Microsoft: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 02:02, 4 October 2005

Revision as of 02:02, 4 October 2005

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{{Infobox_Company |

company_name = Microsoft Corporation|

company_logo = [[Image:Microsoft (logo).gif|225px]] |

company_type = [[Public company|Public]] ([[NASDAQ]]: [http://quotes.nasdaq.com/asp/SummaryQuote.asp?symbol=MSFT&selected=MSFT MSFT]) |

foundation = [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]] ([[1975]]) |

___location = [[Redmond, Washington]], [[USA]]|

key_people = [[Bill Gates]], Founder & Chairman<br />[[Paul Allen]], Founder<br />[[Steve Ballmer]], CEO |

industry = [[Computer software]], <br /> ([[#Product divisions|See more.]]) |

products = [[Microsoft Office]],<br />[[Microsoft Windows]],<br />([[#Product divisions|See more products.]]) |

revenue = [[image:green up.png]]$39.8 billion [[United States dollar|USD]] ([[2005]]) |

num_employees = 59,947 (2005) |

homepage = [http://www.microsoft.com/ www.microsoft.com]

}}

'''Microsoft Corporation''' {{nasdaq|MSFT}} is the world's largest [[software]] company, with over sixty thousand [[employees]] and headquarters in various countries as of May [[as of 2004|2004]]. It was founded in [[1975]] by [[Bill Gates]] and [[Paul Allen]], and is [[headquarter]]ed in [[Redmond, Washington|Redmond]], [[Washington]], [[United States|USA]]. Microsoft develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of [[software]] products for various computing devices. Its most popular products are the [[Microsoft Windows]] [[operating system]] and [[Microsoft Office]] families of products, each of which has achieved near ubiquity in the [[desktop computer]] market.

"Micro-soft" (short for [[microcomputer]] [[software]]) was originally founded in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], in [[1975]] by [[Bill Gates]] and [[Paul Allen]] to develop and sell [[BASIC programming language|BASIC]] [[interpreter (computer software)|interpreter]]s for the [[Altair 8800]]. The company eventually became the dominant provider of [[operating system]]s and entered several other markets to provide products in. Among these are a cable television station, [[MSNBC]]; an internet portal, [[MSN]]; and a computer encyclopedia, [[Microsoft Encarta]]. Microsoft has home entertainment products, such as the [[XBox]] and [[WebTV]], and is a leading provider of [[computer games]], such as [[Dungeon Siege]]. Recently, Microsoft announced a change from its usual seven business groups down into three core business divisions.

With what some describe as a developer-centric business culture, Microsoft has ubiquitous internal codes of conduct for employees, such as the "eat your own dogfood" mantra, which describes the practice of using pre-release Microsoft products inside the company. Microsoft has come under scrutiny for its business practices, and the [[US Justice Department]], among others, has sued Microsoft more than once for antitrust violations and software bundling. In addition, people have criticized Microsoft for other things, such as the ease-of-use of its software and vendor lock-in. Despite this, Microsoft has won several awards, such as being named "1993 Most Innovative Company Operating in the U.S." by Fortune Magazine, and Microsoft is on the [[Fortune 500]] list of companies as of [[as of 2005|2005]].

<div style="float:right;"><ul style="font-size:80%; padding:0 .3em .3em 0; margin:0;">''[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Microsoft&action=edit&section=header edit this section]''</ul></div>

==History==

:''See also [[History of Microsoft Windows]]''

Microsoft has gone through several stages throughout their history. During 1975 they were just an idea that Bill Gates and Paul Allen had. In 1985, they were a company selling an operating system called [[Microsoft Windows]] and [[MS-DOS]] and partnering with [[IBM]] to produce [[OS/2 Warp]]. By 1992 they dropped OS/2 and continued to drive Windows. By 1995 Windows was the most widely-used graphical operating system in the world and with Windows 95 they shifted to a more consumer-driven company. Afterwards, they later entered into other business markets such as television, were brought to court more than once by the US Justice Department, among others, and continued to dominate the operating system market.

===1975 to 1984===

Days after reading the January 1st 1975 issue of [[Popular Science]] that demonstrated the [[Altair 8800]], Bill Gates called the creators of the new [[microcomputer]], [[MITS]] (Micro Instrumentation and [[Telemetry]] Systems), to inform them that he and others had developed a version of the programming language [[BASIC]] for the platform. Allen flew to [[MITS]] to unveil the new BASIC system. Allen had never handled an Altair, since Gates had done all of the actual product [[development]], but the demonstration was successful, and resulted in a deal with [[MITS]] to buy the rights to Allen's and Gates' [[BASIC]] for the [[Altair]] platform. Noticing an opportunity, Gates left Harvard university to pursue the market and eventually founded Microsoft.

