Microsoft

Microsoft is funding one of the biggest open-source organisations to the tune of $100,000. But it's not an out-and-out backing of the open-source concept. The software giant is giving the cash to the Apache Foundation, a non-profit group designed to ... co-ordinate several projects including the Apache web server, software that physically handles requests for web pages and the files involved. Apache's web server arguably made the World Wide Web what it is today. At one point, the majority of sites used it and even today it's still the most popular with a 49% market share. Major sites such as ... (view more)

They're at it again. Earlier this week, Microsoft, Icahn and Yahoo! all released competing statements about recent talks between the three parties. Another endless discussion in an endless fight for corporate control wouldn't rate coverage at this ... point, but in this case it's interesting to note that Microsoft and Icahn felt they needed to 'set the record straight. ' Did Yahoo! lie or just misinterpret the most recent events? You be the judge. On July 14, Yahoo released a statement rejecting the most recent offer from Microsoft to obtain the search component of Yahoo's business. According to ... (view more)

Since retiring Windows XP on June 30 of this year, Microsoft has been making a push to repair the reputation of Windows Vista while attempting to gain more support from small businesses. Eighteen months after Vista shipped, Microsoft finally ... confessed to what everyone already knew: Vista has problems. More accurately, as noted by Information Week, Microsoft is admitting that Vista had problems shortly after its release, but claims they've been fixed, so it's safe to switch to Vista now. It's not quite that simple though. A couple days ago Microsoft announced the launch of the Windows Vista ... (view more)

Microsoft has officially confirmed its plan to offer the Office package to the public on a subscription basis. It follows the testing programme, codenamed Albany, which we reported in April . The scheme, renamed Microsoft Equipt, launches in the ... middle of July. Surprisingly, the deal will initially only be available at Circuit City stores. However, Microsoft says it's not an exclusive agreement and they may distribute it through other routes later on. (Source: betanews.com ) The package will cost $70 a year, which is about what analysts tagged as a fair price in comparison to the prices for ... (view more)

The Microsoft-Yahoo saga continues and some old players have returned to the table. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Microsoft held talks with both Time Warner Inc. and News Corp. about a possible alliance to pick apart Yahoo. Under ... the proposed deal, Microsoft would take over Yahoo's search business and the remainder of the company could be merged with other content companies such as AOL or MySpace. (Source: wsj.com ) When the news broke on July 2, Yahoo's shares climbed the highest they had in recent months, closing the afternoon at $20.88 after surging as high as $21.84 ... (view more)

Microsoft recently announced the release of a new update for Microsoft Office for Mac 2004 and 2008. The 12.1.1 update, the second for the application, promises to fix all those annoying little inconsistencies that occasionally pop up. (Source: ... arstechnica.com ) Most Mac users get their regular update fix straight from Apple's official site, but that doesn't cover programs manufactured by other companies. Those of us using the Microsoft Office application can breathe a sigh of relief that the program is getting an overhaul. The new update aims to increase the stability and overall performance ... (view more)

As Bill Gates officially leaves Microsoft to concentrate on his charity work, he's been giving a host of interviews featuring some intriguing stories from the big boss' perspective. Speaking to CNET, Gates revealed that Microsoft once had secret ... talks to discuss a merger with Lotus, a rival in the 1980s which developed both the 1-2-3 spreadsheet (one of the earliest successful PC applications aimed at a mass audience) and Lotus Notes (an email and messaging package designed for use in company networks). He also recalled that IBM actually withdrew an invitation for Microsoft staff to attend ... (view more)

June 30, 2008 is the day Microsoft is slated to discontinue Windows XP to make way for a new era in operating systems -- start bars will give way to wonky buttons and a refreshed design, stable operation will give way to frequent crashing, and XP ... will die at the hands of a misguided killer: Microsoft. (Source: itworld.com ) While Microsoft will have you believe Vista isn't so bad and it's the next successor to Windows XP, it's really not. Many feel that Vista is an over-bloated mess of code that features too many overzealous security prompts thanks to the 'security' feature known as User ... (view more)

Microsoft lawyers will be relieved today after the Chinese government appeared to deny reports that the company could fall foul of new anti-trust laws. The denial follows a report in a government-run newspaper, Shanghai Security News, which said ... officials were investigating large software companies. The report claimed local tech firms might bring legal action under laws which come into force on August 1. The main objection seemed to be that Microsoft has used its dominance in the Chinese market to price Windows (the equivalent of US $145-290) and Microsoft Office ($580-725) so high that the ... (view more)

Microsoft is launching a centre in Europe to study search technology, following the example of a similar facility in China. According to the firm, it's part of a specific plan to "help accelerate Microsoft's investments in Live Search and disrupt ... the search and advertising marketplace." That appears to be corporate speak for "compete better against Google and Yahoo". There's no official word yet on where Microsoft will choose as a site for the facility, though it has recently bought Fast Search and Transfer, a search engine company based in Norway that developed the AllTheWeb.com site. ... (view more)