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MICROSOFT(News&Information)
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Windows-Xp-Vista-Office-Internet Explorer-Games
Xbox-MSN-Outlook-Systems-Computing-Software
Microsoft
(Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, www.microsoft.com) The most successful and influential software company. Microsoft's
software and Intel's hardware pioneered the PC and revolutionized the computer industry. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and
Paul Allen, its Windows operating systems are the de facto standards on the desktop and major contenders in the server arena.
Microsoft Office is the most successful application suite in history. The company also has a thriving business in programming
languages, which are its roots, as well as in numerous other software categories.
Microsoft Corporation develops, manufactures, licenses and supports a range of software products for various
computing devices. The Company's software products include scalable operating systems for servers, personal computers (PCs)
and intelligent devices; server applications for client/server environments; information worker productivity applications;
business solutions applications; software development tools, and mobile and embedded devices. Microsoft provides consulting
services and product support services and trains and certifies system integrators and developers. The Company sells the Xbox
video game console, along with games and peripherals. Its online businesses include the MSN subscription and the MSN network
of Internet products and services. The Company's seven product segments are: Client, Server and Tools, Information Worker,
Microsoft Business Solutions, MSN, Mobile and Embedded Devices and Home and Entertainment.
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Gates and Allen were two college students when they wrote the first BASIC interpreter for the Intel 8080 microprocessor.
MBASIC was licensed to Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems to accompany its Altair 8800 kit. By the end of 1976, more
than 10,000 Altairs were sold, and versions were licensed to Radio Shack, Apple and others. Although the company became a
leader in microcomputer programming languages, its outstanding success was caused by fitting IBM PCs with DOS in 1981 and
non-IBM PCs with MS-DOS. In 1990, Windows 3.0, its third version of Windows, was enormously popular. Later, Windows 95 and
Windows NT cemented Microsoft's leadership.
After the explosion of the Web, Microsoft worked feverishly to gain a foothold. By giving away its Internet Explorer browser
and then integrating it into Windows 98, Internet Explorer became the leading on-ramp to the Internet. The Microsoft Network
(MSN) ISP division is also a growing part of the company, and although many do not think of it as such, Microsoft is a very
large hardware company. Its 2003 revenues for mice, keyboards, Xboxes and other devices exceeded five billion dollars. See
Microsoft trial, Microsoft and IBM, Windows, DOS, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Microsoftie and Altair.
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