In [[August 12]], [[1981]], after negotiations with [[Digital Research]] failed, [[International Business Machines|IBM]] awarded a contract to Microsoft for a version of [[CP/M]] set to be used as the [[operating system]] for the upcoming [[IBM Personal Computer]] (PC). However, Microsoft had no OS at the time, so they purchased a [[CP/M]] clone called [[QDOS]] ("Quick and Dirty Operating System") from [[Tim Paterson]] of [[Seattle Computer Products]] for $50,000, which Microsoft renamed to [[PC-DOS]]. Due to potential [[copyright infringement]] problems with CP/M, IBM sold both CP/M for $250 and PC-DOS for $40, with PC-DOS eventually becoming the standard due to its lower price. Later, after [[Compaq]] successfully cloned the IBM [[BIOS]], the market saw a flood of IBM PC clones. Microsoft was quick to use its position to dominate the home computer operating system market. Microsoft began licensing its OS for use on non-IBM [[PC clone]]s, and called that version [[MS-DOS]] (for Microsoft [[Disk]] [[Operating System]]). By marketing MS-DOS aggressively to manufacturers of IBM-PC clones, Microsoft went from a small player to one of the major software vendors in the home computer industry.

===1985 to 1991===

[[Image:Microsoft sign closeup.jpg|right|thumb| Photo of the sign that marks a primary entrance to the Microsoft corporate campus. The Redmond Microsoft campus today includes more than 8 million square feet (750,000 square meters) and 28,000 employees.]]

In [[1985]] Microsoft and [[IBM]] partnered in the development of a more advanced operating system called [[OS/2]]. OS/2 was marketed in connection with a new hardware design proprietary to IBM, the [[PS/2]]{{ref|techworldos2}}. Shortly afterwards, in February [[1986]], Microsoft relocated to [[Redmond, Washington]]. One month later the company went public, raising $61 million at $21.00 per share. By the end of the trading day, the price had risen to $28. Eventually in [[1987]] Microsoft released their first version of OS/2 to [[OEM]]s{{ref|msos2announcement}}.

In 1989, Microsoft announced at [[Comdex]] that the 1991 release of Windows 3.0 would be the last version of Windows. Over the next few years, Microsoft continued to issue statements indicating that OS/2 was the future of computing. On [[May 16]], [[1991]], Bill Gates announced to Microsoft employees that the OS/2 partnership was over, and that Microsoft would henceforth focus its platform efforts on Windows and the [[Windows NT]] [[kernel]]. Some, especially developers who had ignored Windows and committed most of their resources to OS/2, were taken by surprise. They alleged that Microsoft had engaged in deliberate misdirection. The Windows changeover was frequently referred to within the industry as "the head-fake." In the ensuing years, the popularity of OS/2 declined, and Windows quickly became the favored PC platform.

===1992 to 1995===

During the transition from MS-DOS to Windows, Microsoft gained ground on application-software competitors such as [[WordPerfect]] and [[Lotus 1-2-3]] with its product [[Microsoft Office]]. Some allege that Microsoft used its inside knowledge of the DOS and Windows kernels and undocumented [[Application Programming Interface]] ([[API]]) features to make Office perform better than its competitors, but internal sources at Microsoft later revealed that the Office team didn't have access to the Windows source code at the time, and relied instead on [[reverse engineering]]{{ref|BozosLiveHere}}. Eventually Microsoft Office became the dominant business suite, with [[market share]] far exceeding that of any of its competitors. In March 1992, Microsoft released [[Windows 3.1]] along with their first [[television]] commercial campaign to promote it, and the software sold over three million copies in its first two months on the market. Later, in October [[Windows for Workgroups 3.1]] was released with integrated networking capabilities such as peer-to-peer file and printing sharing. In November 1992, Microsoft released the first version of their database software [[Microsoft Access]]. Microsoft released the next version of Windows in November 1993, [[Windows for Workgroups 3.11]]. By 1993 Windows had become the most widely used [[graphical user interface|GUI]] operating system in the world. Microsoft was also named the "1993 Most Innovative Company Operating in the U.S." by Fortune Magazine. The year also marked the end of a long sixty-three month legal case brought by [[Apple]], with the judge, Vaughn Walker, ruling in Microsoft's favor.

Broadening out a bit more, Microsoft released [[Microsoft Encarta]] in 1994, the first encyclopedia designed to run on a computer. Microsoft also created the ''Microsoft Plus'' product support program for its customers, a service that offered cost savings on Microsoft products. The name of that program was later used as the name of some expansion packs for Windows. The company changed its slogan to "Where do you want to go today?" in that year as part of attempt to appeal to non-technical audiencies in a one-hundred million dollar advertising campaign, and some criticized the new slogan as uninspired. Microsoft released [[Windows NT 3.1]] and [[Windows NT 4.0]] that same year. Windows NT is a server-based operating system with a similar user interface to consumer versions of the operating system but with an entirely different kernel. [[Dreamworks SKG]] and Microsoft formed a new company, [[Dreamworks Interactive]], to produce interactive and multimedia entertainment properties in 1995.

