News and Analysis to 4^th November 2004

Linux – Get the facts

Well some of them anyway. Microsoft’s CEO Steve Balmer has dispatched an email as part of its ‘Get the Facts’ campaign, which aims to provide a more balanced view on the respective strengths of both Windows and Linux. Mr Balmer, rather than launch an emotional tirade, opted to quote from reports written by respected research organisations. Perhaps being respectful of people’s time, his email focused on the benefits of Windows and the weaknesses of Linux. Linux newcomer Novell has taken this as a God-given opportunity to commence its payback programme in respect of its erstwhile tormentor.

When the chips are down

Gearing up for the boom market? Well the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics trade group is already braced for a slowdown in 2005. It has revised 2005’s growth from 8.5% to 1.2%. Before you start heading for the window ledge, WSTS claims that 2007 will see a return to double-digit growth.

Microsoft hits the booze

It’s tough at the top. Given the pressures that the software giant faces on a day-to-day basis, it would be of no surprise if the company turned to alcohol to dull the pain. Well they have, and surprisingly this has brought little consolation to its rivals. The aspirant enterprise application vendor has just released its retail solution for small businesses that are in the beer, wine and liquor trade. Expect to see a surge in the number of alcohol-based ‘crash and carry’ outlets.

Show me the company

With all the legal obstacles removed, database vendor Oracle is poised to pounce on enterprise application vendor PeopleSoft. Oracle has ratcheted up its offer price to $24 a share (60% higher than PeopleSoft’s original asking price). One condition; the offer holds until the 19^th November. The PeopleSoft board has a dilemma, big payday or protect the interests of their customers.

MC Gartner – “Break it down”

Not known for their rapping skills, US analyst Gartner used the platform at its IT Expo conference to encourage software vendors to break down their monolithic software offerings into smaller modules that will facilitate ‘mix and matching’ with rival products. (Picture IBM and Microsoft representatives nodding but tight lipped). This fits in nicely with Gartner’s vision of a Services Oriented Architecture (SOA), whereby IT services are delivered via a loosely coupled collection of disparate, most likely web-based, applications.

IT recruiters – Tracksuits off

Happy days are here again according to IDC. The rebound started in 2003 where the market grew 6.1%. Compound annual growth of 8.7% is predicted with a value in 2008 of $94bn. So IT recruiters it’s time to line up for the race to grab market share. This is a bold statement from IDC as it implies that the IT market will continue to grow for another four years. Most people are loath to predict beyond the quarter. I hope they are right.

UK contemplates ‘open’ government

The UK’s Office of Government Commerce has reported that open source is a viable alternative to proprietary software. Unsurprisingly Sun and IBM were delighted to assist in drawing this conclusion, given that Microsoft is having a tough time convincing governments around the world that its software is good value and secure. Even if this blessing is heeded it will take a considerable investment to wean the UK Government off its current reliance on proprietary software.

Streaming Roosters

Fans of griff rock (groove based riff-driven rock for those of you over 18) were treated to a live performance from UK exponents Rooster, via their 3G phones. Mobile operator 3 limited the number of tickets to 1,000. It would seem that bandwidth is the new limitation when it comes to virtual venue capacity.