Microsoft preps for open-source cloud apps PHP gets Azure tinge

Microsoft has unveiled a toolkit for PHP developers building open-source applications that help fluff its planned Azure cloud.

PHPAzure is a software development kit (SDK) for programming to both Windows Azure and the underlying SQL-like Windows Azure Storage service's blobs, tables, and queues. PHPAzure is an open-source project developed with RealDolmen and hosted on Microsoft's CodePlex site.

The PHPAzure community technology preview (CTP) was unveiled by Microsoft India and is due for completion on August 21. Azure is itself currently in CTP and has been promised for delivery by the end of this year.

PHP is one of the web's most popular programming languages, running more than 20 million sites. It's also used in conjunction with Apache, Linux, and MySQL - a web server, operating system, and database combo that Microsoft is in competition with.

Microsoft's recognized the importance of winning over PHP developers and has worked with Zend Technologies to fine-tune PHP to Windows until now. The risk was developers would otherwise build their PHP applications on Windows and deploy on Linux instead.

With PHP being a default web-programming environment, Microsoft has accepted it must embrace the language as a way to populate Azure with applications, moving it from a standing stop.

PHPAzure sounds like a framework for PHP programmers to build to Azure and its underlying storage system rather than a new language from Microsoft. Features include PHP classes for Windows Azure blobs, tables, and queues, for HTTP transport, AuthN/AuthZ, REST, and error management, and there is manageability, instrumentation, and logging support. You can read more on the architecture here.

Bootnote

Sybase has announced plans for its server products to work in Amazon's cloud. The company said it'll make Amazon Machine Images (AMIs), developer guides, and developer software for its software freely available for development and testing. Sybase is also working with Amazon to devise "flexible utility computing models" of its software to enable pay-per-use billing on the Amazon cloud.

Once a database contender to Oracle, Sybase today has a diverse set of products covering mobile and business intelligence. But the announcement will likely only apply to its database and data integration and replication products. It will expand the number of database options available on Amazon and keep Sybase in the game - though it's coming a little late. Amazon's EC2 currently offers IBM's DB2 and Informix, Oracle 11g, Microsoft's SQL Server Standard Edition 2005, and MySQL Enterprise.

Sybase also said it's working with Symantec and its Veritas Storage Foundation to optimize its Virtualized Resource Management framework from the company's ASE Cluster Edition for use in cloud-based storage. ®

Desktop computers dragging down Canada's PC market

MONTREAL — The Canadian market for personal computers isn't expected to reboot to positive growth until 2010 because consumers and businesses are delaying purchases and waiting for new technologies, says IDC Canada.

Desktop computers dragged down the market in the first quarter and the volume of netbooks - small mobile computers that allow users to surf the Internet and check email - has levelled off, IDC said Tuesday.

"This year, the bottom has completely fallen out of desktops," said Tim Brunt, IDC's senior analyst in personal computing and technology. "The market is demanding mobility."

The overall desktop PC market declined by 27 per cent from last year, but on average a desktop PC now sells for more than $200 more than a portable personal computer, IDC said.

Netbooks continued to garner a larger share of the overall market for portable PCs due to their lower price, but unit shipments were down by five per cent from the fourth quarter, Brunt said.

Netbooks, also called mini notebooks, usually cost between $200 and $500, but can be found at even lower prices.

"They're really taking a price leadership role," he said, adding that laptops also have compete with the price of netbooks.

"Mini notebooks came along at an opportunistic time - a down economy and a low price point," Brunt said from Toronto.

The overall PC market took a step decline in the quarter with unit volumes down 14 per cent over the same period last year to reach about 1.3 million desktops, laptops and netbooks shipped in Canada.

The most popular PC brands in Canada in first quarter were HP, Dell, Acer, Toshiba, Lenovo and Apple, Brunt said.

Canada didn't fare well globally in the quarter, Brunt said. In the United States, PC shipments were down just 3.4 per cent in the quarter with 14.9 million units shipped, he said.

