FTC casts eye on Google-Apple ties; Micro Focus buys Borland |
 |
By Barbara Darrow, Senior News Director
08 May 2009 | SearchITChannel.com |
|
|
IT channel headlines for May 8, 2009
FTC looks into Google-Apple relationship
Google CEO Eric Schmidt said he intends to keep his seat on the Apple board despite newly disclosed plans by the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Google-Apple ties. The FTC is looking into possible anticompetitive issues now that Google Android-based phones compete with the popular Apple iPhone. In the past, Schmidt has said he recuses himself when the board discusses phone issues.
Micro Focus acquires Borland
Officially ending an era, Micro Focus is buying Borland for $75 million in cash. Borland, formerly Borland International, had been a huge force in PC databases, tools and spreadsheets, providing stiff competition to established powers like Lotus 1-2-3 and Microsoft Excel.
It also provoked a long-running copyright infringement suit by Lotus Development Corp. that ended up going to the U.S. Supreme Court. (The court refused to hear the case, handing Borland a de facto win.) But the company, led by CEO Philippe Kahn, ended up selling off key products like Quattro Pro and Paradox to refocus on software languages and tools. Most recently it concentrated on application lifecycle management tools. Tod Nielsen, a former Microsoft and Oracle exec became CEO in 2005 but left for VMware earlier this year. In another deal, Micro Focus also said it is buying Compuware's application testing and automated software quality business for $80 million in cash.
Check out yesterday's IT channel news in brief.
|
|
|
|
