Paul Thurrott

“A new competitor ‘born’ on the Internet is Netscape,” Microsoft CEO Bill Gates awkwardly wrote in his Internet Tidal wave memo to employees on May 26, 1995. The memo went on to rally the troops, as Microsoft defeated Netscape, embraced and extended Internet technologies, and dominated the market for web browsers. And yet today, 20…

Because I will turn around and go back home if you two don’t shut up, this week’s other news includes Intel’s CEO throwing cold water on Windows 10, a potential Microsoft purchase of Blackberry, a Windows 3.0 anniversary, Microsoft’s big milestone in Ireland, that coy Nokia CEO and his plans for HERE, and HP’s plans…

A recent leak reinforces an emerging view of Microsoft as being on the cusp of a new era of productivity. That is, while Microsoft is working to move its most successful traditional software products to popular mobile platforms and to the cloud, it is also working behind the scenes to effectively undercut those offerings with…

A controversial security expert who was removed from a United Airlines flight in April now claims that he had previously taken control of an airplane while in flight. But these claims are being challenged by other researchers, as are his methods, which seem to be aimed more at self-promotion than public safety. Chris Roberts, a…

Because I said so, that’s why, this week’s other news includes Microsoft’s complex new servicing plan for the many Windows 10 product editions, a rare win for Xbox One, Microsoft bricks leakers’ consoles, Azure comes out ahead of AWS and Google in new report, and Supreme Court may soon rule on Android’s illegal market gains….

Microsoft has pushed the notion of Windows as a Service. But this name has nothing to do with subscription services. Instead, it’s all about trust.

Facebook has begun testing publishing news articles directly into the Facebook news feed, starting with iPhone. The goal? To monetize mobile.

Because Microsoft just held Build 2015 and Ignite 2015 back to back and I’m still not done traveling, this week’s other news includes conflicting rumors about Microsoft’s interest in buying Salesforce, how Windows as a service will impact Patch Tuesday, the higher cost of Office 365, Uber bids for Nokia’s HERE business, NSA data collection…

At its Ignite 2015 conference this week in Chicago, much of the talk centered on Azure and Office 365, coming on-premises server products, device management, and even cross-platform compatibility. But I was most interested in how Microsoft would present Windows 10 on the eve of its initial release. Did the software giant make a compelling…

The General Court of the European Union ruled Tuesday that Microsoft cannot register trademarks for the Skype name and logo. The reason? The name is too similar to that of British broadcast giant Sky, and its distinctive logo is too general. Yep, it’s déjà vu all over again. This is the second time Microsoft has…

With barely a moment to pause and reflect on last week’s epic Build 2015 conference in San Francisco, Microsoft has set up shop in Chicago this week for its inaugural Ignite conference, which replaces TechEd.

Because Build 2015 just happened and I’m still on East Coast time, this week’s other news includes Windows as a service, Microsoft’s next billion-dollar business, Microsoft and N-Trig, HoloLens has an Achilles Heel, Apple Watch hates tattoos. Windows as a service? When I spoke with Microsoft’s Terry Myerson before the Build keynote, I saw the…