Stories by Todd R. Weiss

Google CIO: Online success rests on talking with customers

If you still think that putting up a colorful and splashy Web site for your company's products, or running online ads about them, is enough to bring in boatloads of repeat customers, you'd better think again, according to Google's top IT executive.

UTC makes US$3B hostile bid for Diebold

Diebold, the parent company of e-voting systems vendor Premier Election Solutions, is in the crosshairs of a hostile acquisition attempt by conglomerate United Technologies (UTC). In an announcement, UTC said it is making an offer for Diebold because it would tie in well with its existing businesses.

Open-source advocates to build free PCs for needy schools

For years, open source software advocates have been holding "installfests," gatherings to help others learn how to install and use Linux and other open source applications on computers. This weekend in the US, a nonprofit group and a open source vendor are taking the idea a step further by co-sponsoring an all-day "Installfest for Schools" to create what they hope will be 500 refurbished computers to be used by underprivileged students in schools in nearby neighborhoods.

Sun completes MySQL acquisition in 6 weeks

Just six weeks after announcing that it would acquire open-source database vendor MySQL AB for US$1 billion, Sun Microsystems this week said that it has already completed the deal.

New Red Hat CEO on JBoss, open source, the future

Since being acquired by Linux vendor Red Hat in mid-2006, open-source middleware vendor JBoss has been a company in transition. It was well-known for its open-source middleware line that could be used by large businesses to better tie together their divergent applications.

Lotus Notes 8.5 to fully support Ubuntu Linux 7.0 in mid-'08

Is Linux on the enterprise desktop finally ready for prime time? IBM apparently thinks so as it prepares to deliver its next versions of Lotus Notes enterprise collaboration software and Lotus Symphony office productivity applications for the first time with full support for Ubuntu Linux 7.0 sometime in the second half of this year.

Open-source community sees promise in MySQL deal

For Sun Microsystems, the acquisition of open-source database vendor MySQL is a positive step, giving Sun its own database and a growing, loyal community of open-source users and developers to add to its portfolio.

ETAI avoids data traffic jam with open source

With 50,000 models and a million auto parts to keep cataloged on a constant basis, ETAI's old homegrown, stovepiped internal database system just wasn't running on all cylinders.

[]