Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Fiscal Year End. The Company's fiscal year ends on the Saturday nearest October 31. The Company's current fiscal year ended on October 29, 2011. Fiscal 2010 and 2009 ended on October 30, 2010 and October 31, 2009, respectively. Fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009 were 52-week years. For presentation purposes, the consolidated financial statements and notes refer to the calendar month end.

Principles of Consolidation. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and all of its subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

Use of Estimates. To prepare financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, management must make assumptions, judgments and estimates that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Foreign Currency Translation. The functional currency of each of the Company's active foreign subsidiaries is the foreign subsidiary's local currency except for the Company's principal Irish, Hungarian, and Swiss subsidiaries, whose functional currencies are the United States (U.S.) dollar. Assets and liabilities that are not denominated in the functional currency are remeasured into the functional currency with any related gain or loss recorded in earnings. The Company translates assets and liabilities of its non-U.S. dollar functional currency foreign operations into the U.S. dollar reporting currency at exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. The Company translates income and expense items of such foreign operations into U.S. dollars reporting currency at average exchange rates for the period. Accumulated translation adjustments are reported in stockholders' equity, as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).

Foreign Currency Contracts. The Company operates internationally and is exposed to potentially adverse movements in currency exchange rates. The Company enters into hedges in the form of foreign currency forward contracts to reduce its exposure to foreign currency rate changes on non-functional currency denominated forecasted transactions and balance sheet positions. The Company accounts for the foreign currency forward contracts under Accounting Standard Codification (ASC) 815, Derivatives and Hedging. The assets or liabilities associated with the forward contracts are recorded at fair value in other current assets or accrued liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet. The accounting for gains and losses resulting from changes in fair value depends on the use of the foreign currency forward contract and whether it is designated and qualifies for hedge accounting. See Note 5.

Fair Values of Financial Instruments. The Company's cash equivalents, short-term investments and foreign currency contracts are carried at fair value. The fair value of the Company's accounts receivable and accounts payable approximates the carrying amount due to their short duration. Long-term marketable equity investments are valued based on quoted market prices. Non-marketable equity securities are carried at cost. The Company performs periodic impairment analysis over these non-marketable equity securities. See Note 6.

Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments. The Company classifies investments with original maturities of three months or less when acquired as cash equivalents. All of the Company's short-term investments are classified as available-for-sale and are reported at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses included in stockholders' equity as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax. Those unrealized gains or losses deemed other than temporary are reflected in other income (expense), net. The cost of securities sold is based on the specific identification method and realized gains and losses are included in other income (expense), net. See Note 5.

Concentration of Credit Risk. Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to significant concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash equivalents, marketable securities, foreign currency contracts, and accounts receivable from trade customers. The Company maintains cash equivalents primarily in highly rated taxable and tax-exempt money market funds located in the U.S. and in various overseas locations. Marketable securities consist of highly liquid investment grade municipal bonds which, by policy, are subject to duration and credit concentration limits. In addition, the Company minimizes its market risk for changes in interest rates by maintaining the portfolio of cash equivalents and investments in a mix of tax-exempt and taxable instruments that meet high credit quality standards. The Company's foreign currency contracts are diversified among investment grade, global financial institutions. See Note 5.

The Company sells its products worldwide primarily to customers in the global electronics market. The Company performs on-going credit evaluations of its customers' financial condition and does not require collateral. The Company establishes reserves for potential credit losses and such losses have been within management's expectations and have not been material in any year presented.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts. Trade accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount and do not bear interest. The Company maintains allowances for doubtful accounts to reduce the Company's receivables to their estimated net realizable value. The Company provides a general reserve on all accounts receivable based on a review of accounts and a 15-quarter average of write-offs, net of recoveries. The following table presents the changes in the allowance for doubtful accounts.


