Microsoft Corporation
Type	Public (NASDAQ: MSFT)
Founded	Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA (April 4, 1975)[1]
Headquarters	Redmond, Washington, USA
Key people	Bill Gates, Co-founder and Executive Chairman Paul Allen, Co-founder Steve Ballmer, CEO Ray Ozzie, Chief Software Architect
Industry	Computer software Publishing Research and development Computer hardware Video games
Products	Microsoft Windows Microsoft Office Microsoft Servers Developer Tools Business Solutions Games and Xbox Windows Live Windows Mobile Zune
Revenue	US$44.2 billion (2006)[2]
Operating income	US$16.4 billion (2006)[2] (36.3% operating margin)[3]
Net income	US$12.6 billion (2006)[2] (31.6% net margin)[3]
Employees	71,172 (2006)[4]
Slogan	Your potential. Our passion.
Website	www.microsoft.com

Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44.28 billion and 76,000 employees in 102 countries. It develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of software products for computing devices.^[5][4][2] Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA, its best selling products are the Microsoft Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software. Image File history File links Microsoft_logo. ... A public company usually refers to a company which is permitted to offer its securites (i. ... NASDAQ in Times Square, New York City. ... Nickname: The City Different Location in the State of New Mexico Coordinates: Country United States State New Mexico County Santa Fe Founded 1607  - Mayor David Coss Area    - City  37. ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Location of Redmond within King County, and King County within Washington. ... William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American entrepreneur and the co-founder, chairman, former chief software architect, and former CEO of Microsoft, the worlds largest software company. ... For the computer game previously called Entrepreneur, see The Corporate Machine. ... A Chairman is the presiding officer of a meeting, organization, committee, or other deliberative body. ... Paul Gardner Allen (born January 21, 1953) is an American entrepreneur whose fortune was founded when he formed Microsoft with Bill Gates. ... For the computer game previously called Entrepreneur, see The Corporate Machine. ... Steven Anthony Ballmer (born March 24, 1956 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American businessman and has been the chief executive officer of Microsoft Corporation since January 2000. ... A Chief Executive Officer (CEO), or Chief Executive, is the highest-ranking corporate officer, administrator, corporate administrator, executive, or executive officer, in charge of total management of a corporation, company, organization or agency. ... Ray Ozzie at the Web 2. ... The software architecture of a program or computing system is the structure or structures of the system, which comprise software elements, the externally visible properties of those elements, and the relationships between them. ... Software, consisting of programs, enables a computer to perform specific tasks, as opposed to the physical components of the system (hardware). ... This article is concerned with the production of books, magazines, and other literary material (whether in printed or electronic formats). ... The phrase research and development (also R and D or R&D) has a special commercial significance apart from its conventional coupling of scientific research and technological development. ... Computer hardware is the physical part of a computer, including the digital circuitry, as distinguished from the computer software that executes within the hardware. ... A console game is a form of interactive multimedia used for entertainment. ... Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ... Microsoft Office is a suite of productivity programs created or purchased by Microsoft and developed for Microsoft Windows, and Apples Mac OS and Mac OS X operating systems. ... Microsoft Servers is a brand that encompasses a line of Microsoft server products. ... Microsoft Visual Studio is Microsofts flagship software development product for computer programmers. ... Microsoft Dynamics is a line of software for business made by Microsoft. ... The Xbox is a sixth generation era video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. ... Screenshot of Windows Live homepage Windows Live is the collective brand name for a group of Microsoft services, some of which are currently under development. ... Windows Mobile is a compact operating system combined with a suite of basic applications for mobile devices based on the Microsoft Win32 API. Devices which run Windows Mobile include Pocket PCs, Smartphones, and Portable Media Centers. ... Zune refers to Microsofts digital audio player, client software, and online music store released to the United States on November 14, 2006. ... Revenue is a U.S. business term for the amount of money that a company earns from its activities in a given period, mostly from sales of products and/or services to customers. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory,[1] the British Virgin Islands, Cambodia, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ... Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT), also known as operating income and operating profit, is a term used to describe a companys earnings. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... In economics, operating margin is the ratio of operating income divided by sales revenue. ... Net income is equal to the income that a firm has after subtracting costs and expenses from the total revenue. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Net margin(also known as Net Profit Margin) is a financial ratio measuring the efficiency of a business in translating sales into net income. ... For the album by the Kaiser Chiefs see Employment (album) Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... Look up slogan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A website (or Web site) is a collection of web pages, images, videos and other digital assets and hosted on a particular domain or subdomain on the World Wide Web. ... NASDAQ in Times Square, New York City. ... Other Hong Kong topics Culture - Education Geography - History - Politics Hong Kong Portal The Hong Kong Stock Exchange (Traditional Chinese: , also 港交所; abbreviated as HKEX ; SEHK: 0388) is the stock exchange of Hong Kong. ... A multinational corporation (MNC) is a corporation or enterprise that manages production establishments or delivers services in at least two countries. ... A BlueGene supercomputer cabinet. ... Corporate redirects here. ... Revenue is a U.S. business term for the amount of money that a company earns from its activities in a given period, mostly from sales of products and/or services to customers. ... ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory,[1] the British Virgin Islands, Cambodia, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ... One thousand million (1,000,000,000) is the natural number following 999,999,999 and preceding 1,000,000,001. ... Software, consisting of programs, enables a computer to perform specific tasks, as opposed to the physical components of the system (hardware). ... Location of Redmond within King County, and King County within Washington. ... “Washington State” redirects here. ... Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ... An operating system (OS) is a set of computer programs that manage the hardware and software resources of a computer. ... Microsoft Office is a suite of productivity programs created or purchased by Microsoft and developed for Microsoft Windows, and Apples Mac OS and Mac OS X operating systems. ...

