Microsoft

Microsoft ha dado a conocer una nueva web de desarrollo open source llamada Codeplex, ¿Será que intenta competir con SourceForge?… No lo sé, pero si lo quiere hacer le falta un largo camino por recorrer.

Si se fijan bien no hay logo ni ningún distintivo que lo asocie a Microsoft, pero fijensé abajo a la izquierda en el footer que dice "© 2006 Microsoft". Esto es entendible ya que como se podría asociar a Microsoft con un desarrollo open source…

Vía | Silicon Valley Sleuth  

Bill les ha mandado un mail a todos sus empleados en el cual comenta el porqué de su retiro , (aviso que está en inglés por si no se dieron cuenta, jeje)

From: MSBILLG
Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2006 1:41 PM
To: Microsoft and Subsidiaries: All FTE
Subject: My Transition Plans

I wanted to take a moment to share some of my thoughts, as well.

As Steve's mail indicates, I've decided that two years from now, in July 2008, I want to devote more time to the work of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Right now and for the next two years, my full-time job is here at Microsoft, and my part-time job remains the Foundation. Beginning in July 2008, I will switch that, to be full-time at the Foundation, while remaining involved with Microsoft as Chairman and an advisor on key development projects on a part-time basis.

To prepare for this change, we have a well-thought-out transition process. Again, I will continue at Microsoft full-time for the next two years, but over the course of those two years, my day-to-day responsibilities will shift to a team of incredible technical leaders who are already doing amazing things at the company.

I feel very lucky that we've got extraordinary technical leaders at the company, like Ray Ozzie and Craig Mundie, who can step up to assume the roles that I've played. I've known Ray for the last 20 years, and he has created some of the most important developments in the industry. Craig and I have worked together for nearly 14 years, and he's been a technical visionary and a leader on policy throughout his career. With Ray and Craig stepping up, I feel very confident that the technical stewardship of Microsoft is in very capable hands.

And I feel the same way about our business leadership. Our core businesses are strong and we have a clear vision for how we will meet new challenges and opportunities. We just had our first $12 billion quarter, and we continue to generate almost a billion dollars in profit every month. We are about to launch breakthrough versions of Windows, Office and Exchange, which are already generating a lot of excitement.

Six years ago, Steve and I made a major transition when he stepped up to be CEO. He's done a fantastic job by every measure, whether it's the people he's brought in, the new ways he's running the company, or just the objective results – like doubling our revenue in six years. Steve has driven us to make bold bets on things like Xbox, Real Time Communications, business applications, IPTV, and many others including the Live platform. Steve is the best CEO I could imagine for Microsoft – he is changing the company in ways it needs to be changed. He is bringing in new leadership at all levels. And, he is focused on the long-term – making Microsoft a great company not just today but for decades to come.

With Steve's organization of the company into three divisions led by our incredible presidents – Jeff Raikes, Robbie Bach, and Kevin Johnson – we've laid a solid foundation for greater autonomy, agility and entrepreneurial spirit in our product groups. And with the great addition of Kevin Turner as our COO, our leadership team has never been stronger.

Our deep technical strength is one of the key reasons I believe Microsoft is well-positioned for great success in the years ahead. I'm very pleased that in addition to Ray, Craig, David and Rick, Steve has asked J Allard, Bob Muglia, and Steven Sinofsky to play an expanded role in shaping the company's business and technology strategy. And when you consider all of our remarkable Technical Fellows, Distinguished Engineers, all of the brilliant researchers working at our MSR labs around the world, and all the technical people in the business groups, I can safely say that our technical talent has never been stronger or deeper.

Obviously, this has been a very hard decision for me. Microsoft will always be a huge part of my life, and I'm lucky to have two callings that are so important and so challenging.

On a personal note, I know that my work on global health and education issues at the Foundation would never have been possible without the enormous success of Microsoft, so I want to thank you and all of the employees past and present who have contributed so much to this company.

For these last 31 years, I've had the best job in the world. I've worked with some of the brightest and most passionate people in the world. Together, we've built a great company whose products have empowered people around the world.

We're only at the beginning of what software can do, and I'm excited about the impact that Microsoft can have. I'm going to take an extended vacation this summer with my family, but I'll be back in late August and I look forward to working with all of you for the next two years and beyond, to make those dreams a reality.

Thanks.

Bill

Vía | Microsiervos  

Bill Gates anunció hoy que que en julio de 2008 abandonará su participacion directa en la gestión diaria de Microsoft, para dedicarse a sus labores "humanas". Bill explicó a los periodistas su decisión, adoptada junto a su mujer, de volcarse a partir del 2008 en la Fundación Bill & Melinda Gates, vinculada a temas relacionados con la salud mundial y la educación.

A partir de julio del 2008 continuará como presidente de honor, así como consejero o asesor en temas estratégicos o en proyectos importantes. Sin embargo, la mayoria de las funciones del día será sustituido por Ray Ozzie, en las labores de director de software y de productos, y Craig Mundie, quien asumirá el nuevo cargo de responsable de investigación y estrategia de la compañía.

"Hasta junio del 2008 estaré plenamente comprometido, a tiempo completo, con la gestión de la compañía, y trabajaré codo con codo con Ray y Craig para asegurar una suave transición"…

"Ha sido una decisión muy difícil para mí, pero tengo la gran suerte de tener otra pasión tan importante y tan desafiante. Mientras me preparo para este cambio, creo firmemente que el futuro que tiene delante la compañía es tan brillante como siempre".

Via | CNN  

Según leo en Neowin , el sucesor de MSN Messenger 7.5, Windows Live Messenger sera lanzado en forma oficial el 16 de junio, este será el primer producto "live" que se lance oficialmente, ya que los demás están todavía en fase beta.

 
Microsoft anunció en su blog, que a partir de Windows Vista, Internet Explorer pasará a llamarse "Internet Explorer 7+". Mientras que todas las versiones de Internet Explorer 7 se basan en el mismo código, hay algunas diferecias importantes en IE7+ como control mejorado para la navegación en menores de edad, un modo seguro contra errores y un sistema de diagnóstico. 

"Estas herramientas aprovechan diversas modificaciones incorporadas por Windows Vista, que no resultaba práctico incluir en la versión para XP. El nuevo nombre hace posible referirnos a esta versión de manera más adecuada", escribe Microsoft en su blog. 

Vía | IEBlog

Microsoft ha develado detalles de su nuevo formato de compresión de imágenes, el cual se llamará Windows Media Photo (muy original no?) que será compatible con Windows Vista, y será lanzado junto con este mismo (o sea, n sabemos cuando…).

Durante la presentación en WinHEC, Bill Crow, responsable del proyecto mostró imágenes comprimidas en el formato Windows Media Photo con una relación de compresión de 24:1, las cuales mostraban más detalles en relación a las comprimidas en JPEG. Microsoft asegura que puede ofrecer imágenes con la misma calidad que el JPEG en la mitad de espacio.

Además, la compañía ha calificado este formato de "inteligente", porque permite comprimir sólo algunas partes de la imagen. Sin embargo, la licencia de uso de esta nueva tecnología aún no ha sido definida del todo por Microsoft, aunque la compañía confía en que no sea un impedimento para su adopción.

Vía | ElMundo