Mirantis launches Mirantis OpenStack 6.0-- a version based on OpenStack Juno (the latest and most stable OpenStack release) and the first to add plugin flexibility to the Fuel deployment manager.

Thus result customers can write plugins to seamlessly add functionality to Fuel-managed OpenStack clouds without need for manual installation of additional software and driver. Mirantis OpenStack 6.0 ships with a number of Fuel plugins, including Load-Balancing-as-a Service with HAProxy, Virtual-Private-Network-as-a-Service, and NetApp and Red Hat’s GlusterFS as backend storage for Cinder.

Further features include improved high availability functionality and extended VMware support complete with a reference architecture VMware vCenter Server and VMware NSX, and support for vSphere Datastore and Nova-Network VLAN Manager support for vCenter.

Windows 10 will bring about "a new generation of opportunities" Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella claims at the company's annual shareholders meeting, as part of a glimpse at the future of both Windows and Microsoft itself.

"Windows 10 is the start of a new generation of Windows, that’s more personal," Nadella says. "It will unlock new experiences for customers to work, play and connect."

As such, Windows 10 will not only power PCs, but will serve as a platform for products ranging from small connected "things" lacking a screen to conference room PCs with 90-inch displays. The OS makes a showing at the shareholders meeting (in the shape of a Technical Preview), featuring the comeback of the Start menu, Windows Phone-style live tiles and simplified multitasking.

As mentioned earlier Windows 10 runs on a wide variety of devices, and as such developers will be able to write universal apps, even if the experience will be tailored for each device.

Venture capital firm Truffle Capital releases the 9th Truffle 100 Europe list-- the ranking of the top 100 European software vendors (ISVs), a collaboration with analysts CXP and IDC, and Essec Business School.

The top 5 remains unchanged from 2013, and is occupied by SAP, Dassault Systeme, Sage, Hexagon and Wincor Nixdorf. As a result the top 3 European nations also remain the same, being Germany, the UK and France.

The top 5 account for 53% of total European sales and profits, a sign of lasting industry concentration.

SAP announces the addition of further cloud capabilities to HANA 9 at its TechEd event in Berlin-- specifically the so-called "s-innovations," a means to simplify the use of public (SaaS), managed and on-premises clouds.

“We are now redefining the value of enterprise software with the simplicity of SAP Cloud powered by SAP HANA," the company claims. "The powerful combination of the SAP HANA innovation platform, our new user experience and SAP’s global cloud will allow companies across the globe to run simple and derive new business value in the digital era.”

As SAP puts it, s-innovations reduce the costs and resources an enterprise or cloud provider needs to allocate to the HANA platform. Such capabilities including support for multiple databases and resource planning services running on a single platform, dynamic tiering and integrated data streaming.

Also announced by SAP at TechEd is a trio of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions-- the Predictive Maintenance and Service solution, Connected Logistics software and the Manufacturing Execution application. All leverage on the HANA Cloud Platform to include predictive analytics, more mobile support and higher business process efficiency.