These products have all achieved near-ubiquity in the desktop computer market. One commentator notes that Microsoft's original mission was "a computer on every desk and in every home, running Microsoft software"—it is a goal near fulfillment.^[6] Microsoft possesses footholds in other markets, with assets such as the MSNBC cable television network, the MSN Internet portal, and the Microsoft Encarta multimedia encyclopedia. The company also markets both computer hardware products such as the Microsoft mouse as well as home entertainment products such as the Xbox, Xbox 360, Zune and MSN TV.^[5] Desktop computer with several common peripherals (Monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, microphone and a printer) A desktop computer is a personal computer made for use on a desk in an office or home and is distinguished from portable computers such as laptops or PDAs. ... MSNBC, a combination of MSN and NBC, is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States and Canada, and a news website. ... Coaxial cable is often used to transmit cable television into the house. ... For other uses, see MSN (disambiguation). ... A Personal Portal is a site on the World Wide Web that typically provides personalized capabilities to its visitors, providing a pathway to other content. ... Encarta is a digital multimedia encyclopedia published and updated frequently by Microsoft Corporation. ... Computer hardware is the physical part of a computer, including the digital circuitry, as distinguished from the computer software that executes within the hardware. ... Microsoft IntelliPoint is the Microsoft brand driver for Microsofts IntelliMouse series of mice. ... Home cinema, also called Home theater, seeks to reproduce cinema quality video and audio in the home. ... The Xbox is a sixth generation era video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. ... The Xbox 360 is the successor to Microsofts Xbox video game console, developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, Samsung and SiS. Information on the console first came through viral marketing campaigns and it was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged... Zune refers to Microsofts digital audio player, client software, and online music store released to the United States on November 14, 2006. ... MSN TV (formerly WebTV) is the name of both a thin client which uses a television for display (rather than a monitor), and the online service that supports it. ...