Up until 1995, Microsoft was mostly a business-oriented company. However, in August of 1995 Microsoft released a new version of their flagship software, [[Microsoft Windows 95]]. In addition to having a completely new user interface which included the "start button", more than 1 million copies of Microsoft Windows 95 were sold in the first four days in stores. The new version of Windows began a shift from a business-oriented company to a more consumer-oriented company. Later, in September, China chose Windows to be the operating system of choice for the [[The People's Republic of China]] and entered into an agreement with Microsoft to standardize a Chinese version of the software. Microsoft also released the [[Microsoft Sidewinder 3D Pro]] joystick in an attempt to expand their product lineup in the [[computer hardware]] market.

===1995 to 1999===

[[Image:Microsoft_Sign_on_German_campus.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Photo of the Microsoft sign at the entrance of the German Microsoft campus, Konrad-Zuse-Str. 1, Unterschleißheim, Germany. Microsoft eventually became an international company with headquarters in many countries.]]

In the mid-[[1990s]], Microsoft began to expand its product line into the [[computer network|networked]] computer world. It launched its [[online service]] [[MSN]] (Microsoft Network) on [[August 24]], [[1995]], as a direct competitor to [[AOL]]. MSN became an umbrella service for all of Microsoft's online services, using [[Microsoft Passport]] as a universal login system for all of its websites. Microsoft continued to branch out into new markets in 1996, starting with a joint venture with [[NBC]] to create new twenty-four hour cable news station, [[MSNBC]]. The station, designed to compete with other twenty-four hour news stations such as [[CNN]], launched on July 16th. [[Slate]], an online magazine, also launched the same year. The magazine, edited by [[Michael Kinsley]], offered political and social commentary and the cartoon [[Doonesbury]]. In addition, the company acquired [[WebTV]] in an attempt to futher its reach in the consumer market, as the aquisition enabled Microsoft to distribute the flagship product of WebTV that enabled consumers to easily access the internet from their television. Microsoft also entered the palm computing market in November with [[Windows CE 1.0]], a new built-from-scratch version of their flagship operating system specifically designed to run on low-memory low-performance machines such as handhelds and other palm-size computers.

While Microsoft largely missed the rise of the internet in the early 1990s, some of the key technologies that Microsoft invested in to enter the internet market came to life in the mid 1990s. One of the most prominant of these was [[ActiveX]], an API built on [[Microsoft Component Object Model]] ([[COM]]) that enabled Microsoft and others to have embeddable controls in many different [[programming languages]], including Microsoft's own scripting languages such as [[JScript]] and [[VBScript]]. ActiveX also included frameworks for documents and server solutions. Also released was [[Microsoft SQL Server]] which had built-in support for internet applications. Later in 1997 [[Microsoft Office 97]] as well as [[Internet Explorer 4.0]] was released, marking the beginning of the takeover of the browser market from rival [[Netscape]], and with an agreement with [[Apple Computer]], Internet Explorer was bundled with the [[Macintosh]] operating system as well as Windows. In October, the Justice Department filed a motion in the Federal District Court in which they stated that Microsoft violated an agreement that they signed with them back in 1994, and asked the court to stop the bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows.

In 1998 Microsoft released updates to two of the Windows lines. [[Windows 98]], the consumer version, came with Internet Explorer 4.0 bundled and included new features such as [[FAT32]], a new file system, [[Active Desktop]], a way of putting web pages on the desktop, and support for multiple displays. [[Windows CE 2.0]], the handheld version, included a host of bug fixes and new features designed to make it more appealing to corporate customers. Microsoft also launched its [[India]]n headquarters that year, which would eventually become the second largest, next to the U.S. headquarters. [[Steve Ballmer]] was appointed president of Microsoft that year, and Bill Gates remained as both chairman and CEO. Later, in 1999, [[Microsoft Office 2000]] was released along with [[Internet Explorer 5.0]].

===2000 to 2005===

<!-- keep antitrust cases short, please. we don't need to go into great detail here as we have several wiki pages for it -->

On [[May 18]], [[1998]], the [[United States Department of Justice]] and twenty U.S. states filed charges against Microsoft, stating that Microsoft illegally abused its [[monopoly]] power in sales of Windows, in [[United States v. Microsoft]]{{ref|usantitrust}}. It wasn't until April 3, [[2000]], however, that a ruling was reached, with U.S. District Judge [[Thomas Penfield Jackson]] ruled that Microsoft to be split into two companies. However, in [[June 2001]] part of the ruling was overturned by a federal appeals court, and in September the Justice Department decided to seek a settlement with Microsoft instead of trying to split it up. While the trial was underway, on February 17, [[2000]], Microsoft released [[Windows 2000]], which some consider the most significant improvement over previous versions, It provided OS stability on the level of its [[Unix]] counterparts. Unlike previous consumer-level operating systems, Windows 2000 was not built upon DOS but upon the [[Windows NT]] kernel. [[Windows 2000]] also provided a [[DOS]] [[emulator]] that could run most old DOS applications from previous Windows versions. During the trial Bill Gates also stepped down as CEO, and Steve Ballmer became the new CEO with Bill Gates still remaining a chairman of the company and also a new role he made for himself dubbed "chief software architect".

