IBM to buy Sun Microsystems?

IBM is in talks to buy Sun Microsystems, the Wall Street Journal and other US media outlets reported yesterday, citing people familiar with the matter, says Computing.co.uk.

In a move that could dramatically bolster IBM's market share in the server space, the report states the company could offer nearly double Sun's Tuesday closing share price of $4.97, in a cash deal totalling around $6.5 billion. The price was around $4.70 just prior to the news.

Recent figures from analyst firm IDC suggest the entire server market has tumbled in recent months. IBM still leads the server space with nearly a third of the market, followed by HP, Dell and Sun. A merger of IBM and Sun would give the combined entity more than 40% of the market.

The verdicts in two US trials are being appealed because jurors made comments about them on social networking sites, reports the BBC.

Defence lawyers in the two cases say postings by jurors on sites like Twitter and Facebook could be grounds for appeal.

Jurors are forbidden to discuss anything relating to a case outside the deliberation room.

A report suggests British parents grossly underestimate how much time their children spend on the Internet, says the BBC.

Written by security firm Symantec, it found UK parents believe their children are online for 18.8 hours per month. The true figure is 43.5 hours.

The report found British parents are among those with the worst grasp of how long their children are online.

At its annual meeting of shareholders, HP's chief executive, Mark Hurd, assured attendees that despite the economy, the company would be well-positioned against the competition, reports CNet.

"The market is getting tougher; all the hard work we've done up to this point has put us in a favourable position," he told the roughly 90 people in attendance.

There were just two items of business on this year's agenda, 10 nominees to the board, all of whom were elected or re-elected, and selection of a new accounting firm. However, neither topic was as contentious as the pointed question-and-answer period, during which Hurd fielded questions about HP's competition, as well as his own compensation.