HP gets relative with MySQL database systems

HP is hooking up with MySQL AB, provider of the popular open source database management systems. The news emerged from the annual MySQL Users Conference, which is being held in in Santa Clara, California. As part of the agreement, HP says it will provide consulting, integration and support services for its customers implementing MySQL Network database systems (certified software that comes with premium support services, rather than the free vanilla offering). ...more

BT profits up 55 per cent

BT has announced profits of ?496m for the last quarter, a rise of 55 per cent. Revenues were up two per cent. It has also made further inroads into its debt, reducing it by ?285 million to ?13. ...more

Google launches Docs & Spreadsheets

Google is combining its Writely online word processing tool with its Spreadsheets offering to form a new service, the rather prosaically titled Google Docs & Spreadsheets. This latest graduate of the prolific Google Labs is intended to help users share and store documents across the Web. Working with DOC, XLS, ODF, ODS, RTF and CSV formats, there is the familiar button-driven toolbar interface, and collaborators can be invited to access shared data on the basis of email addresses. ...more

PlayStation 2 to get DVD boost?

Sony has bought up the entire worldwide stock of the LSI chipset and will be probably be using them in the new UK and US machines. These chips are currently used in budget DVD players and it is thought that Sony is thinking of upgrading their US and UK PS2 machines. The Japanese PS2's were released with software decoding rather than a dedicated hardware playback solution. ...more

Appeal floodgates to open on Oftel?

Competition decision marks Oftel as fair game for appeals on its rulings A decision to uphold a complaint from Freeserve on BT's marketing practices after Oftel had decided to take no action makes the regulator subject to future appeals against its rulings The case stems from a complaint made by Freeserve in May of this year, that BT Openworld had unfairly benefited from its relationship with BT Retail, which Oftel decided not to take up. However, Freeserve appealed to the Competition Commission Appeals Tribunal (CCAT). The CCAT has now decided that Oftel not taking up the case constitutes a decision that there was no competition infringement, and therefore that this is a decision against which Freeserve can appeal. ...more