From: spencer_katt@ziffdavis.com
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2005 12:42 AM
To: eWEEK readers
Subject: Button into Share; FBI readies roundup; the latest from Larry
“Wheres the Green Monster?” wondered the Mouser as he noted that the Rolling Stones stage setup completely engulfed the sacred wall at Bostons Fenway Park. The Glimmery Grimalkins only regret of an otherwise-purr-fect concert was that the group didnt launch into the tune “Stupid Girl” when some honky-tonk woman whod been climbing along the rafters fell into the stands. El Gato was sad, sad, sad a few days later while attending Share User Events at Bostons Hynes Convention Center, when a scan of the program guide revealed such sleep-inducing sessions as “Using RACF and z/OS LDAP in a Password Synchronization Solution.”
Indeed, the Maven of Murmur was starting to have mixed emotions about attending the event, until he spied “The Button Man,” a dissertation on Share history, as expressed in some 250 buttons worn by attendees over the years. “The Button Man” collector, Barry Merrill, Shares griot-in-residence, started computing in 1959 on an IBM 610 and button collecting in the 1970s. Merrills button-covered white jacket was on display in a glass case outside the exhibit hall. One button, which read, “Linda Lovelace cant swallow VS2,” had actually spurred IBM to improve VS2 and later release it as the now-venerable MVS mainframe operating system. Other button classics were “Never trust a language under 30” and “Dirty old men need Release 2.”
Like a thief in the night, Spence slipped into the Share session on cyber-crime, given by FBI agent Dan Larkin, who promised that the agency will be serving search warrants on some major spammers in the weeks ahead. The G-man also told attendees that the bureau is planning a big event, with either the U.S. attorney general or FBI director presiding, to raise awareness about identity theft, with “some significant numbers.”
It didnt take wild horses to drag the Katt across the street to Whiskeys. There, he got a call claiming that Oracle boss Larry Ellison seems to be enjoying smooth sailing in every aspect of his life except on the high seas. To wit: Oracle has made nice in Pleasanton since Oracles acquisition of PeopleSoft; Ellisons $909 million controlling stake in I-flex Solutions is an IP coup; and Larrys storage startup, Pillar Data Systems, has just signed a distribution deal with Bell Microproducts. Alas, its the mercurial moguls real passion, his BMW Oracle Racing Americas Cup team, thats in turmoil. Team tactician John Kostecki has suddenly quit; team exec Chris Dickson has reinstated himself as skipper over Larry and the crew; and the team helmsman, Gavin Brady, recently told the press in Copenhagen, “There is a lot going on off the water.” “Well,” laughed the Lynx, “at least Larrys still a captain of industry.”