Fiscal Year	Balance at Beginning of Period		Provisions			Write-offs(2)			Balance at End of Period
	(in thousands)
2011	$	2,727	$	1,058		$	(1,296	)	$	2,489
2010	$	3,587	$	(899	)	$	39		$	2,727
2009(1)	$	2,338	$	4,698		$	(3,449	)	$	3,587

(1)	Fiscal 2009 includes acquired bad debt reserves of $2.2 million.

(2)	Balances written off, net of recoveries.

Income Taxes. The Company accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.

The Company accounts for uncertainty in income taxes using a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring uncertain tax positions. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining whether it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount which is more than 50% likely of being realized upon ultimate settlement. An uncertain tax position is considered effectively settled on completion of an examination by a taxing authority if certain other conditions are satisfied.

Property and Equipment. Property and equipment is recorded at cost less accumulated depreciation. Assets, excluding land, are depreciated using the straight-line method over their estimated useful lives. Leasehold improvements are amortized using the straight-line method over the lesser of the remaining term of the lease or the economic useful life of the asset, whichever is shorter. Depreciation expenses were $51.0 million, $50.3 million and $48.3 million in fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Repair and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred and such costs were $20.9 million, $19.0 million and $19.2 million in fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. A detail of property and equipment is as follows:

A detail of property and equipment is as follows:


	October 31,
	2011			2010
	(in thousands)
Computer and other equipment	$	283,893		$	255,054
Buildings		53,926			55,447
Furniture and fixtures		28,759			27,639
Land		20,414			20,414
Leasehold improvements		85,984			87,405

		472,976			445,959
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization(1)		(313,459	)		(297,379	)

Total	$	159,517		$	148,580

(1)	Change in accumulated depreciation and amortization is due to additional year of expense offset partially by retirement of fully amortized fixed assets.

The useful lives of depreciable assets are as follows:


	Useful Life in Years
Computer and other equipment		3-5
Buildings		30
Furniture and fixtures		5
Leasehold improvements (average)		5

Software Development Costs. Capitalization of software development costs begins upon the establishment of technological feasibility, which is generally the completion of a working prototype and ends upon general release of the product. Capitalized software development costs were $3.0 million, $2.9 million and $3.0 million in fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. Amortization of capitalized software development costs is computed based on the straight-line method over the estimated economic life of two years. The Company recorded amortization of $3.0 million in fiscal 2011, and $3.0 million and $2.9 million in fiscal 2010 and fiscal 2009, respectively.

Goodwill. Goodwill represents the excess of the aggregate purchase price over the fair value of the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired by the Company. The carrying amount of goodwill is tested for impairment annually or more frequently if facts and circumstances warrant a review. The Company determined that it is a single reporting unit for the purpose of goodwill impairment tests. For purposes of assessing the impairment of goodwill, the Company estimates the value of the reporting unit using its market capitalization as the best evidence of fair value. This fair value is then compared to the carrying value of the reporting unit. During fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009, there were no indicators of impairment to goodwill.

Prior to fiscal 2010, the carrying value of goodwill was adjusted for the settlement of tax contingencies or the recognition of tax benefits from acquired companies. Beginning in fiscal 2010, adjustments to these related items have been recognized in income from continuing operations, rather than in goodwill, if such changes occurred after the measurement period.

Intangible Assets. Intangible assets consist of purchased technology, contract rights intangibles, customer relationships, trademarks and trade names, covenants not to compete, capitalized software and other intangibles. Intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives which range from one to ten years.

The Company continually monitors events and changes in circumstances that could indicate carrying amounts of the long-lived assets, including property and equipment and intangible assets, may not be recoverable. When such events or changes in circumstances occur, the Company assesses the recoverability of long-lived assets by determining whether the carrying value of such assets will be recovered through the undiscounted future cash flow. If the undiscounted future cash flow is less than the carrying amount of these assets, the Company recognizes an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount over the fair value of the assets. The Company had no impairments of any long-lived assets in fiscal 2011, 2010 or 2009.

Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities. Accounts payable and accrued liabilities consist of:


	October 31,
	2011		2010
	(in thousands)
Payroll and related benefits	$	238,691	$	216,079
Other accrued liabilities		53,173		73,230
Accounts payable		6,956		16,331
Acquisition-related costs		3,356		7,210

Total	$	302,176	$	312,850

Other Long-term Liabilities. Other long-term liabilities consist of:


	October 31,
	2011		2010
	(in thousands)
Deferred compensation liability(1)	$	90,060	$	83,330
Other long-term liabilities		18,016		18,555

Total	$	108,076	$	101,885

(1)	See Note 9.

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss). Other comprehensive income (loss) includes all changes in equity during a period from non-owner sources, such as accumulated net translation adjustments, unrealized gains on certain foreign currency forward contracts that qualify as cash flow hedges, reclassification adjustments related to cash flow hedges and unrealized gains on investments. Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, consists of the following:


	October 31,
	2011			2010
	(in thousands)
Unrealized gain on investments	$	215		$	557
Deferred gain (loss) on cash flow hedges		(12,842	)		(6,354	)
Foreign currency translation adjustments		(8,318	)		(9,977	)

	$	(20,945	)	$	(15,774	)

Revenue Recognition. Software license revenue consists of fees associated with the licensing of our software. Maintenance and service revenue consists of maintenance fees associated with perpetual and term licenses and professional services fees. Hardware revenue consists of Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) board-based products.

With respect to software licenses, the Company utilizes three license types:

•

Technology Subscription Licenses (TSLs). TSLs are time-based licenses for a finite term, and generally provide the customer limited rights to receive, or to exchange certain quantities of licensed software for, unspecified future technology. We bundle and do not charge separately for post-contract customer support (maintenance) for the term of the license.

•

Term licenses. Term licenses are also for a finite term, but do not provide the customer any rights to receive, or to exchange licensed software for, unspecified future technology. Customers purchase maintenance separately for the first year and may renew annually for the balance of the term. The annual maintenance fee is typically calculated as a percentage of the net license fee.

•

Perpetual licenses. Perpetual licenses continue as long as the customer renews maintenance plus an additional 20 years. Perpetual licenses do not provide the customer any rights to receive, or to exchange licensed software for, unspecified future technology. Customers purchase maintenance separately for the first year and may renew annually.

For the three software license types, the Company recognizes revenue as follows:

•

TSLs. The Company typically recognizes revenue from TSL fees (which include bundled maintenance) ratably over the term of the license period, or as customer installments become due and payable, whichever is later. Revenue attributable to TSLs is reported as "time-based license revenue" in the consolidated statements of operations.

•

Term licenses. The Company recognizes revenue from term licenses in full upon shipment of the software if payment terms require the customer to pay at least 75% of the license fee and 100% of the maintenance fee within one year from shipment and all other revenue recognition criteria are met. Revenue attributable to these term licenses is reported as "upfront license revenue" in the consolidated statements of operations. For term licenses in which less than 75% of the license fee and 100% of the maintenance fee is payable within one year from shipment, we recognize revenue as customer payments become due and payable. Such revenue is reported as "time-based license revenue" in the consolidated statements of operations.

•

Perpetual licenses. The Company recognizes revenue from perpetual licenses in full upon shipment of the software if payment terms require the customer to pay at least 75% of the license fee and 100% of the maintenance fee within one year from shipment and all other revenue recognition criteria are met. Revenue attributable to these perpetual licenses is reported as "upfront license revenue" in the consolidated statements of operations. For perpetual licenses in which less than 75% of the license fee and 100% of the maintenance fee is payable within one year from shipment, we recognize revenue as customer installments become due and payable. Such revenue is reported as "time-based license revenue" in the consolidated statements of operations.

The Company also enters into arrangements in which portions of revenue are contingent upon the occurrence of uncertain future events, for example, royalty arrangements. The Company refers to this revenue as "contingent revenue." Contingent revenue is recognized if and when the applicable event occurs. Such revenue is reported as "time-based revenue" in the consolidated statements of operations. Historically, these arrangements have not been material to our total revenue.

