operating systems - News, Features, and Slideshows

Features

• Windows 8's uptake climbs but still trails Vista's

  Windows 8's uptake came unstuck last month and shoved into a forward gear for the first time since May, but the OS trailed Windows Vista's tempo of six years ago, according to data published Monday.

• How risky will it be to run old IE after Microsoft's 2016 patch stoppage?

  Microsoft's decision to stop patching older versions of Internet Explorer in 17 months may not be as big a show-stopper as many assume.

• Deja vu all over again: Windows 7 will be the new XP

  Even as enterprises try to get rid of their last Windows XP machines, Gartner analysts are urging them to start planning for the end of Windows 7.

• Microsoft wants you to forget Windows 8

  Unless MIcrosoft radically changes its habits, it will throw Windows 8 down a deep memory hole even before a successor ships.

• Apple-IBM deal threatens Android's enterprise push

  The new Apple-IBM partnership seems sure to help Apple sell more iPads to businesses, but it may also be setting off alarm bells at mobile device management companies large and small.

• Review: Microsoft Office Online vs. Apple iWork for iCloud vs. Google Drive

  Online word processors, spreadsheets, and presentation apps can be surprisingly useful, or surprisingly lame, and not even Microsoft aces Office document compatibility

• XPocalypse, not now

  Two months after Microsoft ended support for Windows XP, the catastrophic wave of exploits security experts expected to wash over the aged operating system have failed to materialize.

• Microsoft's money pit: Surface has lost $1.2bn

  Microsoft has lost more than $1.2 billion so far on its Surface tablet business, an expensive experiment that makes tomorrow's revelations of new hardware an important milestone for the "devices" side of its corporate-refashioning strategy.

• Microsoft CEO Nadella aces first-100-day test

  If Satya Nadella is celebrating his first 100 days as CEO of Microsoft today, no one can blame him, a corporate leadership expert said.

• 10 Ways to Keep Windows XP Machines Secure

  Now that Microsoft's support for the popular Windows XP operating system has ended, you'll need to use every trick in the book to stop your machines from being compromised.

• Microsoft Surface Mini seems likely to ship soon

  Microsoft may be prepping to ship a mini version of its Surface tablets within a month, based on an Amazon.com listing for a case custom made for the device.

• Windows' new normal shows software-as-a-service ambitions

  Microsoft's new updating "normal" for Windows -- a faster-paced tempo that demands customers apply releases within weeks -- is a first step in moving the OS to a services-style model. But companies may be leery of the change.

• How to support Windows XP now that Microsoft isn't

  Official Microsoft support for Windows XP has ended. However, as many as 20 per cent of business endpoints still use the popular operating system. If your company ranks among those still using XP, here's how you can protect your machines from the forthcoming onslaught of security vulnerabilities.

• Microsoft returns to scare tactic well in dump-XP campaign

  Microsoft has pulled out the big guns - a fear-of-God approach - to scare users into dumping Windows XP, telling them the most popular tasks done on a PC will put them in the crosshairs of cyber criminals.

• A clear-eyed guide to Mac OS X's actual security risks

  Apple has improved its security in recent years, but is it enough?