Posts Tagged ‘Microsoft Network Essentials Exam 70 058’

Microsoft opines: Vista was 'cheesy'; three devices too many

Windows Vista: ‘Get more done in less time.’ Not everyone agreed with that Microsoft ad copy.

(Credit:
Microsoft)

Microsoft published a “brief” history of the Windows interface in a blog post today that offered some flashes of candor about Vista and Windows 95 and argued that the
tablet as we know it today is one device too many.

Friday’s Building Windows 8 post lays out “a brief history of the Windows user interface” that is anything but brief. (True to the blog’s prolix style).

Penned by Jensen Harris, director of program management for the User Experience team at Microsoft, it begins with, “the user interface of Windows has evolved and been transformed over the course of its entire 27-year history,” and then takes a tour of the interface from Windows 1 to Windows 8.

Some highlights of “Creating the Windows 8 user experience”:

• Windows 1 and the “dubious value” of the mouse: Windows 1, released in 1985, was a “rough graphical shell around DOS, primarily to be used with the keyboard,” Harris writes. And the mouse was doomed to fail from the beginning, according to pundits at the time. “Mice are nice ideas, but of dubious value for business users” (George Vinall, PC Week, April 24, 1984). “There is no evidence that people want to use these things.” (John C. Dvorak, San Francisco Examiner, February 19, 1984).
• Windows 3 and 3.1 and File Manager: File Manager arrived. “This upgrade bet big for the first time on most users having a mouse,” he writes. And Alt+Tab came into vogue then. “Because getting to…minimized apps often required moving a bunch of windows out of the way first, the Alt+Tab keyboard shortcut became a very popular way to switch between running programs.”
• Windows 95 and the nonstarter “Start” button: That Start button didn’t live up to its initial billing. “The Start button was so undiscoverable that, despite having the word Start right on it…text had to be added to the taskbar after early test releases so that people could figure out how to get started using the programs on their PC.” And an interesting sidebar about the IBM Simon mobile phone. “The first ever mobile phone with PDA capabilities, the IBM Simon, was introduced around this time. It weighed almost 1.5 pounds, ran DOS, and the only app ever designed for it sold only two copies.”
• Windows XP a “garish” experience for some: Not everyone loved Windows XP. “Although Windows XP eventually became a major success, some people at the time were frustrated with the changes to the user interface. They found the Windows XP experience to be garish, and users inquired about how to ‘downgrade’ to previous versions,” Harris writes.
• Windows Vista now looks “cheesy”: Microsoft’s most panned OS. Harris has relatively little to say beyond describing the Aero interface as having the “appearance of highly rendered glass, light sources, reflections, and other graphically complex textures.” But he does add this: “This style of simulating faux-realistic materials…looks dated and cheesy now, but at the time, it was very much en vogue.”
• Windows 8 means not having to carry around a tablet, necessarily: Converge the tablet and laptop and, presto, you don’t necessarily need a tablet. “Windows 8 imagines the convergence of two kinds of devices: a laptop and a tablet. Instead of carrying around three devices (a phone, a tablet, and a laptop) you carry around just a phone and a Windows PC,” Harris writes. Of course, this attempts to refute Apple’s argument that convergence doesn’t always work. “Anything can be forced to converge, but the problem is that products are about trade-offs, and you begin to make trade-offs to the point where what you have left doesn’t please anyone,” CEO Tim Cook said last month.

And Harris touches on Windows RT, the version of Windows that will run on ARM processors from Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments.

Harris argues that the tendency for phones and tablets to “show only one app on the screen at a time” is strictly done to “manage the background activity on the device so that only apps you are actively using can drain the battery.”

Harris continues. “We did feel like only offering ‘one-at-a-time’ in the Metro style experience was a bit of a constraint, and not totally true to the Windows history of multitasking. So we evolved Snap for Windows 8. This feature lets you run any two WinRT-based apps side-by-side, so that you can watch a video while you browse the Web.”

Windows 1 was released in 1985. Mice were still a novelty.

(Credit:
Microsoft)

Windows 3 introduced the File Manager.