Also in 2000, Microsoft released a new version of the consumer version of their flagship product, [[Windows ME]], short for 'Millenium Edition'. Widely regarded as one of the most unstable operating systems Microsoft produced throughout its career, its main features were enhanced multimedia capabilities such as an included automated video editor. In June the company also released a new version of their handheld operating system, [[Windows CE 3.0]]. The main change was the new programming APIs the software had. Previous versions of Windows CE supported only a small subset of the [[WinAPI]], the main development library for windows, and with version 3 of Windows CE the operating system now supported nearly all of the core functionality of the programming library. In 2001 Microsoft released [[Windows XP]]. The new version of Windows brought Microsoft's consumer and business lines of Windows together, and took the kernel of Windows 2000 and combined it with several of the features of its consumer line of Windows and enhanced the DOS emulation capabilities of the operating system. Among many other featured it boasted an entirely new interface. However, it also included the controversial [[Microsoft Product Activation]], requiring people to register with Microsoft before using the product, and the activation would become a staple of other products such as Office.

In 2003 Microsoft launched the [[.NET]] initiative, along with new versions of some of their development products such as [[Visual C Plus Plus|Microsoft Visual C++]]. The initiative is an entirely new development [[API]] for Windows programming, and includes a new programming language, [[C sharp]]. [[Windows Server 2003]] was also launched and featured enhanced administration capabilities including new user interfaces to server tools. Later, in 2004, [[Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005]], a version of Windows XP specifically designed for multimedia capabilities, and [[Windows XP Starter Edition]], a version of Windows XP with fewer features designed for entry-level consumers, were released.

In March, the [[European Union]] brought legal action against Microsoft for antitrust violations. Eventually Microsoft was fined $613 million and ordered to divulge certain protocols to competitors, in addition to producing a version of Windows that did not include the Windows Media Player. {{ref|euantitrust}} Microsoft announced a new version of its MSN search service later in 2005, designed to compete with competitors such as [[Google]].<!-- Don't we have an EU vs. MS article someplace here? -->

==Product divisions==

[[Image:Microsoft Windows.jpg|thumb|One of the logos of Microsoft Windows. The Microsoft Windows operating system is Microsoft's best known product.]]

Microsoft sells a wide range of software products&mdash;many of these products were developed internally, such as [[Microsoft BASIC]] and [[Microsoft Word]]. Others were acquired and [[rebranding|rebranded]] by Microsoft for distribution, including [[Microsoft Project]], a project management package; [[Microsoft Visio|Visio]], a charting package; [[FoxPro]], a [[database]]; Links, a [[golf]] game; [[Visual SourceSafe]], a developer's tool; [[DoubleSpace]]; [[Virtual PC]], acquired from [[Connectix]]; and [[MS-DOS]] itself, the basis for the company's success. Many of these have seen continued development by Microsoft. [[Internet Explorer]] is based on code licensed from [[Spyglass|Spyglass, Inc.]], and main development was initially performed outside [[Redmond, Washington|Redmond]] in Spyglass headquarters.

In April 2002, Microsoft reorganized into seven core business groups, each with its own financial reporting to delegate all responsibility and more closely track the performance of each unit. On September 20th 2005 Microsoft announced they cut down the original seven business groups down to three core business divisions. The ''Windows Client group'', ''MSN group'', and ''Server and Tools group'' were merged into the ''Microsoft Platform Products & Services Division''. The ''Information Worker group'' and ''Microsoft Business Solutions group'' were merged into the ''Microsoft Business Division''. Finally, the ''Mobile and Embedded Devices group'' and ''Home and Entertainment group'' were merged into the ''Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division''. {{ref|msproductgroups}} {{ref|sep2005groupreorg}}

===Microsoft Platform Products & Services Division===

This division produces Microsoft's [[flagship]] product, the Windows [[operating system]]. It has been produced in many versions including [[Windows 98]], [[Windows XP]] and [[Windows Server 2003]]. Almost all [[IBM PC compatible|IBM compatible]] [[personal computers]] designed for the consumer come with Windows preinstalled. The next planned version of Windows is [[Windows Vista]] ([[code-named]] [[Windows Longhorn]]). The [[online service]] [[MSN]] (Microsoft Network), the cable television station [[MSNBC]], and the Microsoft online magazine [[Slate_(magazine)|Slate]], are all part of this division as well. Slate was later acquired by ''[[The Washington Post]]'' in December 21, 2004. At the end of [[1997]], Microsoft acquired [[Hotmail]], the first and most popular [[webmail]] service, which it rebranded as "MSN Hotmail". Later in [[1999]] Microsoft introduced [[MSN Messenger]], an [[instant messaging]] client, to compete with the popular [[AOL Instant Messenger]] (AIM).