Originally founded to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800, Microsoft rose to dominate the home computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s. The company released an initial public offering (IPO) in the stock market, which, due to the ensuing rise of the stock price, has made four billionaires and an estimated 12,000 millionaires from Microsoft employees.^[7][8][9] Throughout its history the company has been the target of criticism, including monopolistic business practices—the U.S. Justice Department, among others, has sued Microsoft for antitrust violations and software bundling.^[10] Known for what is generally described as a developer-centric business culture, Microsoft has historically given customer support over Usenet newsgroups and the World Wide Web, and awards Microsoft MVP status to volunteers who are deemed helpful in assisting the company's customers.^[11][9] BASIC (Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of high-level programming languages. ... An interpreter is a computer program that executes other programs. ... The current version of the article or section is written like a magazine article instead of the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia. ... Children playing on a Amstrad CPC 464 in the 1980s. ... Microsofts disk operating system, MS-DOS, was Microsofts implementation of DOS, which was the first popular operating system for the IBM PC, and until recently, was widely used on the PC compatible platform. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... A stock market is a market for the trading of company stock, and derivatives of same; both of these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately. ... In economics, a monopoly (from the Latin word monopolium - Greek language monos, one + polein, to sell) is defined as a persistent market situation where there is only one provider of a product or service. ... DOJ headquarters in Washington, D.C. Justice Department redirects here. ... This article is about anti-competitive business behavior. ... Usenet (USEr NETwork) is a global, distributed Internet discussion system that evolved from a general purpose UUCP network of the same name. ... WWWs historical logo designed by Robert Cailliau The World Wide Web (or the Web) is a system of interlinked, hypertext documents that runs over the Internet. ... The Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Program is an award and recognition program run by Microsoft. ...

History

Main article: History of Microsoft

See also: History of Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Corporation, is a multinational computer technology corporation. ... The Windows logo used since November 2006. ...

1975–1985: Founding

Microsoft staff photo from Dec 7, 1978. From left to right:
Top: Steve Wood, Bob Wallace, Jim Lane.
Middle: Bob O'Rear, Bob Greenberg, Marc McDonald, Gordon Letwin.
Bottom: Bill Gates, Andrea Lewis, Marla Wood, Paul Allen.

Following the launch of the Altair 8800, Bill Gates called the creators of the new microcomputer, Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems, offering to demonstrate an implementation of the BASIC programming language for the system. After the demonstration, MITS agreed to distribute Altair BASIC.^[12] Gates left Harvard University, moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where MITS was located, and founded Microsoft there. The company's first international office was founded on November 1, 1978, in Japan, entitled "ASCII Microsoft" (now called "Microsoft Japan").^[12] On January 1, 1979, the company moved from Albuquerque to a new home in Bellevue, Washington.^[12] Steve Ballmer joined the company on June 11, 1980, and would later succeed Bill Gates as CEO.^[12] Image File history File links Microsoft-Staff-1978. ... Image File history File links Microsoft-Staff-1978. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Steve Wood is on the upper left in this 1978 portrait of the first employees of Microsoft. ... Bob Wallace (died 2003), was the ninth Microsoft employee, inventor of the term shareware, creator of the word processing program PC-Write, founder of the software company Quicksoft and a online drug guru who devoted much time and money into the research of psychedelic drugs. ... Microsoft staff photo from December 7, 1978. ... Microsoft staff photo from December 7, 1978. ... Left Microsoft in 1981 and then helped launch those Cabbage Patch Dolls that were so popular in the 1980s. ... Was Microsofts first employee. ... Microsoft staff photo from December 7, 1978. ... William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American entrepreneur and the co-founder, chairman, former chief software architect, and former CEO of Microsoft, the worlds largest software company. ... Andrea Lewis was Microsofts first technical writer. ... Marla Wood worked as an administrative assistant and bookkeeper for Microsoft, and was one of the companys first 11 employees. ... Paul Gardner Allen (born January 21, 1953) is an American entrepreneur whose fortune was founded when he formed Microsoft with Bill Gates. ... The current version of the article or section is written like a magazine article instead of the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia. ... William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American entrepreneur and the co-founder, chairman, former chief software architect, and former CEO of Microsoft, the worlds largest software company. ... The Commodore 64 was one of the most popular microcomputers of its era, and is the best selling home computer of all time. ... Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) was an Albuquerque, New Mexico company founded in 1968 by Ed Roberts. ... BASIC (Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) is a family of high-level programming languages. ... Altair BASIC, in its first incarnation, MITS 4K BASIC, was a true milestone in software history — the first programming language for the worlds first truly personal computer, the MITS Altair 8800. ... William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American entrepreneur and the co-founder, chairman, former chief software architect, and former CEO of Microsoft, the worlds largest software company. ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Founded in 1636,[2] Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning still operating in the United States. ... Nickname: The Duke City Location in the state of New Mexico Coordinates: Country United States State New Mexico County Bernalillo Founded 1706 Government  - Mayor Martin Chavez Area  - City  181. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... There are 95 printable ASCII characters, numbered 32 to 126. ... Microsoft Japan is a division of Microsoft based in Japan. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... Location of Bellevue within King County, Washington, and King County within Washington. ... Steven Anthony Ballmer (born March 24, 1956 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American businessman and has been the chief executive officer of Microsoft Corporation since January 2000. ... June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the job of having the ultimate executive responsibility or authority within an organization or corporation. ...

