6/13/2003
6/12/2003
Kinsley almost pens a reluctant homage to freedom in post-9/11 America but at the last moment vears back to the safety of the middle. Still at least freedom as an idea is still deemed worthy of discussion at Slate.
6/10/2003
Cato with some harsh words regarding the current administration's tendancy to federalize.
As Nobel economist Milton Friedman has pointed out, when government begins to do what it should not, it ceases to do what it should. That's a lesson we should have learned after September 11th.
As Nobel economist Milton Friedman has pointed out, when government begins to do what it should not, it ceases to do what it should. That's a lesson we should have learned after September 11th.
"All men can see the tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved."-Sun Tzu
PeopleSoft, a leading back-office software firm, has long been known for its progressive, almost kind ways. When they made a buy-out offer for J.D. Edwards it raised few eyebrows. The genteel ERP firm isn’t as progressive as PeopleSoft but there clearly is enough cultural overlap that the merger made sense in that regard. Additionally, the two firms would rival SAP to become the largest business software company on the planet.
Then Larry Ellison had his say. The mercurial founder of Oracle launched a hostile $5.1 billion bid for PeopleSoft that not only has sidetracked the J.D. Edwards/PeopleSoft agreement it’s unsettled the entire business software industry.
M/A activity in Silicon Valley generally is a relatively staid business. Not nearly as hostile as the vicious, LBO-fueled, takeovers of the late 80’s and early 90’s. Typically Valley firms look for competitive advantages that might be exploited via increases in synergy. The first merger appeared to be of this sort, the second, anything but.
PeopleSoft CEO Craig Conway, a former Oracle marketing executive, has called his ex-boss Ellison a sociopath and the bid for PeopleSoft "diabolical. " Ellison has followed "a page straight out of Genghis Khan," he told the Associated Press.
Ellison appears most interested in blocking the merger between the two firms, which would further dampen Oracle’s market share. Since Ellison’s announcement partners, customers, and prospects of PeopleSoft have taken a wait and see attitude, essentially freezing the firm’s activities. If Ellison is able to buy PeopleSoft it appears he won’t be working to increase “synergies” between their applications:
Ellison's take-no-prisoners swagger came through in his public comments that he plans to jettison PeopleSoft's technology and most of its 8,000 employees, keeping only its top-notch programmers and the prize he really wants: its customer base.
PeopleSoft, a leading back-office software firm, has long been known for its progressive, almost kind ways. When they made a buy-out offer for J.D. Edwards it raised few eyebrows. The genteel ERP firm isn’t as progressive as PeopleSoft but there clearly is enough cultural overlap that the merger made sense in that regard. Additionally, the two firms would rival SAP to become the largest business software company on the planet.
Then Larry Ellison had his say. The mercurial founder of Oracle launched a hostile $5.1 billion bid for PeopleSoft that not only has sidetracked the J.D. Edwards/PeopleSoft agreement it’s unsettled the entire business software industry.
M/A activity in Silicon Valley generally is a relatively staid business. Not nearly as hostile as the vicious, LBO-fueled, takeovers of the late 80’s and early 90’s. Typically Valley firms look for competitive advantages that might be exploited via increases in synergy. The first merger appeared to be of this sort, the second, anything but.
PeopleSoft CEO Craig Conway, a former Oracle marketing executive, has called his ex-boss Ellison a sociopath and the bid for PeopleSoft "diabolical. " Ellison has followed "a page straight out of Genghis Khan," he told the Associated Press.
Ellison appears most interested in blocking the merger between the two firms, which would further dampen Oracle’s market share. Since Ellison’s announcement partners, customers, and prospects of PeopleSoft have taken a wait and see attitude, essentially freezing the firm’s activities. If Ellison is able to buy PeopleSoft it appears he won’t be working to increase “synergies” between their applications:
Ellison's take-no-prisoners swagger came through in his public comments that he plans to jettison PeopleSoft's technology and most of its 8,000 employees, keeping only its top-notch programmers and the prize he really wants: its customer base.
6/08/2003
Peggy Noonan writes that that best invention ever is the toothbrush. At least according to those who participated in a survey sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Researchers found that the centuries-old dental instrument (15th-century Chinese, to be exact) is more valued than cars, computers, cellphones or microwave ovens.
The survey raises the question, what do you think is the most important invention ever? Is it the internet and its globe-shrinking powers? Or how about one of the first creations that enabled people to exchange goods, ideas, and dreams: the sail? Or perhaps Archimedes screw? The DH?Capitalism? Nuclear power? As always, I open it up to the smartest surfers on the net…
Researchers found that the centuries-old dental instrument (15th-century Chinese, to be exact) is more valued than cars, computers, cellphones or microwave ovens.
The survey raises the question, what do you think is the most important invention ever? Is it the internet and its globe-shrinking powers? Or how about one of the first creations that enabled people to exchange goods, ideas, and dreams: the sail? Or perhaps Archimedes screw? The DH?Capitalism? Nuclear power? As always, I open it up to the smartest surfers on the net…
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