(Credit:
Microsoft)

A Windows 8 Messaging app ‘snapped’ next to the Maps app. ‘Two apps at once, even on a tablet.’

(Credit:
Microsoft)

Article source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-57437562-92/microsoft-opines-vista-was-cheesy-three-devices-too-many/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

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Microsoft wins import ban on some Motorola phones

The U.S. International Trade Commission handed Microsoft a victory in one of its patent disputes with Motorola, banning the import of some Motorola phones.

The agency found that Motorola violated a Microsoft patent for that software that creates meeting requests and schedules them on mobile devices. Motorola will likely need to alter the software in the phones before they come into the United States.

The ruling is now subject to a 60-day presidential review. Motorola has to post a bond of 33 cents for each phone that has entered the United States.

“Microsoft started its ITC investigation asserting nine patents against Motorola Mobility,” Motorola said in a statement. “Although we are disappointed by the Commission’s ruling that certain Motorola Mobility products violated one patent, we look forward to reading the full opinion to understand its reasoning…. We will explore all options including appeal.”

The dispute revolves around Motorola’s use of the scheduling technology in some of its devices, including Droid phones and Xoom
tablets, that run Google’s mobile
Android operating system. Microsoft argued that the software infringed on its ActiveSync technology.

An administrative law judge ruled in December that Motorola infringed on one of the nine patents that Microsoft had cited. Today’s decision, from the full commission largely upholds that ruling.

“We’re pleased the full Commission agreed that Motorola has infringed Microsoft’s intellectual property, and we hope that now Motorola will be willing to join the vast majority of Android device makers selling phones in the US by taking a license to our patents,” Microsoft’s corporate vice president and deputy general counsel David Howard said in a statement.

Technology companies in recent years have increasingly turned to the ITC to settle their disputes. Companies can pursue an ITC case in parallel with civil lawsuits, and the threat of an embargo on products typically forces companies to settle more quickly.

Updated at 3:10 p.m. PT with more details and analysis.

Staff writer Josh Lowensohn contributed to this report.

Article source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57437476-75/microsoft-wins-import-ban-on-some-motorola-phones/?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=

Microsoft to Launch Amazon EC2 Rival. Again

Microsoft is launching a new infrastructure cloud, whatever that is. Photo: theaucitron/Flickr

The rumor du jour is that Microsoft is just two weeks away from launching a competitor to Amazon’s massively popular EC2 service. This seems like big news, until you consider that Microsoft already offers a competitor to Amazon EC2.

According to Derrick Harris of GigaOm, Microsoft is building an “infrastructure-as-a-service” cloud that provides access to raw virtual servers, and it plans to launch this new service on June 7 at an event in San Francisco. The story provides few details, but it does say that the new service will offer virtual servers running Linux as well as Windows.

But Azure already offers raw virtual servers, much like Amazon does on its Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). And Azure has offered these virtual servers for nearly a year and a half. It’s just that right now they only run Windows.

The news, then, appears to be that Microsoft’s Azure cloud will finally offer Linux — though Microsoft may paint this as an entirely new service.

In any event, the move is telling — especially when you consider the introduction of Linux. In recent years, in an effort to attract the new breed of developer who grew up on Linux and other open source tools, Microsoft has slowly warmed to such tools, shedding its well-earned reputation as the enemy of open source, and Azure is at the forefront of this transformation.

That new breed of developer is flocking to Amazon. And Microsoft wants them on Azure, a service that Microsoft has apparently pumped enormous amounts of money into over the past several years.

The news out of GigaOm is confusing, though, because Microsoft has always billed Azure as a “platform cloud.” Unlike an “infrastructure cloud” such as Amazon EC2, a platform cloud lets developers build and host applications without worrying about virtual servers and other raw computing resources. It juggles your infrastructure needs behind the scenes — at least in theory. But long ago, Microsoft started offering raw resources as well, turning Azure into something that operated as both platform cloud and infrastructure cloud.

This distinction is subtle. And the terminology is annoying. But that’s the way it is. Microsoft been dolling up its platform cloud in infrastructure clothing and now the world is starting to catch on.

