Spencer F. Katt

Spring is when people get the “Urge to Merge,” thought the Katt, not the dead of winter. But at Metas Metamorphosis conference last week in Orlando, Fla., the buzz was of several security companies joining forces. According to a Tabby tipster, Meta analyst Earl Perkins said that within 30 days, several competitive mergers could occur. […]

Be one with the penguin,” chanted the Kitty, as he considered a rumor from some users of Novells ZENworks that company programmers may be developing a ZENworks management client for Linux. Apparently, the rumor, which has grown almost like an urban legend among ZENworks users, has been gathering steam. The buzz El Gato heard is […]

With the holiday shopping season far behind and the avalanche of bills now straining the average consumers wallet, the rumor mill is churning furiously with tales of potential acquisitions in the tech industry. Spencer heard BMC may be looking to buy identity management software maker Business Layers, whose products offer views into how network/system/application outages […]

“Did anyone ever get sage advice from a high-school guidance counselor?” the Lynx laughingly asked himself at last weeks LinuxWorld in New York. The Katt flashed back to when his mentor advised him to “explore” the world of shipping and handling, as he pondered the current Meta Group controversy. Meta, the self-proclaimed IT guidance counselor, […]

The resignation of Steve Case may not be the only sign of a shake-up at AOL. El Gato heard that the company has put Gotham, the ad agency for its Internet unit, on notice. Having run with Gotham for more than eight years, AOLs newly appointed executive vice president of brand marketing, Leonard Short, apparently […]

“Yes, we have no Banias,” sang the melody-challenged Mouser as he noted Intels announcement officially naming its upcoming mobile processor Centrino. But while Spencer welcomed the name change, he took issue with the logo. “It looks like someone pulled the wings off the MSN Butterfly,” cackled the Kitty. Speaking of MSN and torture, El Gato […]

For Micromuse, last months Friday the 13th may have indeed seemed to be an unlucky day as the company announced that its chairman and CEO, Greg Brown, will step down to take a job at Motorola as president and CEO of its Commercial, Government and Industrial Solutions Sector. Micromuses board quickly placed CFO Mike Luetkemeyer […]

On the chilly eve of the Winter Solstice, Spencer once again found himself curled up in front of the fire, postulating on the future. For added inspiration, he pulled out this years Litter Box from under his club chair and relived this years best tips. In his Feb. 11 column, the Kitty noted that a […]

Last week, Spencer speculated on whether Larry Ellison, after a conspicuous absence, would rejoin Team Oracle for the rest of the Americas Cup New Zealand yacht race. This week, the Katts curious about who will still be on board at Oracle itself. As of press time, the Kitty had heard Oracle was reorganizing and possibly […]

After a quick stop in Baltimore to check out the Sun-Microsoft proceedings, His Hirsuteness found himself pretty impressed by J. Frederick Motz, the U.S. district judge hearing the case. Looking and sounding like a cross between Johnny Carson and Ross Perot, the judge appeared to be no fool. While his questions at first appeared naive, […]

His Hirsuteness doesnt expect youll hear the hypnotic “It Was a Very Good Year” by Sinatra in the halls of Peregrine Systems San Diego digs any time soon. The company has faced $100 million in accounting improprieties; the loss of its CEO, CFO and chairman; numerous shareholder lawsuits; a delisting from Nasdaq; and the sale […]

Though the week was preceded by news of Comdex producer Key3Medias announcement of possible bankruptcy protection, the fall show went off without a hitch. Like days of old, the event was filled with CEO predictions, barbs and behind-the-scenes demos. National Semiconductor CEO Brian Halla gave the Vegas confab a good deal to talk about as […]