IBM has announced plans to buy ILOG for $360m, subject to antitrust scrutiny. ILOG specialises in rules-based processing centred on their JRules engine. Although it has been obvious for some time that ILOG was interested in being purchased, the news still came as something of a surprise. In recent times, they have been pursuing a greater presence in the .NET world, releasing a .NET version of their engine, becoming a Microsoft Global ISV partner and joining Microsoft's prestigious Business Process Alliance. Not surprising, then, that a few months ago there were rumours circulation of an impending purchase of the company by Microsoft. I have to say that, when I put this to a Microsoft contact a few months ago, it was strenuously and unequivocally denied that any such deal was being, or had ever been, considered. I have no idea if there was ever any truth in the rumour. Still, I can't help wondering if an opportunity has been missed.
Now that the company is to be bought by IBM, and their technology is to be incorporated into WebSphere, I wonder what will become of their partnership with Microsoft and their .NET offering.