- InfoWorld - June 25, 1998, and June 30, 2008, marked two important milestones in Microsoft's evolution of the Windows OS -- the passing of the torch from Windows 95 to Windows 98, and the less seemly transition from XP to Vista. - 
Reuters - Microsoft Corp said on Friday it is reviewing its hiring plans in light of tough economic conditions, but denied reports it had instituted a company-wide hiring freeze.
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Reuters - Microsoft launched on Friday a software package for a Portuguese ultra-cheap laptop for school children that the government hopes will boost the country's technological edge in education.
- PC Magazine - Microsoft launched on Friday a software package for a Portuguese ultra-cheap laptop for school children that the government hopes will boost the country's technological edge in education. - 
Reuters - Microsoft Corp's Xbox 360 outsold Sony's PlayStation 3 in Japan in September, beating the rival machine in monthly unit sales for the first time in Sony's home market, a game magazine publisher said.
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Reuters - Microsoft Corp is opening three research centers in Europe as it steps up efforts to catch market leader Google Inc in the field of Internet searching, the U.S. software group said on Thursday.
- NewsFactor - Microsoft is working on a new operating system, "Windows Cloud," aimed at developers working on cloud-computing applications, and expected to launch at the end of the month, according to CEO Steve Ballmer. - PC Magazine - Microsoft representatives backed multiple European reports quoting Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer, who reportedly said that the software giant would introduce a "Windows Cloud" OS later this month. - NewsFactor - Microsoft is making yet another attempt at pay for search. Following in the footsteps of Cashback, a program the company launched in May, Redmond's latest effort is called SearchPerks. - InfoWorld - Microsoft on Wednesday is revealing an updated platform strategy to support composite applications in Windows Server and the .Net Framework programming model. - PC Magazine - Microsoft has revamped it's perk-filled Live Search Club as Live Search Perks, which, like Live Search's Cashback program, pays you for sticking with the company. - 
AFP - Microsoft and Washington state's top prosecutor have filed a lawsuit to stop "scareware purveyors" that trick people with pop-up messages claiming computers need critical repairs.
- NewsFactor - Software giant Microsoft is not saddled with subprime mortgages, nor is it a bank threatened by a run of angry depositors. Nonetheless, the financial crisis currently roiling Wall Street is being felt in Redmond, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said, and Congress needs to take action. - 
Reuters - Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Tuesday the global financial crisis will sap consumer and business spending, affecting all companies, including his own.
- NewsFactor - The software behemoth has had enough. Microsoft has teamed up with Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna to stop companies and individuals from fooling consumers.
