Sun plans to acquire MySQL for $1B, Oracle to buy BEA for $8.5B
Sun said today it will acquire open source database company MySQL for about $1 billion, a deal that would keep Sun at the center of the thriving open source software industry (see the announcement here).
The deal is for $800 million cash and $200 million in stock.
Simultaneously, in big news for the corporate “enterprise” industry, database software giant Oracle said it had reached an agreement to acquire middleware giant BEA for $8.5 billion, a few months… Continue Reading
AT&T buys pay-per-call company, Ingenio
updated
AT&T has agreed to acquire privately held Ingenio, a provider of so-called “pay-per-call” technology, for an undisclosed amount.
Ingenio lets businesses bill clients when they call for information, instruction or other educational purposes. It also gives businesses a way to advertise online, letting them provide their phone numbers within online ads.
When customers call the number in the ad, Ingenio tracks the frequency with which the numbers being called (it can do so, because it provides unique… Continue Reading
oDesk, marketplace for developers, raises $8 million
oDesk is a start-up that provides a marketplace for companies to hire developers online and then keep near unprecedented control over them remotely.
The Palo Alto company has just raised $8 million more in venture capital.
Benchmark Capital, a Silicon Valley firm known for its backing of auction site eBay, led the round. Bechmark has now invested in numerous marketplaces, including LogoWorks, eBags and Ingenio.
oDesk has some momentum, with revenues growing at 10 to 15 percent a… Continue Reading
Abrams’ Socializr, an event site, launches; will it match Renkoo, others?
Jonathan Abrams, the founder of path-breaking social networking company Friendster, has launched a test version of his new site, Socializr.
The site says it is “a free web service for sharing event and party information with your friends. Use Socializr to plan the ultimate social life!” It calls itself a “Web 3.1″ company, and says its motto is “Don’t be boring.”
It is a closed test, so you won’t see much when you go there now. But… Continue Reading