2000 or ME would have been more likely to upgrade it with XP. Not so for consumers who bought a new XP PC three or four years ago; machines of such comparatively advanced age are unlikely to have been upgraded to Vista's requirements.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Software News
DOJ clears Oracle's BEA acquisition
FTC also OKs deal; action awaited from European Commission
February 28, 2008 (IDG News Service) The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trad Commission yesterday gave the green light to Oracle Corp.s proposed acquisition of BEA Systems Inc., taking the deal one step closer to becoming final.
BEA stockholders still must approve the acquisition. They're expected to do so during a special meeting April 1. The deal, worth about $8.5 billion, also requires clearance from the European Commission.
The companies agreed on the purchase price in mid-January, after BEA turned down Oracle's initial offer late last year. The bid looked like it might get ugly when BEA called Oracle's initial offer inadequate and Oracle stepped up its rhetoric. BEA asked for a higher bid, which Oracle declined, but the two eventually met in the middle.
Although the companies have some overlapping products, BEA will boost Oracle's middleware offerings, Oracle has said. Oracle has also said it plans to continue to support BEA's software.
FTC also OKs deal; action awaited from European Commission
February 28, 2008 (IDG News Service) The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trad Commission yesterday gave the green light to Oracle Corp.s proposed acquisition of BEA Systems Inc., taking the deal one step closer to becoming final.
BEA stockholders still must approve the acquisition. They're expected to do so during a special meeting April 1. The deal, worth about $8.5 billion, also requires clearance from the European Commission.
The companies agreed on the purchase price in mid-January, after BEA turned down Oracle's initial offer late last year. The bid looked like it might get ugly when BEA called Oracle's initial offer inadequate and Oracle stepped up its rhetoric. BEA asked for a higher bid, which Oracle declined, but the two eventually met in the middle.
Although the companies have some overlapping products, BEA will boost Oracle's middleware offerings, Oracle has said. Oracle has also said it plans to continue to support BEA's software.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
software News
February 26, 2008 (Computerworld) After several weeks of speculation, Apple Inc. today refreshed its laptop lines by shifting to faster, more power-efficient 45-nanometer Penryn processors from Intel Corp. and bumping up the size of the systems' hard drives.
Prices for the new MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops remained unchanged.
"This is what we had been expecting," said Ezra Gottheil, an analyst at Technology Business Research Inc.
The high-end MacBook Pro line, which features models with 15-in. and 17-in. LCDs, also received processor transplants and brawnier hard drives. But the higher-end notebooks now sport the new gesture-based multi-touch track pad first introduced last month in the ultralight MacBook Air. Unlike the Air, however, which offers a larger track pad, the MacBook Pro's version remains unchanged in size from previous models.
"Multi-touch is a nice differentiator for Apple," said Gottheil. "I just don't know how easy it is for others to do the same thing." Because it's a way for Apple to separate its wares from those of other vendors, the new track-pad feature will continue to expand its reach. "It's propagating through the line, and I'd expect it to end up in the MacBook the next time around," Gottheil added.
The MacBook Pros also sport double the video memory of their predecessors, and the 17-in. system now includes an LED-backlit screen option to match the standard mercury-free displays in the 15-in. models.
The video RAM boost is an attempt to answer demands from hard-core gamers, many of whom run Microsoft Corp.'s Windows, either in a virtual machine or from Apple's own Boot Camp dual-boot application, said Gottheil. "It looks like they're trying to make it more viable as a flat-out game machine," he said.
Priced at $1,999, $2,499 and $2,799, the MacBook Pro models are powered by 2.4-GHz and 2.5-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo chips, include 2GB of memory, and pack 200GB and 250GB drives.
The MacBook lineup, which features three models, all sporting a 13.3-in. displays, now boasts Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1-GHz and 2.4-GHz processors. The trio also packs hard drives that boost storage capacity over yesterday's models by 33% to 56%. Other specifications remain the same for the three MacBooks, which still list for $1,099, $1,299 and $1,499.
The entry-level Apple laptop includes 1GB of memory, a CD-RW/DVD optical drive, integrated graphics and a built-in iSight video camera. The more expensive MacBooks feature 2GB of RAM, optical drives that also allow DVD recording, and in the highest-priced model, a black (rather than white) plastic case.
Missing from today's product rollout, however, were Time Capsule, the wireless storage appliance CEO Steve Jobs unveiled last month at Macworld, and the iPhone SDK (software development kit), which Jobs has also promised will debut this month.
The new MacBook and MacBook Pro portables are available now from Apple's own online store and retail chain, as well as its authorized resellers, the company said. According to the Apple online outlet, MacBooks will ship within 24 hours, but the new MacBook Pro models ship one to four days after ordering.
Prices for the new MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops remained unchanged.
"This is what we had been expecting," said Ezra Gottheil, an analyst at Technology Business Research Inc.
The high-end MacBook Pro line, which features models with 15-in. and 17-in. LCDs, also received processor transplants and brawnier hard drives. But the higher-end notebooks now sport the new gesture-based multi-touch track pad first introduced last month in the ultralight MacBook Air. Unlike the Air, however, which offers a larger track pad, the MacBook Pro's version remains unchanged in size from previous models.
"Multi-touch is a nice differentiator for Apple," said Gottheil. "I just don't know how easy it is for others to do the same thing." Because it's a way for Apple to separate its wares from those of other vendors, the new track-pad feature will continue to expand its reach. "It's propagating through the line, and I'd expect it to end up in the MacBook the next time around," Gottheil added.
The MacBook Pros also sport double the video memory of their predecessors, and the 17-in. system now includes an LED-backlit screen option to match the standard mercury-free displays in the 15-in. models.