DOS (Disk Operating System) was the operating system that brought the company its real success. On August 12, 1981, after negotiations with Digital Research failed, IBM awarded a contract to Microsoft to provide a version of the CP/M operating system, which was set to be used in the upcoming IBM Personal Computer (PC). For this deal, Microsoft purchased a CP/M clone called QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) from Tim Paterson of Seattle Computer Products, which IBM renamed to PC-DOS. Later, the market saw a flood of IBM PC clones after Columbia Data Products successfully cloned the IBM BIOS, and through aggressive marketing of their own QDOS derivative, MS-DOS, to manufacturers of IBM-PC clones Microsoft rose from a small player to one of the major software vendors in the home computer industry.^[13] The company expanded into new markets with the release of the Microsoft Mouse in 1983, as well as a publishing division named Microsoft Press.^[12] Instructions on how to use the directory command. ... Disk storage is a group of data storage mechanisms for computers; data are transferred to planar surfaces or disks for temporary or permanent storage. ... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Digital Research, Inc. ... International Business Machines Corporation (IBM, or colloquially, Big Blue) (NYSE: IBM) (incorporated June 15, 1911, in operation since 1888) is headquartered in Armonk, New York, USA. The company manufactures and sells computer hardware, software, and services. ... CP/M was an operating system originally created for Intel 8080/85 based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Inc. ... IBM PC (IBM 5150) with keyboard and green screen monochrome monitor (IBM 5151), running MS-DOS 5. ... CP/M was an operating system originally created for Intel 8080/85 based microcomputers by Gary Kildall of Digital Research, Inc. ... QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System) was the working title for 86-DOS, an operating system developed and marketed by Seattle Computer Products for its Intel 8086-based computer kit. ... Tim Paterson Tim Paterson (born 1956) is an American computer programmer, best known as the original author of the popular MS-DOS operating system. ... Seattle Computer Products (SCP) is a Seattle, Washington computer hardware company. ... IBM PC-DOS was one of the three major operating systems that dominated the personal computer market from about 1985 to 1995. ... June 1982: Columbia Data Products introduced the MPC - Multi Personal Computer. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Microsofts disk operating system, MS-DOS, was Microsofts implementation of DOS, which was the first popular operating system for the IBM PC, and until recently, was widely used on the PC compatible platform. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Microsoft Press is the publishing arm of Microsoft, usually releasing books dealing with various current Microsoft technologies. ...

1985–1995: OS/2 and Windows

On November 20, 1985, Microsoft released its first retail version of Microsoft Windows, originally a graphical extension for its MS-DOS operating system.^[12] In August, Microsoft and IBM partnered in the development of a different operating system called OS/2.^[14] Around one month later, on March 13, the company went public with an IPO, priced at US$28.00 by the end of the trading day. In 1987, Microsoft eventually released their first version of OS/2 to OEMs.^[15] November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... Original equipment manufacturer, or OEM, is a term that refers to a situation in which one company purchases a manufactured product from another company and resells the product as its own, usually as a part of a larger product the original company is selling. ...

