14 DAY TRIAL // Everybody admits that Windows is the most popular operating system in the world because it is installed on millions of computers from every corner of the planet. However, the customers adopted different flavors of Windows as Microsoft designed multiple versions in order match everybody's needs. In the recent period, the software giant promoted Windows Server 2008 a lot and it seems that, after Windows Vista, it is the most important product signed by Microsoft. On Monday, the Redmond-based firm officially launched Windows Server 2008 Release Candidate 0, a testing version of the operating system which is supposed to come with most of the features requested by the consumers.
The application can be freely downloaded from the official website of the company, being addressed to IT professionals and developers, as the Redmond giant sustains.
"Our operations at Windrush [Frozen Foods] are up and running 24 hours a day, so it is critical for us to have a stable technology infrastructure," says Robbie Roberts, IT manager at Windrush Frozen Foods, a UK-based purveyor of frozen, chilled and ambient foods. "With Windows Server 2008 we are looking forward to taking advantage of clustering and data recovery features to help us provide consistent, uninterrupted services to our customers."
If you want to find additional information about Windows Server 2008, you can visit this official page provided by Microsoft.
"Today, Microsoft Corp. released its latest version of MSN Video, offering consumers and advertisers an enhanced experience by improving the ability to find and discover premium and user-generated video content from the expansive MSN Video library, adding new community sharing features, and introducing a new time-based advertising delivery model." This is how the Redmond software giant started a statement published on Tuesday which introduces the latest version of MSN Video.
There is not much to say about the new version of MSN Video, except that it now includes user-generated content published on Soapbox, another video sharing service powered by Microsoft. Also, it now provides improved search capabilities which make it easier for the fans of the product to find and organize their favorite videos.
"This latest release of MSN Video will make discovering, watching and sharing video easier and more entertaining than ever before," said Rob Bennett, general manager, entertainment, video and sports for MSN. "By increasing the discoverability of our deep catalog, making it easier to share videos with friends, and improving the advertising model, we are continuing in our mission to make video an integral part of the MSN experience."
The online video sharing competition becomes the most important industry for numerous web companies as their top goal is to challenge the leader of the battle, Google's YouTube. In case you didn't watch / read the news this year, YouTube is the most popular video sharing service since it was acquired by the Mountain View super giant Google in October 2006 for $1.65 billion.
Google is the best search engine on the web and we all know it. Even Microsoft knows it. But the Redmond-based company has the ability to change this matter and it seems that it really wants to do this. The software giant released on Wednesday an updated Live Search technology which is supposed to bring more relevant results just like the Google product. Microsoft sustains the new Live Search is able to offer 'richer and deeper results' so if you're willing to abandon Google and use a new service, go on and try the revolutionary Live Search.
"With this update to Live Search, our engineering focus is on the areas that matter most to our 185 million consumers who use our service every month. We have made dramatic progress in delivering a better search experience to our customers," said Satya Nadella, corporate vice president of the Search and Advertising Platform Group at Microsoft. "We know what kinds of things consumers are searching for, and we have invested in those key high-interest verticals, including entertainment, shopping, health and local search. With the core platform in place we intend to win customers and earn their loyalty one query at a time."
Since January 30, 2007 when Microsoft released Windows Vista, this latest version of the operating system became the top solution for the Redmond company which decided to abandon older products in order to promote this latest one. Obviously, Windows XP was the most affected one by the release of Vista, Microsoft announcing some time ago that the sales availability of XP will be stopped on January 30, 2008, exactly one year after the Vista release.
But some of the users were really disappointed since Vista requires major hardware upgrades, Windows XP remaining their only solution when it comes to operating systems. However, Microsoft sustains it sold no less than 60 million licenses of Vista all around the world. Because the consumers requested Microsoft an expansion of the XP availability period, the Redmond software giant took the decision on Thursday to modify the date for June 30, 2008.
"So we're responding to feedback we have gotten from our OEM partners that some customers will benefit by extending availability of Windows XP to June 30, 2008 instead of the planned date of Jan. 30, 2008. Also, since some of the systems that ship in emerging markets don't meet the requirements for Windows Vista, we will be extending availability of Windows XP Starter Edition to June 30, 2010," Mike Nash, corporate vice president, Windows Product Management, said for the official site of the company.
"This will allow our OEM partners who sell PCs in emerging markets more opportunity to offer genuine Windows licenses. Windows XP Starter Edition is tailored to local markets, in local languages, and is compatible with a wide range of Windows-based applications and devices."
It's well known the fact that Microsoft is one of the companies which demanded the regulators to investigate the Google - DoubleClick acquisition announced a few months ago. In case you didn't hear the news, Google said it has reached a deal to buy DoubleClick, one of the most popular advertising companies on the web. The Redmond software giant complained that a possible acquisition of DoubleClick by the super giant Google would infringe the antitrust laws. Obviously, Microsoft sustains its point of view and, following the announced meetings between the Senate members and the Google representatives, the software giant rolled out a new statement on Friday.
"Now, already Google is the dominant company for one of the two main types of online advertising, search online ads. Roughly 70 percent of global spending on searchbased advertising today flows through Google's AdWords service," Brad Smith, senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, Microsoft Corporation, admitted.
"If Google is allowed to proceed with this merger, it will also obtain a dominant gateway position over the other main type of online advertising, nonsearch ads the nonsearch ads that are displayed on Web sites that we visit. Today, Google and DoubleClick are the two largest competitors in this area. And as I hope we will discuss more, they are competitors in this area. And yet combined, Google will account for nearly 80 percent of all spending on nonsearch ads served to third party Web sites."
In conclusion, Microsoft does not agree on the Google - DoubleClick deal because the Mountain View company would become too powerful for the rivals and it seems it is able to do anything possible to stop the transaction. "In short, if Google and DoubleClick are allowed to merge, Google will become the overwhelmingly dominant pipeline for all forms of online advertising", the Microsoft official added.
