Technology news briefs

06.06.2005
Von Computerworld staff

Oracle revises Solaris 10 licensing

-- Oracle Corp. has changed licensing terms for users that run its database on Sun Microsystems Inc."s Solaris 10 operating system, revising a model that analysts said put Sun at a competitive disadvantage with Hewlett-Packard Co. and IBM. The changes lower licensing costs for Solaris users running Oracle software on only part of their servers, a practice called partitioning.

Nortel reports loss on slight sales rise

-- Nortel Networks Corp., recovering from an accounting scandal and an industry downturn, reported a first-quarter loss on sales that rose slightly from last year.

Quest buys Vintela for $56.5M in cash

-- Irvine, Calif.-based Quest Software Inc. has agreed to acquire privately held Vintela Inc. for approximately US$56.5 million in cash. Lindon, Utah-based Vintela makes tools that allow Microsoft Corp."s Active Directory and Systems Management Server to manage computing environments that include both Windows and non-Windows platforms. The deal is expected to close this summer.

Fed agencies eye RFID technology

-- Some U.S. government agencies are eyeing radio frequency identification technology as a tactic to save money and improve services. In a report, the Government Accountability Office said it found that 13 of 24 federal agencies are implementing or exploring RFID initiatives for a number of uses, including logistics support, shipment tracking and border patrol.