(and Acorn were gonna get into bed with these guys... probably they screwed them too).

Californian taxpayers paid millions of dollars too much for Oracle database software and support, thanks to a former Oracle employee, and his assistant, who now works for Oracle's law company. Normal competitive tendering rules were not followed, and the pair were pressured by staff from Governor Gray Davis office to sign an Enterprise Licensing Agreement covering far more users than the state actually employees in a deal worth $93 million.

Governor Davis' office received $25,000 in campaign contributions gift five days after the deal was signed.

Fishy? You bet. But the scandal has found its first scapegoats in the shape of two civil servants: the head of the State's IT advice department. Elias Cortez, who worked for Oracle in 1997, and contracts chief Barry Keene, a former state senator. Both resigned on Friday.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/7/25055.html

(the baby NiC is alive, but in poor health).

I think Acorn did get into bed with them - the NC was a co-venture wasn't it?

Yeees, but it didn't quite 'happen' with Oracle did it. Maybe there just wasn't enough chemistry, or one party wanted to talk and the other just wanted to roll over and go to sleep, or something...

(the baby NiC is alive, but in poor health).