Microsoft After Gates: A Mixed Bag
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published July 2, 2009
One after the legendary software icon left Microsoft, the company rests squarely on Steve Ballmer.

Will Users Cling to XP Instead of Windows 7?
By Paul Rubens | Applications Article Published July 1, 2009
An informal survey says many businesses aren't huffing and puffing to put away XP in favor of Windows 7.

Windows 7 Beta is Going Bye Bye
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published July 1, 2009
Microsoft wasn't kidding when it said that the Windows 7 beta expiration date is nearing.

New Web-Based Software Player: Cisco?
By Reuters | Applications Article Published July 1, 2009
Networking giant Cisco is considering entering the expanding market for web-based software apps.

Top Five Causes of Poor Software Quality
By Bill Curtis | Applications Article Published July 1, 2009
When developers are forced to sacrifice sound software development practices to ridiculous schedules the results are rarely good.

PHP Update (a Big One) Due Soon
By Sean Michael Kerner | Applications Article Published June 26, 2009
The open source programming language is expected to see a major step forward.

Microsoft Rebuffs Critics in Word-HTML Outlook Fracas
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published June 26, 2009
Microsoft will not change its decision to render emails using Word instead of IE's HTML engine, despite the uproar.

Microsoft: Windows Cheaper than Vista
By Reuters | Applications Article Published June 25, 2009
Microsoft will use aggressive pricing in an effort to boost popularity of its forthcoming OS.

Four Useful Tools for Social Networkers
By David Strom | Applications Article Published June 25, 2009
Busy Web users can use these free services to communicate more efficiently.

Social Cloud Battle: Google vs. IBM
By Alex Goldman | Applications Article Published June 24, 2009
The ruckus to see which vendor wins the growing social application market has only just begun.

iPhone 3.0 Software Review: Apple Catches Up (Mostly)
By Troy Dreier | Applications Article Published June 22, 2009
The free iPhone software update moves the handheld forward, but could have gone further.

Cloud Vendors Stress 'Platform' to Boost Apeal
By Alex Goldman | Applications Article Published June 22, 2009
In the goldrush to gain market share, some vendors claim that an extended service solution gives them the edge.

Windows XP To Live Still Longer
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published June 19, 2009
Despite Microsoft's earlier statements, the software giant just can't seem to kill of XP.

Bing Gains on Google
By Reuters | Applications Article Published June 18, 2009
But the gains still place Bing considerably behind the leading search giant.

Free Upgrades to Windows 7 Due Soon
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published June 17, 2009
This summer PC buyers will get a free upgrade to Windows 7, which launches in the fall.

Facebook Usernames: Do You Have Yours?
By Kenneth Corbin | Applications Article Published June 15, 2009
A half million users grabbed personalized names on Facebook within the first 15 minutes the new offering was available.

Google Chrome to be Coded "Native"
By Sean Michael Kerner | Applications Article Published June 14, 2009
Google Chrome's approach may have major implications in terms of software delivery.

Help! My Macs are Cranky
By Don Reisinger | Applications Article Published June 13, 2009
He's fond of Apple but this Mac user apparently bought two problem machines. Is it time to go back to Windows?

Opera Decries Microsoft EU Browser Move
By Reuters | Applications Article Published June 12, 2009
Microsoft's plan to ship its Windows with IE in Europe is not enough to create a level playing field, Opera makers say.

Cut Costs (And Save Your Job) Using Business Intelligence
By Larry Marion | Applications Article Published June 10, 2009
Business Intelligence software can cut the bloat from five key corporate cost centers – and ensure the job of that smart individual who understands its potential.

Windows 7 Pricing Leaks from Retailer
By Andy Patrizio | Applications Article Published June 8, 2009
Based on an unconfirmed memo, Windows 7 may be more economically priced than some observers expected.

Sweden 'Free Web' Party Scores EU Seat
By Reuters | Applications Article Published June 8, 2009
Pleasing those who want everything to be free on the Net, Sweden's Pirate Party won a seat in the European Parliament.

Microsoft Lifts Limits on Windows 7 Starter
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published June 1, 2009
Responding to complaints, Microsoft will no longer place a three-app limit on Windows 7 Starter Edition.

Porn Search at Work? Not If Bing Can Help It
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published June 5, 2009
Microsoft offers workaround in response to complaints that corporate Bing users easily could find and access porn.

The Next 'Wave' In Communication?
By David Needle | Applications Article Published May 29, 2009
Google's browser-based online communications environment combines features of e-mail, IM and collaboration software. But it's still in beta.

Google vs. 'Page's Law'
By David Needle | Applications Article Published May 28, 2009
The search giant seeks to defy traditional logic that says software performance slows over an 18 month time span.

Vista SP2 Ready for Download
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published May 27, 2009
Vista Service Pack 2's new installer enables it to work for both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.

Interop: Virtual Desktop is Real (We Think)
By Sean Michael Kerner | Applications Article Published May 22, 2009
Standardization and other issues face the burgeoning virtual desktop market, though some vendors see enormous potential.

