By Tony Hallett, 8 June 1999 12:30
NEWS Inprise, the struggling application development company, is to receive a $125m cash injection from long-term adversary, Microsoft, according to US reports. Microsoft is set to buy $25m of Inprise stock - valued at $4 per share at close of play on Monday - down from a three-year high of around £20 per share - and pay a further $100m as part of a patent cross-licensing agreement. The unlikely alliance is bound to draw comparisons to Microsoft's investment in Apple Computer a little under two years ago. Both Apple and Inprise - formerly known as Borland - have had near-death experiences at the hands of the software giant. At its AGM last Friday, Inprise said it will merge its two operating divisions, concentrate on the Internet, and explore possible sell-off opportunities - leading most analysts to predict an approach from a Microsoft foe such as Oracle or Sun Microsystems.
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