Beyond Binary

Microsoft, Edgar Online in ad pact

In its latest ad-serving deal, Microsoft has landed Edgar Online, the Web site best known for providing businesses and investors with access to Securities and Exchange Commission documents.

Under the agreement announced on Wednesday, Microsoft will be the exclusive third-party provider of display, contextual, and video advertising for Edgar Online. Also, as part of the deal, Edgar Online will provide content, including SEC filings, to Microsoft's MSN Money site.

Microsoft is expected to begin serving ads in March, while Edgar Online content will come onto MSN Money later this year.

Aiming to better compete with rival Google, Microsoft has … Read more

Microsoft revs its patent machine

Microsoft, which once was only a modest customer of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, has been one of its biggest customers in recent years.

In just the past two months, more than 500 applications from the Redmond, Wash., software maker have been published. (That's actually a reflection of how active the company was in mid-2006, since patent applications aren't generally published until 18 months after their filing).

But it's one particular filing that has been grabbing headlines in recent days. That patent covers a means by which a computer that can use factors such as … Read more

Steve Jobs praises a retiring Bill Gates

While most of Steve Jobs' energy on Tuesday was spent touting the new MacBook Air, the Apple chief did take some time to praise longtime rival Bill Gates, who plans to stop working full-time at Microsoft at the end of June.

"Bill's retiring from Microsoft is a big deal," Jobs told the New York Times. "It's a significant event, and I think he should be honored for the contributions he's made."

I'm guessing Jobs probably won't issue a Bill Gates edition iPod, but the two have been making nice in public, … Read more

Microsoft signs patent deal with JVC

Microsoft said Tuesday that it has signed a patent cross-licensing deal with Japan's JVC, the latest of many such deals.

The companies did not release financial details, other than to say that money will be headed in Microsoft's direction. And, unlike many recent patent deals, the press release did not specifically mention Linux.

Not missing was the flowery language that typically accompanies such agreements. "When technological industry leaders collaborate through intellectual property licensing, we foster greater innovation that will benefit the customer, the consumer and the overall IT ecosystem," Microsoft intellectual licensing VP Horacio Gutierrez said … Read more

Who's in, out at Microsoft

There have been a fair number of changes at Microsoft HQ of late, so we wanted to provide a program for those keeping score at home. Here are some of the top executives who have joined the company or are leaving the executive ranks.

This list is neither chronological nor exhaustive. It leaves out recent departures such as dealmaker Bruce Jaffe and strategy executive Charles Fitzgerald.

Instead, I've focused on a few key folks who have left or are leaving shortly who have the biggest impact in Redmond, as well as some key outsiders Microsoft has recruited in recent … Read more

OneCare upgrade brings headaches

Since November, Microsoft has been slowly rolling out an update to its Windows Live OneCare security software. Although the update was designed to bring in new features, such as the ability to monitor the health of multiple PCs, some say the new version has brought only headaches.

Robert Webb of North Carolina said he started having problems from the moment his software was upgraded in early December.

"My main problem has been that OneCare does not always start when the computer is booted," Webb said in an e-mail interview. "It has to be manually started."

Microsoft'… Read more

Microsoft looking for the Limelight?

Microsoft has said it plans to continue its acquisition spree this year and it is off to a good start, having announced plans on Tuesday to buy Norway's Fast Search and Transfer.

There's no shortage of rumors of who is next on Steve Ballmer's shopping list. Earlier this week, there were separate rumors that Microsoft was interested in Yahoo as well as accessories maker Logitech.

Henry Blodget of Silicon Alley Insider added another potential name to the list, saying Friday that he's heard that Microsoft might be interested in Limelight, a publicly traded company that runs … Read more

Raikes reflects on 26-year run at Microsoft

Jeff Raikes, the Microsoft executive most closely associated with the emergence of Office, said that the rise of that product is clearly the highlight of his long career at the software maker, which will come to an end in September.

In an interview on Thursday, Raikes noted that Office didn't exist when he left his role as a Visicalc engineering manager at Apple in 1981 to join Microsoft. Now it has more than 500 million users, while Microsoft has grown from 100 employees to 70,000.

"It's been an incredible 26 years," Raikes said. "I … Read more

Jeff Raikes to leave Microsoft

Updated at 3:20 p.m. PST to add details.

Apparently Jeff Raikes, while working on Microsoft's deal to buy FAST (Fast Search and Transfer), also was planning his own exit.

Raikes, 49, head of Microsoft's Business Division, plans to step down in September, Microsoft said in a statement Thursday. Stephen Elop, former Juniper Networks chief operating officer, will fill the role.

"Given the success of our business and the depth of leadership we have in place today, the time is right for me to leave the MBD business in the capable hands of our new generation … Read more