[News] [SOT] IBM Claims Great Success
Roy Schestowitz
,----[ Quote ]
| "The broad scope of I.B.M.'s global business - led by strong operational
| performance in Asia, Europe and emerging countries - drove these outstanding
| results," said Samuel J. Palmisano, the company's chief executive, in an
| accompanying statement.
`----
http://linux.sys-con.com/read/484839_p.htm
With buybacks and all, just like Microsoft. The economy is heading towards a
recession, yet everyone pretends that business is a great success by moving
money around. Free software isn't affected by this.
IBM Sales, Profit Give Tech a Healthier Look
,----[ Quote ]
| International Business Machines Corp. surprised investors by preannouncing
| stronger-than-expected sales and earnings in the fourth quarter, leading to
| speculation that the U.S. economic slowdown may not be hurting technology
| companies as much as expected.
`----
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120031471466688313.html
Didn't Novell boast great success in its last report, amid planned layoffs and
increasing losses? It's the same with Microsoft. It's hypnosis.
Related:
Incubating Innovation
,----[ Quote ]
| IBM's Emerging Business Organization, for example, has produced businesses
| based on innovative technologies such as Linux, generating over $2 billion in
| annual revenues. Hewlett-Packard has grown its printing business to be the
| dominant source of its profits.
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http://www.forbes.com/claytonchristensen/2007/12/21/ibm-hp-incubator-leadership-clayton-in_sw_1221claytonchristensen_inl.html
http://tinyurl.com/2v2t8l
Inna Kuznetsova, Global Executive for Linux, IBM
,----[ Quote ]
| Sitting at the helm of IBM's strategy pulpit on Linux is Inna Kuznetsova, who
| recently took over the role from long-time IBM Linux executive Scott Handy.
`----
http://www.internetnews.com/dev-news/article.php/3699706
,----[ Quote ]
| "We've moved past the ideology," said Sutor, in Salt Lake City
| Thursday to attend graduation ceremonies at Neumont University."
| Many people have figured out that there are a number of ways tom
| ake money from the 'open source' model."
|
| [...]
|
| The litigation has been characterized as part of a proxy war being
| waged by Microsoft against Linux, seen as a prime challenger to
| Windows. Microsoft has been a prime funding source for SCO, but
| earlier this month stunned open-sourcers by announcing a development
| pact for Novell's Suse-brand of Linux.
|
| IBM is watching the apparent about-face with interest - and
| skepticism. "I don't see [Microsoft] doing very much yet for open
| source that isn't at arm's length," Sutor said. "Possibly this is
| a way of perpetrating previous [anti-Linux] strategy while
| superficially looking better."
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http://www.sltrib.com/ci_4679245?source=rss
Is IBM open source's little friend?
,----[ Quote ]
| ...That is because one of the big post-Linuxworld features is all about
| IBM, and how IBM is going to use open source to beat big, bad Microsoft.
|
| [...]
|
| The story, from Motley Fool, says IBM is going to get Linux running faster
| on its proprietary chips, go after smaller customers using the cost
| benefits of open source, and push an "open health care framework" to
| push computers into smaller medical offices.
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/open-source/?p=758
Ballmer rattles intellectual property saber at Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| You would have thought that by now Ballmer would have learned his
| lesson. After all, it was Microsoft that fueled up the SCO IP rocket,
| aimed it at Linux, and then watched as SCO's anti-Linux lawsuits have
| blown up.
|
| SCO's IP claims against Linux have been proven time and again to ben
| othing more than bad jokes. Is there any reason to think that Microsoft's
| IP claims wouldn't be more of the same?
|
| Yes, there is one key difference. Microsoft, if it actually had
| anything to show, would likely be relying on patents rather than
| copyrights, against Linux. However, there's just couple of wee
| little problems with that approach.
|
| First, let's assume that Microsoft isn't filled with morons. So,
| instead of threatening to sue customers -- and we all know how wellt
| hat worked out for SCO, don't we? -- they'll have to sue a big Linux
| vendor. Let's say, they decide to pick on Red Hat.
|
| Now, as it just so happens, Red Hat isn't the only company that
| distributed RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux). There's this other
| company named Oracle, which recently got into the RHEL business.
| Larry Ellison may call his version "Unbreakable Linux," but Oracle
| makes no bones about it: Unbreakable Linux is RHEL.
|
| Microsoft might think it could break Red Hat down with a long enough
| lawsuit, but Oracle? Do the boys in Redmond really want to spend the
| rest of the next decade locked in battle with Larry Ellison? I don't
| think so.
|
| Besides, does Microsoft think IBM will stay on the litigation sidelines,
| if it decides to play the patent card? IBM makes a lot of its billions
| from Linux, and I can't see Big Blue paying Microsoft off to continue
| using its favorite operating system.
|
| [...]
|
| So, from where I sit, if Microsoft really wants to try to slug it out with
| Linux in the courts, it will first have to deal with other industry
| heavyweights. It will also have to deal with all the negative PR that will
| result from taking on a much smaller company. And, after all that,
| Microsoft will still have the problem that trying to hit Linux on patents
| will be like trying to give the north wind a good punch in the jaw -- it
| simply can't be done.
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http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS7228555922.html
If Novell and Microsoft Were in the Car Production and Sales Business...
,----[ Quote ]
|
| Look at it this way for a moment:
|
| * "If I, as an end-user, bought a car from Ford, that does
| indeed contain technology infringing some patent owned by
| DaimlerChrysler--would there by any likelihood that Ford would
| sue me, the end-user?
|
| * "However, if I, as an end-user, buy a SUSE Linux Enterprise Serv-
| er, that may contain (well, it doesn't, and never will, as
| Novell strongly reassures me) software patented technology owned
| by Microsoft--would there be any likelihood that Microsoft would
| sue me, the end-user?
`----
Moshe Goldfarb
> IBM Profits Rise 24% Year-on-Year in the 4th Quarter
Of course they did.
IBM just announced a massive number of jobs being shifted overseas.
Also, what ever happened to the "our workforce will be using Linux"
statements of a few years ago?
FWIW the mobile workforce still uses Windows XP.
Also, next time you hear of IBM laying off people, buy the stock as it
always goes up when they announce layoffs.