Enterprise software

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer predicts that more than 500 million people will be using Windows 8 by the end of next year, AFP reports.

Ballmer, who was speaking at a forum in Seoul, South Korea, also expects Windows 7 to hit the 350 million device milestone later this year.

Windows 8 was described by Ballmer as the "deepest, broadest, and most impactful" operating system the company has made to date. He promised the "best economic opportunity" for hardware makers and Metro application developers who opt to support the upcoming operating system.

Corporate and enterprise demand have … Read more

Early discussion of cloud computing focused on the public option. In fact, the economic concept of computing delivered as a sort of utility by mega service providers such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft was at the core of the original cloud-computing concept.

As it turns out though, these public clouds are hardly the only form that cloud computing has taken. Computing is more complicated than a true utility like electricity. For this and other reasons, private and hybrid clouds -- which use computers and other IT resources controlled by a single organization -- have evolved to become an important part … Read more

Only a handful of Windows RT devices will appear initially, as Microsoft wades slowly into new Windows waters, sources told CNET.

Chipmakers Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments will initially get two "slots" each for devices, according to sources familiar with Microsoft's plans.

"ARM is restricted to two designs each, meaning six total initial designs," one source said, referring to the chip design from U.K.-based ARM that those three suppliers use.

Windows RT -- aka, Windows on ARM -- is the first mainstream, desktop-class Windows operating system to run on ARM chips. This presents … Read more

Douglas Crockford, a power of the JavaScript world, has moved from Yahoo to PayPal.

Bill Scott, PayPal's senior director of user interface engineering, announced the new hire Saturday, and Crockford's Google+ page confirms the change.

Yahoo is losing only a single person among thousands of employees, but you can bet he's not one they like to see go. Crockford is a high-profile speaker in the tech world, a strong ally for the Yahoo User Interface (YUI) library of JavaScript tools, and a person who brings engineering cred.

Crockford is perhaps best known for an important role in … Read more

LOS ALTOS, Calif.--It may be known to some as the Dropbox-for-the-enterprise, but Box.com could be forgiven for insisting on its own identity.

With more than 120,000 customers, including 82 percent of the Fortune 500, the company has made a name for itself as one of the leaders in the enterprise cloud storage and data management space. And though Box.com has Microsoft, and more recently, Google breathing down its neck, CEO Aaron Levie doesn't appear the least bit nervous.

That may be because the company has spent seven years building its business and solidifying a technology … Read more

Windows 8 and Windows RT and the new touch-centric Metro interface will be upon us before you know it. So, which has the most promise?

Windows 8 on Intel: These tablets and convertibles will run the full-blown Windows 8 operating system. Tablets from device vendors such as Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and Acer will use Intel's upcoming "Clover Trail" Atom processor. Some convertibles will also tap higher-performance Ivy Bridge processors. And, of course, chips from Advanced Micro Devices.

Upside The biggest upside (barring unforeseen glitches) is the breadth of compatibility with existing Windows applications and the ability to use … Read more

Microsoft is informing customers of its Windows Azure cloud that it is rebranding many, if not all, of the component services in a way that eliminates the "Azure" name on its billing portal.

"Windows Azure Compute" will now be known simply as "Cloud Services," according to the Microsoft officials. SQL Azure is now known as "SQL Database." Here's the full list of what's being rechristened:

(click on the table above to enlarge)

A Microsoft spokesperson responded with this statement: "Microsoft continues to invest in the Windows Azure brand and … Read more

China and the U.S. are facing guerrilla cyberwar and must work to avoid crises between the two countries, their top defense officials said yesterday after meeting in Washington.

"Because the United States and China have developed the technological capabilities in this arena, it's extremely important that we work together to develop ways to avoid any miscalculation or misperception that could lead to a crisis in this area," U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said at a joint press conference with Chinese Minister of National Defense Gen. Liang Guanglie.

It's no secret that the U.… Read more

Apple's is movin' on up the Fortune 500 list, passing computer heavyweight IBM.

Apple landed at No. 17, up from No. 35, in terms of 2011 revenue, which was a cool $108.2 billion.

To put Apple's meteoric rise into perspective, blue-chip tech stalwart IBM dropped one spot to No. 19, with 2011 revenues of $106.9 billion.

And Hewlett-Packard is also feeling the heat from Apple. Though Apple's Silicon Valley neighbor moved up one spot to No. 10, with revenue of $127.2 billion, HP is not the profit juggernaut that Apple is.

Apple was No.… Read more