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Technology Stocks : Compaq -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: hlpinout who wrote (95823)	3/8/2002 6:42:21 AM
From: hlpinout	Respond to of 97611

Microsoft Mulls Expanding Source Code Access To Applications, ISVs By Paula Rooney, CRN Redmond, Wash. 6:10 PM EST Thurs., Mar. 07, 2002 As its antitrust case winds down to the remedies phase, Microsoft is mulling a move to expand its shared source code program beyond Windows to applications including Office, Exchange and SQL Server. Microsoft is also in serious talks to extend the Shared Source Initiative program to ISVs. In an interview with CRN, Microsoft Shared Source Product Manager Jason Matusow said expanding source code access to the applications--and to ISVs--will enable the development of better Windows applications and enhance the ability of technology integrators and corporate sites to support their customers. Under its Shared Source Initiative, unveiled last May, Microsoft currently makes available source code for Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows.Net Server beta, Windows CE 3.0 and Windows CE.Net. "We're looking at moving into the applications space. We're evaluating that right now for the application servers and on the desktop side," said Matusow, though he declined to say when a final decision will be made. "We are in fact looking at it. These are ongoing conversations." The Microsoft official also noted that the company is considering extending the shared source program--and access to Windows and applications--to a wide range of ISVs, although the company is very concerned about the risks of releasing intellectual property to the software development community. "We have been looking at it actively," Matusow said, acknowledging that opening up more of the source code and APIs to ISVs is a central issue in the antitrust case and is being advocated by the nine dissenting states opposed to Microsoft's proposed consent decree with the government. "That is the community that would most benefit [from having Microsoft source code], but it can do the most damage [to Microsoft's intellectual property]. In contrast to the open source software license, Microsoft's Shared Source initiative allows customers and partners to view the source code, but they can't change it or share the code with others. Microsoft has made available most of the Windows source code--about 97 percent of the total base--to research and academic organizations for more than a decade and last May said it would be extended to more than 1,400 enterprise customers and governments. Currently, about 40 large corporations have requested access to the Windows source code, he said. In late February, the company said the program would be extended to technology integrators as well. Currently, Compaq Computer and Avanade are in the process of gaining access to the Windows code base and Microsoft is in negotiations with 15 other top systems integrators, Matusow said.

To: hlpinout who wrote (95823)	3/8/2002 6:43:32 AM
From: hlpinout	Read Replies (7) \| Respond to of 97611

10:36am 03/07/02 Compaq CEO: Not going anywhere (CPQ) By Allen Wan Compaq Computer (CPQ) CEO Michael Capellas told CBS.MarketWatch.com in an interview that he expects to remain with the company even if the planned merger with Hewlett-Packard (HWP) were to unexpectedly fall through. "I fully intend to be around," he said, adding that he expected the board to stay in its current form as well. The prospects of the biggest tech merger of all time increased dramatically Wednesday after the FTC gave the go-ahead for the $22 billion merger without requiring any major restrictions. In an interview that will be broadcast on CBS MarketWatch Weekend, Capellas also said that he expects the struggling PC sector to rebound in the short term. Capellas said that while the PC sector had probably its worst year in 15 years in 2001, he also expects improvement as demand for Net services continues to rise. "The fact is that people will look at new and innovative ways to access the Internet," he said. "I'm bullish on the PC business in the short-term cycle," he said. The odds of a merger have grown after influential shareholder adviser ISS gave its approval for the deal Tuesday. Of the ISS, Capellas said that while the merger isn't a lock, the group's consent was "extremely important." "It's important as the role they do play and they are experts in corporate governance," he said. Capellas also said that the two companies are better together than apart because a combined company would create an enterprise leader in services, storage and services. "All the elements needed as you think out 2-3 years (down the road)." He said the goal of the combined firm wasn't to topple Dell (DELL) as the leader in the PC market. "That's clearly not the objective," he said. Capellas said that Compaq hadn't look for another potential merger partner beyond H-P. "This was the only alternative that makes any sense." Shares of Compaq were up 0.5 percent, while those of H-P were down 1.2 percent. The deal goes before H-P shareholders on March 19th.