[[Microsoft Visual Studio]] is the company's set of [[programming]] tools and [[compilers]]. It is GUI oriented and links easily with the [[Windows API]]s, but must be specially configured if used with non-Microsoft libraries. The current version is [[Visual Studio .NET]] 2003, named after the [[Microsoft .NET|.NET]] initiative, which is a Microsoft marketing initiative covering a number of different technologies. Microsoft's definition of .NET continues to emerge over time. [[As of 2004]], .NET aims to ease the development of Microsoft Windows-based applications that use the Internet by using a new Microsoft communications system called [[Indigo]]. It will correct some problems previously introduced by Microsoft's DLL design which made it difficult to manage, install multiple versions of complex software packages on the same system (see [[DLL-hell]]) and provide a more consistent development platform for all Windows applications (see [[Common Language Infrastructure]], also known as CLI).

Microsoft also offers a suite of [[server]] software, called [[Windows Server System]]. [[Windows Server 2003]], an operating system for network servers, is the core of the Windows Server System line. Another server product, [[Systems Management Server]], is a collections of tools that provide remote control, patch management, software distribution, and hardware/software inventory. In addition, Microsoft has a set of certification programs to recognize individuals who have expertise in their server software as well as their other products and solutions. Similar to offerings from [[Cisco Systems|Cisco]], [[Sun Microsystems]], [[Novell]], [[IBM]], and [[Oracle]], these tests are designed to identify a minimal set of proficiencies in a specific role which can include developers ("Microsoft Certified Solution Developer" [[MCSD]]), system/network analysts ("Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer" [[MCSE]]), trainers ("[[Microsoft Certified Trainers]]" MCT) and administrators ("Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator" [[MCSA]]).

===Microsoft Business Division===

Division which produces [[Microsoft Office]], which is the company's line of office software. It includes [[Microsoft Word|Word]] (a word processor), [[Microsoft Access|Access]] (a personal relational database application), [[Microsoft Excel|Excel]] (a [[spreadsheet]] program), [[Microsoft Outlook|Outlook]] (Windows-only [[collaborative software|groupware]], frequently used with the [[Microsoft Exchange Server|Exchange]] server), [[Microsoft PowerPoint|PowerPoint]] (presentation software) and [[Microsoft FrontPage]], a [[WYSIWYG]] [[HTML editor]]. With the release of Office 2003, a number of other products were brought under the Office banner, including [[Microsoft Visio]], [[Microsoft Project]], [[Microsoft MapPoint]], [[Microsoft InfoPath]], [[Microsoft Publisher]] and [[Microsoft OneNote]]. Microsoft also produces Microsoft Office for [[Apple Macintosh]] computers, which includes [[Microsoft Entourage|Entourage]], a Macintosh-specific application not available in the Windows version of Microsoft Office, instead of Outlook.

The division also focuses on developing financial and business management software for companies. Other products produced by the division include products formerly produced by the Business Solutions Group, which was created in [[April 2001]] with the acquisition of [[Great Plains (accounting)|Great Plains]]. Subsequently, [[Microsoft Navision|Navision]] was acquired to provide a similar entry into the European market. (The acquisition resulted in the planned release during the week of [[18 October]] [[2004]], of [[Microsoft Navision|Microsoft Navision 4.0]]. The group also sells [[Axapta]] and Solomon, catering to similar markets. The division will combine their Navision, Great Plains, Axapta, and Solomon lines into a common platform called [[Microsoft Dynamics]].

===Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division===

Microsoft has attempted to expand the Windows brand into many other markets, with products such as [[Windows CE]] for [[Personal Digital Assistant|PDA]]s and its "Windows powered" Smartphone products. Microsoft initially entered the Mobile market through Windows CE for handheld devices, which today has developed into Windows Mobile 2003. The operating system's focus is on devices where the OS may not directly be visible to the end user, e.g., appliances and cars. The company also produces [[MSN TV]], formerly [[WebTV]], a television-based [[internet appliance]]. Microsoft also sold a set-top [[Digital Video Recorder]] (DVR) called the [[UltimateTV]], which allowed users to record up to 35 hours of television programming from direct-to-home satellite television provider [[DirecTV]]. This was the main competition in the UK for [[bSKYb]]'s SKY + service, owned by [[Rupert Murdoch]]. UltimateTV has since been discontinued, with DirecTV instead opting to market DVRs from [[TiVo]] Inc.

