BeachRider

Microsoft and SAP vs. Oracle - A Very Big Deal

I wonder if I am reading this article correctly. The Yahoo text says that only the SAP Business Objects Planning and Consolidation is involved. The much larger SAP Business Suite is NOT involved.

If true, the largest-impact part of SAP is conspicuously absent from the Microsoft joint-plan. That is really significant.

More GM-Magna Fallout: What Russia Will Have to Learn

Wholesale slaughter of GM/Opel technology is misguided. GM really does have some intellectual property and manufacturing technology that others lack. The GM/Opel management were REALLY awful, though. GM's biggest problems were its corporate misgovernance.

Historically mixing Russian business needs with German jobs hasn't been a good deal for the Germans. Perhaps the Germans are making noises, just to save their Russian relationship. It has to be that Germany would expect Opel to last longer with American ownership versus Russian Ownership.

GM Looks to Use U.S. and Canadian Tax Money to Bail Out Opel

From what I have read, GM lacked faith in the technology-sharing agreement with Sberbank (the RUS partner of Magna). GM does have to protect their intellectual property (they let the catalytic converter go to public domain, in the 70s, geeez).We should alwas be clear, we want the TARP repaid, with interest. GM needs to MAKE MONEY before they pay back the TARP.

The TARP has been doing well (not perfectly) with the banks.

I agree that GM Corporate Governance (a really poor function in the past), now includes USA Government. If the GM Management should NOT be making these moves, then the BoD needs to control the CxOs. The taxpayers depend on them!

Germany Cold-Shoulders GM on State Aid

I don't see how more USA TARP money will be made available to 'the new GM'. The ONLY thing I care about is recovering the TARP. It is not a gift. I do believe that USA TARP money was intended to stopgap the need for Capital and keep Michigan from going to 50% unemployment. That was a correct use of taxpayer money, so long as we get it back.

OTOH, USA taxpayers have NO responsibility to automotive employment in Germany or England. If those governments have NO interest in doing TARP-like things with Opel/Vauxhaul, then I suspect that those factories will survive only-if they make money in the short-haul. Best wishes to our friends in Germany and England, but this is US Taxpayer money being used in a private context.

HP’s Acquisition Further Pits Tech Giants Against One Another

3Com's 8800/7900/7700 offerings aren't typically favored over CSCO's 6500/4500 strategy. Management of 10+ switches also favors CSCO (mainly due to software). HP even had CSCO switches for its blades, because their proprietary switches got into management problems interoperating with CSCO.

It is clear the CSCO 'declared war' when they issued blades, so some response from HP was needed, there just needs to be more on the planning-horizon to justify 3Com as the best response.

Why Should Oracle Even Bother with the EU?

To focus back on the EC, itself...

There is some fear that ORCL's purchase of JAVA will cause MySQL to deteriorate. This could be expected of an Open Standards piece of software, but the safeguards are large with Open Source Software.

Think about how SUSE became an alternate source for Linux maintenance and modifications. SUSE finds it convenient to integrate new Linux Kernel improvements, but it could alter Linux themselves, if it met their marketing needs.

With this, why does the EC have the right to train-wreck JAVA?

ORCL disengaging altogether will harm JAVA (and MySQL). ORCL proceeding as the EC desires will cause a deflated value of MySQL if they choose to fire-sale it (so ORCL should lower its bid).
The EC is knowingly lowering the value of MySQL. Why is that legitimate?

Oracle: EC Has 'Profound Misunderstanding' of Database Market

I don't think that you understand 'Open Source Systems'. Their value lies in marketing of for-profit product/services with them. ORCL's ownership of MySQL doesn't convey exclusivity on that activity (note RedHat/SUSE with Linux).

FYI MySQL doesn't generate 'Little revenue' on licenses, it generates 'NO REVENUE' on licenses. NO REVENUE times any number of users equals 'BAGEL' CURRENCY.

There could be concerns about ORCL 'poisoning' future releases, but users can ignore those releases. Extended behavior like this could cause some opportunistic 'user' to issue source modifications and become the de-facto source of future releases.

If the EC holds your position, then they are sadly over-endowed with Magistration on this issue.


On Nov 10 08:54 PM achambers wrote:

> It’s a great mystery to me why anyone would defend this merger.
> Oracle exists to make a profit, MySql provides a free alternative
> to their core database product and provides little revenue. It doesn’t
> fit well into Oracle’s product line but they certainly don’t want
> to split it off to any competitors, such as Microsoft. Unfortunately,
> that would be the best thing for MySql, it would be well supported
> by any competitor who purchased it and continue on its current course.
> Oracle makes no profit from throwing a lot of money into MySql and
> their shareholders won’t stand by while they waste money on this
> product, it’s doomed to be gradually phased out. There are certainly
> some other open source alternatives but a business, investing in
> a database product, needs some stability in the support of the product.
> They are willing to go with MySql because there is a large community
> behind it and Sun Microsystems backing it. The open source alternatives
> are slower and I personally would not be confident in their support,
> as a small business owner, I would be driven to look at paid alternatives.
> Oracle has the potential to eliminate the best database option for
> small businesses and the US government seems to be supporting it.