VMware Releases vSphere 4.0 to Analyst Acclaim
By Alex Goldman | Applications Article Published May 21, 2009
It's a tough climate to launch a major product yet industry observers see major promise in vSphere 4.0.

Interop: IT and the Dark Economy
By Sean Michael Kerner | Applications Article Published May 21, 2009
Research firm IDC predicts growth in IT staff will be flat over the next three years, yet customer interaction will grow significantly.

Windows 7 Review: Why I Like Windows 7
By Andy Rathbone | Applications Article Published May 18, 2009
The pros and cons of Windows 7, from the author of the popular Windows for Dummies guidebooks.

Top 50 iPhone Apps for Staying Informed
By Troy Dreier | Applications Article Published May 20, 2009
iPhone apps to keep you informed about news, weather, sports, tech, business, and everything else.

Gartner: Windows 7 Okay for Vista Disgruntled
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published May 18, 2009
Those firm that skipped Vista can feel comfortable deploying Windows 7, in the view of analyst outfit Gartner.

Finding The Coding Zone: Your Perfect Trifecta?
By Eric Spiegel | Applications Article Published May 17, 2009
What perfect list of conditions enables you to write your best possible software code?

IT Projects Delayed, Not Canceled
By Andy Patrizio | Applications Article Published May 16, 2009
Companies will eventually buy IT, though they're still hesitant at the moment.

Windows 7 RTM Within 90 Days?
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published May 14, 2009
As more Windows 7 details emerge, the OS's release appears to be ever sooner.

iPhone App Developers Talk about Success Strategies
By James Maguire | Applications Article Published May 13, 2009
The London-based developers of iSteam talk about trends in the iPhone app market.

Decreasing In-House Windows Support Costs
By Kenneth Hess | Applications Article Published May 13, 2009
With a few key strategies in mind, the money you spend on maintaining your Windows PC's will trend lower.

SAP Snaps Up Green Accounting Firm
By Alex Goldman | Applications Article Published May 13, 2009
SAP acquired Clear Standards, a vendor of carbon consumption tracking software.

IBM Unveils Data Tracking Solution
By Reuters | Applications Article Published May 13, 2009
IBM is launching real time data monitoring software that will enable firms to track manufacturing and other trends.

Windows 7 Due this Year
By Reuters | Applications Article Published May 12, 2009
Holiday shoppers will be able to snap up a copy of Microsoft's forthcoming OS.

SAP Acquisition a "Rumor," Microsoft says
By Reuters | Applications Article Published May 12, 2009
Microsoft head Steve Ballmer dispelled speculation about a purchase of SAP.

A Developer and her Netbook: Cheap .NET Coding
By Sara Chipps | Applications Article Published May 11, 2009
A .NET developer, armed a few bucks a whole bunch of research, builds an inexpensive mobile coding studio.

Internet Explorer 9 on Microsoft's Drawing Board
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published May 9, 2009
Although Microsoft released IE 8 only months ago, the software giant is already soliciting feedback for the next edition.

Does Windows 'XP Mode' Suggest Future Trend?
By Paul Rubens | Applications Article Published May 5, 2009
Windows 7 ability to run 'XP Mode' may allow Microsoft to shed some its problems, change and move on without abandoning the long-term relationship with its customer base.

Windows 7 'XP Mode' Omits Some PCs
By Andy Patrizio | Applications Article Published May 5, 2009
To use XP mode in Windows 7 requires users to have hardware virtualization technology that not all PCs have.

Windows 7 RC Review: Good Speed, Bad Taskbar
By Adrian Kingsley-Hughes | Applications Article Published May 4, 2009
Windows 7 looks to be major step past Vista, with a few quibbles. Plus: a fix for the taskbar problem.

Windows 7 RC Downloads: Can MSFT Keep Up?
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published May 4, 2009
Download Windows 7 release candidate. Plus: Heavy demand for Windows 7 release candidate is expected to place a major load on Microsoft servers.

Microsoft: "WebSphere Loves Windows"
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published April 30, 2009
Microsoft claims that Intel-based servers running Windows Server 2008 can handle high transaction WebSphere enterprise applications as well as IBM AIX systems.

Windows 7 Draws Complaints from Mozilla
By Reuters | Applications Article Published May 7, 2009
Mozilla complains that Windows 7 gives an anticompetitive advantage to the Internet Explorer browser.

PHP Developers Get New Zend Tools
By Sean Michael Kerner | Applications Article Published May 3, 2009
To better integrate PHP with cloud computing, Zend Framework 1.8 expands the PHP framework to work with Amazon's EC2.

Twitters Often Quit Soon
By Reuters | Applications Article Published April 29, 2009
'Twitter today but quit tomorrow" is often the flight path on the social network du jour, indicates new data.

Microsoft Release Office 2007 SP2, BizTalk 2009
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published April 28, 2009
Microsoft releases Office 2007 Service Pack 2 (SP2) along with BizTalk Server 2009.