Microsoft sells [[computer games]] that run on Windows PCs, including titles such as ''[[Age of Empires]]'' and the ''[[Microsoft Flight Simulator]]'' series. It also produces a line of reference works which include [[encyclopedia]]s and [[atlas (cartography)|atlas]]es, under the name [[Microsoft Encarta|Encarta]]. [[Microsoft Zone]] hosts free premium and retail games where players can compete against each other and in tournaments. Microsoft entered the multibillion-dollar [[game console]] market dominated by [[Sony]] and [[Nintendo]] in late [[2001]], with the release of the [[Xbox]]. Currently the console ranks second to Sony's [[PlayStation 2]] and ahead of [[Nintendo]]'s [[GameCube]] in market share in the United States (although behind the two worldwide). Microsoft develops and publishes its own [[video games]] for this console, and in addition, "[[third-party developer|third party]]" Xbox video game publishers such as [[Electronic Arts]] and [[Activision]] can pay a license fee to publish games for the system. The next scheduled version of the Xbox is the [[Xbox 360]]. In addition, Microsoft also produces a number of computing-related hardware products including [[computer mouse|mice]], [[Computer keyboard|keyboard]]s, [[joystick]]s, and [[gamepad]]s along with other [[game controller]]s.

==Business culture==

*'''The software developer'''

Microsoft has often been described as having a developer-centric business culture. A great deal of time and money is spent each year on recruiting young university-trained software developers who meet very exacting criteria, and on keeping them in the company. For example, while many software companies often place an entry-level software developer in a [[cubicle desk]] within a large [[office]] space filled with other cubicles, Microsoft assigns a private or semiprivate closed office to every developer or pair of developers. In addition, key [[decision making|decision makers]] at every level are either developers or former developers.

In a sense, the software developers at Microsoft are considered the "stars" of the company in the same way that the [[sales]] staff at [[IBM]] are considered the "stars" of their company. This culture is reflected in their hiring process&mdash;the "[[Microsoft Interview]]" is notorious for off-the-wall questions such as "Why is a manhole cover round?" and is a process often mimicked in other organizations. Note that, although they were once ubiquitous, recently fewer interviewers have been using this type of question.

*'''"Comfortable with Ambiguity"'''

In an ever changing world, Microsoft expects its employees to be comfortable with ambiguity. They may not, for example, know with any degree of certainty when a product will ship, what it will be called or what features will be included. The business culture expects agile thinkers to rapidly adjust to dramatic changes.

*'''"Eating our own dog food"'''

Within Microsoft the expression [[eat one's own dog food|"eating our own dog food"]] is used to describe the policy of using the latest Microsoft products inside the company. Only prerelease and beta versions of products are considered dog food. This is usually shortened to just "dog food" and used as noun, verb, and adjective.

*'''Long-term wariness'''

Microsoft fosters a general attitude of long-term strategic wariness in its managers, who are expected to be ready for any challenge from the competition or the market. In this frame of mind, being the largest software company in the world is not seen as a form of safety or a guarantee of future success. For instance, future competitors could rise from other industries, or computer hardware companies could try to become less dependent on Microsoft, or consumers could decide not to upgrade their software as often. Microsoft requires its managers to maintain vigilance and sustain a dynamic expansion in new markets.

==User culture==

==Corporate affairs==

===Logo===

[[image:mslogohistorical.png|right|thumb|Microsoft logo, mid-1980s]]

In 1987, Microsoft adopted its current logo, the so-called "Pacman Logo" designed by Scott Baker. According to the March 1987 ''Computer Reseller News Magazine'', "The new logo, in Helvetica italic typeface, has a slash between the ''o'' and ''s'' to emphasize the "soft" part of the name and convey motion and speed." Employees ran a campaign to save the old logo, which was green, in all uppercase, and featured a fanciful letter ''O'' nicknamed the ''blibbet'', but it was nevertheless discarded.

===Diversity===

Even though it hires many American workers, Microsoft generally goes up to the annual limit in hiring foreign workers with H1B visas. In addition, Microsoft was named one of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers in [[2004]] by ''[[Working Mothers]]'' magazine.

<!-- maybe the Corporate Equality Index needs a better explanation of what it IS? -->

Microsoft received a 86% rating in the [[2004]] Corporate Equality Index from the [[Human Rights Campaign]] related to its policies concerning [[LGBT]] ([[lesbian]], [[homosexual|gay]], [[bisexual]] and [[transexual]]) employees. According to the [[Human Rights Campaign]], this is in line with the industry standard {{ref|hrc_cei}}. Through the hard work of the [[Gay and Lesbian Employees at Microsoft]] (GLEAM) group and Diversity, Microsoft added [[gender expression]] to its anti-discrimination policies in April 2005 and the Human Rights Campaign updated Microsoft's Corporate Equality Index rating to 100%, putting it among the most progressive companies in the world.

However, Microsoft also received criticism from the [[Human Rights Campaign]] and many others in April 2005 for withdrawing support for Washington's H.B. 1515 bill that would extend the state's current anti-discrimination laws to people with alternate sexual orientations{{ref|hrc_1515withdraw}}. However, under harsh criticism from both outside and inside the company's walls Microsoft eventually supported the bill again in May 2005 {{ref|hrc_1515support}}.