Oracle vs. EC: Prepare for a Fight

We need to see the EC's written opinion on this. On the surface, Larry Ellison is right. ORCL could retard new releases of MySQL, but if he deviates too far, other value-added providers could seize the initiative and deflate ORCL's investment-value. All of this could happen without anyone asking ORCL's opinion of the change.

If this proves to be some kind of Protectionism of European MySQL provider-services, that would be baaad.

Oracle Fights Back as EU Tries to Tilt Database Market Playing Field

Apart from being slightly inflammatory, there is one key issue: Can Oracle kill MySQL in an attempt to have Oracle reign supreme? The answer is "not-really". The nature of an Open Source System is MUCH more than simply being a standards-based Open System. If Maria (or any database provider) wants to alter MySQL to it needs, they can do it without "MySQL's Owner's" consent. If ORCL tried to kill-off MySQL they would essentially write-off the $1Bn investment and become a by-line for future Maria releases.

What is scaring the EC here? It is important to note that the EC is KILLIN MySQL with this delay.

Oracle: EC Has 'Profound Misunderstanding' of Database Market

Sounds like the EC doesn't believe in the OSI & OSD. MySQL isn't just an 'Open System' (following open standards), but an 'Open Source System' (publishing how they do it). The OSS owner is obliged to make the source available to anyone, given some nominal media-copying fee. Oracle is simply the company that can sue mis-users of their Open Source System (is this what concerns the EC?). Their dominance over the support of MySQL is not implied by their ownership of the product. They certainly could publish future releases that take MySQL into new-territory, but the user-base need not follow them, unless they want to.

If the EC has limited belief in OSI/OSD, then they probably misunderstand what licensed-usage is for 'Open Source Systems'. That is a BAD thing for such a powerful magistrate.

Sun Q1: Earnings Beat, Sales Lag

Geez, JAVA just might have to do more cost-cutting on its own if the ORCL activity is delayed or stopped. I don't know if the CxOs have enough clout in their own company to do that. We could be looking at a major BOD intervention.

This dance that the EC has started with ORCL is getting edgier by the day. Makes you wonder if the EC would have done this with a European acquirer...

Thursday Options Recap

This ORCL/JAVA work just sends some chills through the JAVA stockholders. What if JAVA burns through a substantial amount of its cash-on-hand to keep the company viable while the EC 'fiddles'.

Ellison could simply go-away and watch MySQL lose a ton more money (and staff). It only costs him $165MM (or so) to do that. He has clearly lost much more than that in lost-value due to the delay in the acquisition.

Don't even get me started on what this has done to SPARC...

Fever Pitch: Happy Droid Day, Enjoy the Moment

This is an interesting place (SA) to watch the launch from. SA has a large contingent of Jobs-ophiles. There will be some crossfire, just because of 'a new gun in town'.

I don't know if Droid will compete well with iPhone or not. iPhone is like the NY Yankees of Personal Communications. Sooo many folks love iPhone and can love nothing else. Others hate it 'just because...'

iPhone has cast large footprints, too. Droid may beat iPhone in some areas, but is certain to come up short in others.

An oddsmaker would give the VZW 3G Network some advantage over the ATT 3G Network. For some reason, ATT is suing VZW because the '3G maps' (which show a big advantage to VZW) are prejudicial. I guess that substantial parts of iPhone function don't depend on 3G, so the map-disparity is an unfair simplification of the need for 3G. Hmmmm

EU Showdown over Oracle-Sun: Objections Seem Imminent

Since the EU regulators are effectively causing JAVA to 'twist in the wind', I submit that JAVA will be released from the Oracle acquisition. This should please the EU regulators.

I don't know what happens next for JAVA, though. Those 3K of new layoffs is only the tip of the iceberg unless another white-knight comes along.

I also don't-get how this EU action protects any current users of MySQL. It will continue to lose-staff and lose effectiveness under this EU magistration.

GM-Magna Fallout: What Business As Usual Is in Russia

If GM is 'legally' getting out of the RUS/CDN deal, then the only issue for US residents is whether this affects the payback of the Automotive TARP. After that, GM is on its own.

If this speeds the repayment terms of the TARP, then I am for it. If it does not, then Obama needs to shake up GM again...