Ballmer says Microsoft intends to become industry leader in cloud computing

Microsoft got nothing but grief when it killed its Kin smartphone this month, a decision that looked like a misstep for the software giant as it struggles to stay on the cutting edge.
The move could not have come at a more delicate time, with Microsoft's longtime business of selling software in a box rapidly being replaced by the sale of applications over the Web. The company is facing competition from rivals, such as Google, offering word processing and spreadsheets online free of charge, and it recently lost its place as the most valuable tech stock to Apple.
Microsoft is now working to transform itself into a one-stop shop for Web-based software and, as part of that strategy, is betting big on the growing popularity of cloud computing, which takes software off the desktop PC and moves it to networks of data centers accessed via the Web. more.......

Improving product quality the open source way

If we look at the differences between closed and open source software development processes, we can identify aspects that can be generalized and applied to other industries and domains.
Open source development—that combination of transparency, iterative development with early-and-often releases, and open participation—leads to higher quality products. When we're talking about software, people tend to think of quality in terms of bugs. But this is only part of the story of open development.
Defects can be anywhere within the requirements, design, implementation, or delivery processes, and we need to consider all of these areas to assess the full quality picture.   more....