Sun due to launch Star Office 8 today

Sun Microsystems is set to launch a new version of its Star Office productivity suite today. Based around the Open Office project the new version is claiming better compatibility with Microsoft Office documents and macros, XML Forms support and various wizards to aid efficiency. As with Microsoft Office, Star Office offers a word processor, spreadsheet, spreadsheet, drawing application, presentation development program, and a database front end. ...more

IBM keeps server crown

IBM remains the server king according to the latest survey of the server market by analysts Gartner. Big Blue increased its market share by revenue to 30.7 per cent - up a percentage point from the equivalent quarter in 2003. ...more

Comment: Who benefits from IBM and the USPTO's 'open' bid to up patent quality?

The US Patent and Trademark Office's announcement yesterday that it is to team up with major open-source vendors, the Open Source Development Labs and VA Software's SourceForge.net, to launch initiatives to improve patent quality, looks shiny and positive on the face of it. Open Critics The free and open-source software (FOSS) community has been one of the strongest critics of software patents, and in particular some of the more dubious patents issued by the USPTO. ...more

And also today (25-September-2001)...

Here, in brief, are some of the day's other stories. The W32.Vote. ...more

IE7 tops 100 million users

More than 100 million people are using IE7, the latest version of Microsoft's browser, demonstrating its popularity since it launched last year, states the software giant. The company unveiled the figures, compiled by web usage researcher WebSideStory, on its IE blog. It claims that more than a quarter of people visiting US websites last week did so using IE7. ...more