The Company recognizes revenue from hardware sales in full upon shipment if all other revenue recognition criteria are met. Revenue attributable to these hardware sales is reported as "upfront license revenue" in the consolidated statements of operations. Hardware sales have not been material to our total revenue.

The Company infrequently enters into multiple-element arrangements that contain both software and non-software deliverables such as hardware. On a prospective basis beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2011, the Company applied recently issued accounting guidance for revenue arrangements with multiple deliverables for these contracts. The adoption of the guidance did not have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements, is not expected to have a material effect on subsequent periods and did not affect the accounting for contracts which do not contain non-software deliverables. The recent accounting guidance addresses whether to treat individual deliverables or groups of deliverables in a multiple-element arrangement as separate units of accounting and how to allocate the arrangement consideration to the separate units of accounting. The guidance also requires that arrangement consideration be allocated to software deliverables (as a group) and to non-software deliverables (individually) based on relative standalone selling prices and provides guidance for estimating standalone selling prices for purposes of allocating arrangement consideration.

The Company has determined that the software and non-software deliverables in our contracts are separate units of accounting. Prior to the first quarter of fiscal 2011, all deliverables in the Company's contracts were considered one unit of accounting unless the Company had vendor-specific objective evidence (VSOE) of fair value for all undelivered elements. The Company now allocates arrangement consideration to separate units of accounting based on estimated standalone selling prices (ESP) because the Company does not have objective evidence of standalone selling prices. The Company estimates the standalone selling prices of its separate units of accounting considering both market conditions and its own specific conditions. For hardware deliverables, the Company determines ESP using gross margin because the Company has consistent pricing practices and gross margins for these products. Determining the ESP for software deliverables requires significant judgment. The Company determines ESP for software deliverables after considering customer geographies, market demand and competition at the time of contract negotiation, gross margin objectives, existing portfolio pricing practices, contractually stated prices, and prices for similar historical transactions.

Under the recent accounting guidance the Company recognizes revenue for its separate units of accounting when all revenue recognition criteria are met. Revenue allocated to hardware units of accounting is recognized upon delivery when all other revenue recognition criteria are met. Revenue allocated to software units of accounting is recognized according to the methods described above depending on the software license type (TSL, term license or perpetual license).

The Company recognizes revenue from maintenance fees ratably over the maintenance period to the extent cash has been received or fees become due and payable, and recognize revenue from professional services and training fees as such services are performed and accepted by the customer. Revenue attributable to maintenance, professional services and training is reported as "maintenance and service revenue" in the consolidated statements of operations.

The Company also enters into arrangements to deliver software products, either alone or together with other products or services that require significant modification, or customization of the software. The Company accounts for such arrangements using the percentage of completion method as the Company has the ability to make reasonably dependable estimates that relate to the extent of progress toward completion, contract revenues and costs. The Company measures the progress towards completion using the labor hours incurred to complete the project. Revenue attributable to these arrangements is reported as maintenance and service revenue in the consolidated statements of operations.

The Company determines the fair value of each element in multiple element software arrangements based on VSOE. The Company limits its assessment of VSOE of fair value for each element to the price charged when such element is sold separately. The Company has analyzed all of the elements included in our multiple-element software arrangements and has determined that the Company has sufficient VSOE to allocate revenue to the maintenance components of the Company's perpetual and term license products and to professional services. Accordingly, assuming all other revenue recognition criteria are met, the Company recognizes license revenue from perpetual and term licenses upon delivery using the residual method, recognizes revenue from maintenance ratably over the maintenance term, and recognizes revenue from professional services as services are performed and accepted by the customer. The Company recognizes revenue from TSLs ratably over the term of the license, assuming all other revenue recognition criteria are met, since there is not sufficient VSOE to allocate the TSL fee between license and maintenance services.

