Erin Joyce

Microsoft said it would change the name of its European version of Windows without Media Player in response to concerns by the European Commission over its use of the term “XP Reduced Media.” “We agreed to make the change in the spirit of compromise,” said Microsoft spokeswoman Stacy Drake. “This is in the interest of […]

One of the most important, but admittedly mundane and often-overlooked aspects of software development — regression testing — is getting the A-list treatment by two software development and tool-making companies. Infragistics, which specializes in presentation layer development tools in .NET and Java environments, has teamed with Mercury (formerly known as Mercury Interactive) to offer TestAdvantage, […]

NEW YORK — A defense attorney for Bernard Ebbers claimed the former head of WorldCom was hoodwinked by a practiced and sophisticated liar — its chief financial officer — on the way to the failed telecom’s $11 billion accounting scandal. During opening arguments Tuesday in the federal fraud charges against Ebbers in U.S. District Court, […]

IBM threw more of its weight into the software “on demand” movement Tuesday with a deal to acquire applications management firm Corio for $182 million in cash, or about $2.82 per share. IBM said the acquisition is expected to strengthen its application services portfolio by adding Corio’s capabilities and technologies, which specialize in rapid application […]

Online auction provider eBay recorded another record quarter. Profits soared by 44 percent to $205.4 million (over last year’s $142 million profit) in the last three months of 2004, and the company said it would invest $100 million to expand its presence in China’s white-hot online market. But the results could not keep investors happy […]

Helped by currency exchanges on the weak U.S. dollar and solid growth across all divisions, IBM’s profit for the fourth quarter of 2004 jumped by 12 percent to $3.04 billion ($1.80 per share, up 16 percent over last year at the same time). The results marked one of the strongest quarters ever for IBM, whose […]

Since IBM’s announcement last month that it would sell its PC division to China’s PC maker Lenovo for $1.75 billion, we’ve heard little about how it might impact China’s relations with the United States. Perhaps a closer look is in order. Because IBM is also taking an 18 percent stake in Lenovo as part of […]

The falloff of market activity since Tuesday’s rally continued Thursday, as traders seemed more inclined to wait until more players returned to the markets after the New Year Holiday than wade through smaller volumes this week. In all, the data floating through the markets did little to boost trading — even though the Nasdaq did […]

While Microsoft mulls appealing a recent court decision that forces it to comply with antitrust penalties, attorneys are talking up — and down — the implications of the unbundling decision for the world’s largest software company. According to a source familiar with the situation, Microsoft has retained a group of attorneys in Brussels whose only […]

Tech stocks returned to the scene of the rally Tuesday, as all the major indices hit three-year highs, driven in part by positive consumer spending stats and a rise in the consumer confidence index. After declining for at least three months, the consumer confidence index rose to 102.3, up by close to 10 points from […]

Online classifieds and job listing sites continue eating into newspapers’ bread-and-butter classified listings, but there’s plenty newspapers can do to find new economics alongside popular sites such as Craigslist, according to a new report. Called “Competing with Craig: Strategies and tactics for battling Craigslist and its counterparts,” the report by research and consulting firm Classified […]

Amazon.com’s surge in online shoppers this season helped push it into the top performer category during Monday’s post-Christmas holiday trading session. The e-tailer jumped by over 8.5 percent on the day to close at $42.25 on a fairly thin trading day after it announced another record-breaking day of sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas. But after […]