Facebook to Spread User-Gen Across Net
By Reuters | Applications Article Published April 28, 2009
Facebook's new Open Stream API will allow developers to export content generated by Facebook users across the Web.

Facebook New Usage Policy: 'A Success'
By Kenneth Corbin | Applications Article Published April 25, 2009
Privacy experts doubt that Facebook's new policies will in fact better safeguard data.

Review: Internet Explorer 8: Simplified Browsing
By Adam Stone | Applications Article Published April 24, 2009
This review of Internet Explorer 8 explores the new browser's efforts to simplify browsing.

VMware Stresses Aggressive Product Plans
By Alex Goldman | Applications Article Published April 24, 2009
Sure, times are tough, but VMware won't be scaling back its ambitions.

Where's Your Coding Happy Place?
By Eric Spiegel | Applications Article Published April 20, 2009
Developing software code is an activity best done in an optimal environment. Then again, is it more a question of external location, or internal mood?

Windows 7 Public RC to Debut on May 5
By Andy Patrizio | Applications Article Published April 20, 2009
A "Release Candidate" for the Windows 7 OS will be available on May 7, Microsoft says.

Pirate Bay Operators Get Prison Time
By Reuters | Applications Article Published April 17, 2009
Four operators of the sprawling file sharing site Pirate Bay were give one-year prison terms for copyright breach.

Virtualization a Bright Spot (Sort of) in Tech Spending
By Amy Newman | Applications Article Published April 16, 2009
Spending on virtualization is expected to hold up in the downturn, but ironically, it's also acting to depress overall spending.

Microsoft to Release Office in Two Flavors: 64-bit and 32-bit
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published April 16, 2009
Microsoft will release 64-bit editions of its popular Office productivity software.

Verizon Will Open Online App Store
By Reuters | Applications Article Published April 16, 2009
The Verizon Hub will add an applications market, selling a wide variety of apps for consumer use.

Virtualization: VMware vs. Microsoft vs. Xen, 2009
By David Strom | Applications Article Published April 15, 2009
The Datamation 2009 report card on the server virtualization offerings of the major virtualization vendors.

Why Are User Interfaces Programmed so Poorly?
By Edward J. Joyce | Applications Article Published April 15, 2009
Many software builders are not applying the basics of Programming 101, so users get the following message: INPUT ERROR, you doofus.

IE8 To Begin Automatic Updates
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published April 15, 2009
Internet Explorer 8 will be automatically updated by Microsoft starting next week.

Microsoft to Debut Beta of Exchange Server 2010
By Reuters | Applications Article Published April 15, 2009
Microsoft's beta test version of Exchange Server 2010 is the first step in a major upgrade path.

Last Day for Windows XP 'Mainstream' Support
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published April 14, 2009
In an attempt to wean consumers away from its most popular OS, Microsoft is pulling the plug on 'mainstream' support, but will offer 'extended' support for years to come.

You Know You're an Apple Fan Boy When…
By Ryan Faas | Applications Article Published April 13, 2009
Tips to help you determine if you’re merely a fan or if you’ve gone over the deep end.

Is Citrix's $500 Million Purchase of XenSource Paying Off?
By Jeff Vance | Applications Article Published April 13, 2009
Some might wonder if the fortune spent on the open source vendor was a wise move, but look at the burgeoning virtual desktop infrastructure market and you’ll see the point.

Tiny URLs Get Ever More Tiny
By David Needle | Applications Article Published April 11, 2009
A new service claims shorter URLs than TinyURL, but the short URL market is filling with competitors.

Apple's Challenges: Gaming to Security
By Paul Rubens | Applications Article Published April 9, 2009
Apple claims that Windows is boring while Mac is all fun and games, but that ignores some major Mac limitations.

Many IT Firms to Wait for Windows 7
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published April 9, 2009
An extensive survey of IT buyers indicates that more than half will just say no to Vista.

Study Reveals Most Popular iPhone Apps
By David Needle | Applications Article Published April 8, 2009
Tabulous was a big winner, as were Facebook, the AIM instant messenger and Google Earth.

HP Unveils Automation-Based Virtualization Upgrade
By Andy Patrizio | Applications Article Published April 8, 2009
HP pushed deeper into the virtualization market with an upgrade to its Business Service Automation virtualization product.

Windows XP 'Downgrades' Allowed with Windows 7
By Stuart J. Johnston | Applications Article Published April 7, 2009
Microsoft will allows buyers of new PCs with Windows 7 to downgrade their system to XP.

New Twitter Search Tool Could Find Profit
By Andy Patrizio | Applications Article Published April 5, 2009
Facing competition from more advanced services like Twhirl, Twitterfall, the Twitteroo client, and Tweetdeck, Twitter has debuted its Discovery search engine.

Microsoft: Ad-Supported Office Due Soon
By David Needle | Applications Article Published April 3, 2009
Competing with a growing array of free products, Microsoft say version of Office with ads will be released.