The sign at a main entrance to the Microsoft corporate campus. The Redmond Microsoft campus today includes more than 8 million square feet (approx. 750,000 m²) and over 30,000 employees.^[16]

In 1989, Microsoft introduced its most successful office product, Microsoft Office. Microsoft Office was a bundle of separate office productivity applications, such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.^[12] On May 22, 1990 Microsoft launched Windows 3.0.^[17] The new version of Microsoft's operating system boasted such new features as streamlined user interface graphics and improved protected mode capability for the Intel 386 processor; it sold over 100,000 copies in two weeks.^[18] Windows at the time generated more revenue for Microsoft than OS/2, and the company decided to move more resources from OS/2 to Windows.^[19] In the ensuing years, the popularity of OS/2 declined, and Windows quickly became the favored PC platform. Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1491 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 1491 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Microsoft Office is a suite of productivity programs created or purchased by Microsoft and developed for Microsoft Windows, and Apples Mac OS and Mac OS X operating systems. ... Microsoft Office Word is Microsofts flagship word processing software. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... Windows 3. ... The user interface is the part of a system exposed to users. ... Protected mode is an operational mode of x86-compatible CPUs of the 80286 series or later. ... The Intel 80386 is a microprocessor which was used as the central processing unit (CPU) of many personal computers from 1986 until 1994 and later. ...

During the transition from MS-DOS to Windows, the success of Microsoft's product Microsoft Office allowed the company to gain ground on application-software competitors, such as WordPerfect and Lotus 1-2-3.^[20][21] According to The Register, Novell, an owner of WordPerfect for a time, alleged that Microsoft used its inside knowledge of the DOS and Windows kernels and of undocumented Application Programming Interface features to make Office perform better than its competitors.^[22] Eventually, Microsoft Office became the dominant business suite, with a market share far exceeding that of its competitors.^[23] Microsoft Office is a suite of productivity programs created or purchased by Microsoft and developed for Microsoft Windows, and Apples Mac OS and Mac OS X operating systems. ... WordPerfect is a proprietary word processing application. ... Lotus 1-2-3 is a spreadsheet program from Lotus Software (now part of IBM). ... Current logo of The Register. ... A application programming interface (API) is the interface that a computer system, library or application provides in order to allow requests for services to be made of it by other computer programs, and/or to allow data to be exchanged between them. ... Market share, in strategic management and marketing, is the percentage or proportion of the total available market or market segment that is being serviced by a company. ...

In 1993 Microsoft released Windows NT 3.1, a server-based operating system with a similar user interface to consumer versions of the operating system, but with an entirely different kernel.^[20] In 1995, Microsoft released Windows 95, a new version of the company's flagship operating system which featured a completely new user interface, including a novel start button; more than a million copies of Microsoft Windows 95 were sold in the first four days after its release.^[20] The company later released its web browser, Internet Explorer, with the Windows 95 Plus! Pack in August 1995 and subsequent Windows versions.^[24] Windows NT 3. ... Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... An example of a web browser (Mozilla Firefox), displaying the English Wikipedia main page. ... It has been suggested that Internet Explorer 7 be merged into this article or section. ...