===Criticism===

[[Image:On_Microsoft_Campus.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Photo of Microsoft's RedWest campus.]]

{{main|Common criticisms of Microsoft}}

Microsoft has been the focus of much controversy in the computer industry, especially since the 1980s, most critically for its business tactics, which some perceive as unfair and anticompetitive. Microsoft has also been called a "velvet sweatshop" in reference to the corporation working its employees to the point where it might be bad for their health. The first instance of the term in reference to Microsoft originated from a [[Seattle Times]] article in 1989, and later became used to describe the company by some of Microsoft's own employees. {{ref|seattletimesvelvetsweatshop}}{{ref|msjvelvetsweatshop}}

Some also accuse Microsoft of allowing the user interface of its products to become inconsistent and overly complicated, requiring interactive "wizards" to function as an extra layer between the user and the interface. In addition, the security of Microsoft products (such as Internet Explorer) are seen as overly vulnerable to computer viruses and malicious attacks. [[Free software]] and critics are engaged with Microsoft in a debate over the Total cost of ownership (TCO) of its products, as some perceive Microsoft software as more expensive to purchase, use and maintain than competitors' software. Many [[Free software]] advocates also criticize Microsoft for their [[end user license agreement]]s ([[EULA]]s) which they say are too restrictive, as well as Microsoft's usage of [[Digital Rights Management]], which places restrictions on digital media content which some believe leads to a loss of their rights.

==Facts and trivia==

*The name ''Microsoft'' was first used in a letter from Gates to Allen on [[November 29]], [[1975]].

*''Microsoft'', without a hyphen, became a [[registered trademark]] on [[November 26]], [[1976]].

*In the early 1980s, in cooperation with a large number of companies, Microsoft created a home computer system named [[MSX]]. It became fairly popular in Japan and Europe, but the IBM PC became increasingly dominant through the late 1980s and the early 1990s, bringing an end to the MSX and many other systems like it.

*Microsoft's [[Macintosh Business Unit]] is the largest developer of [[Apple Macintosh|Macintosh]] software outside of [[Apple Computer|Apple]] itself.

*[[Microsoft Bob]], a Windows 3.1 program manager replacement released by Microsoft in [[March]] [[1995]], is what many consider Microsoft's most unsuccessful product, becoming the source of many jokes as a result of its unpopularity.

*The [[Microsoft Puzzle Hunt]] is an annual [[puzzle hunt]] (a live puzzle game where teams compete to solve a series of puzzles) held at the Redmond campus. It is a spinoff of the [[MIT Mystery Hunt]].

*Microsoft's first operating system was [[Xenix]], released in [[1981]] and later sold to [[Santa Cruz Operation]].

==See also==

*General

**[[Microsoft Developer Network]]

**[[DirectX]]

*Lists

**[[List of assets owned by Microsoft Corporation]]

**[[List of Microsoft topics]]

==References==

*'''Infobox'''

**{{Web reference_simple | title="Fast Facts about Microsoft" | URL=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/inside_ms.mspx | date=1 October | year=2005}}

*'''Product divisions'''

** {{Web reference_simple | title="Microsoft 2005 Annual Report" | URL=http://www.microsoft.com/msft/ar05/downloads/MS_2005_AR.doc | date=1 October | year=2005}}

*'''History'''

** {{Web reference_simple | title=Windows history(at pc museam) | URL=http://members.fortunecity.com/pcmuseum/windows.htm | date=August 5 | year=2005}}

** {{Web reference_simple | title=Windows vs. Macintosh | URL=http://www.jmusheneaux.com/ | date=August 5 | year=2005}}

** {{Web reference_simple | title=Microsoft history at the History of Computing Project | URL=http://www.thocp.net/companies/microsoft/microsoft_company.htm | date=August 11 | year=2005}}

** {{Web reference_simple | title=Microsoft history at the History of Computing Project (Part 2) | URL=http://www.thocp.net/companies/microsoft/microsoft_company_part2.htm | date=August 11 | year=2005}}

** {{Web reference_simple | title="Key Events In Microsoft History" | URL=http://www.microsoft.com/visitorcenter/student.mspx | date=1 October | year=2005}} ([[DOC]] file)

**Clark, Jim with Owen Edwards. Netscape Time: The Making of the Billion Dollar Start-up That Took on Microsoft. New York, Saint martin's Press, 1999

**Cusumano, Michael A.; Selby, Richard W. [http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=2VQCBE84TR&isbn=0684855313&itm=1 Microsoft Secrets: How the World's Most Powerful Software Company Creates Technology, Shapes Markets and Manages People]. New York: Free Press, 1995.

