Must Read: Sorry, but bringing back the Start menu won't help Windows 8

Topic: Oracle

Microsoft's dilemma

Summary: Microsoft briefly pondered taking a minority stake in PeopleSoft to help it fend off Oracle. "Thinking about this PeopleSoft bid by Oracle made me wonder if we should approach them and suggest a minority investment to bolster their independence in return for a modest platform commitment," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said in an e-mail to CEO Steve Ballmer the day after Oracle announced its PeopleSoft bid.

Dan Farber

By Dan Farber for Between the Lines |

GatesMicrosoft briefly pondered taking a minority stake in PeopleSoft to help it fend off Oracle. "Thinking about this PeopleSoft bid by Oracle made me wonder if we should approach them and suggest a minority investment to bolster their independence in return for a modest platform commitment," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said in an e-mail to CEO Steve Ballmer the day after Oracle announced its PeopleSoft bid.

Now Microsoft execs insist that they have no intention of competing with SAP, Oracle or PeopleSoft to supply the big enterprises with core business software. Smaller companies with less than 500 employees is the target...for now. News.com's Alorie Gilbert has the full scoop on the latest revelations from the Oracle/DOJ trial...

Topic: Oracle

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4 comments
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  • So?

    Let them talk in plaintext for that matter. It's not like industrial spies are going to be bothering to crack the traffic from a games console.

    Same thing for my wireless at home -- I restrict the MAC addresses that can associate mainly to keep the neighbors from getting confused. I don't worry about content since I treat the wireless network as totally insecure (think the Internet) anyway.
    Yagotta B. Kidding
    Reply Vote

    • Online banking

      and shopping. This never happens over your WLAN? Then I would suspect you're in the minority. A hacker with half a clue can step around the mac restriction.
      Real World
      Reply Vote

      • Sure, but...

        they would have to be on my front porch or in my back yard. I think I would notice a stranger sitting on my daughter's swing with a laptop :)
        Patrick Jones
        Reply Vote

        • Yeah, but for those apartment dwellers out there

          Would you notice the guy sitting at the kitchen table in his apartment above (or below, or across, or next door...) from you?
          John Zern
          Reply Vote
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