Microsoft`s Ballmer questions open source

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has again argued the case that open source is not necessarily cheaper, nor more secure than its proprietary counterpart.

In an e-mail to Microsoft customers, Ballmer cited a number of research studies conducted to compare the validity of Windows against Linux. While Ballmer admits that some of the studies were Microsoft funded - a fact that has drawn criticism from open source advocates - he says the findings are impartial and reflect the views of the analysts.

On the topic of affordability, Ballmer cited research firm Yankee Group`s findings that "all of the major Linux vendors and distributors have begun charging hefty premiums for must-have items such as technical service and support, product warranties and licensing indemnification".

The study concluded that, in large enterprises, a significant Linux deployment or total switch from Windows to Linux would be three to four times more expensive, Ballmer says.

SanDisk has introduced a new range of memory sticks, with the top range product offering 4GB capacity.

The new range includes the Memory Stick PRO (4GB), Memory Stick PRO Duo (2GB) and SD cards (1GB). According to Palm InfoCentre, these new cards are double the current maximum capacities and designed to fit into a broad range of digital and consumer electronics devices.

To develop the sticks, SanDisk used 90nm 4Gb NAND/MLC (Multi-Level Cell) flash memory, chip-stacking technology and the latest generation of 32-bit controller architecture, coupled with high-performance algorithms to maximise MLC performance while benefiting from the lower cost-per-megabyte of MLC memory.

Shipments of handheld devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) fell for the third straight quarter, reports the International Data Corporation (IDC).

In the last quarter, total units shipped dropped 8.7% from a year ago to 2.1 million units. According to PCWorld, the decline in PDA demand is due to the substantially improved personal information management capabilities of the latest mobile phones.

IDC defines a handheld as a device that does not include telephony but may include Internet connectivity. This includes models traditionally known as PDAs but excludes a growing category of devices known as smart phones, such as PalmOne`s new Treo 650.