David Coursey

Microsoft says Office “12”—the 12 is always in quotes since the company will probably end up calling the final release Office Vista or something—is the most important Office release in a decade. It may well be, though I think its the various Office servers that make the statement true more than the client. And, just […]

There has been quite a debate going on as to whether or not Skype is safe for corporate use. Like most eWEEK.com readers, I am not deeply enough versed in security issues to make an independent decision on whether Skype is or is not secure. The more important question: Do we need Skype or just […]

The first time I was shown the new ribbon and tab-based Office 12 user interface, I pronounced it “bizarre.” It reminded me of the old Amiga or GeoWorks UIs of two decades ago, not the Microsoft Windows that replaced them. But while I havent spent time actually using the new Office 12 UI, it has […]

Am I the only one, or did anyone else feel a disconnect reading Ray Ozzies now public memo to the Microsoft executive staff? It was so bizarre reading Ozzies references to “we” and “us” for projects and events that not only did he have nothing to do with, having occurred while he was a Microsoft […]

At the risk of appearing Pollyanna-esque and despite the inherent danger of wading into the rootkit battle, Id like to introduce Sony Corp. to a way of doing business that is apparently new to them, at least if their handling of digital rights management is any indication. What I am referring to is an amazingly […]

The discussion as to whether and what Microsoft should bundle with Windows Vista may be just a tad off the mark. Why? Because bundling just isnt what it used to be. And thats because the line between software and service is evaporating, at least to the extent Microsoft can make it happen. Bundling is, of […]

What the head of SBC says about paying for the Internet is a cause for concern. What follows is the most disturbing quote I have read in quite some time. Its from an interview with SBC CEO Edward Whitacre that appeared on the BusinessWeek Web site. Heres the exchange: BW: How concerned are you about […]

SAN FRANCISCO—About every five years, Microsoft holds an event to introduce a “big bet” that Bill Gates is making in hopes of changing computing as we know it. On Dec. 7, 1995, he announced Microsoft would support the Internet in its applications and operating systems. July 2000 brought .Net, a programming architecture for Web applications, […]

Nobody believed in the potential of the Internet more than America Online founder Steve Case. And no ones reputation has been so tarnished as a result of such belief. Its unlikely Case will ever live down the rap of being the architect of the “worse business deal in history,” but that part of his life […]

MSNs announcement of a plan to digitize 150,000 out-of-copyright books came as no surprise, given that Google has been embarked on the same sort of project since last year. But, where Googles work has been controversial and has taken the company into court, Microsoft is going to great pains to be perceived as the good […]