HP to give e-speak source code free on Internet

BANGALORE: Hewlett Packard has announced that it would make the source code

of its new software product e-speak available free over the Internet so that

software developers would be able to use e-speak software to create their own

Internet products and services.

E-speak is a new Internet initiative designed to build a smarter Internet, in

which services from different Web sites are integrated and built to anticipate

consumer needs rather than simply respond to instructions. The company is hoping

the new software language will be as significant to the next chapter of the

Internet and to that end, the move to open the underlying source code should

benefit HP, by speeding the development of products and services based on

e-speak.

HP e-services operation general manager Rajiv Gupta said, new chief executive

Carly Fiorina has enthusiastically endorsed this open strategy. One of his

visions, he said, was to make it so easy to access services over the Internet,

that anyone could set up an online business in a matter of hours. By giving away

the software code, HP will be forced to come up with other ways to generate

revenue from it. Mr Gupta said it plans to introduce its own applications based

on e-speak, such as an "e-support" service that will receive requests

for high-tech assistance, and automatically dispatch them to the appropriate

support staff. HP hopes to unveil e-support in May. Mr Gupta said it was not

clear if other applications would be introduced before then.