Stories by Elizabeth Montalbano

Microsoft revenue up, but profits down for Q4

Strong sales of the Xbox 360 and SQL Server 2005 helped Microsoft end its fiscal year on a bit of a high note, though income was down due to expenses and legal charges.

Strong sales, margins help Apple beat Street

Fueled by strong product sales and an increase in gross margins, Apple Computer has solidly beated Wall Street estimates for its fiscal third quarter, reporting earnings of $US472 billion.

Microsoft pulls plug on private-folder software

Responding to pressure from corporate users, Microsoft Friday pulled free software from the Web that allowed users sharing Windows PCs to shield information from other users in a private folder.

HP axes global operation, shunts it into main business

Hewlett-Packard says it is dissolving its global operations organisation and delegating the group’s activities to the company’s three main business groups, as part of an on-going companywide restructuring.

Former 'Get the Facts' leader leaves Microsoft

Martin Taylor, best known for his role in leading Microsoft's anti-Linux "Get the Facts" campaign, has abruptly left the company, Microsoft confirmed on Tuesday.

Gates to scale back Microsoft role in 2008

Microsoft chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates says he will step out of his daily role at Microsoft in July 2008 so he can take on a full-time role at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the charity organisation he runs with his wife.

Microsoft Live Labs releases new security services

Microsoft's Live Labs has launched two security-related Web-based services, one for providing authentication and another for connecting P-to-P (peer-to-peer) applications through network firewalls.

Microsoft readies Ultimate Office for SOHO market

Microsoft executives often use the word "super" to describe how excited they get about new products, but the company is opting for "ultimate" as the descriptor of choice for new editions of key software releases.

Microsoft nabs Softricity in bid to get virtual

As part of its ongoing plan to beef up its virtualisation portfolio, Microsoft has announced that it will acquire virtualisation vendor Softricity. Redmond has also outlined a timetable for offering built-in hypervisor technology for Windows Server and will introduce a new virtual machine-management product.

Will growth chip away Google’s free spirit?

Even as Google threatens to become as big a behemoth as rival Microsoft, the atmosphere at the Googleplex, in Mountain View, California, continues to exude a Californian hippie vibe. But as the company grows, can it maintain its free-spirited attitude for much longer?

Microsoft releases Vista, Longhorn, Office betas

In an unprecedented move, Microsoft Tuesday simultaneously released beta versions of its three major upcoming software releases -- Windows Vista, Office 2007 and Windows Server, code-named Longhorn.

Ecma publishes first draft of OpenXML spec

European standards body Ecma International Thursday published the first draft of the Office Open XML specification online, as Microsoft's file format for office documents continues the required process to win standards approval by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

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