Stories by John Blau

DOJ is optimistic about Oracle trial at halftime

Halfway into the U.S. government's case to block Oracle Corp.'s takeover of PeopleSoft Inc., a high-ranking official from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) expressed optimism in blocking the database vendor's US$7.7 billion [b] bid.

SAP will not extend or increase offer for SAP SI

SAP AG will not extend or increase its special offer to acquire the remaining shares in SAP Systems Integration AG (SAP SI) that it doesn't already own, company spokesman Marcus Berner said Tuesday.

SAP, Deloitte focus jointly on food industry

In a move aimed largely at helping companies meet new regulatory requirements for food traceability, German business software vendor SAP AG and certain members of the Deloitte Touche Thomatsu consulting group have agreed to collaborate in the development of new preconfigured software and service packages targeting midsize food and beverage producers, SAP said Wednesday in a statement.

SAP chief sees users upgrading, investing again

The migration is in full swing. Customers of SAP's flagship R/3 enterprise software are upgrading to the company's newer version, mySAP ERP, at a steady rate, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Henning Kagermann said last week at a news conference in New Orleans at the company's Sapphire international customer conference.

SAP plans more jobs in India

German business software vendor SAP AG plans to increase the number of software engineers in its Indian operations to 1,500 from 1,000 by the end of this year.

Mobile operators push for handset specs

Several leading European mobile phone operators have begun talks to form an initiative aimed at identifying requirements for open mobile terminal platforms.

SAP executives talk optimistically about 2004

Senior executives of German business software vendor SAP AG offered a relatively optimistic business outlook for software sales in 2004 despite difficult conditions in Asia and intensive pressure on pricing.

SAP moves closer to acquiring SAP SI

German business software vendor SAP AG has moved closer to acquiring the remaining shares of SAP Systems Integration AG (SAP SI) after Software AG agreed Wednesday to sell its 3.6 percent stake in the IT service provider.

SAP SI shines as SAP moves to buy

Germany's SAP Systems Integration AG (SAP SI) posted a 78 percent increase in net profit for 2003, just one week after business applications vendor SAP AG announced plans to acquire the remaining shares of the IT service provider.

Finnish phone study says radiation within agreed limits

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY (01/09/2004) - Tests on several of the world's most popular second-generation mobile phone models revealed no health hazards, with radiation levels recorded well below agreed limits, according to data published by a Finnish agency.

Jitux.A worm hits MSN Messenger

A new worm targeting users of Microsoft Corp.'s MSN Messenger software has squirmed through the instant messaging (IM) application.

Germany extends green card for IT experts to 2004

The German government has decided to extend its green card programme for IT specialists until the end of 2004, when a new immigration law is expected to regulate work and residency permits for highly qualified, non-European Union workers seeking employment in the country.

Ballmer targets Linux in annual memo

Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer didn't mince his words when he wrote in a Wednesday memo to all Microsoft employees that noncommercial open source software, particularly the Linux operating system, was a "competitive challenge."

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