The video RAM boost is an attempt to answer demands from hard-core gamers, many of whom run Microsoft Corp.'s Windows, either in a virtual machine or from Apple's own Boot Camp dual-boot application, said Gottheil. "It looks like they're trying to make it more viable as a flat-out game machine," he said.
Priced at $1,999, $2,499 and $2,799, the MacBook Pro models are powered by 2.4-GHz and 2.5-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo chips, include 2GB of memory, and pack 200GB and 250GB drives.
The MacBook lineup, which features three models, all sporting a 13.3-in. displays, now boasts Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1-GHz and 2.4-GHz processors. The trio also packs hard drives that boost storage capacity over yesterday's models by 33% to 56%. Other specifications remain the same for the three MacBooks, which still list for $1,099, $1,299 and $1,499.
The entry-level Apple laptop includes 1GB of memory, a CD-RW/DVD optical drive, integrated graphics and a built-in iSight video camera. The more expensive MacBooks feature 2GB of RAM, optical drives that also allow DVD recording, and in the highest-priced model, a black (rather than white) plastic case.
Missing from today's product rollout, however, were Time Capsule, the wireless storage appliance CEO Steve Jobs unveiled last month at Macworld, and the iPhone SDK (software development kit), which Jobs has also promised will debut this month.
The new MacBook and MacBook Pro portables are available now from Apple's own online store and retail chain, as well as its authorized resellers, the company said. According to the Apple online outlet, MacBooks will ship within 24 hours, but the new MacBook Pro models ship one to four days after ordering.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
software News
Microsoft yanks Vista SP1 update causing endless reboots
No fix, no word on whether this delays mid-March SP1 rollout
February 20, 2008 (Computerworld) Responding to reports of endlessly rebooting PCs that flooded support newsgroups last week, Microsoft Corp. said on Tuesday it had pulled an update designed to prep Windows Vista for Service Pack 1.
Although the update -- actually a pair of prerequisite files that modify Vista's install components -- has been temporarily pulled from Windows Update, Microsoft has not yet produced a fix for users whose machines either won't boot or reboot constantly.
"Immediately after receiving reports of this error, we made the decision to temporarily suspend automatic distribution of the update to avoid further customer impact while we investigate possible causes," said Nick White, a Vista program manager, in a post to the company's blo Tuesday afternoon.
White downplayed the problem. "So far, we've been able to determine that this problem only affects a small number of customers in unique circumstances. We are working to identify possible solutions and will make the update available again shortly after we address the issue."
According to White, Update 937287 was the cause of the problem. In a support document, Microsoft describes that update as one for Vista's installation software, "the component that handles the installation and the removal of software updates, language packs, optional Windows features and service packs." Along with a companion update pushed to users starting Feb. 12 and another that was offered to machines running Vista Ultimate and Vista Business in January, the guilty update is required before Vista can be upgraded to Service Pack 1 (SP1).
Shortly after the two prerequisites hit Windows Update last week, users began reporting problems on Microsoft's support newsgroups. Most said that the update hung as the message "Configuring Updates Step 3 of 3 -- 0% Complete" appeared on the screen. When users rebooted hoping to clear the error, their PCs went into an endless cycle of reboots. A smaller number of users said that their computers refused to boot normally.
Some users have been able to regain control by booting from a Vista install DVD and selecting the "Restore from a previous restore point" option.
What's it doing in there?It's uncertain whether Microsoft knows exactly why Update 937287 is hammering PCs. Even after White posted the company statement to the Vista blog, Darrell Gorter, a Microsoft employee, was asking users to send him system logs. "I still need more log files for the investigations that we are doing," Gorter said in a message on the support newsgroup. Late last week, Gorter made a similar request on the same message board.
Also unclear is the actual extent of the problem. Although White called the number "small," the traffic on the Vista SP1 newsgroup is heavy. One thread had been viewed more than 35,500 times by late Tuesday.
But the problem is not new. Computerworld has found messages describing the endless reboot problem dated Dec. 13, one day after it first offered a Vista SP1 release candidate to the general public. That build of SP1 also required the prerequisite updates, including 937287.
Microsoft was not available for comment Tuesday night to answer questions about whether, and if so how, the snafu will impact its plans to start offering SP1 to most users next month. Currently, only beta testers, Volume Licensing customers, and subscribers to TechNet Plus and Microsoft Developer Network have been able to download legal versions of the service pack.
That will change in mid-March when SP1 is set to land on Windows Update as an optional update, and again in mid-April when Microsoft said it would start installing SP1 automatically on most PCs running Vista.
No fix, no word on whether this delays mid-March SP1 rollout
February 20, 2008 (Computerworld) Responding to reports of endlessly rebooting PCs that flooded support newsgroups last week, Microsoft Corp. said on Tuesday it had pulled an update designed to prep Windows Vista for Service Pack 1.
Although the update -- actually a pair of prerequisite files that modify Vista's install components -- has been temporarily pulled from Windows Update, Microsoft has not yet produced a fix for users whose machines either won't boot or reboot constantly.
"Immediately after receiving reports of this error, we made the decision to temporarily suspend automatic distribution of the update to avoid further customer impact while we investigate possible causes," said Nick White, a Vista program manager, in a post to the company's blo Tuesday afternoon.
White downplayed the problem. "So far, we've been able to determine that this problem only affects a small number of customers in unique circumstances. We are working to identify possible solutions and will make the update available again shortly after we address the issue."
According to White, Update 937287 was the cause of the problem. In a support document, Microsoft describes that update as one for Vista's installation software, "the component that handles the installation and the removal of software updates, language packs, optional Windows features and service packs." Along with a companion update pushed to users starting Feb. 12 and another that was offered to machines running Vista Ultimate and Vista Business in January, the guilty update is required before Vista can be upgraded to Service Pack 1 (SP1).
