1. "Siebel Buy Puts Oracle in CRM Top Spot," InfoWorld 9/12. The enterprise applications market keeps on consolidating with Oracle announcing plans to acquire customer relationship management (CRM) software rival Siebel for $5.85 billion. While Oracle’s hostile takeover of another CRM player PeopleSoft was a torturous process, analysts expect the Siebel transaction to be a breeze. The move will let Oracle to leapfrog over the leading CRM player SAP while also bringing it some nifty technology particularly in the hosted CRM business.

2. "SAP: What, Us Worry About Oracle?" BusinessWeek, 9/15. Then there were two, Oracle versus SAP, facing off in the enterprise applications arena. However, SAP, part way through a complete revamp of its entire software portfolio, believes its approach of only making a few very small acquisitions is a better approach than Oracle’s buying in of both customers and technologies.

3. "Gates Debuts New Vista, Office Features At Developers Conference," InfoWorld, 9/13. Mr. Microsoft was on hand to talk up new features of his company’s upcoming operating system and desktop applications suite. Both Vista and Office 12 are due out in the second half of 2006 and Bill Gates stressed the close integration between the two pieces of software to facilitate file and information sharing.

4. "Microsoft Loses Bid to Block Kai-Fu Lee From Working," Network World, 9/13. A judge has ruled that Google can keep its high-profile Microsoft defector, Kai-Fu Lee, in his new role as president of its China operation as long as he doesn’t recruit anyone from Gates Inc. or use any confidential information from Microsoft. However, Lee’s also not allowed to do work any work for Google in areas he’d focused on at Microsoft, namely Internet and desktop search and speech technologies. The ruling applies between now and when the case is due to go to trial in January, but Microsoft suggested if Google will abide by the judge’s ruling until next July, the pair could settle the case out of court.

5. "Gates On Google. What, Me Worry?" CNET News.com, 9/13. It’s like deja vu all over again. Just as SAP isn’t bothered about Oracle’s predations, Microsoft’s Bill Gates claims he’s not concerned about bitter rival Google, despite all indications to the contrary. Gates believes that Google is currently wallowing in the same kind of honeymoon phase which Microsoft enjoyed back in 1985 to 1995 when the market believed the company could "do all things at all times in all ways." Meanwhile as the week drew to a close, rumors circulated that Microsoft is either considering taking a stake in Time Warner’s AOL or that the two companies are planning on closer collaboration.