Oracle Outbids SAP to Acquire Retek
Oracle outbid German competitor SAP and won the bidding contest to acquire retail software maker Retek Inc., receiving the nod from Retek's board of directors. The merger agreement obligates Oracle to buy up Retek's stock at $11.25 per share for a total purchase price of $670 million.
Retek has a long history of partnership with Oracle dating back to 1986. Oracle's own estimates have found that nearly 80 percent of Retek's customers are already running applications using its business software. By purchasing Retek, Oracle is obtaining established vertical solutions for its database platform.
Symantec: Internet Security Attacks Up
Security vendor Symantec has published a bi-annual report that shows an increase in the number of Web attacks, severe and easy to exploit vulnerabilities, phishing scams and threats to Windows. According to the report, businesses are now averaging 13.6 security incidents per day, up from 10.6 earlier in the year.
Symantec analyzed trends in security risks and Internet attacks from July 1, 2004 to Dec. 31, 2004.
One Month Later, ICQ 5 Announced
America Online subsidiary ICQ has formally announced ICQ 5 more than one month after the software was made available for download.
ICQ 5 fastens advanced communications capabilities including a walkie-talkie like Voice over IP (VoIP) function called Push2Talk and improved video conferencing to the client. Other improvements are added customization and expanded core features.
AOL Betas Pinpoint Travel Search
Monday, America Online will begin beta testing a new vertical search site called Pinpoint Travel that will be combined with its AOL Search portal when it is completed. The concept behind the site is to create a one-stop destination for members and non-members alike to find "travel deals" from listings of more than 500 airlines and 85,000 hotels worldwide.
Unlike traditional search engines that only return aggregated results, vertical search engines apply filters and specialize in fulfilling specific needs. Pinpoint travel is the latest entry into AOL's stable of vertical search sites including AOL Local Search and SingingFish.com for digital media. Pinpoint Travel is based on technology from Kayak.com, which AOL partnered with late last year.
Report: Internet Usage Flattening
Analysis of major Internet markets has revealed that the time netizens spend online at home has come close to hitting a plateau in many major markets.
Nielsen/NetRatings, a syndicated rating system for Internet audience measurement, measured markets in Brazil, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States and found them to be maturing. In contrast, Australia, France, Hong Kong, Italy and Japan experienced double-digit growth.
iPod Creates Mac 'Halo Effect'
A report by Morgan Stanley analyst Rebecca Runkle has determined that Apple's iPod digital music player has inspired brand switching away from the PC to Macs. In her report, Runkle wrote that the conversation rate among owners of the iPod was approximately 20 percent with the possibility of gaining another 5 percent in the near future
This creates what is referred to as an iPod "halo effect" on purchase behavior. A survey that measured the attitude of iPod users versus a control group of non-users found that 43 percent would consider purchasing a Mac as their next computer compared with 15 percent in the control group.
Linspire Goes Five-0
After a year of development time, Linspire has released version Five-0 of its Linux desktop. The most significant changes were made to the user interface; other changes include better support for laptops and hardware, Internet optimization and an updated catalogue of bundled applications.
Linspire Five-0 is based on the Linux kernel 2.6.10 and KDE desktop environment. Since it is Linux based, Linspire is ready to run more than 2000 available programs from the open source community which are downloadable on demand through Linspire's click and run (CNR) software library.
Researchers Count a Million Zombie PCs
The BBC has reported that there are as many as one million "zombie" PCs connected to the Internet. Zombies are machines that have been compromised by hackers and hijacked to carry out attacks against Web sites and spread malware and spam.
The BBC's report indicated that investigators spent several months tracking more than one hundred networks of remotely-controlled machines with the largest network being comprised of 50,000 home computers.
Google Curries Favor with Developers
Google engineers have used their flex time to create a set of online tools for open source developers. The tools, found at the Google Code Web site, include Google APIs and libraries, a source code repository and other language-specific programming utilities.
Google has turned to third party developers to build on its own technologies including its AdSense contextual advertising program, desktop search, Gmail and Google Maps. The site is intended to build community around these different initiatives.
Microsoft Releases Avalon, Indigo Previews
Microsoft has met its self-imposed deadline to deliver Community Technology Previews (CTP) to Microsoft Developer Network subscribers. Last month Microsoft told attendees of the VSLive conference that it would deliver the bits designed for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 before the end of March.
Avalon and Indigo are two of Longhorn's "fundamentals:" Avalon is the presentation subsystem for Longhorn and Indigo is Microsoft's next-generation platform for Web services. The third pillar of Longhorn is the core Windows infrastructure.
Google Adds Local Business Center
Google is turning to businesses to improve the accuracy and relevance of its local search. Businesses may directly add or modify their listing via the new Google Local Business Center, whether or not they already have an online presence. "This makes it easy for customers to find you online," said Google engineer Jon Kennell.
When a business submits its information, Google e-mails a personal identification number (PIN) to confirm the listing and verify future changes. Google Local was taken live early February as a new service for locating nearby businesses and integrates Google Maps to provide address information and directions.
Internet Explorer 7 Details Emerge
Although Microsoft has made no public statements, information about Internet Explorer 7 is slowly emerging. Microsoft Watch has indicated that the primary focus of the release will be on beefing up the browser's security, but other changes may include the addition of tabbed browsing and added standards support.
In a deviation from its original plans, Microsoft will ship IE7 independent from Longhorn and will make it available for customers running Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and Windows XP Professional x64.
AOL Clarifies Terms of Service for AIM
America Online has clarified the terms of service for AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) in response to a firestorm of criticism that was sparked when bloggers objected to language concerning users' privacy.
AOL has modified the "Content You Post" section to reiterate that user-to-user communications will remain private. The modifications only remove the objectionable language; otherwise, the conditions are exactly the same as the previous user agreement.
Java Flaw Enables Cross-Browser Attack
In what may be the first known example of a cross-browser attack, users who made the switch to Mozilla Firefox to escape the specter of Internet Explorer's security failures may suddenly find themselves repossessed.
Vitalsecurity has uncovered a vulnerability that exploits a hole in Sun's Java Runtine Environment Environment that, when used in combination with Firefox and other alternative browsers, is capable of installing malware by invoking Internet Explorer.
HP Shares Nanotech Computing Vision
As silicon approaches its physical limits, scientists at HP Labs have begun to flesh out a strategy for the post-silicon era of computing. Patented nanotechnology called crossbar architecture is the basis for HP's vision and is potentially less costly and easier to manufacture than silicon technology.
The HP vision was laid out in a series of two dozen papers published in an edition of the Applied Physics A journal dedicated to nanotechnology.
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.