Shortly after the two prerequisites hit Windows Update last week, users began reporting problems on Microsoft's support newsgroups. Most said that the update hung as the message "Configuring Updates Step 3 of 3 -- 0% Complete" appeared on the screen. When users rebooted hoping to clear the error, their PCs went into an endless cycle of reboots. A smaller number of users said that their computers refused to boot normally.
Some users have been able to regain control by booting from a Vista install DVD and selecting the "Restore from a previous restore point" option.
What's it doing in there?It's uncertain whether Microsoft knows exactly why Update 937287 is hammering PCs. Even after White posted the company statement to the Vista blog, Darrell Gorter, a Microsoft employee, was asking users to send him system logs. "I still need more log files for the investigations that we are doing," Gorter said in a message on the support newsgroup. Late last week, Gorter made a similar request on the same message board.
Also unclear is the actual extent of the problem. Although White called the number "small," the traffic on the Vista SP1 newsgroup is heavy. One thread had been viewed more than 35,500 times by late Tuesday.
But the problem is not new. Computerworld has found messages describing the endless reboot problem dated Dec. 13, one day after it first offered a Vista SP1 release candidate to the general public. That build of SP1 also required the prerequisite updates, including 937287.
Microsoft was not available for comment Tuesday night to answer questions about whether, and if so how, the snafu will impact its plans to start offering SP1 to most users next month. Currently, only beta testers, Volume Licensing customers, and subscribers to TechNet Plus and Microsoft Developer Network have been able to download legal versions of the service pack.
That will change in mid-March when SP1 is set to land on Windows Update as an optional update, and again in mid-April when Microsoft said it would start installing SP1 automatically on most PCs running Vista.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
software News
Toshiba makes it official, abandons HD-DVD format
The hi-def format war is over; Blu-ray won
February 19, 2008 (IDG News Service) Toshiba Corp. announced Tuesday that it will discontinue its HD-DVD products, handing victory to rival high-definition disc format Blu-ray Disc.
The company said it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD-DVD players and recorders. Instead it will reduce shipments of HD-DVD players and recorders to retail markets with plans to cease the businesses altogether by the end of March.
But the Japanese electronics giant pledged to provide full product support and after-sales service for owners of Toshiba HD-DVD products.
Recent changes in the market prompted the decision, Toshiba said. Early this year, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. said it would stop issuing movies on HD DVD in the coming months and rely exclusively on Blu-ray Disc. The Hollywood studio was one of three major studios remaining in the HD-DVD camp, and its defection created widespread belief that the battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc was now over.
More recently, major U.S. retail chain Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced it would phase out the sale of HD-DVD products, moving to exclusivity with Blu-ray Disc. Electronics retailer Best Buy Co. also said it would back Blu-ray Disc, but it did not say it would stop offering HD DVD.
Warner Bros. made its decision based on consumer confusion and indifference to high-definition movies, an indifference that cost Hollywood lost revenue, it said. Wal-Mart said U.S. customers preferred Blu-ray Disc movies and hardware. Blu-ray Disc is the high-definition disc format championed by Sony Corp.
"This once again shows why incompatible and mutually exclusive formats should be avoided at all cost by the industry," said Carl Gressum, an analyst at Ovum. "It reduces profitability and delays customer adoption."
"The big question is, however, the impact on Toshiba as an electronics company," he added. "It has, after all, bet its disc media business on HD DVD, as well as gone for HD-DVD integration into some of its laptop PCs. The channel has inventory to clear, and demands from owners of HD-DVD players."
Toshiba said its decision came after careful analysis of the long-term impact of continuing the format war, and said a swift decision was called for to help the high-definition market develop.
The company also pledged to remain a player in the high-definition market. Developing HD DVD created many assets for Toshiba and its partners, which include Microsoft, Intel, HP and Universal Studios, the company said. Toshiba plans to work with these companies to seek future business opportunities.
The hi-def format war is over; Blu-ray won
February 19, 2008 (IDG News Service) Toshiba Corp. announced Tuesday that it will discontinue its HD-DVD products, handing victory to rival high-definition disc format Blu-ray Disc.
The company said it will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD-DVD players and recorders. Instead it will reduce shipments of HD-DVD players and recorders to retail markets with plans to cease the businesses altogether by the end of March.
But the Japanese electronics giant pledged to provide full product support and after-sales service for owners of Toshiba HD-DVD products.
Recent changes in the market prompted the decision, Toshiba said. Early this year, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. said it would stop issuing movies on HD DVD in the coming months and rely exclusively on Blu-ray Disc. The Hollywood studio was one of three major studios remaining in the HD-DVD camp, and its defection created widespread belief that the battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc was now over.
More recently, major U.S. retail chain Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced it would phase out the sale of HD-DVD products, moving to exclusivity with Blu-ray Disc. Electronics retailer Best Buy Co. also said it would back Blu-ray Disc, but it did not say it would stop offering HD DVD.
Warner Bros. made its decision based on consumer confusion and indifference to high-definition movies, an indifference that cost Hollywood lost revenue, it said. Wal-Mart said U.S. customers preferred Blu-ray Disc movies and hardware. Blu-ray Disc is the high-definition disc format championed by Sony Corp.
"This once again shows why incompatible and mutually exclusive formats should be avoided at all cost by the industry," said Carl Gressum, an analyst at Ovum. "It reduces profitability and delays customer adoption."
"The big question is, however, the impact on Toshiba as an electronics company," he added. "It has, after all, bet its disc media business on HD DVD, as well as gone for HD-DVD integration into some of its laptop PCs. The channel has inventory to clear, and demands from owners of HD-DVD players."
