WSJ.com - Dell Raises Second-Quarter Outlook, Citing Overseas Market-Share Gains "Dell Inc. raised its second-quarter profit outlook, citing "robust" enterprise systems and services sales and market-share gains outside the U.S.
In a press release Friday, Dell said it raised its earnings per share guidance by two cents to 31 cents. The company earned 24 cents a share a year ago.
Wall Street expects the computer designer to earn 29 cents a share for the latest second quarter, according to a consensus estimate produced by Thomson First Call."
Friday, July 16, 2004
Microsoft boosts search ability
Microsoft boosts search ability "Moving to strengthen its position against Google and Yahoo!, Microsoft Corp. said yesterday that it bought a company that makes software for searching through e-mails and other computer files.
The acquisition of Palo Alto, Calif.-based Lookout Software LLC will bring new technology into Microsoft's MSN Search initiative, the company said. In addition, one of Lookout Software's founders will join Microsoft as an employee working on the MSN Search team. Microsoft declined to disclose the price it paid.
...
Founded in early 2003 by two former employees of Web pioneer Netscape Communications Inc., Lookout makes software for finding e-mails, files and other information in Microsoft's widely used Outlook e-mail software. The Lookout software has been available free over the Internet on a trial basis.
Microsoft said Lookout co-founder Mike Belshe will become an employee of Microsoft. Co-founder Eric Hahn, former Netscape chief technology officer in the late 1990s, will help during the transition of Lookout into Microsoft but won't stay with the company."
The acquisition of Palo Alto, Calif.-based Lookout Software LLC will bring new technology into Microsoft's MSN Search initiative, the company said. In addition, one of Lookout Software's founders will join Microsoft as an employee working on the MSN Search team. Microsoft declined to disclose the price it paid.
...
Founded in early 2003 by two former employees of Web pioneer Netscape Communications Inc., Lookout makes software for finding e-mails, files and other information in Microsoft's widely used Outlook e-mail software. The Lookout software has been available free over the Internet on a trial basis.
Microsoft said Lookout co-founder Mike Belshe will become an employee of Microsoft. Co-founder Eric Hahn, former Netscape chief technology officer in the late 1990s, will help during the transition of Lookout into Microsoft but won't stay with the company."
Thursday, July 15, 2004
Oracle Finds E-Learning a Breeze
Oracle Finds E-Learning a Breeze: "Oracle is taking advantage of resurgence in online training to ink a deal with a flashy partner.
The software giant will augment its iLearning platform using Macromedia's Breeze, a Web conferencing tool that uses Flash Player to deliver voice over IP, video, application and screen sharing, and other rich content."
Big win for Macromedia.
The software giant will augment its iLearning platform using Macromedia's Breeze, a Web conferencing tool that uses Flash Player to deliver voice over IP, video, application and screen sharing, and other rich content."
Big win for Macromedia.
Windows Server System Magazine-Microsoft's Platform Strategies for 2006 and Beyond
Windows Server System Magazine-Microsoft's Platform Strategies for 2006 and Beyond "This is the fourth and final Trends & Analysis column in a series focused on the past, present, and future of Microsoft's platform strategies. The first column, "Understanding Microsoft's Platform Strategies," established a framework for evaluating Microsoft's product line in terms of platforms, tools, applications, and services. The second column, "Microsoft's Platform Strategies Today" described how .NET has matured during the past two years. The third column, "Microsoft's Platform Strategies for 2004-2005," addressed .NET Framework 2.0, Visual Studio 2005, and SQL Server 2005. This column focuses on Longhorn, Microsoft's biggest and most strategically significant undertaking to date."
FYI my next couple Windows Server System columns:
Sept (Web in August): Microsoft Office 2003 smart stuff (smart tag technology, smart documents, etc.)
Oct (Web in Sept): Microsoft Information Bridge Framework
I'd welcome suggestions for other column/report topics -- pbokelly@gmail.com
FYI my next couple Windows Server System columns:
Sept (Web in August): Microsoft Office 2003 smart stuff (smart tag technology, smart documents, etc.)
