Re: kick start software business??
""HP bought it to kick-start its move from the hardware business to software, a corporate strategy that has not been without its difficulties."
Not sure where that line came from"
Apotheker and his boards plan at the time was to divest the PC division and acquire Autonomy to make a significant move into software.
While your points around HP being involved in software acquisitions prior to Autonomy, you're correct, they had a significant number of software acquisitions before this point, however, HP had never tried to be a software company by divesting a significant portion of their hardware business with a stated strategy of further software acquisitions.
I also have no arguments around HP's ability to integrate acquisitions.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
