Norton Antivirus firm buys rival
US anti-virus software firm Symantec has agreed to buy web security firm MessageLabs for $695m (£401.2m).
Best known for its Norton range of PC security software, the move is set to allow Symantec to expand its internet services business.
MessageLabs produces security products for instant-messaging, e-mail and the internet.
Subject to regulatory approval, the firms hope the deal will be completed by the end of the year.
MySQL co-founder quits job at Sun, as open source database frays
Feeling hemmed in by the boundaries of Sun’s corporate structure, MySQL co-founder David Axmark shot off a resignation letter telling Sun that he ‘hates rules,’ and he also ‘hates breaking them.’
Complaining vividly about the corporate rules inflicted on him at Sun, MySQL co-founder David Axmark has quit his job there, leaving his own future — and that of the Sun-acquired MySQL open source database project — in some doubt.
“I have thought about my role at Sun and decided that I am better off in smaller organizations,” Axmark wrote in a resignation letter. “I HATE all the rules that I need to follow, and I also HATE breaking them. It would be far better for me to ‘retire’ from employment and work with Sun on a less formal basis.”
rubiTrack workout software uses GPS data
Toolsfactory software on Tuesday announced the release of rubiTrack 1.0, a new activity tracking software app for the Mac. It costs $39.60.
RubiTrack is aimed at runners, bikers, walkers, hikers, skiers and others who log Global Positioning System (GPS) data. It reads tracks from GPS-enables fitness devices like the Garmin Forerunner, Garmin Edge and other compatible devices. It can also import GPX and TCX files.
Hollywood aims to block RealNetworks’ DVD software
LOS ANGELES – Hollywood’s six major movie studios on Tuesday sued RealNetworks Inc. to prevent it from distributing DVD copying software that they said would allow consumers to “rent, rip and return” movies or even copy friends’ DVD collections outright.
The studios stand to lose key revenue from the sale of DVDs, estimated by Adams Media Research at $15 billion in the U.S. this year, if consumers stop buying DVDs and instead copy rental discs from outlets like Netflix and Blockbuster.
TiVo on your PC, minus the TiVo box
Using your PC as a DVR isn’t anything new, but LiquidTV | TiVo PC lets you use the elegant TiVo interface for recording your favorite shows. That’s the good news; the bad news is that you’ll still need to pay for a TiVo subscription.
Set for release on October 15, the awkwardly named LiquidTV | TiVo PC (developed jointly by TiVo and Nero, a software maker known for its DVD/CD burning apps) comes in two versions: a $199 hardware and software package (complete with a USB ASTC tuner, a portable antenna, a TiVo remote, and an IR blaster for an optional set-top box, such as a satellite receiver), and a $99 software-only package.
Google’s SketchUp Helps Design Go Green
Back in 2006, when Google acquired startup @Last and its 3D modeling product, SketchUp, most observers saw it as a nice add-on for Google Earth, perfect for hobbyists and enthusiasts. But since then, the SketchUp program has blossomed into a tool in its own right, used by design professionals to fashion everything from consumer products to urban landscapes to country homes.
Green design professionals are particularly taken with the program. Widely praised by the architecture and design community for its “intuitive” nature, SketchUp, one of the few 3D rendering programs on the market, is also by far the easiest one to use. And its integration with Google Earth and the Google 3D Warehouse has elevated the program from a simple design tool to a location-based, product-inclusive architectural design powerhouse. As a result, SketchUp is nurturing a growing ecosystem of green design startups.
Oracle, Red Hat spar over Linux
San Francisco – It was nearly two years ago at the 2006 Oracle OpenWorld conference that Oracle CEO Larry Ellison unveiled a plan to have Oracle provide support to Red Hat’s own Linux customers.
The controversial plan sparked debate over whether Oracle was trying to kill off Red Hat by taking away Red Hat’s revenue stream. Oracle and Red Hat representatives questioned during this week’s Oracle Open World conference in San Francisco offered strikingly different perspectives on how well Oracle’s plan has worked out.
Asked if there has been any measurable impact on Red Hat, Andrew Cathrow, Red Hat product marketing manager, responded, “To be quite honest, not at all.”
New software turns PC into TiVo TV recorder
NEW YORK – TiVo Inc. and Nero AG of Germany were set to announce Monday that they will be launching a package that turns a Windows PC into a TV recorder, just like a TiVo set-top box.
The kit will cost $199 when it goes on sale Oct. 15, and includes a remote and a TV tuner that plugs into the PC. The interface on the computer screen looks just like the one on a TV equipped with a TiVo box.
It’s not the first software that allows TV recording on the PC. That’s been possible for years on computers equipped with TV tuners, and some versions of Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Vista operating system include the necessary software. But it will be the first time that both the TiVo interface and functions have been replicated on a PC.
Underestimating Google can be disastrous
Google’s first Android-based phone was announced Tuesday and so far, the response has been mixed.
Some believe it’ll be the next big thing in the cell phone business because it adds some basics — such as a physical keyboard — that the iPhone is lacking. Others believe the G1 will fall flat on its face because it’s not unique and its omissions (Exchange support, for one) will make it lose out in the corporate space. (For a full comparison of the two devices, see “T-Mobile G1 Vs. Apple iPhone 3G.”)
I tend to agree on both counts. I think Android could be a major hit in the cell phone space, but the G1 won’t be able to stand up to Apple or RIM. It’s too underpowered and its obvious omissions tell me T-Mobile and Google rushed it before it was ready.
Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks join CS4 update parade
Adobe Dreamweaver has a couple of interesting new features in this update, highlighted by the addition of Live View. This new view allows designers to see what their layout will look like under real-world browser conditions.
Using Live View, designers still have access to the code while using WebKit to render CSS navigation, JavaScript, Flash and other technologies typically not available when previewing a Web site. Live View may seem like a duplicate of the Preview in Browser feature, but that’s not how Adobe sees it.
“It’s not so much of a replacement for Preview in Browser, it’s more of a workflow gain because you don’t have to leave Dreamweaver,” said Dreamweaver product manager Devin Fernandez.
In keeping with its theme of making designers more efficient Adobe introduced Code Navigator in Dreamweaver. The Code Navigator is a smart pop-up window that shows you links to all the CSS code sources that affect your current selection.