Microsoft settles antitrust lawsuit
Microsoft and Caldera have reached a settlement of their long-standing antitrust lawsuit. As a result of the settlement, Microsoft has agreed to take a one-time charge against its earnings for the quarter ending March 31, 2000. According to the company, that will reduce earnings by about three US cents. Caldera had been seeking $US1.6 billion in damages, and the case was scheduled to go before a jury February 1. The companies are keeping the "mutually agreeable" terms of the settlement confidential. www.microsoft.comAllaire acquires Valto Systems E-business platform provider Allaire has acquired US-based Valto Systems, provider of Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) server technology, for 225,000 shares of Allaire common stock. According to Allaire, the acquisition will give customers more support for e-business transactions using EJB technology. Valto's employees will join Allaire immediately and move to its headquarters. Founder and chief technology officer of Valto, Imre Kifor, will lead development of EJB technologies at Allaire, which plans to continue selling Valto's product, Ejipt 1.2, and release a public beta version of the next generation of Ejipt. www.allaire.comSilicon Graphics spins off MediaBaseSilicon Graphics Inc (SGI) has spun off its MediaBase streaming software into a new company called Kasenna as part of a reorganisation. The spinoff is seen as a strategy to raise cash needed to pursue market share in the area of streaming. SGI has also secured more funding from US venture capital companies to enable Kasenna to further develop MediaBase. www.sgi.comGreat Plains adds RealWorldGreat Plains has acquired accounting and financial software provider RealWorld by merger and the issue of 184,000 shares of Great Plains common stock and $US5.5 million in cash. Great Plains plans to market its products to RealWorld customers and says it will continue to support RealWorld products until customers change over. www.gps.com