“The original point of Azure was that you were not supposed as a developer to log in to each individual machine and fiddle around with it. The platform stuff that had build on top was supposed to take care of all that — all the management of the application. But since Azure launched, Microsoft has moved ‘down the stack’ also, so that you have access to the virtual machines. You can configure these machines as you want,” says Michael Friis, who runs a cloud startup called AppHarbor that — in a way — straddles the line between Azure and Amazon EC2.

“In that respect, they moved from doing their own platform, down to what Amazon is doing.”

Microsoft has long told us that it added raw virtual server because customers were asking for them. But at the same time, the company always downplayed this part of Azure, preferring to paint it as a platform cloud — i.e. something different from Amazon.

The trouble is that selling a platform cloud is an uphill battle. Developers have flocked to Amazon — EC2 now runs as much as one percent of the entire internet — and this has happened in part because they could do just about whatever they wanted with those virtual servers. A platform cloud is easier to use — at least in theory — but it’s also more restrictive, and this can scare off some developers. Google has seen the same thing with its platform cloud, Google App Engine.

So Azure is changing. It’s offering virtual servers — and Linux too. Rumors have long indicated that Linux machines were on the way. And this makes sense. Developers also use Amazon because it runs Linux. That’s what they’re familiar with. “When it comes right down to it, many developers don’t want to run this stuff on Windows,” says Friis.

Clearly, Microsoft realizes this. And it’s trying to catch up.

Article source: http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/05/azure-and-ec/

ITC Bans Motorola Devices That Infringe on Microsoft Patent

Microsoft was handed a legal victory on Friday after the International Trade Commission (ITC) ordered an import ban on Android-based Motorola devices that infringe on a Microsoft-held patent.

The patent in question covers technology for “generating meeting requests and group scheduling from a mobile device.” Unless Motorola removes the infringing technology from its gadgets or comes to a licensing agreement with Microsoft, it will not be able to import and sell them in the U.S.

“Microsoft sued Motorola in the ITC only after Motorola chose to refuse Microsoft’s efforts to renew a patent license for well over a year,” David Howard, Microsoft’s corporate vice president and deputy general counsel, said in a statement. “We’re pleased the full Commission agreed that Motorola has infringed Microsoft’s intellectual property, and we hope that now Motorola will be willing to join the vast majority of Android device makers selling phones in the U.S. by taking a license to our patents.”

Motorola did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The case dates back to Oct. 2010, when Microsoft filed a complaint with the ITC and sued Motorola in a Washington state district court. At issue were nine patents that deal with, among others, sending and receiving e-mail on smartphones, managing calendars and contacts, and managing a phone’s memory.

The ITC’s decision comes several days after HTC was forced to delay the import of two smartphones into the U.S. thanks to a similar patent battle with Apple. HTC ended up developing a workaround that avoided infringing on Apple’s patent, but inspections at U.S. Customs have delayed shipments into the country.

In a Friday post, patent blogger Florian Mueller suggested that “it won’t take too long” before Motorola reaches a patent-licensing deal with Microsoft.

Recently, Microsoft said that 70 percent of all Android smartphones sold in the U.S. were covered under Microsoft’s patent portfolio.

In April, the European Commission formally opened a patent abuse investigation into Motorola. The investigation was prompted by complaints from Apple and Microsoft, which accused Motorola of suing over “essential” patents rather than trying to work out licensing deals.

For more from Chloe, follow her on Twitter @ChloeAlbanesius.

For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.

Article source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404635,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03069TX1K0001121

Microsoft Wins Ruling Forcing Change in Motorola Phones

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) won a federal trade
ruling that will force Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. (MMI) to alter
software on some of its Android-based mobile phones to keep
bringing them into the U.S.

A U.S. International Trade Commission judge found that
Motorola Mobility infringed a patent covering a program by
Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft called ActiveSync, which
lets users generate meeting requests among a group. Six other
patents weren’t violated, the judge ruled.

The ruling still must be reviewed by President Barack Obama, who can override the order on public policy grounds.

