Lisa Vaas

Oracle Corp.s recent attempt to lure SQL Server users away by lowering the price of its entry-level database will stumble once customers read the fine print, according to a new research note from AMR Research Inc. Oracle, of Redwood Shores, Calif., earlier this month slashed $1,000 off the price of Standard Edition One, its entry-level […]

In an effort to answer customer concerns about the Oracle-PeopleSoft takeover, Quest, a non-profit J.D. Edwards users group, has invited both Oracle Corp. and PeopleSoft Inc. executives to address its Quest West user conference, which takes place Feb. 29-March 2 in San Diego. Oracle President Chuck Phillips has accepted the offer and will address the […]

Although the U.S. Department of Justices Antitrust Division reportedly opposes Oracle Corp.s proposed takeover of PeopleSoft Inc., the deal is far from dead and now hinges on how the DoJ ultimately defines the competitive market that would be affected by the buyout, experts say. PeopleSoft earlier this week issued a statement saying that it had […]

As the deadline for Basel II compliance nears, IBMs business intelligence solutions group is readying a new DB2-based tool to help financial institutions comply. Karen Parrish, vice president of World Wide Sales for IBMs Business Intelligence Solutions, told eWEEK.com that Big Blue, of Armonk, N.Y., is preparing templates that will help Basel II-affected companies respond […]

Its been easy to scorn Oracles grubby cash tender offer of $19.50 per share for outstanding PeopleSoft shares. After all, PeopleSofts stock has been trading above that for some time. And its not only the insultingly low-ball offer thats made PeopleSoft customers and executives seethe at the deeply resented bid. PeopleSoft and its fans get […]

Oracle Corp. made a full, frontal assault on the midmarket on Tuesday when it released Oracle Database 10g at a price nearly identical to that of arch-midmarket competitor Microsoft Corp.s SQL Server database. IBM partners, Microsoft partners and analysts questioned, however, whether Oracle can learn how to pal around with the independent software vendors, systems […]

After comparing what are commonly thought of as the two most common and most popular open-source databases—MySQL and PostgreSQL—I was floored by the amount of mail I received regarding my ill-advised omission of the hotly popular Firebird open-source database. It just goes to show: If a product is freely downloaded, yet unmarketed, it can be […]

Oracle Corp.s recent declaration that 10g will cost the same as Microsoft Corp.s SQL Server isnt particularly impressive, given that for your money, you dont get reporting, business intelligence or plenty of other pricey Oracle add-ons, Microsoft Director of Product Management Tom Rizzo told eWEEK.com. “Its pretty much a P.R. stunt for them to get […]

Microsoft Corp. partners that are integrating into their products the companys newly released business-intelligence tool, Reporting Services, say the software will save end users money theyve long had to invest in third-party reporting tools or handwritten code. Caron Mooney, director of IS Partners—a Microsoft Solutions implementation company in Johannesburg, South Africa, as well as a […]

When it comes to open-source products and the viability of the companies who traffic in them, end users basically just want to know whether the company from which they get their software is going to be alive and kicking within the next few years. Or, as MySQL CEO Marten Mickos put it to me recently, […]