corporate

A trail of breadcrumbs seems to be connecting database powerhouse Oracle with the Ubuntu version of Linux.

The most recent crumb was a report last week by Jeffries & Co. analyst Katherine Egbert. "Our independent checks in the past two weeks indicate that Oracle seems to be close to introducing its own software 'stack,' featuring Ubuntu Linux. We have heard that Ubuntu is currently working to certify its recently introduced server operating system to all of Oracle's major products, including database and middleware," Egbert said.

A likely time to announce such news, she said, would be the … Read more

VMware, an EMC subsidiary that that once had the x86 server virtualization market to itself, released on Friday a technology preview that helps bridge a divide with open-source rival Xen.

Virtualization lets multiple operating systems run on the same machine, a technology that can increase server efficiency. Paravirtualization is related, but in comparison offers higher performance and requires that an operating system be explicitly adapted to the virtualized foundation on which it's running.

VMware's virtualization foundation thus far employs full virtualization, while Xen and an upcoming alternative from Microsoft code-named Viridian employ paravirtualization. VMware's preview technology lets … Read more

EMC is likely to acquire business partner Network Intelligence next week for a price between $170 million to $175 million, a source familiar with the plan said.

Beyond the initial acquisition price, a further payout could elevate the price as high as about $250 million if the company meets future financial goals, the source said. The company's annual revenue is about $20 million to $25 million, the source said.

Network Solutions sells software that converts a company's data into a form useful for audits and regulatory compliance. It already has a partnership with EMC, whose Centera storage system … Read more

PALO ALTO, Calif.--Hewlett-Packard and Intel were pleased when Oracle Chief Executive Larry Ellison made a video appearance to help tout Itanium servers before mutual customers.

But there was much whispering and hubbub when the audience noticed the Compaq logo on his chest. The logo was retired for all but a few PC products after HP acquired its rival in 2002. Even HP and Intel CEOs Mark Hurd and Paul Otellini suppressed a chuckle as they watched from the stage at HP headquarters here.

It's likely Ellison can't plead ignorance for his branding faux pas. In a January … Read more

JBoss Chief Executive Marc Fleury isn't commenting on reports that Oracle plans to acquire his company, but the outspoken exec has published remarks in his blog that indicate there could be serious philosophical incompatibilities between the companies.

Specifically, JBoss' priority on open-source software (OSS) might not fit well with Oracle's proprietary products, judging by Fleury's view.

"JBoss has always been about pure open source. We started in OSS and we will die in OSS," Fleury said Tuesday on his blog.

In his blog, he singled out rivals IBM and BEA Systems with criticisms of appropriating … Read more

Mark Hurd and Paul Otellini, the respective chief executives of Hewlett-Packard and Intel, are joining mutual customers on March 2 in Palo Alto, Calif., to discuss work to further their alliance around the Itanium processor.

According to an advertisement for the event, which HP will Webcast, the two executives will "take the challenges of enterprise computing head-on." A video appearance by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison hints that there may be news addressing some of the software hurdles that have hobbled Itanium's arrival in the marketplace.

HP initiated the Itanium project in the late 1980s, then signed a … Read more

Oracle and JBoss haven't commented on a BusinessWeek report that the database giant is acquiring the open-source Java application server specialist--but a rival of both companies has confirmed that JBoss has been on the market.

BEA Systems, which sells application server software of its own, decided against acquiring JBoss when presented with the opportunity, said Chief Marketing Officer Marge Breya in an interview Friday. One significant problem was the price was too high, and another was that BEA didn't like JBoss' open-source practices.

"JBoss has been shopping itself around for months," Breya said, during which BEA … Read more

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.--Oracle will extend its license to Sun Microsystems' Java software technology for another 10 years, Sun CEO Scott McNealy and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said Tuesday.

"You guys are signing up for another 10 years of collaboration and cooperation," McNealy said at an employee meeting at Oracle's headquarters here, praising Oracle for its years of work

The move comes a few months after another long-term Java licensee, IBM, also extended its Java license 10 years.

Larry Ellison and Scott McNealy, the respective CEOs of Oracle and Sun Microsystems, will squeeze their egos into the same room at Oracle headquarters Tuesday to detail partnership plans, according a Thursday news advisory.

The two executives have had a close business relationship for years; Oracle's database and other server software products are popular on Sun's servers. But there has been some friction of late as Oracle touted Linux and Dell servers and McNealy bashed Oracle's pricing.

Tuesday's meeting, billed as a "Sun/Oracle employee town hall," will address a number of issues, according … Read more