Oct (Web in Sept): Microsoft Information Bridge Framework
I'd welcome suggestions for other column/report topics -- pbokelly@gmail.com
The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > Living the Broadband Life
The New York Times > Technology > Circuits > Living the Broadband Life "San Diego was one of the first cities in the nation to get residential high-speed Internet connections, and some 55 percent of households with Internet access have high-speed cable modem or D.S.L. service - a higher percentage than in any other metropolitan area in the country, according to a survey by comScore Networks, a market research firm. Next in line, according to comScore, are Boston, where 53 percent of wired households have high-speed connections, and New York, with 51 percent.
San Diego and other cities with such heavy broadband use serve as signposts for what other cities might come to expect in a future when such service is an omnipresent and vital part of daily life.
Before getting in their cars, for instance, San Diegans routinely check traffic online. If conditions look unbearable they can use their broadband connections to work from home."
San Diego and other cities with such heavy broadband use serve as signposts for what other cities might come to expect in a future when such service is an omnipresent and vital part of daily life.
Before getting in their cars, for instance, San Diegans routinely check traffic online. If conditions look unbearable they can use their broadband connections to work from home."
The New York Times > Technology > Demand for iPods Leads Big Increase in Profits for Apple
The New York Times > Technology > Demand for iPods Leads Big Increase in Profits for Apple "Apple shipped 876,000 Macintosh computers in the quarter, a 14 percent increase compared with shipments in the quarter a year earlier. But the brightest star was the iPod, the company's portable music player; shipments of iPods nearly tripled, to 860,000.
Mr. Wolf said that Apple's music products had become something of a Trojan horse for the company as the popularity of the iTunes service and the iPod are clearly helping sell Macs. "The Apple Macintosh is starting to be a growth story," he said. "Music is starting to drive Mac sales."
Okay, so maybe Apple found its 10th life...
Mr. Wolf said that Apple's music products had become something of a Trojan horse for the company as the popularity of the iTunes service and the iPod are clearly helping sell Macs. "The Apple Macintosh is starting to be a growth story," he said. "Music is starting to drive Mac sales."
Okay, so maybe Apple found its 10th life...
WSJ.com - Microsoft to Link Message System With Yahoo, AOL
WSJ.com - Microsoft to Link Message System With Yahoo, AOL "Microsoft Corp. is expected to announce today a deal that will allow users of its corporate instant-message software to communicate with services from rivals America Online and Yahoo Inc.
The agreement marks the beginning of a truce in a long-running battle between the three largest providers of instant messaging, a service similar to e-mail that allows computer users to send and receive text messages in real time. The deal could also advance a push by Microsoft to take on International Business Machines Corp. in the corporate market for instant messaging.
Under the agreement, the three companies will connect their instant-messaging networks by early 2005, according to a Microsoft spokeswoman. The service is designed to work with the new version of Microsoft's Live Communications Server, which is set to come out toward the end of this year. About 1,000 companies are now testing the software.
Companies that install the Microsoft software will be able to connect to about 400 million users of Yahoo's Yahoo Messenger, AOL's AOL Instant Messenger and MSN Messenger, Microsoft's consumer-messaging network. To make the connection, Microsoft's corporate customers will have to buy an extra license, and Yahoo and AOL will receive royalties on those sales.
...
As instant-messaging services have grown, so has the pressure to make them work together. About 92% of companies in North America use instant messaging, according Osterman Research Inc., a consultancy based in Black Diamond, Wash.
...
In recent months, both AOL and Yahoo, with strongholds in consumer markets for instant messaging, have backed away from selling the software that powers corporate instant messaging."
The agreement marks the beginning of a truce in a long-running battle between the three largest providers of instant messaging, a service similar to e-mail that allows computer users to send and receive text messages in real time. The deal could also advance a push by Microsoft to take on International Business Machines Corp. in the corporate market for instant messaging.
Under the agreement, the three companies will connect their instant-messaging networks by early 2005, according to a Microsoft spokeswoman. The service is designed to work with the new version of Microsoft's Live Communications Server, which is set to come out toward the end of this year. About 1,000 companies are now testing the software.
