Planning a purchase from a major IT vendor? In this still-tough economy, negotiating pros recommend being aggressive and creative, as well as analyzing your requirements first so that you don't buy more than you need and know where you can compromise.

Oracle's unlimited license agreements (ULAs) can make great sense for companies that want to use a lot of the vendor's software, but a number of potential pitfalls can get buried in the fine print, according to a new report from Forrester Research.

IBM on Monday reported first-quarter earnings of US$1.97 per share on $22.9 billion in revenue, a rise of 16 percent and 5 percent, respectively, over the same period last year.

Fueled by growth in new software licenses, Oracle revenue for its fiscal third quarter, ended Feb. 28, increased 17 percent from the same period last year, hitting US$6.4 billion, though earnings declined due in part to restructuring charges incurred by the company's purchase of Sun Microsystems.

The Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) has brought a copyright lawsuit against 14 consumer electronics companies for allegedly violating GNU General Public License (GPL) in the use of GPL-licensed software in their products. Among those named in the suit are Best Buy, JVC, Western Digital Technologies and Westinghouse.

There are several types of software license audits, each with their own risks and variables, experts say.

Oracle licensing consultant Eliot Arlo Colon still remembers the enormous global publishing company that was "so darn confident" it would breeze through an upcoming software license audit unscathed.

Navigating Microsoft's complex rules and programs for software licensing has been notoriously difficult for businesses -- a pain point not lost on the company, which for years has said it is trying to simplify the process for customers.