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Microsoft's big draw for Oracle on Azure: Simplified licensing Rent Windows Server instances on Azure and get Oracle's database offerings too -- but for how much? Two long-standing rivals --  Oracle  and  Microsoft  -- stood on the same stage together Tuesday at Oracle OpenWorld to pool their resources for a new enterprise cloud deal. Many of Oracle's biggest products, from Java to databases to Oracle Linux offerings, are all now supported not only on Windows Server Hyper-V but also on Windows Azure. The most vital question on the lips of many long-standing customers for both companies, though, won't be one of application compatibility or migration. It'll be about licensing for Oracle's products. At its core, the Oracle/Microsoft deal is impressive. Windows Azure users can now use Oracle Database, Oracle WebLogic Server, Oracle Linux, Oracle Solaris, and Java. All products are not only allowed but directly supported by Microsoft as well. Users can mak...

Offshore IT service providers are the leading users of L-1 visas The IEEE-USA is calling for reform of the L-1 visa program, which unlike the H-1B visa has no cap or prevailing wage requirement The IEEE-USA is calling for reform of the L-1 visa program following the release of a government report that identified offshore IT service providers as the biggest users of the visa. In the report, the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said that some of the L-1 visa program's rules are vague and the program is vulnerable to fraud and abuse. [ For a quick, smart take on the news you'll be talking about, check out  InfoWorld TechBrief  -- subscribe today. ] The L-1 visa allows multinational companies to transfer foreign employees into the U.S. Unlike the H-1B visa, there is no cap or prevailing wage requirement with the L-1. The largest users of the L-1 visa are companies either based in India or with operations there, said the report, compiled ...

Build a Windows 8 app, get a prize from Microsoft Developers get points for taking classes and publishing apps, and they can swap points for Xbox games or OS upgrades Microsoft yesterday took another stab at boosting interest in creating apps for Windows 8 with an awards program that will hand out Xbox games and other prizes to amateur programmers. Dubbed App Builder Rewards, the program is reminiscent of an airline's frequent flyer programs. Points are awarded to people when they take online classes, attend developer events, register as a developer, and ultimately publish a Windows 8 or Windows Phone app. In return, accrued points can be exchanged for goods, including Halo 4 for the Xbox 360, upgrades to Windows 8 Pro, and app developer account subscriptions. [ Learn how to work smarter, not harder with InfoWorld's roundup of all the tips and trends programmers need to know in the  Developers' Survival Guide . Download the PDF today! | Keep up with the latest ...

What is Grid Computing? Grid Computing is a term that's being bandied about more and more in the IT industry – and, unusually for this industry, it's an extremely important thing to know about, because it might just be the future for the average computer network.  The fundamentals of parallel computing Most of us have come across Symmetric MultiProcessing (SMP) – servers that have more than one processing unit. The idea is that by putting multiple processors in a computer it can do more work, in a shorter time, by allocating different tasks to different processors. All the processors can work "in parallel" – i.e. several bits of work get done at once because several processors are doing their own particular tasks independently of the others. The next step up is Massively Parallel Processing (MPP) – where you have a sizeable collection of processors, generally not in the same box, all doing their own bit of work in parallel. The difference between MPP and SMP ...

What's new about Windows Blue   Microsoft may be the only company on the face of the planet where the sale of   100 million licenses   is seen by some as a disappointment.  Tami Reller, the chief marketing officer and chief financial officer of the Windows division, noted Monday that Microsoft has sold more than 100 million licenses of Windows 8 since its October debut. But slowing PC sales have sparked some hand-wringing, leading to speculation about the coming update for Windows 8, codenamed Blue. The significant changes in Windowshaven't been universally embraced, Reller acknowledged to The New York Times. "The learning curve is real and needs to be addressed," Reller told the Times. Reller said Microsoft is listening to customer feedback regarding frustrations with Windows 8. With the radical overhaul of the look and feel of the operating system, users have raised plenty of concerns about Windows 8. At the top of that list is ...

Oracle rolls out new in-memory applications, scaled-down big data Appliance Oracle is planning to release a series of applications that take advantage of in-memory computing, a move that will up the competitive ante between itself and SAP. While Oracle announced more than a dozen in-memory applications on Tuesday, the first three will be available in May, according to a spokeswoman. They are JD Edwards EnterpriseOne In-Memory Sales Advisor, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne In-Memory Project Portfolio Management, and Oracle SCM In-Memory Consumption Driven Planning. [ Discover what's new in business applications with  InfoWorld's Technology: Applications newsletter . | Get the latest insight on the tech news that matters from  InfoWorld's Tech Watch blog . ] Release dates weren't available for the other planned products, which include E-Business Suite In-Memory Cost Management, PeopleSoft In-Memory Project Discovery and JD Edwards EnterpriseOne In-Memory Sales Adviso...