Companies that install the Microsoft software will be able to connect to about 400 million users of Yahoo's Yahoo Messenger, AOL's AOL Instant Messenger and MSN Messenger, Microsoft's consumer-messaging network. To make the connection, Microsoft's corporate customers will have to buy an extra license, and Yahoo and AOL will receive royalties on those sales.
...
As instant-messaging services have grown, so has the pressure to make them work together. About 92% of companies in North America use instant messaging, according Osterman Research Inc., a consultancy based in Black Diamond, Wash.
...
In recent months, both AOL and Yahoo, with strongholds in consumer markets for instant messaging, have backed away from selling the software that powers corporate instant messaging."
WSJ.com - Oracle Chief Doesn't See Slowdown
WSJ.com - Oracle Chief Doesn't See Slowdown "Oracle Corp. Chief Executive Larry Ellison said his company hasn't seen the business slowdown cited by other software makers. "We don't see our business weakening," he told a gathering of Wall Street analysts at Oracle's headquarters in Redwood Shores, Calif. Oracle reported generally strong results in the quarter ended May 31. In the current quarter, which ends in August, "We started off very well," Oracle Chairman Jeff Henley said. Mr. Henley said Oracle still expects earnings of nine cents a share on a 6%-to-9% increase in quarterly revenue. Mr. Ellison said the flurry of earnings shortfalls in the June quarter from software companies is evidence of a gathering shakeout of the industry's weaker players. He said Oracle, along with Microsoft Corp., International Business Machines Corp. and SAP AG of Germany, will collect a disproportionate share of the industry's revenue and profits because of their broad product lines."
(Entire article)
(Entire article)
InfoWorld: IBM buys BI company
InfoWorld: IBM buys BI company "IBM added another piece to its ongoing business intelligence initiative on Wednesday, acquiring AlphaBlox, a small software company in Mountain View, Calif., that specializes in analytics software.
...
The AlphaBlox acquisition is the 16th by IBM's $14 billion software group and the fifth for the company's DB2 Data Management Division."
...
The AlphaBlox acquisition is the 16th by IBM's $14 billion software group and the fifth for the company's DB2 Data Management Division."
Investment Viewpoint: Brad Silverberg, Managing Partner, Ignition Partners
Investment Viewpoint: Brad Silverberg, Managing Partner, Ignition Partners "Milestone: How does Microsoft deal successfully with the open source threat?
Silverberg: I don’t think they have figured that out yet, I think that is clear. They are struggling with not so much open source, per se, but rather they are no longer the low price solution. In the past Microsoft was the low cost solution and Microsoft was then competing and attacking expensive proprietary systems from below. Now for the first time the tables are turned and it's Microsoft that's being attacked from below by a lower price solution. Microsoft needs to figure out how it can demonstrate better TCO to justify its higher prices. Another aspect to that, which is an area I think Microsoft is also struggling with, which is when you are as successful and dominant as they are, how do you continue to foster that ecosystem? What really propelled Microsoft Windows success was an ecosystem that they created that allowed other people to benefit from your success. Actually your success was really a side effect or byproduct of their own success. If they saw a way that they could develop your platform, make money for themselves and build big businesses. Now that Microsoft has expanded into so many different areas there is reluctance from some developers to continue to invest in a Microsoft platform because they wonder how do they build a business? How does it become their business and not Microsoft’s business? So people are looking for alternative platforms that create new ecosystems that allow them to build. The challenge to Microsoft is to continue to keep that ecosystem going and to get developers and applications folks to see that there is benefit to themselves in adopting and continuing to develop for the Microsoft platform."
