Peter Galli

Microsoft Corp. and AOL Time Warner Inc. moved closer last week to an agreement to bundle the AOL online service client with the forthcoming Windows XP operating system, which would significantly strengthen the two most powerful online companies. But sources close to the negotiations say the deal is facing big hurdles as well as opposition […]

Even as Microsoft Corp. rolled out its latest desktop applications suite, all indications were that Office XP was going to be the last of its kind. Thats mainly because the Redmond, Wash., companys future will rely increasingly on its .Net platform and its subscription-based services model. This was evidenced last week during the Office XP […]

As Microsoft Corp. prepares for the launch this week of Office XP, the next version of its ubiquitous desktop suite, corporate users are weighing their options—and finding few. None of the traditional options—to upgrade for additional features, to sit tight or to switch to another platform altogether—satisfies all the needs of IT managers and users. […]

The Linux revolution is turning into an evolution, with its prospects on the server and client splitting into two distinct paths of unequal fortune. The disparity in the successes of Linux came to the fore last week when new TPC-H benchmarks showed that IBMs upcoming DB2 7.2 database running on Linux 2.4.3 outperformed Microsoft Corp.s […]

Paving the way for Linux to reach farther into the enterprise, Red Hat Inc. has released Version 7.1 of its Red Hat Linux distribution, based on the 2.4 kernel that came out in January. The release is one among many in the Linux and Unix communities recently. In addition, Ximian Inc., the open-source company formerly […]

Sun Microsystems Inc. is on track to release StarOffice 6, its open-source productivity application suite that includes word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and database applications for Solaris, Windows and Linux. Iyer Venkatesan, senior product manager for StarOffice, said that Sun plans to release StarOffice 6 later this year. While Venkatesan is aiming for next quarter, the […]

The application compatibility monster is rearing its ugly head again as Microsoft Corp. moves closer to the launch of Windows XP late this year. As was the case when Microsoft upgraded users from Windows 3.x to 95/98 and then to Windows 2000, software developers and users are finding that what once ran on previous versions […]

Microsoft Corp., claiming to have learned from its mistakes, has added a number of features and enhancements to the second beta of its Whistler server operating system, which company officials said will make deployment far easier, especially for Active Directory. “We didnt supply enough prescriptive guidance with the Windows 2000 server family,” said Dave Thompson, […]

In a defensive move designed to protect its lucrative Office software suite, Microsoft Corp. has moved the rival NetDocs team under the Office umbrella. The shift terminates the very real threat NetDocs posed to Office and ends the rivalry and intense competition between the two teams, which have been headed by Office Senior Vice President […]

While Microsoft Corp. is touting its upcoming Tablet PC as the laptop of the future, corporate IT managers are less than convinced. Microsoft officials told delegates at WinHEC here recently that the Tablet will become the laptop of the future, combining the simplicity of a sheet of paper with all the power of a PC […]