1995–2005: Internet and legal issues

In the mid-90s, Microsoft began to expand its product line into computer networking and the World Wide Web. On August 24, 1995, it launched a major online service, MSN (Microsoft Network), as a direct competitor to AOL. MSN became an umbrella service for Microsoft's online services.^[12][20][25] The company continued to branch out into new markets in 1996, starting with a joint venture with NBC to create a new 24/7 cable news station, MSNBC.^[20][26] Microsoft entered the personal digital assistant (PDA) market in November with Windows CE 1.0, a new built-from-scratch version of their flagship operating system, specifically designed to run on low-memory, low-performance machines, such as handhelds and other small computers.^[27] Later in 1997, Internet Explorer 4.0 was released for both Mac OS and Windows, marking the beginning of the takeover of the browser market from rival Netscape. In October, the Justice Department filed a motion in the Federal District Court in which they stated that Microsoft had violated an agreement signed in 1994, and asked the court to stop the bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows.^[12] This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... WWWs historical logo designed by Robert Cailliau The World Wide Web (or the Web) is a system of interlinked, hypertext documents that runs over the Internet. ... August 24 is the 236th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (237th in leap years), with 129 days remaining. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An online service provider is an entity which provides a service online. ... For other uses, see MSN (disambiguation). ... Screenshot of AOL.com AOL LLC (formerly America Online, Inc. ... NBC (an acronym for National Broadcasting Company) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... MSNBC, a combination of MSN and NBC, is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States and Canada, and a news website. ... Windows CE for Handheld PC 3. ... Internet Explorer, abbreviated IE or MSIE, is a proprietary web browser made by Microsoft and currently available as part of Microsoft Windows. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Netscape Communications Corporation (commonly known as Netscape), was an American computer services company, best known for its web browser. ... District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations. ...

Windows XP introduced a new interface, along with many other new features. This screenshot shows Windows XP Professional.

The year 1998 was significant in Microsoft's history, with Bill Gates appointing Steve Ballmer as president of Microsoft but remaining as Chair and CEO himself.^[12] The company released Windows 98, an update to Windows 95 that incorporated a number of Internet-focused features and support for new types of devices.^[12] On April 3, 2000, a judgment was handed down in the case of United States v. Microsoft,^[10] calling the company an "abusive monopoly"^[28] and forcing the company to split into two separate units. Part of this ruling was later overturned by a federal appeals court, and eventually settled with the U.S. Department of Justice in 2001. Image File history File links Windows_XP.PNG‎ [edit] Summary Author: Ashton Zanecki Source: Windows XP Home Edition SP2 Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 installed on it. ... Image File history File links Windows_XP.PNG‎ [edit] Summary Author: Ashton Zanecki Source: Windows XP Home Edition SP2 Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 installed on it. ... Windows XP is a line of proprietary operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. ... Luna is the codename for the default Windows XP theme. ... Windows XP has several features not in previous versions of Windows. ... Steven Anthony Ballmer (born March 24, 1956 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American businessman and has been the chief executive officer of Microsoft Corporation since January 2000. ... Windows 98 (codenamed Memphis) is a graphical operating system released on June 25, 1998 by Microsoft and the successor to Windows 95. ... April 3 is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 272 days remaining. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... United States v. ... It has been suggested that Mandate (law) be merged into this article or section. ...

In 2001, Microsoft released Windows XP, the first version that encompassed the features of both its business and home product lines. XP introduced a new graphical user interface, the first such change since Windows 95.^[12][29] Later, Microsoft would enter the multi-billion-dollar game console market dominated by Sony and Nintendo, with the release of the Xbox.^[12] Microsoft encountered more turmoil in March 2004 when antitrust legal action would be brought against it by the European Union for allegedly abusing its market dominance (see European Union Microsoft antitrust case), eventually resulting in a judgement to produce a new version of its Windows XP platform—called Windows XP Home Edition N—that did not include its Windows Media Player.^[30][31] Windows XP is a line of proprietary operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. ... “PUI” redirects here. ... The Nintendo GameCube is an example of a popular video game console. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Nintendo Company, Limited (任天堂 or ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ... The Xbox is a sixth generation era video game console produced by Microsoft Corporation. ... The European Union Microsoft antitrust case is a case brought by the greedy European Union (EU) against Microsoft for alleged antitrust abuse and because of rampant anti-Americanism. ... Windows Media Player (WMP) is a digital media player and media library application developed by Microsoft that is used for playing audio, video and images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based devices. ...

2005–2007: Vista and other transitions

Windows Vista had major changes, mostly notable within its interface.