Via Good Morning Silicon Valley
Silverberg: I don’t think they have figured that out yet, I think that is clear. They are struggling with not so much open source, per se, but rather they are no longer the low price solution. In the past Microsoft was the low cost solution and Microsoft was then competing and attacking expensive proprietary systems from below. Now for the first time the tables are turned and it's Microsoft that's being attacked from below by a lower price solution. Microsoft needs to figure out how it can demonstrate better TCO to justify its higher prices. Another aspect to that, which is an area I think Microsoft is also struggling with, which is when you are as successful and dominant as they are, how do you continue to foster that ecosystem? What really propelled Microsoft Windows success was an ecosystem that they created that allowed other people to benefit from your success. Actually your success was really a side effect or byproduct of their own success. If they saw a way that they could develop your platform, make money for themselves and build big businesses. Now that Microsoft has expanded into so many different areas there is reluctance from some developers to continue to invest in a Microsoft platform because they wonder how do they build a business? How does it become their business and not Microsoft’s business? So people are looking for alternative platforms that create new ecosystems that allow them to build. The challenge to Microsoft is to continue to keep that ecosystem going and to get developers and applications folks to see that there is benefit to themselves in adopting and continuing to develop for the Microsoft platform."
Via Good Morning Silicon Valley
MercuryNews.com | 07/14/2004 | Webshots co-founder hits jackpot with sale to CNET
MercuryNews.com | 07/14/2004 | Webshots co-founder hits jackpot with sale to CNET "Online technology news provider CNET Networks Inc. said Wednesday that it will pay $70 million to acquire Webshots, a digital photography Web site that was salvaged from the ruins of bankrupt ExciteAtHome for $2.4 million 2 1/2 years ago."
Hmm -- a pattern this week.
Hmm -- a pattern this week.
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
WSJ.com - Apple's Earnings Soared in Period, Lifted by iPod
WSJ.com - Apple's Earnings Soared in Period, Lifted by iPod: "Apple Computer Inc. said fiscal third-quarter profits more than tripled amid a 30% rise in revenue, fueled by sales of its Macintosh computers and the continued success of its iPod digital-music players. Apple also predicted solid revenue and earnings for its current quarter, despite a delay in introducing a new iMac desktop computer.
For the three months ended June 26, the Cupertino, Calif., computer maker posted net income of $61 million, or 16 cents a share, compared with net income of $19 million, or five cents a share, in the same quarter a year ago. The results include an after-tax restructuring expense of $6 million, related to the closing of a California factory. Without that expense, Apple would have reported earnings of 17 cents a share.
...
Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, called the delay in the new iMac a "speed bump." He blamed the slip-up on manufacturing problems by International Business Machines Corp., which supplies Apple with the PowerPC G5 microprocessors used inside Macintosh computers. Mr. Oppenheimer, the CFO, said there is a shortage of the microprocessors, which will also limit supplies of some models of the Power Mac G5 desktop computers. "We couldn't secure enough of the IBM" microprocessors, said Mr. Oppenheimer. "We are extremely unhappy with these events."
For the three months ended June 26, the Cupertino, Calif., computer maker posted net income of $61 million, or 16 cents a share, compared with net income of $19 million, or five cents a share, in the same quarter a year ago. The results include an after-tax restructuring expense of $6 million, related to the closing of a California factory. Without that expense, Apple would have reported earnings of 17 cents a share.
...
Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, called the delay in the new iMac a "speed bump." He blamed the slip-up on manufacturing problems by International Business Machines Corp., which supplies Apple with the PowerPC G5 microprocessors used inside Macintosh computers. Mr. Oppenheimer, the CFO, said there is a shortage of the microprocessors, which will also limit supplies of some models of the Power Mac G5 desktop computers. "We couldn't secure enough of the IBM" microprocessors, said Mr. Oppenheimer. "We are extremely unhappy with these events."
Red Hat alums try new Linux angle | CNET News.com
Red Hat alums try new Linux angle | CNET News.com: "A group of former Red Hat employees have formed a start-up called Specifix that aims to lure customers who have customized software needs their former employer couldn't accommodate.
...
"We're trying to build a model for Linux that lets people do customization and tailoring of the operating system," said Specifix co-founder Erik Troan, who joined Red Hat in 1995 when it had four or five employees, and had risen to vice president of engineering and, later, director of marketing.
Specifix's chief executive and other founder is Kim Knuttila, who worked at Cygnus, a company that Red Hat acquired in 1999. Troan left Red Hat in 2003, and Knuttila left in 2002.
