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I'm beginning to think that tech mogul Larry Ellison collects software companies the way he buys car, yachts, and tracts of land: Not because he needs another one, but just because he wants to have more. His devilish $6.66 billion offer for BEA Systems is right in character. For years, BEA has been mentioned as an Oracle takeover target. Its core product line, WebLogic, acts as middleware connecting Web servers and databases. Databases, of course, are Oracle's bread and butter. But Oracle already has its own middleware. The attraction here, I suspect, is more BEA's customer base. As he's done with other software purchases like Hyperion and PeopleSoft, Ellison can slash BEA's costs, rein in new development, and collect the cash flow from software-licensing fees. Which may make BEA a more practical bauble than the rest — but a bauble nonetheless.