In 2006 Bill Gates announced a two year transition period from his role as Chief Software Architect, which would be taken by Ray Ozzie, and planned to remain the company's chairman, head of the Board of Directors and act as an adviser on key projects.^[32] Windows Vista is Microsoft's latest operating system, released in January 2007. Microsoft Office 2007 was released at the same time; its "Ribbon" user interface is a significant departure from its predecessors. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 350 KB) // Screenshot of the Windows Vista desktop on first boot. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 350 KB) // Screenshot of the Windows Vista desktop on first boot. ... Windows Vista is the latest release of Microsoft Windows, a line of graphical operating systems used on personal computers, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, Tablet PCs, and media centers. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The software systems architect or software architect is responsible for: Interfacing with the user(s) and sponsor(s) and all other stakeholders in order to determine their (evolving) needs to be realized in software. ... Ray Ozzie at the Web 2. ... Windows Vista is the latest release of Microsoft Windows, a line of graphical operating systems used on personal computers, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, Tablet PCs, and media centers. ... The 2007 Microsoft Office System, also known as Microsoft Office 2007, is the most recent version of Microsofts productivity suite. ... The Ribbon is a Widget composed of a strip across the top of the window that exposes what the program can do. ...

Product divisions

To be more precise in tracking performance of each unit and delegating responsibility, Microsoft reorganized into seven core business groups—each an independent financial entity—in April 2002. Later, on September 20, 2005, Microsoft announced a rationalization of its original seven business groups into the three core divisions that exist today: the Windows Client, MSN and Server and Tool groups were merged into the Microsoft Platform Products & Services Division; the Information Worker and Microsoft Business Solutions groups were merged into the Microsoft Business Division; and the Mobile and Embedded Devices and Home and Entertainment groups were merged into the Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division.^[33][34] September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Platform Products and Services

The current logo of Microsoft Windows, one of the company's best-known products.