...
Also among the company's 10 employees is Matthew Wilson, who will discuss Conary at the Ottawa Linux Symposium that runs July 21 through 24. Michael Johnson, who started using Linux with version 0.02 and left Red Hat early in 2004, has also joined Specifix.
No hard feelings, Red Hat Chief Executive Matthew Szulik said. "I think that's great. There are more people creating open-source start-ups. Those are good guys, and I wish them nothing but the best."
Uh, if you say so...
...
"We're trying to build a model for Linux that lets people do customization and tailoring of the operating system," said Specifix co-founder Erik Troan, who joined Red Hat in 1995 when it had four or five employees, and had risen to vice president of engineering and, later, director of marketing.
Specifix's chief executive and other founder is Kim Knuttila, who worked at Cygnus, a company that Red Hat acquired in 1999. Troan left Red Hat in 2003, and Knuttila left in 2002.
...
Also among the company's 10 employees is Matthew Wilson, who will discuss Conary at the Ottawa Linux Symposium that runs July 21 through 24. Michael Johnson, who started using Linux with version 0.02 and left Red Hat early in 2004, has also joined Specifix.
No hard feelings, Red Hat Chief Executive Matthew Szulik said. "I think that's great. There are more people creating open-source start-ups. Those are good guys, and I wish them nothing but the best."
Uh, if you say so...
Ballmer: Xbox to 'take Sony' | Newsmakers | CNET News.com
Ballmer: Xbox to 'take Sony' | Newsmakers | CNET News.com
"First of all, we haven't vanquished IBM. They still have a $12 (billion) to $13 billion software business. Every dollar they derive is still a dollar over time that is available to us, pretty much. I think we've done a good job where we compete, and we still have a great opportunity in front of us relative to IBM and the competition there.
...
... the work that Bill (Gates) and I have been doing, really together, is to make sure we are investing in new areas. Look at what we have done with Xbox. We may still be losing money, but we have gone from nowhere to a significant player with a whole different approach. We've generated something brand new. I bet we can take Sony next generation. I am betting we can take Sony in the next generation.
...
The key decision we did make is that Office would also support pre-Longhorn systems so we weren't completely tied to a Longhorn schedule. It's less tied than our initial thinking. Our next release of Office should exploit and light up on Longhorn but absolutely it will be available to run on pre-Longhorn releases of Windows."
"First of all, we haven't vanquished IBM. They still have a $12 (billion) to $13 billion software business. Every dollar they derive is still a dollar over time that is available to us, pretty much. I think we've done a good job where we compete, and we still have a great opportunity in front of us relative to IBM and the competition there.
...
... the work that Bill (Gates) and I have been doing, really together, is to make sure we are investing in new areas. Look at what we have done with Xbox. We may still be losing money, but we have gone from nowhere to a significant player with a whole different approach. We've generated something brand new. I bet we can take Sony next generation. I am betting we can take Sony in the next generation.
...
The key decision we did make is that Office would also support pre-Longhorn systems so we weren't completely tied to a Longhorn schedule. It's less tied than our initial thinking. Our next release of Office should exploit and light up on Longhorn but absolutely it will be available to run on pre-Longhorn releases of Windows."
Bo Selections!: there's no "one size fits all"!
Bo Selections!: there's no "one size fits all"! "The launch of Groove 3.0 has left no one indifferent! Out they go the detractors (and converted supporters) of the product. Ain't that great? A product that polarizes opinion, that provokes sincere fascination or dislike, but leaves no one indifferent, it's a great product."
(Congrats to the Groove gang on the release of Groove 3.0!)
(Congrats to the Groove gang on the release of Groove 3.0!)
Techdirt:Vast Majority Of Popup Click Throughs Are Accidents
Techdirt:Vast Majority Of Popup Click Throughs Are Accidents "A new study has shown that approximately 90% of popup clickthroughs are accidental, caused by people trying to shut down the damn windows so they can get on with their surfing. This quote says it all: "Achieving an over-inflated click-through rate might help brands to justify their spend, but they are only deceiving themselves. The brand, which we used in our research study, is not only wasting up to 90% of its budget by paying for unintentional click-throughs, it is also frustrating and deceiving users."
