eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.
SCO Beefs Up Web Services
The SCO group, in between lawsuits and other trademark maneuvers, found time to buy Vultus and its WebFace Solution Suite.
SCO, which is suing IBM for more than $1 billion, said it had acquired Vultus assets, engineering personnel and technology, which will become a core component of SCOx.
SCOx is a framework that brings SCOs developers, resellers, and small and midsize business customers running SCO Unix and Linux to the world of Web services. SCO WebFace Solution Suite, as the Vultus product is now known, is a Web application development environment that enables customers to create and deploy applications in a browser without the need for installed plug-ins or Java.
Samsung Display Does It All
Technology buffs seeking the latest in video displays can check out the Samsung 152MP when it ships Sept. 1.
The 15-inch monitor, which will retail for $589, is a computer monitor; a television; a video display for direct hookup to a DVD player, a VCR or any video source; and is HDTV-ready, officials said. The unit includes picture-in-picture capability. The 152MPs multitasking functionality enables users, for example, to surf the Web with its PC connection while playing video games or watch DVDs while working on a computer.
HP Swallows Pill
Hewlett-Packard said last week it will adopt a poison pill provision to ward off unwanted suitors that pursue a hostile takeover.
The board of directors said it will submit any poison pill provision to shareholders for approval—unless the board determines that it “would not be in the interests of shareowners under the circumstances.” Investors approved a poison pill provision during the companys shareholder meeting in April.
HPs board did not announce precisely how HPs provision works or when it takes effect. Most poison pills fend off unwelcome suitors by issuing new shares to boost the cost of a potential acquisition.
IT Spending Up Slightly
IT spending floated in suspended animation in the second quarter of this year, with neither big gains nor sharp curtailments, according to a recent report from IDC.
The report, a second-quarter update to IDCs Worldwide Black Book, said global IT spending is expected to surpass $872 billion—an increase of 1 percent, year over year—for the full year. The report said spending will be flat in the United States this year; hardware spending will decline, due in large part to price competition; and software and services are expected to grow slightly.
IDC said it expects Western Europe to experience less than 1 percent growth in IT spending, down from previous expectations. The Asia-Pacific region will experience 1.2 percent growth in IT spending, with Japans 1 percent decline dragging down the region as a whole, IDC said.
IDC said the strength of the euro is a factor in keeping down IT sales in Europe. Kevin White, an IDC economist, said in a statement that the U.S. economy is showing signs of recovery that may soon result in growth.
IDC said it expects growth in most markets next year. The research company expects that the U.S. market will recover to 4 percent growth and that Western Europe will hit 3.7 percent growth. IDC forecasts Asia-Pacific to exceed 10 percent growth next year.