How IBM (and Open Source) Won eBay

DemonBrew wrote to us with a new article in Business2 how IBM beat MSFT, Sun, BEA Systems to win the contract for the new eBay. Cool part is that it's based on Websphere, which has major open source components.

I'll tell ya how...

[swordboy]

They waited until the very last second and then squeezed their bid in.

Bastards!

I wonder...

[Mrdzone]

what they are going to do with the old hardware. I can see it now your very own piece of ebay right at your house!

Re:I'll tell ya how...

[Bouncings]

Microsoft didn't use the "Buy It Now" button?

The new grammar

[Anonymous Coward]

Linux has become a houshold verb

And BTW, it's "bested" (past tense), not "best"

I've Said It Before...

[pnatural]

And I'll say it again:

Java is to code as music is to country.

'nuff said.

Yeah...

[NickRob]

But did they meet the reserve? They might be bragging and lose again.

Tomorrow's News Headlines:

[dbretton]

IBM Cited In Massive Online Scam
Reuters, Inc.

Ebay (www.ebay.com, NSDQ: EBAY), the world's largest online auction site, is reporting that it has been hoodwinked in an internet scam, involving International Business Machines (IBM), Inc.
"They promised us all of these great services, and even showed us pictures and everything", claims Dave Hubnard, Ebay's CTO.
"It looked so, perfect. They responded to all of our emails quickly and professionally. I really don't know what happened. They even sniped in at the last minute with an ultra-low bid."
Shocked and bewildered, Ebay employees are uncertain when, or if, they will ever see the new services promised to them by IBM.
Attempted telephone calls to IBM headquarters were returned with a "disconnected service" answer.
Just hours before the deal was closed, IBM had the address of its corporate headquarters changed to a PO Box address in the sourthern section of Jacksonville, FL.

Now we can only imagine

[alen]

that if MS would have won the bid we would have had something in windows to let us bid and list auctions on ebay automatically. Ebay make a nice tool called mister lister to bulk upload your auctions. It could have become part of the next version of windows. Now MS will have to build it's own auction site from scratch and integrate it into windows.

Bidding on the contract

[brer_rabbit]

Ebay Computer Contract
Item # 4886798269

Category: Computers: Contracts

Currently: $12,378,462
Quantity: 1
First bid: US $10
# of bids: 3

Seller (Rating): Ebay (999999999)

High bid: IBM (10)

Description

You are bidding on a contract for providing software and hardware to power the next generation of e-bidding monstrosi-sites...

Re:I'll tell ya how...

[Phroggy]

Microsoft didn't use the "Buy It Now" button?

That disappears after someone places a bid, and since we all know Microsoft is never first at anything, they would have missed that chance. Microsoft always waits for somebody else to go first, so they can see whether it's a good idea.

Re:I wonder...

[Phroggy]

what they are going to do with the old hardware. I can see it now your very own piece of ebay right at your house!

I'm thinking auctioning it off would be most appropriate.

So...

[doc_traig]

... will eBay use PayPal for this one?

It's such a pain waiting while your check clears...

- DDT

Re:Answer me t his

[MikeAR303]

Let the above post be an example of just how intelligent MS supporters are. Is this how you apply to be an MS "expert witness"?

Re:I'll tell ya how...

[westfieldscientific]

M$ clicked the "Buy it Now" button but their browser crashed and they hadda reboot.

By the time they got MSN back online the auction had ended.

You must be new to slashdot

[A nonymous Coward]

to have read the article before posting, and naive enough to admit it.

You'll learn.