Tibco scoops up software company

Tibco Software is stepping into the software development tool market with the acquisition of privately held General Interface, the company said on Tuesday. Tibco would not disclose how much it has agreed to pay for the tiny San Francisco company, which employs fewer than 10 people. General Interface makes programs for creating application software that people can access via a Web browser.

With the acquired technology, Tibco, a "middleware" specialist, will offer its business customers tools to build new programs that tap into their other information technology systems, Tibco said. The company, based in Palo Alto, Calif., has more than 2,000 customers and raked in $264 million in revenue last year.