Toshiba said its decision came after careful analysis of the long-term impact of continuing the format war, and said a swift decision was called for to help the high-definition market develop.
The company also pledged to remain a player in the high-definition market. Developing HD DVD created many assets for Toshiba and its partners, which include Microsoft, Intel, HP and Universal Studios, the company said. Toshiba plans to work with these companies to seek future business opportunities.
Friday, February 15, 2008
software News
SCO to get $100M bankruptcy bailout; McBride out if deal goes through
A bankruptcy court will have to approve latest proposal to save the company
February 14, 2008 (Computerworld) Five months after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as part of a reorganization effort last September, The SCO Group Inc. today unveiled a potential $100 million cash infusion and a plan to take the embattled company private.
In an announcement (download PDF), Lindon, Utah-based SCO said that the cash will come from Stephen Norris & Co. Capital Partners LP (SNCP) and partners in the Middle East who "have agreed to provide up to $100 million to finance a plan of reorganization for The SCO Group Inc."
Under the deal, which must be approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in Delaware who is reviewing the company's bankruptcy filing, SNCP would gain a controlling interest in the company and take it private.
Two notable clauses are present in a 15-page "Memorandum of Understanding" filed with the court by SNCP to outline the proposal: SCO CEO Darl C. McBride, who has led the company since 2002, would be required to "resign immediately" once the deal is completed, and SCO must "continue to pursue aggressively the company's claims in the Novell/IBM litigation and other pending litigation against AutoZone Inc."
SCO has been on the defensive since 2003, when the company filed a $5 billion lawsuit against IBM, alleging that it improperly contributed some of SCO's Unix intellectual property for use in Linux. SCO then also sued Novell Inc., charging that the company had falsely claimed to own the legal rights to Unix. Last August, SCO was handed a big defeat when a U.S. District Court judge in Utah ruled that Novell is, in fact, the owner of the Unix and UnixWare copyrights. The judge also ruled that as a result, Novell could direct SCO to revoke its copyright infringement claims against IBM.
Under the proposed deal, the cash infusion will mean that SCO "is poised to emerge from Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the coming year," according to the announcement. "The board of directors of SCO has unanimously determined that this financing and plan of reorganization is in the best long-term interest of SCO and its subsidiaries, as well as its customers, shareholders, creditors and employees," the statement continued.
SCO officials declined to answer questions about the arrangement late today.
Jeff Hunsaker, president and chief operating officer of SCO Operations, said in a statement that the deal would not only allow the company to emerge from bankruptcy, "but it also marks an exciting future for our business. This significant financial backing is positive news for SCO's customers, partners and resellers who continue to request upgrades and rely upon SCO's UNIX services to drive their business forward."
A new business plan has been established for the company "that includes unveiling new product lines aimed at global customers. This reorganization plan will also enable the company to see SCO's legal claims through to their full conclusion."
Stephen Norris, managing partner at SNCP, said in a statement that his company sees "tremendous investment opportunity in SCO and its vast range of products and services, including many new innovations ready or soon to be ready to be released into the marketplace. We expect to quickly develop these opportunities, and to stand behind SCO's existing base of customers and partners."
This isn't the first financial proposal made for SCO since it filed for bankruptcy. Last October, the company announced a "potential" $36 million payment for SCO's Unix business from JGD Management Corp., an umbrella business of New York-based investment firm York Capital Management LLC. The deal did not go through.
In recent months, SCO has been focusing on its initiatives for software aimed at mobile devices. In the past two weeks, SCO announced layoffs of about 30 workers as part of a reorganization plan. The announcement was made in a Form 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
A bankruptcy court will have to approve latest proposal to save the company
February 14, 2008 (Computerworld) Five months after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as part of a reorganization effort last September, The SCO Group Inc. today unveiled a potential $100 million cash infusion and a plan to take the embattled company private.
In an announcement (download PDF), Lindon, Utah-based SCO said that the cash will come from Stephen Norris & Co. Capital Partners LP (SNCP) and partners in the Middle East who "have agreed to provide up to $100 million to finance a plan of reorganization for The SCO Group Inc."
Under the deal, which must be approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge in Delaware who is reviewing the company's bankruptcy filing, SNCP would gain a controlling interest in the company and take it private.
Two notable clauses are present in a 15-page "Memorandum of Understanding" filed with the court by SNCP to outline the proposal: SCO CEO Darl C. McBride, who has led the company since 2002, would be required to "resign immediately" once the deal is completed, and SCO must "continue to pursue aggressively the company's claims in the Novell/IBM litigation and other pending litigation against AutoZone Inc."
SCO has been on the defensive since 2003, when the company filed a $5 billion lawsuit against IBM, alleging that it improperly contributed some of SCO's Unix intellectual property for use in Linux. SCO then also sued Novell Inc., charging that the company had falsely claimed to own the legal rights to Unix. Last August, SCO was handed a big defeat when a U.S. District Court judge in Utah ruled that Novell is, in fact, the owner of the Unix and UnixWare copyrights. The judge also ruled that as a result, Novell could direct SCO to revoke its copyright infringement claims against IBM.
Under the proposed deal, the cash infusion will mean that SCO "is poised to emerge from Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the coming year," according to the announcement. "The board of directors of SCO has unanimously determined that this financing and plan of reorganization is in the best long-term interest of SCO and its subsidiaries, as well as its customers, shareholders, creditors and employees," the statement continued.
SCO officials declined to answer questions about the arrangement late today.
Jeff Hunsaker, president and chief operating officer of SCO Operations, said in a statement that the deal would not only allow the company to emerge from bankruptcy, "but it also marks an exciting future for our business. This significant financial backing is positive news for SCO's customers, partners and resellers who continue to request upgrades and rely upon SCO's UNIX services to drive their business forward."
