Joseph C. Panettieri

They were the Wright Brothers of networking software. But instead of a duo, they were a trio. Novell Data Systems hired Dale Neibaur, Drew Major and Kyle Powell in October 1981 to network CPM z80 microprocessors. The trio quickly became known as the SuperSet. A fourth developer, Mark Hurst, designed device drivers and administration utilities […]

Whenever I had an extra dollar in my pocket during my childhood, my dad always told me to “spend half and save half.” Maybe dad should have been a CFO at a dot-com or an e-commerce company. Many firms only now are tightening their belts. CyberSource, for one, is cutting back on its marketing efforts […]

I promise not to start this column with gloomy economic news or another dot-com horror story. Instead, Ill focus on an upbeat item. Well, sort of. Like a mortician during a nuclear winter, Uecker & Associates is cleaning up the dot-com mess and laughing all the way to the bank. The San Francisco-based company specializes […]

Many high-tech takeovers are negotiated in board rooms or exclusive hotel suites. But Microsoft was willing to make an exception when it came time to corral its most recent acquisition, Great Plains Software. The $1.1 billion stock deal, which is expected to close this spring, was nearly a year in the making. Informal talks between […]

The new year started off with a bang, but our Partner Index has been a dud in recent weeks because of earnings warnings and continued concern about the slowing economy. Our index fell 7.5 percent for the week ended Feb. 21, as losers beat winners by a 4-to-1 ratio. Merrill Lynch triggered the sell-off when […]

In another lifetime, Bill Coleman probably worked for UPS. Just like the dependable guy in the brown hat, BEA Systems CEO always seems to deliver the goods—especially to his shareholders. With Coleman behind the wheel, BEA has generated record revenue for 20 consecutive quarters. The companys flagship software packages, Tuxedo and WebLogic, drive thousands of […]

Looks like the technology labor shortage could soon become a surplus. Even technology workers in Atlanta, one of the nations fastest-growing cities, cant outrun the economic slowdown. Recent layoffs at Amazon.com, AT&T, Covad, iXL and Lucent have hit Atlanta hard. The city has lost nearly 3,000 high-tech jobs this year, according to industry estimates. Today, […]

When it comes to partnering, PeopleSoft firmly believes that less is more. After lining up too many allies in the mid-1990s, the company now has around 35 close consulting partners—down about 60 percent from a few years ago. “Several years ago, we probably partnered with 90 firms globally,” says Jay Fulcher, executive VP of PeopleSoft […]

Sometimes it pays to invest in your worst enemy. Just ask Sun Microsystems co-founder and chief scientist Bill Joy. Even as he rides Unix to riches, Joy has been known to bet a few bucks on Microsoft. In November, Joy registered to sell nearly 3,000 Microsoft shares worth about $200,000 at the time, according to […]

PeopleSoft CEO Craig Conway knows how to bruise his rivals with combination punches. From a revamped software suite to a new management team, Conway has rebuilt PeopleSoft into a lean, highly profitable e-business contender. Now Conways on the acquisition trail, looking for small companies to round out PeopleSofts product and consulting portfolio. Conway recently discussed […]