Marginal Cost
16 Stories

Bursting the proprietary-software bubble

Insight perspective Strip away all the bluster and jargon and you soon realize the end is nigh for proprietary software, argues open source expert.

Sunday, November 09 2008 08:52 PM

Tags: Business applications, Open source, Software licensing, Marginal Cost, IT Budget, Bubble, Open Source, Financial Company, software, theory

What vendors really mean by 'open source'

Insight perspective Vendors may describe a particular software offering as "open source", but their words should be examined carefully, says legal expert.

Friday, January 09 2009 01:05 PM

Tags: Open source, Software-as-a-service (SaaS), Software licensing, Marginal Cost, Europe, Gartner Inc., Advertisement, software, CEO, proprietary software

Sun chops heads: Can it get any respect?

Insight commentary With its open source efforts slow to pay off and the broader economy crumbling, CEO Jonathan Schwartz responds to a charge that Sun has become "toxic".

Monday, November 17 2008 01:38 PM

Tags: Open source, Servers, Financial, Leadership, Headcount Reduction, Jonathan Schwartz, Cloud Computing, Forbes, Sun Microsystems Inc., microprocessor

Starting back with the startups

Insight As startups began to fail, the data centers, ASPs, and ISPs that supported them and bet their own success on them also began to fail--or at least drastically cut staffs and build-outs in order to survive.

Monday, June 03 2002 09:37 AM

Sun boosts revenue with free software strategy

News Sun chief Jonathan Schwartz has created his own free software foundation, open sourcing everything from Java to Solaris as a way to grow revenue.

Tuesday, June 17 2008 11:10 PM

Tags: Open source, Software, Databases, Servers, Storage, Database, Jonathan Schwartz, Sun Microsystems Inc., phone, Support Services

Seagate Barracuda ATA IV

Reviews At lower capacities, it's a close run thing between the Barracuda ATA IV and IBM's Deskstar 120GXP. Both are competitively priced -- shop around for a bargain.

Tuesday, May 07 2002 04:25 PM

Seeking memorable mobile apps

Insight perspective Mobile applications are numerous but often lacking in quality. One analyst looks at what's needed to improve them.

Monday, July 20 2009 07:53 PM

Tags: Mobile applications, Mobile platforms, Apple Inc., Developer, Cisco Catalyst, Sales, Sun Microsystems Inc., social networking, network, handset company

RIM tempers earnings forecast

News The announcement seems to confirm suspicions that the BlackBerry maker is adding subscribers at the expense of profit margins.

Thursday, February 12 2009 06:19 AM

Tags: Smart phones, Sales/revenue, Forecasting, Apple Inc., RIM BlackBerry, iSuppli Corp., Research In Motion Ltd., BlackBerry Bold, Wireless, Stock

Open source software: It's the free coffee cup of today

News Few customers will pay for MySQL, but they're installing it in large numbers, giving Sun an opportunity to visit them and try to sell them servers and storage systems.

Thursday, February 14 2008 09:25 AM

Tags: Servers, Open source, Business applications, IT budgeting

Analyst: 2008 to see bullish demand for IT

News Despite recessionary concerns, double-digit IT investment growth is expected in emerging markets this year including China and India, says consultancy AMI-Partners.

Wednesday, February 13 2008 07:06 PM

Tags: IT budgeting, IT outsourcing, Outsourcing, Web 2.0, Green IT, SMB

Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft all tumble

News Just about every major stock in technology, from chipmakers to consumer electronics titans to Web stars, was dragged into Wall Street's slide.

Wednesday, October 01 2008 10:53 AM

Tags: Financial, Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., Google Inc., Research In Motion Ltd., Stock, Computer, Amazon.com Inc., software, hard drive

Free Web: Its days are numbered?

News Paul Anderson was a big fan of Yahoo's free Internet phone calls until the portal began charging for it. Like him, millions of people who have come to depend on online services will realize the inevitable: The free ride on the Web is coming to an end.

Tuesday, June 05 2001 10:14 AM

Are the days of free Web numbered?

News The new Internet may be dominated by a handful of megacorporations able to promise the safety and convenience of paying for Web usage in one place, thus avoiding a maddening jumble of per-click charges, sliding storage fees and daily content subscriptions.

Tuesday, June 05 2001 11:21 AM