“We hope that now Motorola will be willing to join the
vast majority of Android device makers selling phones in the
U.S. by taking a license to our patents,” David Howard,
Microsoft’s deputy general counsel, said in an e-mailed
statement.

An exclusion order would affect Droid 2, Droid X, i1, Cliq
XT, Devour, Backflip, Charm and Clip models, according to a
filing with the ITC.

Android Fight

Motorola Mobility said it was disappointed and would
explore options including an appeal. “Motorola Mobility will
not experience any impact in the near term,” Jennifer Erickson,
a company spokeswoman, said in an e-mail.

The ruling probably will push Motorola to reach a
settlement and pay Microsoft a licensing fee instead of having
to modify the phone software, said Charlie Wolf, an analyst with
Needham Co in New York.

“These cases usually end up with the parties settling,”
Wolf said.

The case is part of a broader effort by Microsoft and Apple
Inc. to curtail the growth of mobile devices that run on Google
Inc. (GOOG)’s Android operating system. Google licenses Android for
free to further its mobile-advertising business.

The platform has become the most popular for smartphones,
with more than half of a market for mobile devices that Yankee
Group has projected will reach $360 billion this year.

Licensing Deals

Microsoft contends it should be paid royalties by makers of
mobile devices that run on Android. The software maker has
reached licensing deals with Samsung Electronics Co. and HTC
Corp. (2498)

Motorola Mobility, which is being bought by Google, refused
to pay and instead struck back in a case at the trade agency.

Microsoft’s willingness to license is different from Apple,
which wants makers of Android smartphones to make changes to its
devices, Wolf said.

“I would expect Motorola to get together with Microsoft to
resolve this,” he said.

Xbox, Windows

Microsoft has capitalized on patents it said cover features
of Android, and said it has struck licensing agreements with
makers of more than 70 percent of all Android devices sold in
the U.S. Microsoft’s only litigation with Android-device makers
is with Motorola Mobility, following a settlement reached last
month with Barnes Noble Inc. (BKS)

The software maker filed the ITC complaint in October 2010.
Motorola Mobility responded by sending letters demanding
royalties on Microsoft products, including the Xbox and Windows
operating system. The legal battle has since escalated, with
Microsoft accusing Motorola Mobility of misusing its patents in
a lawsuit pending in Seattle and before regulators in the U.S.
and Europe.

Motorola Mobility has filed its own patent-infringement
claim against Microsoft at the agency, seeking to block sales of
the Xbox. An ITC judge said Microsoft was infringing four
Motorola Mobility patents; Microsoft wants the commission to
review that decision.

Microsoft’s case against Motorola Mobility is In the Matter
of Certain Mobile Devices, Associated Software and Components
Thereof, 337-744, while Motorola Mobility’s case against
Microsoft is In the matter of Gaming and Entertainment Consoles,
337-752, both U.S. International Trade Commission (Washington).

To contact the reporters on this story:
Susan Decker in Washington at
sdecker1@bloomberg.net;
William McQuillen in Washington at
bmcquillen@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Bernard Kohn at
bkohn2@bloomberg.net

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Article source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-18/microsoft-wins-ruling-forcing-change-in-motorola-phones.html

Microsoft and Ford Join FiRe 2012 as Silver Partners

FRIDAY HARBOR, WA–(Marketwire -05/18/12)-
Ford and Microsoft joined Strategic News Service as a Future in Review (FiRe) 2012 Silver Partner this week. The sponsorship reflects the companies’ shared commitment to creating a better-connected car experience through the Ford SYNC software platform in select Ford and Lincoln vehicles. FiRe, an annual technology conference now in its 10th year, brings together a tight-knit community of global thought leaders to discuss emerging markets, global problems, and technology-based solutions.

“We are delighted to have the top global team in our ‘Car Computing’ category joining us for FiRe X. We consider Ford to be the hands-down leader in implementing advanced technology in the automotive world, and we are deeply aware of Microsoft’s core position in providing a technology platform that enables drivers and passengers to easily and safely interact with the system. I have no doubt that, together, they will provide our group with the most advanced understanding of the future of technology in the automotive sector,” said Mark Anderson, FiRe Chair and SNS CEO.

