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The dot-com boom propelled few firms higher than Cisco Systems. Sparked by the proliferation of Internet-related companies, demand for its networking gear and switches skyrocketed. On the downside, the crash, which hit telecoms and dot-coms hard, did not spare Cisco. However, despite a rough 2001, t...

Oracle's unsolicited and, it seems, unwelcome bid to buy PeopleSoft has been called a lot of things since it was announced, from disruptive to atrocious and just about everything in between. But the one thing it is above all is refreshing. Oracle's move is a cold-water-to-the-face reminder that busi...

Yahoo has fired the latest volley in the enterprise instant messaging turf war, saying it will work with WebEx Communications and BEA Systems to extend the capabilities of its Enterprise Messenger product. Specifically, Yahoo said it plans to add the ability to launch WebEx virtual conferences from ...

Despite a relatively strong first quarter, sales of personal computers will grow more slowly than expected this year and next -- 6.3 percent in 2003 and 10.3 percent in 2004 -- according to a report from IDC. Because of price pressures, the total value of PCs shipped actually will decline more than ...

Apple Computer has accomplished a raft of goals since Steve Jobs returned to its helm in 1997. But there is one hurdle that Apple, with all its creativity, has not been able to leap. The company's share of the desktop computer market continues to hover at between 3 and 5 percent, the same as it was ...

Given the pace of business today, instant messaging seems like a natural fit for the global enterprise, enabling far-flung employees and contract workers to communicate in real-time throughout the workday. However, many businesses are balking for a simple reason: IM and other peer-to-peer applicatio...

Oracle Corp. has shocked the software world by announcing that it will set out to buy all outstanding shares of PeopleSoft. The $5.1 billion takeover bid comes just days after PeopleSoft announced its own planned acquisition of J.D. Edwards. It is difficult to determine whether or not Oracle saw tha...

With an enormous volume of code comes the need to keep it current, and Microsoft has been relentless in this task, issuing scores of updates and patches every day. In fact, staying on top of Windows updates has become a tricky endeavor for those in charge of maintaining hundreds or thousands of mac...

IBM and the rise of Linux are the two main competitive threats to Microsoft, CEO Steve Ballmer told employees in a widely circulated e-mail message. In what amounted to a state-of-the-company note, Ballmer also said Microsoft will delay the release of its Longhorn software platform if necessary in o...

A new report by Technology Futures of Austin, Texas, states that in 2003, the proportion of American households using broadband of some kind -- DSL, cable or wireless -- will surpass 20 percent. At this crucial juncture in the evolution of the Internet, it might be worth reminding lawmakers who are ...

In a bid to boost its often-mocked Trustworthy Computing initiative, Microsoft has reached an agreement to work with VeriSign to make Microsoft products more secure. The company also said it will train a new generation of security experts to master its software by adding a security certification to ...

IBM has announced that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is examining the way it booked revenue in 2000 and 2001, making Big Blue the latest in a growing crowd of technology companies to find itself under SEC scrutiny. "IBM believes that its business and accounting policies comply with all...

Although Ruben Studdard has officially won the American Idol title, edging out Clay Aiken by a razor-thin margin, the search for America's e-business idol is still under way -- and industry observers seem as split over the contenders as the voting public was over the contestants on the top-rated TV ...

In a move that significantly alters the business software landscape, PeopleSoft has announced it will buy J.D. Edwards in a deal worth $1.7 billion. Assuming it clears regulatory hurdles and wins the blessing of shareholders, the all-stock transaction will create the world's second largest corporate...

When the mainstream first discovered the newly spun Web, a new breed of spider emerged: the cybersquatter, an individual or company that registered many domain names and resold them at high prices. Although cybersquatters' numbers have diminished -- along with their profits -- these domain-name vult...