Microsoft without Gates

Steve Ballmer was sobbing. He repeatedly tried to speak and couldn't get the words out. Minutes passed as he tried to regain his composure. But the audience of 130 of Microsoft's senior leaders waited patiently, many of them crying too. They knew that the CEO was choked up because this executive retreat, held in late March at a resort north of Seattle, was the last ever for company co-founder Bill Gates, as well as for Jeff Raikes, one of the company's longest-tenured executives. "I've spent more time with these two human beings than with anyone else in my life," Ballmer finally said. "Bill and Jeff have been my North Star and kept me going. Now I'm going to count on all of you to be there for me."

Read more at Fortune Magazine.

Gates without Microsoft

Let me tell you about Bill Gates. He is different from you and me. First off, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft has always been something of a utopian. In his mind, even the world's knottiest problems can be solved if you apply enough IQ. Accordingly, Gates, who has been spotted on Seattle freeways reading a book while driving himself to the office, covets knowledge. It's as if he's still trying to make up for dropping out of Harvard, as he spends just about any spare waking minute reading, studying science texts, or watching university courses on DVD.

Read more at Fortune Magazine.

Bill Gates' mysterious new company

Just months after his Microsoft farewell, Bill Gates is quietly creating a new company -- complete with high-tech office space, a cryptic name and even its own trademark.

Public documents describe the new Gates entity -- bgC3 LLC -- as a “think tank.” It’s housed within a Kirkland office that the Microsoft co-founder established on his own after leaving his day-to-day executive role at the company this summer.

Read more at TechFlash.

Windows XP is going out!

According to Microsoft's timeline, XP is on its way to becoming an ex-operating system. Follow these tips for keeping your Windows XP setup humming happily for a long, long time.

Google takes on Microsoft

NYTimes reports

The growing confrontation between Google and Microsoft promises to be an epic business battle. It is likely to shape the prosperity and progress of both companies, and also inform how consumers and corporations work, shop, communicate and go about their digital lives. Google sees all of this happening on remote servers in faraway data centers, accessible over the Web by an array of wired and wireless devices — a setup known as cloud computing. Microsoft sees a Web future as well, but one whose center of gravity remains firmly tethered to its desktop PC software. Therein lies the conflict.

I am with Google and I vote for Cloud Computing.

Microsoft loses anti-trust appeal

BBC reports

Microsoft has lost its appeal against a record 497m euro (£343m; $690m) fine imposed by the European Commission in a long-running competition dispute.

Some headaches for Microsoft. They can easily afford this small fine.

Is the era of Microsoft ending?

I liked this quote from the ZDNET article.

They’re loved when they start, they’re feared mid-career, then at the end they become legends.

1 Billion Computers running Microsoft Windows

Here is an exercept from Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer's Financial Analyst Meeting 2007

And the install base of Windows computers this coming 12 months will reach 1 billion. If you stop and just think about that, parse that for a second, by the end of our fiscal year '08, there will be more PCs running Windows in the world than there are automobiles, which is at least to me kind of a mind-numbing concept. I think it talks about the way the value has been driven from the Windows PC, and all of the applications from Microsoft to third parties that go with it.

A great achievement from Microsoft which made digital computing accessible to the masses.

Bill Gates sperm is most wanted

Bill Gates sperm is second most wanted by Chinese Women.

Free Online Storage from Microsoft

Microsoft launched Live folders, which offers 500MB of free space to store your documents, music and pictures online. You can also share your files with your friends. I suppose 500MB is too small for a 2007 Internet Surfer. At least we can expect an unlimited online storage solution from Google.


References
DownloadSquad
Image Source : DownloadSquad

Windows Vista sells 40M licenses in 100 days

CNNMoney reports

Microsoft has sold nearly 40 million Windows Vista licenses in the first 100 days that the latest version of the operating system has been available, Chairman Bill Gates said Tuesday.

Gates said an accelerating consumer shift to digital lifestyles had helped make the operating system the fastest selling in history, and that premium editions have accounted for 78 percent of Vista sales.

This is huge. Microsoft CashCow Windows is still alive and Microsoft can milk it for some more time until Linux goes mainstream.

Gmail vs Hotmail vs Yahoo Mail

TechCrunch offers a nice comparison chat between Yahoo Mail, Live Hotmail and Gmail.Image Source : TechCrunch