Recognizing the shift in consumer technology, Ford and Microsoft joined forces in 2007 to bring the vision for an affordable, easy to use in-car system to life, giving consumers the ability to combine their digital lifestyle with their life on the road. The Ford SYNC software platform is one of the first in-car technologies in the world that seamlessly blends the latest in consumer electronics with the functionality of a vehicle. Futurists from both companies will be speaking at the FiRe Conference.

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 166,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. Founded in 1975, Microsoft (MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

The Strategic News Service provides a weekly online newsletter predicting global trends in technology and economics. It is the most accurate publicly-graded predictive newsletter covering the computer and telecom industries. Recent calls include the 2007 global economic meltdown, the emergence of “Currency Wars” and of “Economic Cyberwar,” together with increasing global IP theft by China, among other major global trends. SNS is delivered each week to a subscriber base of C-level global technology and finance executives, and to thought leaders in technology, science and economics.

It is also the host of Future in Review (FiRe). FiRe attendees convene each year with the goal of solving major world problems; a goal that is consistently met through FiRe’s collaboration across disparate industries and the intellectual and strategic guidance of FiRe Chair and SNS CEO, Mark Anderson. Future in Review 2012 will take place May 22-25th at the beautiful Montage Resort in Laguna Beach, California. The Economist has called FiRe “The best technology conference in the world.”

To register and learn more, visit www.futureinreview.com.

Strategic News Service was founded by Mark Anderson in 1995 as the first paid online news service. Since its inception, SNS has proven the most accurate predictive newsletter covering the computer and telecom industries. Its subscribers include top managers at technology companies across the globe, including Microsoft, Dell, HP, Cisco, Intel, Sun, Google, Telstra, Orange and others.

SNS has been operating the annual FiRe Conference for ten years. The Economist calls FiRe “the best technology conference in the world.” FiRe exposes world experts and participants to new ideas, producing an accurate portrait of the future and focuses on creating technology solutions to current local and global problems. FiRe 2012 will take place May 22-25, 2012 at the Montage in Laguna Beach, CA. For more information go to www.futureinreview.com.

Future in Review™ is a Strategic News Service™ conference. Future in ReviewTM, and Strategic News Service™ are registered international trademarks. The SNS newsletter is the most accurate publicly ranked predictive newsletter in computing and communications.

Websites: www.stratnews.com, www.futureinreview.com, www.futureinreview.com/global/wc

Press
Jennifer Lee
Strategic News Service
Tel. 360 378 8628
Email: Jenny@stratnews.com

Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/microsoft-ford-join-fire-2012-131100316.html

Microsoft reprises free Xbox back-to-school PC promo

Computerworld - Microsoft will repeat last year’s back-to-school promotion, kicking off the deal Sunday with an offer of a free Xbox 360 game console to eligible U.S. students who buy a new Windows 7 PC.

Canadian students also qualify for this year’s program, which launches there today.

U.S. high school or college students with proof of status — a student ID card or an email address that ends in .edu — will receive a 4GB Xbox 360 when they purchase a Windows PC for $699 or more. In Canada, the benchmark PC price is $599.

Microsoft will be giving students the $199 Xbox 360, its lowest-priced console, and one that does not come with the Kinect controller.

Unlike last year, when Microsoft’s only retail partner was Best Buy, this year the company has expanded the list of participating retailers to Best Buy and Fry’s Electronics in the U.S., and Best Buy, Future Shop, Staples and The Source in Canada. Online sellers include Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Newegg in the U.S., and Dell in Canada.

Microsoft will also honor the deal at its own retail stores — there are 21, all in the U.S., either open or expected to open this summer — and at its U.S. Microsoft Store website.

The company has apparently left more in the hands of its partners than last year, when Microsoft specified the end date — Sept. 3, 2011 — and the deal’s terms and conditions.

Those details are now up to the participating retailers and e-tailers, Microsoft said in a blog post today. For example, Dell Canada said that its offer expires June 29.

This was the second year running that Microsoft beat Apple to the back-to-school punch. Apple, which has a longer history of offering deals to students, launched its promotion June 16, 2011, nearly a month after Microsoft’s.

