Microsoft

It seems not even Microsoft is impervious to the effects of this increasingly painful recession. According to reports, the Redmond-based company is preparing to lay off about 17 per cent of its entire workforce in the coming months. Despite its ... portfolio diversity -- including operating systems, antivirus software, and video game consoles -- Microsoft is clearly feeling the pressure applied by a tightening global economy. In fact, there seems to be a sense of emergency to the massive cuts (about 15,000 workers out of 90,000), which rumors suggest should be made official by January 15. As ... (view more)

The beta version of Windows 7 has been widely distributed through torrents and other file sharing systems. But now some commentators claim Microsoft deliberately allowed the package to get into the hands of pirates. A beta edition is one which is ... effectively finished: in theory the only changes which would be made before the official release are to solve serious bugs which are found during the beta testing. The beta of Windows 7, the successor to Vista, isn't officially out until later this month (the details will likely be announced at the Consumer Electronics Show which starts on January 7 ... (view more)

Microsoft has once again given Windows XP a reprieve, reportedly extending the cut-off date to system builders -- smaller shops and computer dealers who build PCs to order -- from January 31, 2009 to May 31, 2009. According to a Microsoft ... spokeswoman, the company will likely increase the cut-off date again. Despite Microsoft's claims that Windows Vista has sold well, consumers are still reacting badly to it and demand for Vista-XP downgrades is still strong. (Source: crn.com ) Downgrading from Windows Vista to Windows XP is still a popular method for users purchasing new systems with the ... (view more)

Microsoft has reached a deal with a leading security firm that could give corporate users the ability to tighten up their defenses. The benefits could even extend to Windows home users. The deal has been made with EMC Corporation, a firm which ... produces the data storage system used by many large organisations. Microsoft has signed a deal with EMC's security division to licence the forthcoming DLP suite, a package designed to prevent data loss. The package will be used in Microsoft's server products. It allows users to find and monitor data across one or more networks and control who is able to ... (view more)

Microsoft is attempting to get people talking about their search engine through the launch of a new campaign strategy that will offer perks to people and advertisers who use Live Search. One incentive is called "Cashback", which will benefit the ... consumer while ensuring a tremendous increase in online sales for companies who advertise with Live Search. When a user selects an ad on Live Search and makes a purchase, Microsoft will use some of the ad revenue to fund a portion of the purchase. (Source: theglobeandmail.com ) Microsoft is also in the trial stages of a "SearchPerks" incentive which ... (view more)

Just in case we forgot Microsoft was leading the charge against pirated software, the company recently revealed that it has filed 63 new actions against counterfeiters in twelve different countries around the world. According to Matt Lundy, ... Microsoft's senior attorney on its anti-counterfeiting team, the actions have been taken against individuals accused of pirating versions of Microsoft Office, Windows operating system XP, and a number of other products. Much of the counterfeit software was resold at online auction sites, says Lundy. Those on the wrong end of legal action hail from just ... (view more)

For the first time ever, fewer than 90% of computer users are running Windows. The figures show the growing success of rival operating systems -- though there's no sign of Microsoft losing its dominant position any time soon. The figures come from ... Internet services firm Net Applications. They regularly measure which operating system users are using when connecting to web sites. While this is obviously not a perfect way to quantify market dominance, it does provide a decent sampling method given how many users have an Internet connection these days. The figure for Windows in November was 89.6 ... (view more)

The antivirus software industry may change dramatically now that Microsoft has announced it will be offering free protection in the near future. The Redmond-based giant has revealed that it will terminate sales of its popular Windows Live OneCare ... security suite and will instead offer a slimmed-down version called "Morro" in its place -- for free. The switch will be effective June 30, 2009 and could have homicidal ramifications for other popular antivirus makers like McAfee, Symantec, and Trend Micro. (Source: pcworld.com ) Some are heralding the move as a sort of socialist godsend. The free ... (view more)

In an attempt to compete with Google and Zoho, Microsoft is reportedly giving away free software to early-state Web start-up companies as part of a recently launched worldwide program called BizSpark. BizSpark wants to help startups by providing ... production licenses and technical support for several Microsoft products. The licenses are free for the first three years. BizSpark gives Microsoft a way to promote the use of its software. ZocDoc, a New York-based company that offers an online service for booking doctor and dentist appoints, became an early member of the BizSpark program. ZocDoc ... (view more)

Despite Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's recent assertions that Windows Vista "is Microsoft's best-selling product ever," there are many indications to the contrary, that reveal just how irrelevant Windows Vista has become and how it has proven to be a ... major flop. (Source: microsoft.com and microsoft-watch.com ) Ballmer boasts that over 180 million copies of Windows Vista were sold in the first 18 months of its release. As infopackets has noted in the past, it's virtually impossible to get an accurate count on the number of Windows Vista units sold since many have been "downgraded" to ... (view more)