Microsoft
Microsoft Corp. is a Redmond, Wash.-based company that develops and manufactures various products associated with computer hardware and software, consumer electronics, video games and mobile devices.
Some of Microsoft’s best-known products include Windows (the computer operating system), MS Office (a suite of office productivity tools), Xbox (the game console), Bing (an Internet search engine) and MSN (a network of online services that includes email and instant messaging). Other products include Visual Studio (application development software), Exchange Server (email management) and Windows Phone 7 (an operating system for smartphones).
Read more about 'Microsoft'
Founded in 1975 by Paul Allen and Bill Gates, Microsoft’s first product was an interpreter for a microcomputer that would decode BASIC (family of high-level programming languages). Soon after, the company launched Disk Operating System (DOS), a product that firmly established Microsoft as a leading player in the field of computer hardware.
In 1985, Microsoft Windows, an operating system with a graphical user interface, was released. This was a hugely popular product that eventually came to dominate the personal computer market. A few years later, Microsoft Office was released. This suite of office productivity tools contained Word and Excel among other applications. In 1995, the web browser Internet Explorer was introduced. The following year, Microsoft and NBC Universal created a new cable news station called MSNBC.
In 2000, Bill Gates stepped down from the position of CEO of the company. Steve Ballmer, a long-time Microsoft executive and college friend of Gates, took over as CEO. Gates created a new position for himself titled Chief Software Architect.
Soon after, Microsoft entered the game console market with the Xbox. New versions of the Windows operating system have also been launched. Some of these are Windows 95, Windows 7 and Windows Vista. The company also has a line of retail stores that sell computers, consumer electronics and computing software.
Over the years, Microsoft has run into legal issues related to its policy of bundling together multiple applications on its Windows operating system. Critics have accused the company of employing monopolistic and anti-competitive strategies. Both the U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission have found Microsoft to be in violation of antitrust laws.
As of October 2010, Microsoft employed approximately 89,900 people.
Sources:
(Text by Lakshmi Jagad)
Articles about Microsoft
Thu, Mar 22 2012 at 10:27 AM EST
Microsoft co-founder's donation will fund research into Alzheimer's and other conditions.Fri, Feb 10 2012 at 9:10 AM EST
Is a lack of online privacy bringing you down? A new plug-in blocks both cookies and IP addresses by routing your page requests through their servers.Wed, Oct 19 2011 at 6:41 AM EST
Technology projects a touchscreen onto your hand, clothes, a wall, or any surface, so you can operate your phone without removing it from your pocket.Tue, Sep 13 2011 at 10:24 PM EST
Microsoft unveiled new Windows computer operating software designed to power not only personal computers but also rivals to Apple's iPad.Sun, Aug 21 2011 at 9:04 PM EST
The Internet communications group announced plans to buy the mobile messaging start-up firm GroupMe for undisclosed terms.Mon, Jul 18 2011 at 7:14 PM EST
Services allow users to store and distribute medical records to doctors and other healthcare providers.Tue, Jun 28 2011 at 2:22 PM EST
Microsoft took the wraps off an online version of its hugely profitable Office software suite, making its biggest move into the world of 'cloud' computing.Wed, Feb 02 2011 at 9:15 PM EST
Microsoft angrily denied that Bing copies Google's search results, but the world's top online search engine is adamant that it has proof.Tue, Dec 21 2010 at 11:13 AM EST
Microsoft says that sales are 'in line' with goals and the company plans to expand the system's reach in 2011.Thu, Dec 16 2010 at 3:26 AM EST
Other upgrades include better organized photos and location check-in, like the popular service Foursquare.- 1. Solar Storm
- 2. Recipes
- 3. Earthquake News
- 4. Tornado
- 5. Chevy Volt
- 6. Wind Power
- 7. Green Cleaning
- 8. Green Technology
- 9. Apple
- 10. Global Warming
