Sun lays off 3,000 workers

In today's podcast: Sun lays off 3,000 workers; Richard Stallman joins call for MySQL sale; and Apple updates iMac line.

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Sun Microsystems will lay off up to 3,000 workers over the next 12 months as Oracle awaits approval from European regulators for its acquisition of the company. Sun is losing US$100 million a month while it awaits approval for the deal, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said last month, so news of the layoffs came as no great surprise. In a filing with U.S. regulators Tuesday, Sun said it was making the cuts "in light of the delay in closing the acquisition." It said the move will "better align the company's resources with its strategic business objectives." Sun will take a charge of $75 million to $125 million for the job cuts, mostly for cash severance payments.

Oracle must be stopped from taking over MySQL, according to Richard Stallman, a developer and prominent activist for free software. In a letterTuesday to European Commissioner for Competition Neelie Kroes, Stallman -- together with nonprofit organizations Knowledge Ecology International and Open Rights Group -- urged Europe's top antitrust regulator to demand the divestment of MySQL in return for regulatory approval of Oracle's planned purchase of Sun Microsystems. Oracle is the biggest competitor in the market for corporate database software. MySQL is an open source database and has been carving out a growing slice of the market at the expense of Oracle, IBM and Microsoft -- the three principal competitors in the sector.

Apple on Tuesday announced a major update to its iMac line of desktop computers, replacing the old 20- and 24-inch models with new 21.5-inch and 27-inch models featuring a true widescreen 16x9 aspect ratio and impressive high-end features previously found only in the Mac Pro line, including the first quad-core processor ever in an iMac. As is common with new Apple products, these new iMacs offer more features than their predecessors, but start at the same US$1,199 base price. The new models feature a new enclosure that's wider, to encompass the wider aspect ratio, with an all-aluminum back.

Samsung has invested in Fusion-io, deepening the relationship between two significant players in the fast-growing flash-storage business. The South Korean company, a major supplier of NAND flash silicon, invested "millions" in Fusion-io, said Fusion-io President and Chief Technology Officer David Flynn, though he declined to give a more specific figure. Also as part of the announced deal, the two companies will jointly evaluate technology for new applications of solid-state storage. Flash storage, widely used in consumer electronics, is playing a growing role in enterprises because it offers a more efficient alternative to hard-disk drives for high-speed access to data. It is also emerging as a fast, power-efficient storage alternative for mobile PCs.

...And those are the top stories from the IDG Global IT News Update, brought to you by the IDG News Service. I'm Sumner Lemon in Singapore. Join us again later for more news from the world of technology.