Apple’s 2011 program was also the first in years that did not feature a free iPod Touch with the purchase of a new Mac. Instead, the Cupertino, Calif. company handed out $100 iTunes gift cards to students, parents, teachers and staff members.

The cards could be used for purchases at Apple’s digital content markets, including the Mac App Store, the iOS App Store, iBookstore and the iTunes music store.

Depending on when students purchase a Windows PC to get an Xbox, they may be eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 8 Pro when the new operating system launches later this year.

Microsoft has not unveiled a Windows 8 upgrade program, but recent rumors have pegged an announcement to the first week of June, when the company also will debut Windows 8 Release Preview, the OS’s final public milestone.

Earlier this week, Windows blogger Paul Thurrott, citing unnamed sources, claimed that Microsoft would charge users $14.99 for the upgrade to Windows 8 Pro if they purchased a Windows 7 PC between the launch of the program and January 2013.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg’s RSS feed . His email address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

See more by Gregg Keizer on Computerworld.com.

• Microsoft reprises free Xbox back-to-school PC promo
• Microsoft to charge $15 for Windows 8 upgrade deal
• Senate to look at Mozilla’s browser competition allegations
• Microsoft preps Windows 8 upgrade deal for early June debut, says report
• Mozilla on new browser brouhaha: Microsoft, Apple different cases
• Microsoft touts Windows 8′s ability to detect, fix hard disk problems
• Mozilla accuses Microsoft of anticompetitive behavior with Windows RT
• Microsoft mute on Nook app’s bundling with Windows 8
• Slow uptake of Windows 8 preview hints at lack of interest
• Microsoft slates Windows 8 ‘release preview’ for early June

Continuing coverage: Windows 8

Read more about Windows in Computerworld’s Windows Topic Center.

Article source: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9227284/Microsoft_reprises_free_Xbox_back_to_school_PC_promo

Microsoft: No Windows Phone 'Mango,' No Marketplace

Microsoft has issued a warning to users still running older versions of its mobile OS – upgrade now or lose access to the Windows Marketplace.

Windows Phone users will need version 7.5 “Mango” on their gadgets in order to buy, download, or update apps in the Marketplace, Microsoft’s Mazhar Mohammed said in a blog post this week. That applies to the Web- and phone-based storefronts, he said.

“In short, the new requirement is tied to a larger Marketplace improvement effort,” Mohammed wrote. “But the key takeaway is that if you like apps and games, you’ll soon need Windows Phone 7.5 installed to continue using Marketplace. Most of you already do.”

Microsoft first provided a warning about the impending switch back in April. At the time, the company said that a “handful” of users were still on older versions, which could present performance and security issues down the line.

Users will still be able to browse the Marketplace on pre-Mango versions of Windows, but will receive error messages when trying to complete any other tasks.

More details about upgrading your phone is available on Microsoft’s Windows Phone Update central.

For more, see PCMag’s full review of Windows Phone “Mango” and the slideshow below.

The next version of the OS is expected to be “Tango.” PCMag’s Sascha Segan got some details about the new OS earlier this year at Mobile World Congress.

For more from Chloe, follow her on Twitter @ChloeAlbanesius.

View Slideshow
See all (12) slides

For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.

Article source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404599,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03069TX1K0001121

Microsoft's Ballmer worst US CEO: Forbes

Microsoft head Steve Ballmer is the worst chief executive of a publicly listed US company, according to Forbes magazine, which decided his bad leadership extended far beyond his own firm.

Ballmer took top place on the magazine’s list of five CEOs who should already have been fired.

“Without a doubt, Mr Ballmer is the worst CEO of a large publicly traded American company today,” Forbes said.

“Not only has he singlehandedly steered Microsoft out of some of the fastest growing and most lucrative tech markets (mobile music, handsets and tablets) but in the process he has sacrificed the growth and profits of not only his company but ‘ecosystem’ companies such as Dell, Hewlett Packard and even Nokia.

“The reach of his bad leadership has extended far beyond Microsoft when it comes to destroying shareholder value – and jobs.”

