Stories by: Stacy Cowley

Salesforce.com plans to accelerate its push to become a hosted applications platform by launching AppExchange, a Web site intended as a bazaar of on-demand software. The unveiling is expected at Salesforce.com's Dreamforce user conference in San Francisco.

Sun Microsystems has recently open-sourced the code for its implementation of JavaServer Faces (JSF), its framework for building user interfaces to Java-based Web applications.

Platform Computing wants to make the foundation on which enterprise computing grids are built. At the LinuxWorld show in San Francisco on Monday, the company began discussing a new platform it's developing to offer customers a centralised management system for disparate applications running across an enterprise grid.

IBM is measuring OS/2 for its coffin. The company reaffirmed its intent to end support for the storied operating system soon, releasing an official roadmap for the software's demise.

The SCO Group is in the headlines more often for its legal battles than its products these days, but on Wednesday the software maker wrapped up three years of development work and began shipping a major update of its Unix operating system, SCO OpenServer 6.

Google continued extending its reach beyond the PC this week by acquiring social networking service Dodgeball.com, according to a note posted Wednesday on Dodgeball.com's Web site. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. A Google spokesman confirmed the acquisition but declined further comment, saying the company is not yet ready to discuss its plans for Dodgeball.com.

SugarCRM is preparing for release later this month a major upgrade to its open-source CRM (customer relationship management) system, a software package SugarCRM's founders hope will woo customers that would otherwise turn to more expensive commercial CRM offerings.

Software maker The SCO Group is in danger of losing its Nasdaq listing for failing to file its 2004 annual report on time. SCO plans to request a hearing on the matter, which will delay its removal from the exchange, but beginning Friday the company will trade under a modified ticker symbol -- from SCOX to SCOXE -- to indicate its delinquent filing status.

Oracle President Charles Phillips opened Oracle's largest user show to date with a keynote address that avoided controversial topics like Oracle's hostile bid for PeopleSoft and focused instead on a high level overview of Oracle's vision for flexible, integrated IT systems.

IBM and Sybase have teamed to add support for Sybase's database software on IBM's eServer OpenPower Linux servers. The two companies said they will jointly sell and market their products.

Red Hat is opening this week its first office in China, as part of its effort to tap demand for low-cost software in developing markets.