Sun to acquire MySQL for $1B

Sun Microsystems will acquire software company MySQL for $1 billion, the companies said.

Review: Microsoft Office for Mac 2008: better than iWork?

Microsoft's latest version of Office for Mac adds some nifty interface improvements and a bunch of new features. Should you switch?

Four Fantastic Freeware Finds

Get more efficient with free mail, Internet, file management and system utilitiy tools -- plus much more.

Open-source community sees promise in MySQL deal

Open-source advocates and industry watchers saw benefits to Sun's acquisition of MySQL that could mean greater use of open-source software in enterprise IT and more financial security to MySQL.

Scientists use monkey's brain signals to control robot

A team of scientists in the U.S. and Japan have successfully used brain waves from a monkey to control a robot.

Microsoft cancels conference for mobile and embedded developers

The company is dropping its Mobile and Embedded DevCon show and pointing prospective attendees toward its own Tech-Ed conference and a third-party embedded systems event.

VMware buys application-virtualization firm

Thinstall's platform delivers applications to clients without requiring pre-installed software.

On Netscape's Demise

The death of Netscape seems an inappropriate measure of the success of the Microsoft antitrust decree.

Six Firms Settle Software License Disputes

Six companies have agreed to pay nearly $700,000 to settle software licensing disputes, according to the Business Software Alliance.

IBM Q4 results boosted by exchange rates

IBM reported strong fourth-quarter earnings on Monday, beating analysts' expectations. It plans to provide its full earnings report later this week.

Two-thirds of Oracle DBAs don't apply security patches

In surprising results, a survey finds that two-thirds of Oracle DBAs appear not to be installing Oracle's security patches.

IBM's Q4 results raise more questions about U.S. IT spending

IBM's preliminary fourth-quarter earnings report exceeded the expectations of financial analysts. But the company didn't give any credit to its business in the U.S.

Kumar completes $52M restitution payment for fraud at CA

Former CA Inc. chief executive Sanjay Kumar has made the final $2 million payment of the $52 million he owed in restitution for his involvement in a $2.2 billion accounting fraud at the software company.

Open XML trumps ODF in document format fight, consulting firm says

Burton Group, in a report that it said wasn't commissioned or funded by Microsoft, recommends that users adopt Microsoft's Open XML file format instead of the rival ODF one.

Ecma makes Open XML changes in bid to swing ISO votes

The Ecma International standards body has completed a 2,300-page document with responses to comments about its proposal to have Microsoft's Office Open XML file format accepted by ISO.

IE still top dog over Firefox in corporate browser kennel

Firefox continues to bite into Internet Explorer's market share. But users and analysts say that Mozilla hasn't changed its laissez-faire attitude about trying to get IT managers to formally adopt the open-source browser.

FAQ: Why is enterprise search harder than Google Web search?

In addition to the other things it has changed in the world, Google has profoundly raised users' expectations for other search technology. So why is it so much harder to get search right at the enterprise level? Our FAQ explains.

CES: PC-to-Mac file transfer, Intel solid-state drives draw a crowd

Storage and data transfer technologies on display at CES included some newcomers, including a device to handle file transfers between PCs and Macs. Intel also waded into the solid-state storage fray with two drive announcements.

Parallels Server hits public beta

The product will run multiple copies of Mac OS X Server v10.5 Leopard on a single machine, which SWsoft claims is a first.

Kapor to phase out involvement in open-source group

Mitch Kapor will phase out his involvement in the Open Source Applications Foundation, which he founded in 2001.