operating systems - News, Features, and Slideshows

Features

• Peak PC and Microsoft's dilemma

  Although a historic downturn in PC shipments has made headlines since April, "Peak PC" -- the moment when personal computers crested -- was two years ago. That could bode ill for Microsoft.

• With reorg, Microsoft bets big on home-grown hardware

  Microsoft's reorganization is the biggest shot yet fired against the company's core partners, the computer makers who have made the software developer a technology giant, analysts said today.

• The coming Microsoft reorg: What's in it for customers?

  The rumored reorganization of Microsoft, which could be unveiled as soon as tomorrow, will go unnoticed by customers in the near-term, analysts said.

• HP Envy X2: A Windows 8 tablet to covet

  Smart in design and stingy on power, HP's Envy convertible works well as a laptop or a tablet.

• 10 factors that hobbled Windows 8 and what Windows 8.1 might do to fix them

  Microsoft is making a big effort to resuscitate Windows 8 with a preview of the first major upgrade to the operating system since it launched last October, but it has a lot to overcome.

• First look: Windows Server Blue beta shows compelling improvements

  There's a lot to like in Windows Server 2012 R2, but the key question centers around how Microsoft will handle licensing, our reviewer says. That alone might be the gating factor for the eventual success of this OS release.

• What's the matter with Microsoft?

  Microsoft's had a tough year already. It's retreated from flubs in licensing, the design of its flagship Windows OS and most recently, innovations it wanted to bake into the Xbox One. SO what's going on?

• Smacking SharePoint into shape

  More than half of all SharePoint shops have had to add functionality to the core software, which came as a surprise to a number of them. Here's what they're doing.

• How to prepare for Windows 8 even though it's not coming to enterprises

  Windows 8 won't be adopted as a standard at your business anytime soon, according to a new Forrester report. But that doesn't mean IT shouldn't prepare for it to sneak through the BYOD side door. Here are five ways to be ready for Windows 8.

• Windows 8 is an enterprise 'non-starter' because IT sees no value in changes

  Windows 8 faces a number of hurdles in the enterprise, but the biggest reason it won't replace the current corporate champion, Windows 7, is simple: IT shops don't think it's worth the upgrade hassle.

• Microsoft's counter-attack against Windows 8 coverage makes it 'look weak'

  Microsoft on Friday called some media coverage of its plans to update Windows 8 sensationalist and an effort to drive website page views.

• Microsoft's drip-drip-drip Windows communications strategy dubbed a washout

  Microsoft's Tami Reller, the CFO and head of marketing for the Windows division, went on a mini publicity spree. But she didn't say very much.

• Microsoft must fight to remain influential, say analysts

  Stormed by a shift to tablets and smartphones, and threatened, even in its enterprise bastion, by new demands from workers, Microsoft may lose its place at the table reserved for major technology players, an analyst argued today.

• Windows Blue and Microsoft's continuous upgrade strategy

  Microsoft yesterday confirmed Windows "Blue," an upgrade to Windows 8, but analysts remained uneasy about how the faster release cadence that Blue represents will be digested by businesses.

• How to downgrade from Windows 8

  For a variety of reasons, some businesses are looking to downgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 7. The good news is that Microsoft's business licenses come with downgrade rights, but the catch is that the rules can be tricky and compliance could become an issue. Here are some clarifications on your rights when downgrading from Windows 8 or standardising on earlier Microsoft operating systems.