A new business plan has been established for the company "that includes unveiling new product lines aimed at global customers. This reorganization plan will also enable the company to see SCO's legal claims through to their full conclusion."
Stephen Norris, managing partner at SNCP, said in a statement that his company sees "tremendous investment opportunity in SCO and its vast range of products and services, including many new innovations ready or soon to be ready to be released into the marketplace. We expect to quickly develop these opportunities, and to stand behind SCO's existing base of customers and partners."
This isn't the first financial proposal made for SCO since it filed for bankruptcy. Last October, the company announced a "potential" $36 million payment for SCO's Unix business from JGD Management Corp., an umbrella business of New York-based investment firm York Capital Management LLC. The deal did not go through.
In recent months, SCO has been focusing on its initiatives for software aimed at mobile devices. In the past two weeks, SCO announced layoffs of about 30 workers as part of a reorganization plan. The announcement was made in a Form 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
software News
Mozilla delivers Firefox 3 Beta 3
Security, download, Linux and Mac theme changes on tap, plugs more than 50 new memory leaks
February 13, 2008 (Computerworld) Mozilla Corp. released the third beta of Firefox 3 yesterday, eight weeks after it made the last major milestone for its open-source browser, and right on a schedule it set a dozen days ago.
Mike Beltzner, Mozilla's interface designer, touted additions and enhancements to Beta 3 in a post to the company's Web site Tuesday, touting several new or enhanced security features, an improved download manager, one-click bookmarking, offline application support, faster page rendering and new progress on plugging the browser's noted "memory leaks."
As he has previously, Beltzner discouraged casual users from trying the new code. "We do not recommend that anyone other than developers and testers download the Firefox 3 Beta 3 milestone release," he said. "It is intended for testing purposes only."
Mozilla has already committed to at least one more beta before Firefox is allowed to move on to release candidate stage. A week and a half ago, however, Beltzner declined to set a release schedule for the next beta, saying then only that: "Our goal is to do a quick turnaround on Firefox 3 Beta 4."
In its release notes, Mozilla trumpeted the fact that Beta 3 includes more than 1,300 changes made since mid-December's Beta 2, and boasted that its developers had also plugged over 50 new memory leaks in the last eight weeks.
Firefox has long been criticized by users for consuming increasing amounts of memory the longer it remains open, to the point where the browser hinders overall performance on the computer. The company made leak plugging a top priority, particularly after a member of the Mozilla board of directors said late last year that memory problems would make it tough to compete in the mobile browser market.
Firefox 3 Beta 3 also uses an XPCOM cycle collector that, said Mozilla, "completely eliminates many more [leaks]." The cycle collector, which periodically checks memory usage and tries to free any unused memory, has been in play since last summer, but as Beta 3 development has proceeded, more of its code has been written, or rewritten, to support the collector.
One noted addition to Firefox 3, however, is still buggy. Places, a souped-up bookmarking and browser history management tool that was once slated for Firefox 2, does not yet allow users to shuffle bookmarks by dragging and dropping. According to notes from a Tuesday Firefox 3 status meeting, Places is stuck.
"Cannot drag-and-drop items across different views/menus," the notes read. "This is blocking on resolution of platform bug 389931, which is a P1 [Priority 1 -- Ed.] blocker regression from the thread manager rewrite, and seemingly unowned (no response from owner since July 2007). This is the cause of much weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Firefox 3 Beta 3 can be downloaded for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux in 32 languages from Mozilla's site.
Security, download, Linux and Mac theme changes on tap, plugs more than 50 new memory leaks
February 13, 2008 (Computerworld) Mozilla Corp. released the third beta of Firefox 3 yesterday, eight weeks after it made the last major milestone for its open-source browser, and right on a schedule it set a dozen days ago.
Mike Beltzner, Mozilla's interface designer, touted additions and enhancements to Beta 3 in a post to the company's Web site Tuesday, touting several new or enhanced security features, an improved download manager, one-click bookmarking, offline application support, faster page rendering and new progress on plugging the browser's noted "memory leaks."
As he has previously, Beltzner discouraged casual users from trying the new code. "We do not recommend that anyone other than developers and testers download the Firefox 3 Beta 3 milestone release," he said. "It is intended for testing purposes only."
Mozilla has already committed to at least one more beta before Firefox is allowed to move on to release candidate stage. A week and a half ago, however, Beltzner declined to set a release schedule for the next beta, saying then only that: "Our goal is to do a quick turnaround on Firefox 3 Beta 4."
In its release notes, Mozilla trumpeted the fact that Beta 3 includes more than 1,300 changes made since mid-December's Beta 2, and boasted that its developers had also plugged over 50 new memory leaks in the last eight weeks.
Firefox has long been criticized by users for consuming increasing amounts of memory the longer it remains open, to the point where the browser hinders overall performance on the computer. The company made leak plugging a top priority, particularly after a member of the Mozilla board of directors said late last year that memory problems would make it tough to compete in the mobile browser market.
Firefox 3 Beta 3 also uses an XPCOM cycle collector that, said Mozilla, "completely eliminates many more [leaks]." The cycle collector, which periodically checks memory usage and tries to free any unused memory, has been in play since last summer, but as Beta 3 development has proceeded, more of its code has been written, or rewritten, to support the collector.
One noted addition to Firefox 3, however, is still buggy. Places, a souped-up bookmarking and browser history management tool that was once slated for Firefox 2, does not yet allow users to shuffle bookmarks by dragging and dropping. According to notes from a Tuesday Firefox 3 status meeting, Places is stuck.