(Thanks for the pointer, Jim)
(Thanks for the pointer, Jim)
Ed Brill [comment on Ballmer's Notes => Exchange migration assertion]
Ed Brill [comment on Ballmer's Notes => Exchange migration assertion]: "Interested vs. doing are two different things, Steve... I'm seeing just the opposite, myself. "
I'm seeing traffic in both directions as well, FYI.
I'm seeing traffic in both directions as well, FYI.
"The New York Times > Technology > Google Buys an Online Photo Manager
The New York Times > Technology > Google Buys an Online Photo Manager "Google Inc., the Internet search engine, said yesterday that it had acquired Picasa Inc., which makes technology to help consumers organize and display photos online.
...
Picasa's product "complements Google's ongoing mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible," said Jonathan Rosenberg, Google's vice president for product management.
...
Google said it formed a partnership in May with Picasa, which is based in Pasadena, Calif. That deal allowed users of Google's Blogger service, a site where people can publish personal journals, to post photos using Picasa's software."
...
Picasa's product "complements Google's ongoing mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible," said Jonathan Rosenberg, Google's vice president for product management.
...
Google said it formed a partnership in May with Picasa, which is based in Pasadena, Calif. That deal allowed users of Google's Blogger service, a site where people can publish personal journals, to post photos using Picasa's software."
CRN | Breaking News | Ballmer Slams IBM, Novell Partner Efforts With Linux, SMBs
CRN | Breaking News | Ballmer Slams IBM, Novell Partner Efforts With Linux, SMBs "At Microsoft's annual partner conference in Toronto, the rambunctious CEO told thousands of its global partners that commercial software, in combination with Microsoft's channel model and go-to-market plan, offers the best value proposition for service partners, solution providers and ISVs.
"Who do you go-to-market with [concerning] Linux?" Ballmer asked the capacity crowd. "Go-to-market with IBM? You'll be competing against IBM services. How does IBM sustain its investment in Linux when the only money they make is on services? They make no money on software; they make no money on hardware. They make money only in services."
...
This is the year of opportunity. Let's go after the Novell installed base and help them come into the modern world," Ballmer said, urging Microsoft partners to poach Novell NetWare customers and IBM Lotus Notes customers. "And I don't know what the heck IBM is doing with these [Notes customers]. I've seen more Notes-to-Exchange conversions in the last year than ever before. These two bases are ripe for winning."
"Who do you go-to-market with [concerning] Linux?" Ballmer asked the capacity crowd. "Go-to-market with IBM? You'll be competing against IBM services. How does IBM sustain its investment in Linux when the only money they make is on services? They make no money on software; they make no money on hardware. They make money only in services."
...
This is the year of opportunity. Let's go after the Novell installed base and help them come into the modern world," Ballmer said, urging Microsoft partners to poach Novell NetWare customers and IBM Lotus Notes customers. "And I don't know what the heck IBM is doing with these [Notes customers]. I've seen more Notes-to-Exchange conversions in the last year than ever before. These two bases are ripe for winning."
Miguel de Icaza: Macromedia Flex
Miguel de Icaza: Macromedia Flex "Very nice development platform for GUI applications, which happens to generate code that will run on the Flash Player VM. The widget set is very flash-like, and has the standard set of components you would expect from a widget set, and the components are tied together with their implementation of ECMA Script.
Since the VM is the same across all platforms the code runs on Linux, Windows and the Mac unmodified, I am pleasantly surprised by the results.
Microsoft's Avalon is doing something very similar to this, but the Macromedia markup is not only simpler, but also cross platform from the client to the server."
Since the VM is the same across all platforms the code runs on Linux, Windows and the Mac unmodified, I am pleasantly surprised by the results.
Microsoft's Avalon is doing something very similar to this, but the Macromedia markup is not only simpler, but also cross platform from the client to the server."
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