News and Analysis to 6th February 2004
Linux’s dark side
I never realised how popular I was, what with all the recent
emails I received with ‘Hello’ and ‘Hi’ in the subject field. Sadly the
sender’s ulterior motive was to use my server and hundreds of thousands of
others to launch a distributed denial of service attack on SCO Group and
Microsoft, via the so-called MyDoom.A and MyDoom.B worms. SCO Group has
irritated the Linux community by claiming that the Linux software infringes
SCO’s intellectual property. Microsoft is just an innocent bystander in what is
a cyber drive-by attack. Unless you consider Microsoft’s general disapproval of
Linux or anything ‘open source’. Despite being peppered with e-bullets,
Microsoft must have been grinning as this incident has highlighted that the
Linux community does not solely comprise kaftan-wearing peaceniks.
Cisco’s Chambers of commerce
Internet plumbing company Cisco has just reported better
than expected sales in it second quarter. CEO John Chambers, recently returned
from a chat with the world’s business and governmental leaders, claims that the
mood was upbeat at the World Economic Forum and so is in bullish mood.
Finding Jobs
Apple founder Steve Jobs is doing well as a movie mogul. As
CEO of Pixar he has seen the profits quintuple in size for the fourth quarter.
Much of this on the back of the computer animated epic ‘Finding Nemo’, which
successfully explores the complexities of the father-son relationship. It is
not a ‘feel good’ film for mothers, disturbing in fact, and women in general
are not portrayed in a flattering light. Possibly I was reading too much into
it.
Bored of PeopleSoft’s Directors?
Well Oracle is, and wants to put four of its own stooges on
the board at PeopleSoft’s forthcoming annual shareholder meeting. It appears
that PeopleSoft wants to put Oracle’s attentions to sleep sooner rather than
later. Oracle suggests that the earlier date is to complete the meeting prior
to the announcement of the first quarter results, given PeopleSoft’s recent lowering
of estimates for that quarter. Bad results are more likely to make Oracle’s
offer, which recently got raised by a third, even more attractive.
EDS still holed below waterline
Troubled
outsourcing giant EDS, reported a fourth quarter operating loss of circa
$0.5bn, down a billion quarter on quarter. Much of EDS’s woes are attributed to
its US Navy and Marine contract, which it now claims to have stabilised, and so
is optimistic about the future.
Supplier slavery management
Catholic development agency Cafod has just produced a report
that highlights the poor working conditions within electronic component
factories around the world. These factories supply parts to companies such as
HP, Dell and IBM. Practices include handling of solvents without proper precautions,
union membership banned, being kept on short term contracts to deny staff their
legal employee rights and being paid well below the minimum wage. There is a
marketing opportunity here for computer suppliers who can demonstrate that they
have an ethical supply chain.
Teenage kicked
Picture this. You’re a teenager walking down a dark street.
You see a group of people ahead, so you cross to the other side. As you walk
past they fan out and cross the road to surround you. They have menace in their
eyes…... You’ve just met Microsoft’s legal department. And that is just what
happened to a young man called Michael Rowe. His crime was to have a web
address that appeared to infringe Microsoft’s trademark – www.mikerowesoft.com. I am now having
second thoughts about setting up a website for my pet bird that happens to have
the name Soft, because of his exceptionally good nature. How do you think
Microsoft would react to www.mycrowsoft.com?
Offshoring is good
Despite Deloitte Research claiming that the financial
services industry will send two million jobs offshore in the next 5 years, and
Forrester Research claiming that 3.3 million jobs would be lost over the next
15 years, IDC claims that despite a 23% increase by 2007, this will be offset
by an increase in higher value positions within IT. Unfortunately it is not
known how many higher value jobs will offset the mass exodus. To be on the safe
side, it might be a good idea to review one’s own value proposition at very
regular intervals over the next few years.