*'''Business culture'''

**Charles, John. "Indecent proposal? Doing Business With Microsoft". IEEE Software. January/February 1998. pp. 113-117.

**Edstrom, Jennifer; Eller, Marlin. Barbarians Led by Bill Gates: Microsoft from inside: [http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=2VQCBE84TR&isbn=0805057544&itm=2 How the World's Richest Corporation Wields its Power]. N.Y. Holt, 1998.

**Moody, Fred. I Sing the Body Electronic: A Year With Microsoft on the Multimedia Frontier. New York: Viking, 1995.

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*''Misc''

**Lemos, Robert. (2003). ''U.S. funds study of tech monocultures''. Retrieved December 20, 2003, from http://news.com.com/2100-7355-5111905.html?tag=nefd_hed

**National Science Foundation. (2003). ''Taking Cues from Mother Nature to Foil Cyber Attacks''. Retrieved December 20, 2003, from http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/03/pr03130.htm

**Barr, Joe. "Is Microsoft capable of honesty?". NewsForge. October 2005. http://trends.newsforge.com/trends/05/10/01/1548246.shtml

==Footnotes==

# {{note|techworldos2}} {{Web reference_simple | title=Techworld Article:OS/2 users must look elsewhere | URL=http://www.techworld.com/applications/features/index.cfm?featureid=1603&Page=1&pagePos=5 | date=August 5 | year=2005}}

# {{note|msos2announcement}} {{Web reference_simple | title=Microsoft OS/2 announcement | URL=http://pages.prodigy.net/michaln/history/pr/87apr_m3592.html | date=August 5 | year=2005}}

# {{note|BozosLiveHere}} {{Citenewsauthor | surname=Chen | given=Raymond | title=What about BOZOSLIVEHERE and TABTHETEXTOUTFORWIMPS? | date=16 October 2003 | org=The Old New Thing | url=http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2003/10/15/55296.aspx}}

# {{note|usantitrust}} {{Web reference_simple | title=United States v. Microsoft | URL=http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/ms_index.htm | date=August 5 | year=2005}} homepage at the [[United States Department of Justice]]

# {{note|euantitrust}} {{Web reference_simple | title=Text of the European Union ruling against Microsoft | URL=http://europa.eu.int/comm/competition/antitrust/cases/decisions/37792/en.pdf | date=August 5 | year=2005}} ([[PDF]] format - from the official EU website)

# {{note|msproductgroups}} {{Web reference_simple | title=Microsoft product groups | URL=http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/articles/business.asp | date=August 5 | year=2005}}

# {{note|sep2005groupreorg}} {{Web reference_simple | title=September 20th 2005 group reorganization | URL=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/sep05/09-20ExecChangesPR.mspx | date=September 26 | year=2005}}

# {{note|hrc_cei}} {{Web reference_simple | title=HRC Corporate Equality Index for 2004 | URL=http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=About_HRC&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=23003 | date=August 11 | year=2005}} ([[PDF]] format)

# {{note|hrc_1515withdraw}} {{Web reference_simple | title=HRC: Microsoft withdraws support for H.B. 1515| URL=http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=Press_Room&CONTENTID=26588&TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm | date=August 11 | year=2005}}

# {{note|hrc_1515support}} {{Web reference_simple | title=HRC: Microsoft renews support for H.B. 1515| URL=http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=Press_Room&CONTENTID=26803&TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm | date=August 11 | year=2005}}

# {{note|seattletimesvelvetsweatshop}} {{Citenewsauthor | surname=Andrews | given=Paul | title=A 'Velvet Sweatshop' or a High-Tech Heaven? | date=23 April 1989 | org=The Seattle Times | url=http://www.krsaborio.net/research/1980s/89/890423.htm}}

# {{note|msjvelvetsweatshop}} {{Web reference_simple | title=Editor's note, MSJ August 1997 | URL=http://www.microsoft.com/msj/0897/ednote0897.aspx | date=September 27 | year=2005}}

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==External links==

{{Sisterlinks|Microsoft}}

*'''Microsoft'''

**[http://www.microsoft.com/ Microsoft] - 'Official website'

**[http://update.microsoft.com Microsoft] - 'Official update site'

**[http://www.microsoft.com/security/bulletins/default.mspx Microsoft] - 'Official security update site'

*'''General'''

**[http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/14/14120.html Yahoo!] - 'Microsoft Corporation Company Profile'

**[http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9803/03/gates.full/ CNN] - 'Microsoft CEO before the US Congress (includes audio)'

**[http://story.news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid=34&lp=3&ll=b3&pg=1&mod=video&in=tech&cat=microsoft_antitrust Yahoo! News] - 'Video of Microsoft Antitrust case'

*'''Miscellaneous'''

**[http://www.google.com/microsoft Google Special Search: Microsoft] - "Search Microsoft-related pages"

**[http://www.techbooksforfree.com/microsoft.shtml Techbooksforfree.com] - 'Collection of free downloadable books available from Microsoft'

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