IBM

IBM and Vivendi Games are teaming up to discuss just how underutilized the Cell Broadband Engine (B.E.)is that currently comes in the PlayStation 3 gaming console.

To address the issue, engineers from IBM and developers from Vivendi Games will gather at Vivendi's High Moon Studios in Carlsbad, Calif., for a two-day "jam session" beginning Wednesday, according to IBM. Software development platform provider RapidMind, also an IBM Cell blade customer, will also take part in the conference. (IBM Cell blades use the same microprocessor as PS3s.)

"This is really targeted toward game developers on what … Read more

IBM has created a mainframe version of PHP, widely used scripting-language software that lets servers create Web pages on the fly from information stored in a database.

The company published the work on its AlphaWorks Web site for research projects it wants others to try out. The software requires version 1.6 or later of the z/OS mainframe operating system. The software uses version 5.1.2 of PHP.

IBM and Lawson Software extended their partnership to sell business applications to small businesses in specific industries, the two companies announced on Thursday.

As part of the deal, IBM will resell Lawson's packaged applications, which are built on IBM's infrastructure software including WebSphere.

The applications are designed for simple installation and customized for financial services, fashion, and the food and beverage industries, the companies said.

The Union Bank of California is standardizing on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, the software company said Monday. The bank moved away from AIX, IBM's version of Unix, and also is testing the waters with Red Hat's JBoss Java server software and the open-source MySQL database software.

"Open-source technology plays a major role in the customer-facing sales and service product line,ï¿? said Mok Choe, the bank's chief technology officer. He said the company is moving its Web site to a "horizontal" architecture involving larger numbers of inexpensive servers.

Update: MySQL is included with … Read more

Irving Wladawsky-Berger, IBM's head of technical strategy and innovation, said he intends to retire from his employer of 37 years this June.

In his blog on Monday, Wladawsky-Berger said he will work with IBM on a part-time emeritus basis after he officially retires.

Wladawsky-Berger was involved in setting IBM's direction in many emerging technologies, including the Internet, Linux, autonomic computing, and grid computing.

Most recently, he has become an advocate of the role that virtual presences can play in business. Last month, he (and his avatar) did an interview with CNET News.com in Virtual Life.

Among the … Read more

The Eclipse Foundation, the open-source programming tool project that's had a sometimes-fractious relationship with Java creator Sun Microsystems, has joined the Java governance system Sun established years ago.

The foundation announced the move Friday, noting in a press release that Eclipse is used in several Java projects administered by that governance system, called the Java Community Process. Eclipse initially was established as a Java programming tool project by IBM, which has been a Java ally but didn't always see eye to eye with Sun about the technology's fate.

The move shouldn't raise eyebrows, said Mike Milinkovich, … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--IBM will return to the Consumer Electronics Show in January, the first time it's had a presence at the Las Vegas convention in 10 years.

No, don't expect to see a Big Blue-branded digital media player to take on the iPod. Instead, the company will tout lower-level technology that gadget makers can use, such as technology for nearly instantaneous translation of speech into Arabic or Chinese, said Mike Fay, an IBM communications executive, in a gathering here with reporters on Thursday.

IBM makes most of its money selling business-oriented products such as servers and server software as … Read more

The public is invited to listen to and participate in a CNET News.com interview of Irving Wladawsky-Berger, IBM's vice president of technical strategy and innovation, in the Second Life virtual realm.

The interview is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. PDT (and Second Life time) Tuesday, Dec. 12, at CNET's Second Life office. Second Life users can find the site by searching for "CNET Networks" and teleporting, or can click on this SLURL, which will bring up a browser offering teleport to the CNET Second Life office. The interview is in the auditorium on the … Read more

IBM's offices in Moscow, Russia were searched by law enforcement agencies on Wednesday, according to published reports.

An Associated Press article, quoting Russian news services, said that the raid was apparently related to graft investigation at the Russian Pension Fund.

According to another report , enforcement officers were armed as they searched IBM's offices.

IBM's communications manager in Moscow, Jonathan Batty, on Thursday said that IBM "is cooperating with Russian authorities."