News

• Microsoft System Center 2012 overhauls licensing, focuses on apps

  Microsoft has formally shipped System Center 2012 management platform, adding features that create application-centric views of corporate infrastructure and - just as important - implementing a new licensing scheme designed to capitalize on customers' frustration with the leading competitor, VMware.

• Microsoft Azure designer talks up cloud licence transfers

  CIOs looking to move existing software assets into the cloud but unsure about the licensing arrangements should leverage credits and other transfer services to minimise the impact, says one of the designers of Microsoft’s Azure cloud service.

• Transol unit signs reciprocal distribution deal

  Digital distribution company Transol's (ASX:TNC) music distribution subsidiary, Valleyarm Digital, has completed the circle of a licensing deal with Germany's Believe Digital.

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  QLD biometric licenses to go ahead

  The Queensland Government’s new biometric driver's licences are expected to go live with the next two months following a successful trial in August and September.

• Birst offers concurrent user pricing for BI

  On-demand BI vendor Birst announced Tuesday that it is now offering the option of concurrent user pricing, a licensing model few BI providers use because it can limit the amount of money they make compared to typical "named user" pricing.

• EnterpriseDB serves all-you-can-socket PostGres special

  EnterpriseDB, which offers a supported version of the open-source PostGres database, is now offering unlimited subscriptions that will allow organizations to run as many copies of the database server software as they desire. Total cost? US$40,000 per year.

• Google exec worries over 'rudderless' Java

  As if Oracle did not have enough work convincing MySQL users of its good intentions, the company also should set its sites on getting the Java platform back on track, contends a Google chief architect.

• Multiple consumer electronics companies hit with GPL lawsuit

  The Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) has brought a copyright lawsuit against 14 consumer electronics companies for allegedly violating GNU General Public License (GPL) in the use of GPL-licensed software in their products. Among those named in the suit are Best Buy, JVC, Western Digital Technologies and Westinghouse.

• Windows 7 install trick saves up to $US100

  Users can do a "clean" installation of Windows 7 using an upgrade license to save $80-$100 over the price of a 'full' edition, a popular blog has reported.

• Wipro may be trimming its IP licensing business

  Indian outsourcer Wipro is considering exiting its business of creation and licensing of intellectual property (IP) in the area of connectivity, a company executive said on Thursday.

• Software license audits come in multiple flavors

  There are several types of software license audits, each with their own risks and variables, experts say.

• Analysts: Microsoft enterprise licensing still challenging

  Despite efforts from Microsoft over the years to simplify its software licensing for businesses, a new analyst report said it's more complex than ever for companies to figure out the most cost-effective way to acquire products from the vendor.

• Analyst: Microsoft's Windows 7 license numbers misleading

  A former Microsoft employee and prominent analyst warned the financial community not to be misled by Microsoft's claims about early corporate adoption of Windows 7.

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  NSW Electoral Commission goes Hyper-V over VMware

  The NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC) has selected Microsoft's Hyper-V virtualization platform over the more mature VMware for its server consolidation project.

• Wikipedia drops GNU in favor of Creative Commons license

  The Wikimedia Foundation will change the terms under which it licenses the content in Wikipedia, the organization said Thursday.