"Cannot drag-and-drop items across different views/menus," the notes read. "This is blocking on resolution of platform bug 389931, which is a P1 [Priority 1 -- Ed.] blocker regression from the thread manager rewrite, and seemingly unowned (no response from owner since July 2007). This is the cause of much weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Firefox 3 Beta 3 can be downloaded for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux in 32 languages from Mozilla's site.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
software News
Messages safe in BlackBerry outage, RIM says
An apology but no explanation for three-hour service failure
February 12, 2008 (IDG News Service) Research In Motion Ltd. acknowledged that an outage left users in North America without access to their BlackBerry e-mail service on Monday, but it said no messages were lost during the incident.
The outage started around 3:30 p.m. Eastern time and lasted for about three hours, causing "intermittent delays" for data services, RIM said in an e-mail statement released hours after normal BlackBerry service had been restored.
"No messages were lost, and message queues began to be cleared after normal service levels were restored," RIM said, adding that voice and Short Messaging Service services operated normally during the outage.
Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM apologized to users affected by the outage, but it did not offer an explanation of what happened. The company only said it "continues to focus on providing industry-leading reliability in its products and services."
Monday's outage echoed a similar disruption that took place on April 17 and 18. RIM blamed the earlier service disruption on the introduction of a new software routine meant to optimize system cache memory. The problems caused by the introduction of the new routine were exacerbated by the poor performance of backup systems, RIM said at the time.
After the April outage, RIM promised that aspects of its testing, monitoring and recovery systems would be enhanced to prevent a recurrence of the incident.
An apology but no explanation for three-hour service failure
February 12, 2008 (IDG News Service) Research In Motion Ltd. acknowledged that an outage left users in North America without access to their BlackBerry e-mail service on Monday, but it said no messages were lost during the incident.
The outage started around 3:30 p.m. Eastern time and lasted for about three hours, causing "intermittent delays" for data services, RIM said in an e-mail statement released hours after normal BlackBerry service had been restored.
"No messages were lost, and message queues began to be cleared after normal service levels were restored," RIM said, adding that voice and Short Messaging Service services operated normally during the outage.
Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM apologized to users affected by the outage, but it did not offer an explanation of what happened. The company only said it "continues to focus on providing industry-leading reliability in its products and services."
Monday's outage echoed a similar disruption that took place on April 17 and 18. RIM blamed the earlier service disruption on the introduction of a new software routine meant to optimize system cache memory. The problems caused by the introduction of the new routine were exacerbated by the poor performance of backup systems, RIM said at the time.
After the April outage, RIM promised that aspects of its testing, monitoring and recovery systems would be enhanced to prevent a recurrence of the incident.
Monday, February 11, 2008
software News
Yahoo says Microsoft offer undervalues company
Microsoft may have to up ante or pursue hostile takeover
February 11, 2008 (IDG News Service) Confirming weekend reports, Yahoo Inc. today rejected Microsoft Corp.s $44.6 billion cash-and-stock offer, saying the unsolicited proposal substantially undervalues the company.
In a statement, Yahoo said that its management team, along with financial and legal advisers, believe the offer doesn't reflect cash flow, earnings potential or recent investments in its advertising platform.
Further, Yahoo said its board would continue to evaluate other "strategic options."
"We remain committed to pursuing initiatives that maximize value for all stockholders," the statement said.
Microsoft offered $31 per share on Feb. 1, which was a 62% premium over Yahoo's closing price the day before. Since then, Yahoo's stock has risen in value and was trading just above $29 this morning.
Yahoo's executives were rumored to have been searching for a buyer other than Microsoft. However, no buyer has emerged. Yahoo's latest moves mean that Microsoft may have to make a more generous offer or pursue a hostile takeover.
Microsoft said it believes the acquisition of Yahoo would give it the engineering talent and resources to compete better with Google Inc.. While Microsoft and Yahoo have had some success with display advertising, Google has built a fortune on contextual text ads that appear during a search.
Microsoft may have to up ante or pursue hostile takeover
February 11, 2008 (IDG News Service) Confirming weekend reports, Yahoo Inc. today rejected Microsoft Corp.s $44.6 billion cash-and-stock offer, saying the unsolicited proposal substantially undervalues the company.
In a statement, Yahoo said that its management team, along with financial and legal advisers, believe the offer doesn't reflect cash flow, earnings potential or recent investments in its advertising platform.
Further, Yahoo said its board would continue to evaluate other "strategic options."
"We remain committed to pursuing initiatives that maximize value for all stockholders," the statement said.
Microsoft offered $31 per share on Feb. 1, which was a 62% premium over Yahoo's closing price the day before. Since then, Yahoo's stock has risen in value and was trading just above $29 this morning.
Yahoo's executives were rumored to have been searching for a buyer other than Microsoft. However, no buyer has emerged. Yahoo's latest moves mean that Microsoft may have to make a more generous offer or pursue a hostile takeover.
Microsoft said it believes the acquisition of Yahoo would give it the engineering talent and resources to compete better with Google Inc.. While Microsoft and Yahoo have had some success with display advertising, Google has built a fortune on contextual text ads that appear during a search.
Friday, February 8, 2008
software News
Users blast Microsoft over Vista SP1 schedule
Company acknowledges discontent, but hasn't changed mind on March availability
February 7, 2008 (Computerworld) Users upset over Microsoft Corp.'s decision to postpone delivery of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) for six weeks have flooded a company blog with comments voicing their displeasure and frustration. Many of the users have identified themselves as developers, IT administrators and partners of the software vendor.
Microsoft has left the door open, if only a crack, to a change in how it gets SP1 to users.