This division produces Microsoft's flagship product, the Windows operating system. It has been produced in many versions, including Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows 2000 server, Windows Me, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows Vista. Almost all IBM compatible personal computers designed for the consumer come with Windows preinstalled. The current desktop version of Windows is Windows Vista. The online service MSN, the cable television station MSNBC, and the Microsoft online magazine Slate are all part of this division. Slate was later acquired by The Washington Post on December 21, 2004. At the end of 1997, Microsoft acquired Hotmail, the most popular webmail service, which it rebranded as "MSN Hotmail". Later in 1999 Microsoft introduced MSN Messenger, an instant messaging client, to compete with the popular AOL Instant Messenger. Along with Windows Vista, MSN is to become Windows Live Messenger.^[5] Image File history File links Windows_logo. ... Image File history File links Windows_logo. ... Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ... A flagship is the ship used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships. ... A typical Windows 3. ... Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. ... Windows 98 (codenamed Memphis) is a graphical operating system released on June 25, 1998 by Microsoft and the successor to Windows 95. ... Windows 2000 (also referred to as Win2K) is a preemptible, interruptible, graphical and business-oriented operating system that was designed to work with either uniprocessor or symmetric multi-processor 32-bit Intel x86 computers. ... Microsoft Windows 2000 (also referred to as Win2K or Windows NT 5. ... Windows Millennium Edition, or Windows Me is a hybrid 16-bit/32-bit graphical operating system released on September 14, 2000 by Microsoft. ... Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft. ... Windows XP is a line of proprietary operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. ... Windows Vista is the latest release of Microsoft Windows, a line of graphical operating systems used on personal computers, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, Tablet PCs, and media centers. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... An online service provider is an entity which provides a service online. ... MSNBC, a combination of MSN and NBC, is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States and Canada, and a news website. ... The Washington Post is the largest newspaper in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hotmail is a free webmail e-mail service, which is accessible via a web browser. ... Webmail is a class of web applications that allow users to read and write e-mail using a web browser, or in a more general sense, an e-mail account accessed through such an application. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A screenshot of PowWow, one of the first instant messengers with a graphical user interface Instant messaging or IM is a form of real-time communication between two or more people based on typed text. ... “AIM” redirects here. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Microsoft Visual Studio is the company's set of programming tools and compilers. The software product is GUI-oriented and links easily with the Windows APIs, but must be specially configured if used with non-Microsoft libraries. The current version is Visual Studio 2005. The previous version, Visual Studio.Net 2003, was named after the .NET initiative, a Microsoft marketing initiative covering a number of technologies. Microsoft's definition of .NET continues to evolve. As of 2004, .NET aims to ease the development of Microsoft Windows-based applications that use the Internet, by deploying a new Microsoft communications system, Indigo (now renamed Windows Communication Foundation). This is intended to address some issues previously introduced by Microsoft's DLL design, which made it difficult, even impossible in some situations, to manage, install multiple versions of complex software packages on the same system (see DLL-hell), and provide a more consistent development platform for all Windows applications (see Common Language Infrastructure). In addition, the Company established a set of certification programs to recognize individuals who have expertise in its software and solutions. Similar to offerings from Cisco, Sun Microsystems, Novell, IBM, and Oracle Corporation, these tests are designed to identify a minimal set of proficiencies in a specific role; this includes developers ("Microsoft Certified Solution Developer"), system/network analysts ("Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer"), trainers ("Microsoft Certified Trainers") and administrators ("Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator" and "Microsoft Certified Database Administrator").^[5] Microsoft Visual Studio is Microsofts flagship software development product for computer programmers. ... Computer programming (often simply programming) is the craft of implementing one or more interrelated abstract algorithms using a particular programming language to produce a concrete computer program. ... A compiler is a computer program that translates a computer program written in one computer language (called the source language) into an equivalent program written in another computer language (called the output or the target language). ... The Windows API, informally WinAPI, is the name given by Microsoft to the core set of application programming interfaces available in the Microsoft Windows operating systems. ... Visual Studio 2005 is the latest development suite from Microsoft. ... Microsoft Visual Studio is a series of IDEs by Microsoft. ... Look up indigo in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This subsystem is a part of . ... A software package is a bundle of one or several files that either are necessary for the distribution and installation of a computer program, or which will upgrade and install additional features for an existing program already installed on a computer. ... In computing, DLL hell is a phrase for complications which arise when working with dynamic link libraries, or DLLs. ... Visual overview of the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) The Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) is an open specification developed by Microsoft that describes the executable code and runtime environment that form the core of the Microsoft . ... A Cisco ASM/2-32EM router deployed at CERN in 1987. ... Sun Microsystems, Inc. ... Novell, Inc. ... Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL) is one of the major companies developing database management systems (DBMS), tools for database development, middle-tier software (Fusion Middleware), enterprise resource planning software (ERP), customer relationship management software (CRM) and supply chain planning (SCM) software. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... MCSE is an initialism for Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. ... MCT is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, including: Minnesota Chippewa Tribe Movement Control Team Microsoft Certified Trainer Medium Chain Triglycerides This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... MCSA stands for Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator and is one of four certifications issued by Microsoft to certify a users knowledge in Microsoft Windows operating systems. ... Microsoft Certified Database Administrator, or MCDBA, is one of Microsofts certification offerings. ...

Microsoft offers a suite of server software, entitled Windows Server System. Windows Server 2003, an operating system for network servers, is the core of the Windows Server System line. Another server product, Systems Management Server, is a collection of tools providing remote-control abilities, patch management, software distribution, and a hardware/software inventory. Other server products include: This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Windows Server System logo Windows Server System is an integrated set of server software, from Microsoft, that forms the infrastructure for operating the backend of an institutions information technology system. ... Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft. ... Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) [1] is a product for managing large groups of Microsoft-based computer systems. ...

• SQL Server, a relational database management system;
• Exchange Server, for certain business-oriented e-mail features;
• Small Business Server, for messaging and other small business-oriented features; and
• BizTalk Server, for employee integration assistance and other functions.^[5]

As of November 2006 Microsoft has extended itself to Linux and open source companies to allow Windows server to work harmoniously with servers running Linux. Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system (RDBMS) produced by Microsoft. ... A relational database is a database that conforms to the relational model, and refers to a databases data and schema (the databases structure of how that data is arranged). ... Microsoft Exchange Server is a messaging and collaborative software product developed by Microsoft. ...