The Company makes significant judgments related to revenue recognition. Specifically, in connection with each transaction involving its products, the Company must evaluate whether: (1) persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, (2) delivery of software or services has occurred, (3) the fee for such software or services is fixed or determinable, and (4) collectability of the full license or service fee is probable. All four of these criteria must be met in order for the Company to recognize revenue with respect to a particular arrangement. The Company applies these revenue recognition criteria as follows:

•

Persuasive Evidence of an Arrangement Exists. Prior to recognizing revenue on an arrangement, the Company's customary policy is to have a written contract, signed by both the customer and the Company or a purchase order from those customers that have previously negotiated a standard end-user license arrangement or purchase agreement.

•

Delivery Has Occurred. The Company delivers its products to its customers electronically or physically. For electronic deliveries, delivery occurs when the Company provides access to its customers to take immediate possession of the software through downloading it to the customer's hardware. For physical deliveries, the standard transfer terms are typically FOB shipping point. The Company generally ships its products or license keys promptly after acceptance of customer orders. However, a number of factors can affect the timing of product shipments and, as a result, timing of revenue recognition, including the delivery dates requested by customers and the Company's operational capacity to fulfill product orders at the end of a fiscal quarter.

•

The Fee is Fixed or Determinable. The Company's determination that an arrangement fee is fixed or determinable depends principally on the arrangement's payment terms. Its standard payment terms for perpetual and term licenses require 75% or more of the license fee and 100% of the maintenance fee to be paid within one year. If the arrangement includes these terms, the Company regards the fee as fixed or determinable, and recognizes all license revenue under the arrangement in full upon delivery (assuming all other revenue recognition criteria are met). If the arrangement does not include these terms, the Company does not consider the fee to be fixed or determinable and generally recognize revenue when customer installments are due and payable. In the case of a TSL, because of the right to exchange products or receive unspecified future technology and because VSOE for maintenance services does not exist for a TSL, the Company recognizes revenue ratably over the term of the license, but not in advance of when customers' installments become due and payable.

•

Collectability is Probable. The Company judges collectability of the arrangement fees on a customer-by-customer basis pursuant to its credit review policy. The Company typically sells to customers with whom it has a history of successful collection. For a new customer, or when an existing customer substantially expands its commitments, the Company evaluates the customer's financial position and ability to pay and typically assign a credit limit based on that review. The Company increases the credit limit only after it has established a successful collection history with the customer. If the Company determines at any time that collectability is not probable under a particular arrangement based upon its credit review process or the customer's payment history, it recognizes revenue under that arrangement as customer payments are actually received.

Warranties and Indemnities. The Company generally warrants its products to be free from defects in media and to substantially conform to material specifications for a period of 90 days for software products and for up to six months for hardware products. In certain cases, the Company also provides its customers with limited indemnification with respect to claims that their use of the Company's software products infringe on United States patents, copyrights, trademarks or trade secrets. The Company is unable to estimate the potential impact of these commitments on the future results of operations. To date, the Company has not been required to pay any material warranty claims.

Net Income Per Share. The Company computes basic income per share by dividing net income available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income per share reflects the dilution from potential common shares outstanding such as stock options and unvested restricted stock units and awards during the period using the treasury stock method.

The table below reconciles the weighted average common shares used to calculate basic net income per share with the weighted average common shares used to calculate diluted net income per share.


	Year Ended October 31,
	2011		2010		2009
	(in thousands)
Numerator:
Net income	$	221,364	$	237,063	$	167,681
Denominator:
Weighted average common shares for basic net income per share		146,573		148,013		143,752
Dilutive effect of common share equivalents from equity—based compensation		3,794		3,898		2,105

Weighted average common shares for diluted net income per share		150,367		151,911		145,857

Net income per share:
Basic	$	1.51	$	1.60	$	1.17
Diluted	$	1.47	$	1.56	$	1.15
Anti-dilutive employee stock-based awards excluded (1)		4,669		10,999		17,288

(1)	These stock options and unvested restricted stock units were anti-dilutive for the respective periods and are excluded in calculating diluted net income per share. While such awards were anti-dilutive for the respective periods, they could be dilutive in the future.