Brian Morrissey

Microsoft Corp. will release a patch for Windows XP next week that will allow users more choices in their browser, e-mail, instant messenger and media player, according to reports Friday. The patch will represent the first product changes the company has made as part of its proposed anti-trust settlement reached with the Department of Justice […]

Facing stagnant growth in U.S. corporate spending, German software giant SAP overhauled its U.S. operations and named Leo Apotheker to lead them. He will also take over SAP’s global sales force. Apotheker, who formerly led SAP’s operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, was named to the newly created position of president of global […]

Reporting its first-quarter earnings today, Deutsche Telekom did little to quell investors’ fears that its main revenue-generating segment, the fixed-line business, would continue to sputter. On a happier note, Deutsche Telekom showed solid growth in its wireless and online divisions and higher earnings for its information technology (IT) business. Overall, however, the results were bleak. […]

In another move to solidify its position in the supply-chain management market for small-to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), Microsoft Corp. purchased retail software maker Sales Management Systems Inc. (SMS). By adding Anaheim, Calif.-based SMS, Microsoft’s Great Plains unit will beef up its offerings to SMBs by adding tools specifically geared to retailers. SMS makes QuickSell, a […]

In a move that turns up the heat on rivals Expedia and Travelocity , Orbitz Monday filed for an initial public offering (IPO) that could be worth up to $125 million. The company said it would use the proceeds for general business purposes and possibly to acquire other companies. “Orbitz did the unthinkable and pulled […]

When Robert and Weldon Johnson received the letter, they thought it must be from some friends pulling a prank. After all, it’s not everyday they receive stern letters from law firms. But after checking the stationery and the e-mail address, the twin brothers behind the small LetsRun.com Web site realized the letter was real: Runner’s […]

Microsoft Corp. lost another battle in its trademark feud with Lindows.com, maker of a Linux operating system compatible with Windows programs, as a Seattle judge rejected the software giant’s latest attempt to keep it from using the Lindows name. U.S. District Court Judge John Coughenour upheld his ruling from March, when he refused Microsoft a […]

Microsoft Corp. might take a 25-percent stake in Europe’s largest Internet service provider (ISP), according to a German business magazine. On its Web site, Capital reports Deutsche Telekom has offered Microsoft a partnership with its T-Online subsidiary share that would include up to a 25-percent share of the ownership. The deal would alleviate some of […]

Microsoft Great Plains announced a beefed-up version of its Solomon IV e-business and supply-chain management (SCM) software for small-and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), adding modules for inventory, sales, and accounting. The rollout of Solomon IV Release 5.0 comes a week after Microsoft forked out $1.3 billion to buy Navision, a Danish company that will expand Microsoft’s […]

RealNames Corp., a pioneering provider of an alternative to the domain-name system, said it would shut down, pinning the blame on Microsoft for declining to renew a key contract with the company. The Redwood City, Calif.-based company said it laid off its 83 employees and began the process of liquidating its assets. The move came […]

In response to the momentum it sees in Linux applications, IBM announced today it would roll out an open platform to speed the deployment of Linux-based e-business solutions to small-and medium-sized businesses. IBM announced the deployment of its eServer Integrated Platform at the developerWorks Live! conference in San Francisco. The platform will allow IBM’s business […]

Despite its pledge to scrap a controversial software contract with the state of California, Oracle Corp. remains entangled in an ever-growing political scandal there, as California’s attorney general gave back its campaign contributions. Last night, Attorney General Bill Lockyer announced he returned $50,000 in Oracle campaign contributions “to ensure that there isn’t the slightest appearance […]