Pc, Operating System | featured news

When Microsoft released Windows XP in October of 2001, the software got upbeat reviews and sold briskly. But I doubt if even XP's biggest boosters would have predicted just how long-running a hit it would be. Nine years later, it's still the the world's favorite operating system.

Microsoft says it is pleased with the demand for Windows 7 as it reports an 18% fall in quarterly profits.

Microsoft Corp. put a new edition of Windows on sale Thursday, hoping for a fresh start after a bad reception for the previous version of the software that runs most of the world's personal computers.

Google announced late Tuesday that it is developing an operating system for a personal computer, a direct challenge to Microsoft.

Microsoft unveiled bigger-than-expected discounts for some buyers of its forthcoming Windows 7 operating system, as it sought to stoke up demand for new PCs and put the poor reputation of Windows Vista behind it.