Ballmer took the top job at Microsoft in 2000 when the share price peaked at US$60 ($78) a share. Two years later, the shares hit the low US$20s, and they are currently not much improved in the low US$30s.

“And no wonder, since execution of new rollouts were constantly delayed, and ended up with products so lacking in any enhanced value that they left customers scrambling to find ways to avoid upgrades.”

Windows 7 and Office 2010 were unexciting and the company proved no barrier to Apple taking pole position in personal technology.

“So today Microsoft, after dumping Zune, dumping its tablet, dumping Windows CE and other mobile products, is still the same company Mr Ballmer took control over a decade ago.

“Microsoft is a PC company, nothing more, as demand for PCs shifts to mobile.

“Years late to market, he has bet the company on Windows 8 – as well as the future of Dell, HP, Nokia and others.”

The Microsoft board should have replaced Ballmer years ago with someone who understood the fast-moving world of technology, Forbes said.

Ballmer is at 19 on Forbes’ list of billionaires.

JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, who admitted the investment bank had lost US$2b in risky trades, and Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson, who inflated his resume to include a computer science degree he did not receive, did not actually make the list.

Those who kept company with Ballmer were John Chambers of Cisco Systems, Jeffrey Immelt of General Electric, Mike Duke of WalMart and Edward Lampert of retail giant Sears.

“These 5, frequently honored for their position, control of resources and personal wealth, are doing horrific damage to their companies, hurting investors, employees, suppliers and the communities that rely on their organisations.

“They should have been fired long before this week.”

– © Fairfax NZ News

Sponsored links

Article source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/business/6941544/Microsofts-Ballmer-worst-US-CEO-Forbes

Is Office, Exchange Lock-In Microsoft's Best Weapon in the Cloud?

Is Microsoft Office tie-in like candy in the cloud? Photo: Sunfox/Flickr

With Microsoft recently beating out Google for providing cloud service to the Los Angeles Community College District, the focus of one report was that the win reflects “how Microsoft can use its lock on conventional productivity software as a springboard into the cloud.”

Microsoft’s Live@edu online suite, which gives an educational institution’s users access to cloud-based versions of Exchange and Outlook, SkyDrive online storage, as well as access to the Microsoft Office Web Apps online productivity suite, won out because “the school system was already an Exchange and Outlook user,” the Information Week report said.

And so the story goes that integrating Live@edu “with in-house apps would be that much easier, and users would get a consistent experience whether they were working with the cloud tools or their existing software.”

Los Angeles Community College District CIO Jorge Mata tells IW:

“We wanted to make sure the experience was the same, as much as possible,” said Mata. “If I’m a faculty member and I’m teaching a class, and then go to my office to conduct some business, and then to a lab to help a student, if all those are using the same kinds of themes and interface then that was something important to us.” Mata added that if LACCD “was completely Google, then that would have been a major point [in Google's favor].”

Another requirement that Microsoft had to meet was for Live@edu to be accessible through multiple platforms, including Apple iPads and iPhones, and Google Android devices. “Our students would love to have laptops and tablets, but if they can buy only one thing it’s usually a smartphone,” said Mata. Live@edu supports mobile management and synchronization through ActiveSync on Mac OS, iOS, and Android, as well as on Windows and Windows Phone.

LA’s trouble with Google Apps, following a June 2010 move to the web giant’s online-only productivity apps, was not a factor, Mata said.

Live@edu is free, so this is not about revenue up front. But it is about keeping the workers of tomorrow on paid versions on Microsoft Office on the desktop and Office 365 online. Sig Behrens, Microsoft’s general manager for U.S. education, said in a statement: “LACCD is committed to student employability and recognizes the value to its students of skills gained using Microsoft technology, and that the knowledge will serve them well as they prepare to enter the workforce.”

Have your say: Is Office lock-in going to work for Microsoft long term? What about the mobile front — Is Exchange and Exchange ActiveSync lock-in here to stay? Who can break the locks?

Article source: http://www.wired.com/cloudline/2012/05/microsoft-office-lockin/