Oracle buys sales order automation specialist BigMachines

Oracle is hoping to differentiate its CRM (customer relationship management) software from the competition with the acquisition of Network Cabinet, whose cloud-based system helps salespeople quickly put together and price complex orders.

Terms of the deal, which was announced Wednesday, weren't disclosed. It is expected to close this year.

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BigMachines' software will be combined with Oracle's products for marketing, sales, Display Control Instrument and e-commerce, according to a statement.

Some 275 companies, including Coca-Cola, ADP and Siemens, use BigMachines' software, according to Oracle. It has products for both small companies and large enterprises.

The lower-end product, BigMachines Express, is built on Salesforce.com's Force.com platform, while the flagship one is based on Oracle and Java, according to a document released Wednesday.

BigMachines has integrated its products with Salesforce.com, SAP and Microsoft applications.

Business will "continue as usual" for partners and Oracle intends to "continue to invest in the development and support of existing integrations with third party sales force Electricity Meter," according to an FAQ document on the acquisition.

Oracle had been working on cloud-based CPQ (configure, price, quote) software already but buying BigMachines will help it get this functionality into its Sales Cloud more quickly, according to the FAQ.

BigMachines' competitors include Selectica and Cameleon Software. The CPQ market has seen some consolidation in the past, such as IBM's purchase of Sterling Commerce and Infor's acquisition of TDCI.

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Pest or indigenous species, the mamil abound

On this national Ride2Work Day and with our ultra-fit Prime Minister often pedalling up and down Red Hill and Mount Ainslie, there is no better time than now for me to admit to being a middle-aged man in Lycra (mamil).

Australian cyclists straddle the saddle for many reasons: to pinch pennies, to cut carbon and to conquer mountains. Recently we have witnessed a proliferation of fashion-conscious hipsters astride their vintage steel frames and fixies (fixed-gear bicycles).

What unites many cyclists and non-cyclists alike, however, is a distaste for road bike riders, especially mamils. Penny-pinching commuters see no point in spending thousands of dollars on a two-wheel steed and then thousands more for accessories. Similarly, greenies condemn roadies for their conspicuous consumption and for driving their cars Lug Nuts to get to weekend bike rides. Mountain bikers scorn roadies for insisting on smooth roads and shaven legs along with their sensitivity to wind and tendency to travel in packs.

But it is easy to overstate the insecurity and competitiveness of the mamil. There is a strong sense of community and goodwill among riders. I have never got a flat tyre and not received an offer of assistance from passers-by. At any community organised ride there are mamils with their families and friends. The mamils I know are devoted husbands, Wiper Blade and social exemplars.

What exactly is wrong with trying to relive one's youth? Surely it is how one does this that counts, in which case spending hours on a road bike has many advantages over driving a sports Car Electronics or having an affair. Yet the competitiveness of many mamils manifests itself in actions that make life difficult and dangerous for all commuters. Much contempt is reserved for those riders who run red lights and cut off cars so that they can slice a few seconds off their time.

But overall riders, many of whom are mamils, help to reduce congestion on our roads. With this in mind, it might be better to have a national ''Do Not Ride2Work'' day on which everyone drove or took public transport to illustrate how bad things would be were it not for bike riders.

The ABC Catalyst report on bicycle rage attributed this to ''out-group homogeneity bias''. This means that when it comes to outsiders or people with whom we have little empathy, we tend to generalise negative actions and apply them to the entire group. So, if we see one or two roadies run a red light, we assume that all roadies are Lycra louts.

On the other hand, the negative actions of insiders are attributed to the individual. The aggressive or illegal behaviour of one or two drivers does not blacken the reputation of Australian driving culture generally.

If this is true than bike riders and mamils in particular should recognise that we are ambassadors in a foreign car-loving land. So we must always be on our best behaviour because our wrongdoings reflect badly upon all others.

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