In brief: The final curtain for Netscape browser?

•  AOL  appears finally to be pulling the plug on Netscape: Last week about 50 software developers were laid off and some started posting on Weblogs and online discussions that Netscape, the pioneering commercial Web browser, is dead. Part of the code base will live on, in the Mozilla open source browser project. AOL announced last week it would contribute $2 million to the newly created Mozilla Foundation, set up to promote the open source browser and e-mail software. The last major release of Netscape was Version 7.0 last August. Microsoft's Internet Explorer, introduced in the mid-1990s, has held a 90%-plus market share for years. AOL acquired Netscape in late 1998 but couldn't revive its fortune. In May 2003, AOL parent AOL Time Warner settled a private antitrust suit filed by AOL on behalf of Netscape against Microsoft: Microsoft paid Time Warner $750 million, and AOL agreed to a royalty-free license to use Internet Explorer with its AOL online client software.

•  Citing strong growth in its server business and revamped licensing plan, Microsoft last week continued its immunity to the tight economy by reporting fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $8.07 billion, an 11% increase over the same quarter a year ago. The company also reported total 2003 revenue of $32.19 billion, which was up 13% over the $28.37 billion reported last year. The year included double-digit revenue growth in each of Microsoft's business units, according to company officials. Revenue for the fourth quarter, which ended June 30, was up 11% over the $7.25 billion recorded in the same quarter last year. Microsoft again beat fourth-quarter estimates by Wall Street, which predicted revenue of $7.83 billion, according to analysts polled by Thomson First Call.

•   PeopleSoft has closed its deal to acquire J.D. Edwards & Co., purchasing 88% of the outstanding shares of its fellow enterprise software firm and expecting to buy the balance soon. The total value of the deal is $1.8 billion. PeopleSoft has been fending off a hostile takeover attempt by Oracle while it completed the acquisition. Oracle will stay the course, a spokesman said Friday. "We believe time is on our side. Oracle remains committed to acquiring PeopleSoft - even with the addition of J.D. Edwards," spokesman Jim Finn said.

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•  AOL  appears finally to be pulling the plug on Netscape: Last week about 50 software developers were laid off and some started posting on Weblogs and online discussions that Netscape, the pioneering commercial Web browser, is dead. Part of the code base will live on, in the Mozilla open source browser project. AOL announced last week it would contribute $2 million to the newly created Mozilla Foundation, set up to promote the open source browser and e-mail software. The last major release of Netscape was Version 7.0 last August. Microsoft's Internet Explorer, introduced in the mid-1990s, has held a 90%-plus market share for years. AOL acquired Netscape in late 1998 but couldn't revive its fortune. In May 2003, AOL parent AOL Time Warner settled a private antitrust suit filed by AOL on behalf of Netscape against Microsoft: Microsoft paid Time Warner $750 million, and AOL agreed to a royalty-free license to use Internet Explorer with its AOL online client software.

•  Citing strong growth in its server business and revamped licensing plan, Microsoft last week continued its immunity to the tight economy by reporting fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $8.07 billion, an 11% increase over the same quarter a year ago. The company also reported total 2003 revenue of $32.19 billion, which was up 13% over the $28.37 billion reported last year. The year included double-digit revenue growth in each of Microsoft's business units, according to company officials. Revenue for the fourth quarter, which ended June 30, was up 11% over the $7.25 billion recorded in the same quarter last year. Microsoft again beat fourth-quarter estimates by Wall Street, which predicted revenue of $7.83 billion, according to analysts polled by Thomson First Call.

•   PeopleSoft has closed its deal to acquire J.D. Edwards & Co., purchasing 88% of the outstanding shares of its fellow enterprise software firm and expecting to buy the balance soon. The total value of the deal is $1.8 billion. PeopleSoft has been fending off a hostile takeover attempt by Oracle while it completed the acquisition. Oracle will stay the course, a spokesman said Friday. "We believe time is on our side. Oracle remains committed to acquiring PeopleSoft - even with the addition of J.D. Edwards," spokesman Jim Finn said.

•   IBM/Lotus last week acquired Web content management software vendor Aptrix for an undisclosed amount and plans to integrate the Australian company's technology across IBM's collaboration and middleware platform. The software, which helps users create, publish, manage and archive Web-based content, will become part of IBM's Lotus division, and eventually will become the heart of Lotus Workplace Content Development, which is expected to ship before Oct. 1. IBM also plans to integrate the technology with WebSphere Portal and DB2 Content Manager. Rival Microsoft is integrating content management into its forthcoming Jupiter middleware suite, which combines the technology with business integration and e-commerce software.