Early Monday morning, Mike Nash, vice president of Windows product management, announced that Vista SP1 had reached RTM, or release to manufacturing, but he then added that the update would not be available to users via Windows Update, Microsoft's online Download Center, MSDN or TechNet until mid-March. Nash said the delay was due to an unspecified -- and unnamed -- number of device drivers that could stymie the update or give users problems.
Nash said that Microsoft will take the intervening weeks to identify as many of those drivers as possible prior to blocking SP1 updates from reaching PCs with any of those drivers installed.
Within minutes of Nash posting to the Vista team's blog, users began labeling the move as "stupid," "unbelievable" and "one of the all-time worst moves."
"[This] must be the stupidest announcement I have ever read," said a user identified as "Fredik70." "[Five] years to get Windows Vista ready, almost 1 1/4 years to get Service Pack 1 ready ... your pace at getting out new products must be the slowest in the industry. And now you are artificially making it even slower by just waiting, doing nothing, for six weeks. Unbelievable."
"Did you even run this past one person outside of Microsoft for input?" asked a user dubbed "ntpro." "This is going to be wildly rejected by your user community and most loyal supporters."
A few who left comments correctly predicted the future. "What do you think's gonna happen today/tomorrow?" asked a user tagged as "bn420" on Monday morning. "It will be on BitTorrent and other sites leaked." That's exactly what happened. Later Monday, Vista SP1 RTM, as well as Windows Server 2008's final code, started showing up in searches at BitTorrent tracker sites such as The Pirate Bay.
Others were incredulous that Microsoft was making them -- the technically astute -- wait while SP1's rollout was prepared for the masses. Many claimed that they knew what they were doing and that if they encountered a balky device driver, they'd be able to handle it. Release Vista SP1 to Microsoft's download site, they said.
"Surely the more technical users are smart enough to get around the driver problem if it affects them and shouldn't have to wait because of other users," said "markm66." "That is just stupid."
"I can understand and even support not releasing it immediately to [Windows Update] to give IT folks and developers a head start, but not releasing it to the Download Center, MSDN, TechNet?" said "daedulus." "Effectively leaving all of us in the IT community who have helped test and work through the issues out in the cold for six more weeks?"
Several argued that the delay would hinder, not help, the adoption of Vista and in some cases cost them money. "As a partner, I need to see this stuff and get my testing done so I can try and make some inroads with my customers," said "summit_pcguy." "[Six] weeks to wait for a download is six more weeks that Microsoft won't sell Vista to businesses."
Company acknowledges discontent, but hasn't changed mind on March availability
February 7, 2008 (Computerworld) Users upset over Microsoft Corp.'s decision to postpone delivery of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) for six weeks have flooded a company blog with comments voicing their displeasure and frustration. Many of the users have identified themselves as developers, IT administrators and partners of the software vendor.
Microsoft has left the door open, if only a crack, to a change in how it gets SP1 to users.
Early Monday morning, Mike Nash, vice president of Windows product management, announced that Vista SP1 had reached RTM, or release to manufacturing, but he then added that the update would not be available to users via Windows Update, Microsoft's online Download Center, MSDN or TechNet until mid-March. Nash said the delay was due to an unspecified -- and unnamed -- number of device drivers that could stymie the update or give users problems.
Nash said that Microsoft will take the intervening weeks to identify as many of those drivers as possible prior to blocking SP1 updates from reaching PCs with any of those drivers installed.
Within minutes of Nash posting to the Vista team's blog, users began labeling the move as "stupid," "unbelievable" and "one of the all-time worst moves."
"[This] must be the stupidest announcement I have ever read," said a user identified as "Fredik70." "[Five] years to get Windows Vista ready, almost 1 1/4 years to get Service Pack 1 ready ... your pace at getting out new products must be the slowest in the industry. And now you are artificially making it even slower by just waiting, doing nothing, for six weeks. Unbelievable."
"Did you even run this past one person outside of Microsoft for input?" asked a user dubbed "ntpro." "This is going to be wildly rejected by your user community and most loyal supporters."
A few who left comments correctly predicted the future. "What do you think's gonna happen today/tomorrow?" asked a user tagged as "bn420" on Monday morning. "It will be on BitTorrent and other sites leaked." That's exactly what happened. Later Monday, Vista SP1 RTM, as well as Windows Server 2008's final code, started showing up in searches at BitTorrent tracker sites such as The Pirate Bay.
Others were incredulous that Microsoft was making them -- the technically astute -- wait while SP1's rollout was prepared for the masses. Many claimed that they knew what they were doing and that if they encountered a balky device driver, they'd be able to handle it. Release Vista SP1 to Microsoft's download site, they said.
"Surely the more technical users are smart enough to get around the driver problem if it affects them and shouldn't have to wait because of other users," said "markm66." "That is just stupid."
"I can understand and even support not releasing it immediately to [Windows Update] to give IT folks and developers a head start, but not releasing it to the Download Center, MSDN, TechNet?" said "daedulus." "Effectively leaving all of us in the IT community who have helped test and work through the issues out in the cold for six more weeks?"
Several argued that the delay would hinder, not help, the adoption of Vista and in some cases cost them money. "As a partner, I need to see this stuff and get my testing done so I can try and make some inroads with my customers," said "summit_pcguy." "[Six] weeks to wait for a download is six more weeks that Microsoft won't sell Vista to businesses."
Thursday, February 7, 2008
software News
Vista's driver ills aren't just Microsoft's fault
The software giant as beleaguered parent
February 7, 2008 (Computerworld) Microsoft Corp.'s debacle with Windows Vista device drivers malfunctioning after an upgrade to Service Pack 1 is an expected, almost inevitable result of the strategic path it took with Windows' initial release more than two decades ago.