"While the overall PC market continues to retreat, and the remainder of 2009 does not look optimistic, there is light at the end of the tunnel in 2010, where there are several factors that will drive the industry back to positive growth."

Brunt said consumers and businesses are waiting for faster chip sets in PCs, Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system, and different form factors. He added that small businesses will be looking to take advantage of the federal government's stimulus package before the end of the year.

Analyst Duncan Stewart said consumers used to have to pay more for a mobile computer, such as a laptop, than for a desktop.

"In the early stages of a technology, people pay a premium for smallness and portability but then as you figure all of that out, you realized that you don't need that much power for a little, portable device," said Stewart, director of research, technology, media and telecom at Deloitte Canada.

But he said desktop prices will "hang in there" because people will buy them to do more things with them.

Despite a decline sales volumes in the first quarter, netbooks still have appeal.

Dell announced on Tuesday the launch of the Latitude 2100, a netbook specifically designed for students from kindergarten to Grade 12.

Netbooks will also be a source of revenue for wireless carriers with Verizon and AT&T in the United States offering them with multi-year contracts and some rebates.

Source : http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jD5RoOT25Tl0H5sktWHmXVA7T6Hg

Desktop computers dragging down Canada's PC market

MONTREAL — The Canadian market for personal computers isn't expected to reboot to positive growth until 2010 because consumers and businesses are delaying purchases and waiting for new technologies, says IDC Canada.

Desktop computers dragged down the market in the first quarter and the volume of netbooks - small mobile computers that allow users to surf the Internet and check email - has levelled off, IDC said Tuesday.

"This year, the bottom has completely fallen out of desktops," said Tim Brunt, IDC's senior analyst in personal computing and technology. "The market is demanding mobility."

The overall desktop PC market declined by 27 per cent from last year, but on average a desktop PC now sells for more than $200 more than a portable personal computer, IDC said.

Netbooks continued to garner a larger share of the overall market for portable PCs due to their lower price, but unit shipments were down by five per cent from the fourth quarter, Brunt said.

Netbooks, also called mini notebooks, usually cost between $200 and $500, but can be found at even lower prices.

"They're really taking a price leadership role," he said, adding that laptops also have compete with the price of netbooks.

"Mini notebooks came along at an opportunistic time - a down economy and a low price point," Brunt said from Toronto.

The overall PC market took a step decline in the quarter with unit volumes down 14 per cent over the same period last year to reach about 1.3 million desktops, laptops and netbooks shipped in Canada.

The most popular PC brands in Canada in first quarter were HP, Dell, Acer, Toshiba, Lenovo and Apple, Brunt said.

Canada didn't fare well globally in the quarter, Brunt said. In the United States, PC shipments were down just 3.4 per cent in the quarter with 14.9 million units shipped, he said.

"While the overall PC market continues to retreat, and the remainder of 2009 does not look optimistic, there is light at the end of the tunnel in 2010, where there are several factors that will drive the industry back to positive growth."

Brunt said consumers and businesses are waiting for faster chip sets in PCs, Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system, and different form factors. He added that small businesses will be looking to take advantage of the federal government's stimulus package before the end of the year.

Analyst Duncan Stewart said consumers used to have to pay more for a mobile computer, such as a laptop, than for a desktop.

"In the early stages of a technology, people pay a premium for smallness and portability but then as you figure all of that out, you realized that you don't need that much power for a little, portable device," said Stewart, director of research, technology, media and telecom at Deloitte Canada.

But he said desktop prices will "hang in there" because people will buy them to do more things with them.

Despite a decline sales volumes in the first quarter, netbooks still have appeal.

Dell announced on Tuesday the launch of the Latitude 2100, a netbook specifically designed for students from kindergarten to Grade 12.

Netbooks will also be a source of revenue for wireless carriers with Verizon and AT&T in the United States offering them with multi-year contracts and some rebates.

Source : http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jD5RoOT25Tl0H5sktWHmXVA7T6Hg