eWEEK Editorial Board

When the business process patent burst upon the scene in the late 1990s with Amazon.coms infamous one-click-shopping patent, many wondered how the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office would go. Were beginning to find out. IBM recently won a patent on a process for paying software developers. The patent (U.S. Patent No. 6,658,642) outlines a way […]

Having propelled supply chain-based RFID into the vortex of enterprise hype in 2003, advocates of that technology must prove in 2004 that its more than a flash in the pan. Strong interest in the technology continues, following Wal-Mart Stores pronouncement in November that its 100 largest suppliers have until next January to track their products […]

Having earned the right to be seriously considered for many enterprise applications, Linux faces a year in 2004 in which it will be tested in several ways. The most notable tests, as the curtain rises on the LinuxWorld show in New York this week, come from the two-pronged campaign of FUD—fear, uncertainty and doubt—spearheaded by […]

The IT mountain has labored and brought forth a mouse. its pal Mickey, a stuffed toy mouse that literally embodies real-time data and communications technologies to transform customer contacts into more profitable relationships. Businesses beyond the walls of Walt Disneys theme parks should pay attention. Delivering moment-by-moment information on special events, uncrowded rides and other […]

After judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ruled in the Microsoft antitrust case a little more than a year ago, we said in this space that it was time to move on, urging Microsoft to take the ruling and its remedies seriously. It seemed at the time that Microsoft had vowed to adopt new competitive practices. CEO Steve […]

Each year at this time, we summarize major positions we have taken in the past year on the most important issues that affect you, our readers. As the fundamental value of e-business emerges from the shadow of the dot-com bust, its clear the Internet will be deeply rooted in future economic growth and our personal […]

The surest sign that VOIP is a success is the growing crowd of folks looking to get into its pockets. The Federal Communications Commission is arriving on the scene none too soon and could fill the role of police officer. The agency is now mulling how to regulate this evolving technology to the satisfaction of […]

Without competition, an industry can stagnate due to high prices, slow product delivery and limited product innovation. Recent lawsuits that invoke the Digital Millennium Copyright Act seek to curb competition and therefore threaten to bring about those conditions. Passed in 1998, the DMCA was written to limit Internet piracy. But a provision of the law—Section […]

The recent announcement of a partnership between AMD and Sun promises IT buyers the benefits of greater choice among server technologies. The companies have pledged to introduce AMD Opteron-based Sun Fire servers running Solaris and Linux. That move could spur other vendors to counter with more powerful servers based on Opteron. The magnitude of the […]

Mergers can make sense when customers can be better served by complementary products sold by a single vendor in a market with plenty of choice. Right now, there is lively competition in the business applications arena, although SAP is the largest vendor by a significant margin. The PeopleSoft merger with J.D. Edwards, recently approved by […]

Watergate source Deep Throat was right: “Follow the money.” The furor surrounding ownership of intellectual property in Unix and Linux is not about technology or even ideology. Its about the money—specifically, the business interests that are served by casting a shadow of doubt over the legitimacy of open-source platforms and services. If Linux users are […]

One year after Hewlett-Packard shareholders approved the acquisition of Compaq Computer, HP CEO Carly Fiorina is pitching the company as a credible alternative to IBM. During the next few years, many customers will be making their choice of enterprise vendor between the companies. Gaining size and a more competitive mix of products and services was […]