IBM's 16-Way xSeries Itanium 2 Server Due in Weeks
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

According to sources familiar with IBM's plans, Big Blue will sometime in February launch the "Man-O-War" variant of its "Summit" chipset. The machine, which apparently will be sold as the xSeries 450 and will be manufactured by IBM, is a variation on the Summit XA chipset that has been tweaked to support the 64-bit "McKinley" Itanium 2 processor from Intel. The xSeries 440 server uses the 32-bit "Foster" and "Gallatin" Pentium 4 Xeon. READ MORE >

Gartner Says Windows Servers Still Chasing Unix, Mainframes
by Timothy Prickett Morgan

No matter what technology you buy--a computer, a car, a cell phone--as a prospective buyer you want to be able to rank various options, and those who have already purchased a product want to reaffirm the choices they have already made and are living with day to day. That's why analysts at Gartner created a simple mathematical model that compares and contrasts the dominant server platforms. That model confirms what many Windows shops know all too well: Windows servers are popular and inexpensive, but not as robust as Unix or mainframe servers. READ MORE >

Mid-Comp International Taking Odyssey to the U.S.
by Alex Woodie

Companies in the United States will soon be able to purchase Odyssey, a suite of modular, Java-based ERP software applications designed to easily adapt to customizations without requiring expensive rewrites. Mid-Comp International, the Australian developer of Odyssey, is working with its American business partner, Oz Global Software, to attract consultants and build a network of channel partners and resellers to start selling the software, which should begin by the middle of the year. READ MORE >

But Wait, There's More . . .

Microsoft Calls "Whistler" Windows Server 2003, Drops .NET Moniker, Sets Launch for April 24 . . . IBM, AMD Collaborate on Chip Technologies . . . Dell Pursues POS Market with Alliances and Vigor . . . HP, Sybase Work Together on Itanium Version of Sybase ASE . . . Manhattan Associates Completes Acquisition of Logistics.com . . . READ MORE >

Reader Feedback and Insights

We value your feedback and your insights into the Windows and Linux server markets. Feel free to send a letter to the editor. We will consider your letter a candidate for the reader feedback column associated with this newsletter, but we will contact you before we make your email public. READ MORE >