Microsoft Corp. is readying a configurable firewall for its upcoming Windows Vista operating system that is designed to give administrators control over which applications can run on the systems they manage. Microsoft said the firewall has been undergoing tests over the past month and is on track to be included in the first release of Vista, which is due later this year.

Troubled Sun posts $223M loss in Q2

A turnaround continues to elude troubled Sun Microsystems Inc., which posted a US$223 million loss in its second fiscal quarter despite a 17 percent increase in revenue.

IBM buys systems software vendor

IBM has acquired CIMS Lab Inc., a maker of software that lets businesses track computing resource usage, for an undisclosed sum. IBM said it will use the purchase to add financial management to its range of IT services management products. CIMS will become part of IBM's Tivoli management software group, and its products will be integrated with Tivoli offerings, IBM said.