While Microsoft has always developed its own software as well as some hardware (think keyboards and mice), it has long relied on partners to create an unparalleled selection of applications and hardware devices that has become one of Windows' chief attractions.
But in trying to preside over this huge ecosystem of partners, Microsoft often more resembles a beleaguered parent than an iron-fisted ruler.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the area of device drivers. To make Vista attractive to customers, Microsoft wants as many devices as possible to run on the OS. At Vista's launch last January, Microsoft claimed that 1.6 million devices supported Vista. That number was quickly forgotten amidst widespread reports of nonworking devices.
The problem is that hardware vendors hate writing drivers because of the difficulty and lack of reward, according to Ian Lao, an analyst at In-Stat Inc. After all, any large vendor (think Logitech or HP) has hundreds of discontinued products that are still new enough that there will be customers wanting to run them on Windows Vista.
As a result, vendors cut corners by patching existing drivers to make them run on a new OS or update, even it that makes the code more fragile. Or they simply ignore Microsoft's nagging.
This makes getting a comprehensive set of drivers ready for a new release "an incredibly difficult task," said Lee Nicholls, a global solutions director for Getronics NV, a systems integrator and close Microsoft partner. Microsoft "has to cover a huge amount of hardware and software driver libraries provided by partners and OEMs."
Nicholls agrees that the responsibility of having drivers available is shared equally by device makers and Microsoft.
"But that's still a big burden. Older devices and sometimes even new ones can slip through the cracks," he said. "Microsoft have a much tougher job cut out for them than, for example, Apple, who only support a limited hardware platform with their operating system."
Microsoft has some carrots to dangle in front of hardware makers. The chief incentive is its Windows Logo program. Devices whose drivers pass a Vista validation test can place a sticker on its packaging with the sales-enhancing proclamation that they are either "Certified for Windows Vista" or their product "Works With Windows Vista." Microsoft will also distribute those drivers for them via Windows Update.
But Microsoft has not updated its Windows Logo program to require drivers to be tested specifically against SP1. It hasn't even offered revamped driver validation tests that specifically certify compatibility with SP1, according to several sources, including peripheral maker Inte Corp., and Macrovision Inc., which sells the Installshield software for creating driver installation packages.
As a result, "it's possible that a Vista driver is incompatible with Vista SP1," said Jeff Greenwald, director of installation product management at Macrovision.
Microsoft did not respond to specific questions about when it planned to update its Windows Logo program or its driver validation tests for SP1.
"We're still in the process of reaching out to the specific hardware partners that are affected and are providing them with the necessary guidance to ensure a smooth installation," it said in an e-mailed statement.
A weight problem and a wait problemOf course, vendors could have tried to run their drivers on Release Candidate (RC) versions of Vista SP1, which have been available since the fall.
The software giant as beleaguered parent
February 7, 2008 (Computerworld) Microsoft Corp.'s debacle with Windows Vista device drivers malfunctioning after an upgrade to Service Pack 1 is an expected, almost inevitable result of the strategic path it took with Windows' initial release more than two decades ago.
While Microsoft has always developed its own software as well as some hardware (think keyboards and mice), it has long relied on partners to create an unparalleled selection of applications and hardware devices that has become one of Windows' chief attractions.
But in trying to preside over this huge ecosystem of partners, Microsoft often more resembles a beleaguered parent than an iron-fisted ruler.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the area of device drivers. To make Vista attractive to customers, Microsoft wants as many devices as possible to run on the OS. At Vista's launch last January, Microsoft claimed that 1.6 million devices supported Vista. That number was quickly forgotten amidst widespread reports of nonworking devices.
The problem is that hardware vendors hate writing drivers because of the difficulty and lack of reward, according to Ian Lao, an analyst at In-Stat Inc. After all, any large vendor (think Logitech or HP) has hundreds of discontinued products that are still new enough that there will be customers wanting to run them on Windows Vista.
As a result, vendors cut corners by patching existing drivers to make them run on a new OS or update, even it that makes the code more fragile. Or they simply ignore Microsoft's nagging.
This makes getting a comprehensive set of drivers ready for a new release "an incredibly difficult task," said Lee Nicholls, a global solutions director for Getronics NV, a systems integrator and close Microsoft partner. Microsoft "has to cover a huge amount of hardware and software driver libraries provided by partners and OEMs."
Nicholls agrees that the responsibility of having drivers available is shared equally by device makers and Microsoft.
"But that's still a big burden. Older devices and sometimes even new ones can slip through the cracks," he said. "Microsoft have a much tougher job cut out for them than, for example, Apple, who only support a limited hardware platform with their operating system."
Microsoft has some carrots to dangle in front of hardware makers. The chief incentive is its Windows Logo program. Devices whose drivers pass a Vista validation test can place a sticker on its packaging with the sales-enhancing proclamation that they are either "Certified for Windows Vista" or their product "Works With Windows Vista." Microsoft will also distribute those drivers for them via Windows Update.
But Microsoft has not updated its Windows Logo program to require drivers to be tested specifically against SP1. It hasn't even offered revamped driver validation tests that specifically certify compatibility with SP1, according to several sources, including peripheral maker Inte Corp., and Macrovision Inc., which sells the Installshield software for creating driver installation packages.
As a result, "it's possible that a Vista driver is incompatible with Vista SP1," said Jeff Greenwald, director of installation product management at Macrovision.
Microsoft did not respond to specific questions about when it planned to update its Windows Logo program or its driver validation tests for SP1.
"We're still in the process of reaching out to the specific hardware partners that are affected and are providing them with the necessary guidance to ensure a smooth installation," it said in an e-mailed statement.
A weight problem and a wait problemOf course, vendors could have tried to run their drivers on Release Candidate (RC) versions of Vista SP1, which have been available since the fall.
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