It’s a massive day for Microsoft, as long time CEO Steve Ballmer finally steps down to be replaced by Satya Nadella, and Bill Gates switches roles. Both former CEOs will remain on the board, and still have a degree of influence over the company. Quite what the changes will mean for Microsoft long term we’ll have to wait and see.

As is customary with major changes like this, both the incoming and outgoing CEOs have sent company-wide emails to employees. Nadella’s outlines his vision for the future, and includes a quote from Oscar Wilde -- "we need to believe in the impossible and remove the improbable". Here's what he had to say in full:

Continue reading →

Microsoft has put an end to all the speculation surrounding Steve Ballmer's replacement, as the software giant today named Satya Nadella as its new CEO. The company's new leader will take the role "effective immediately". Also, starting today, Microsoft founder Bill Gates will no longer act as chairman of the board.

Gates is not stepping down from Microsoft entirely, as he will continue being on the board in a new role, as Founder and Technology Advisor. The man will also "devote more time to the company, supporting Nadella in shaping technology and product direction", says Microsoft. Gates will also continue his philanthropic endeavors, for which he has been best known since stepping down as the software giant's CEO in 2008.

Continue reading →

If you’re not happy with the performance of Firefox on your PC then you could try tuning the browser manually. This isn’t difficult, but could take a while, as there are many possibilities to consider.

If you’re in a hurry, then, you might prefer to grab a copy of Light, a Firefox fork where many components (developer tools, less common APIs) have been "slimmed down" or removed entirely to improve its speed.

Continue reading →

There are lots of project management tools available, but when enterprise software specialist SAP launches one you expect it to be something pretty impressive.

Building on the capabilities of the existing SAP Business Suite which covers ERP, CRM and other core functions, SAP Commercial Project Management brings project-related front- and back-end information into one integrated system. Once there it makes it available to project managers, administrators and executives as well as aiding collaboration with sub-contractors and customers.

Continue reading →

Most PC users will need to edit the Windows Registry, at least occasionally, and the standard Registry Editor provides the basic functions you need to get the job done. It’s not always a quick or straightforward process, though, and if you regularly work in the Registry then you’ll probably benefit from the far more capable Registrar Registry Manager.

At first glance the program looks a little odd, as it opens with just a toolbar. This includes an address bar, though, so if you want to browse to a particular key -- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Nero\Nero 15\Nero Vision\Settings\ExpressUI, say -- there’s no need to expand each folder manually. Just paste the full path into the address bar, press Enter, and a window will open at that location.

Continue reading →

It is no secret that Microsoft is feeling threatened by Chromebooks and Chrome OS. A series of controversial ads which disparage the pair has already proved that. But when will the software giant stop playing the same old broken record that implies only Windows PCs are good enough to get real work done and Chromebooks are not?

Microsoft downplays Chromebooks due to their alleged inability to get "much done" without an Internet connection and without access to its own Office suite. This is the theme that Microsoft has used (and repeatedly abused before) to pitch Windows 8.1 in a new video advert. Seriously? How can a company that prides itself for its cloud services use those two arguments in 2014? Is that not the definition of hypocrisy?

Continue reading →

When Steve Ballmer announced his impending retirement, the technology community was abuzz with excitement. After all, for Microsoft loyalists, picking a replacement CEO is like picking a new Pope. When the proverbial white smoke comes pouring from the chimney, a new leader will be appointed.

Many hoped that Bill Gates would return, but apparently he is too busy saving the world with his philanthropic endeavors. Ford's Alan Mulally was rumored to be in the running, but he denied any interest. Today, Microsoft announces that it has found its new leader, Satya Nadella. Let's take a look at Microsoft's choice.

Continue reading →

It seems you can’t have a platform these days without an attached store, and Microsoft Office is no exception. There are many useful tools and templates that users can add to Word, Excel and other programs contained in the suite.

Now Access will be joining the party. A report today claims that as of February 3, Microsoft has given the green light to apps for the database program. Microsoft’s Matt Evans reports that “Access apps have been part of Office 365 subscriptions since Office 365 General Availability was announced in February 2013. Until now, Access apps were in preview and weren’t supported under the Office 365 service-level agreement (SLA) and compliance standards”.

Continue reading →

Windows XP gained a little market share in January -- making for a nice, fun headline -- but the real point of that story is how poorly Windows 8.x appears to be doing. Despite being backed by an incredible advertising and marketing push its adoption rate really is pretty awful.

Two months ago Statista compared the global market share of both Windows 7 and Windows 8.x following their respective launches, plotting the results on a graph, and as I said at the time the difference was stark. Windows 7 showed a steep upwards trend, while Windows 8.x appeared to be heading for a plateau. Statista has since updated its chart, and the difference in fortunes between the two operating systems is now even more pronounced.

Continue reading →

Mozilla has released the latest version of its open-source, cross-platform web browser with the launch of Firefox 27 FINAL for Windows, Mac and Linux, with Firefox for Android 27.0 due to follow.

There’s only one major new feature of note in this latest release -- the SocialAPI, which allows providers to provide social networking updates directly from within the browser, can now handle multiple providers simultaneously.

Continue reading →

Firefox is a great browser in many ways, but malware protection isn’t one of them. The program tries to keep you away from dangerous sites, but isn’t particularly effective, and in our tests both Internet Explorer and Chrome do a much better job of keeping you safe.

This isn’t a major issue, of course, because you should also have an antivirus package to monitor your downloads, but if you’d like to add an extra layer of protection then a free Firefox add-on may be able to help.

Continue reading →

Samsung has announced that its first Unpacked event of the year will be held on February 24, in Barcelona, which coincides with the MWC 2014 opening day. The South Korean maker has also hinted at a possible unveiling of "The Next Big Thing". You did not see this one coming, did you?

Samsung has previously used the term The Next Big Thing prior to taking the wraps off new versions of its popular high-end smartphones, like the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3, and the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, all of which were also announced at the Unpacked events it held last year.

Continue reading →

With the rise in popularity of cloud services it's easy to forget about the impact on other models of IT delivery.

A new survey from network and business continuity specialist Talari Networks looks at the current state of WANs. Carried out in late 2013, the survey identifies the role of the WAN in supporting applications, achieving business goals, shifts in the use of WAN services and changes in WAN budgets.

Continue reading →

Glorylogic Software has released ISO Workshop 5.0, a major update of its disc image management, conversion and burning tool for Windows PCs. Version 5 comes with a brand new user interface based on the minimalist design found in Windows 8, while it also adds support for burning RAW images as well as other new formats.

The update also adds ISO and UDF settings, promises improved stability and performance across the entire suite and comes with a completely rewritten SDK.

Continue reading →

According to Steve Jobs, Android is the best mobile OS -- for porn. He infamously declared that people who want porn should buy Android, because iOS would be porn-free. With that said, porn can be accessed on both iOS and Android by using a web browser (so I've heard).

Despite what Steve Jobs says, and despite the fact that Android is based on the free and open Linux, Google's Play Developer Program Policy specifically bans porn. Unfortunately for fans of sexually explicit material, this appears to now apply to the Chromecast too.

Continue reading →