.NETDJ News Desk

Steve Ballmer presented a lengthy keynote and partner session at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Minneapolis. Below is the complete transcript of the session. Steve Ballmer It is my honor, privilege, excitement, to be here with you today. For all the things I do -- and many of you have had a chance to hear this many times as I travel the world -- but everything I get to do working for Microsoft, there's one thing that's most energizing for me -- one thing, one thing -- meeting with our partners. And you say, this guy gives this line to every audience he meets with. Nooo. What's special about this group? What gets me particularly pumped up? What is particularly exciting? Our partners are a unique blend, you are, of two elements. Number one, you've made a bet on us. You believe in us, you want us to win, you need us to win. You're kind of like employees... (more)

Microsoft Hits 30: Gates Proud of His "Big Bets" on GUIs and Web Services

“As I think about the last 30 years," said Bill Gates, commenting on Microsoft's 30th birthday, which was celebrated yesterday at an unusual Annual Meeting held in Safeco Field in Seattle, "I’m most proud of our making 'big bets' on technologies like the graphical user interface or Web services and watching them grow into something people rely on every day." "And the long-term research we’re doing today on some of computer science’s toughest challenges – such as helping computers listen, speak, learn and understand – will lead to what I think wil... (more)

BEA Systems Announces AquaLogic Data Services Platform 2.1

BEA Systems has announced that the company has extended its vision of an integrated suite for service-oriented architecture (SOA) with its new AquaLogic Data Services Platform 2.1 (ALDSP). ALDSP 2.1 is designed to help application developers and SOA architects automate the process of service-enabling their data to build composite applications such as Web applications and portals. The product now features support for Microsoft ADO.NET, providing tooling and runtime support designed for transparent interoperability with .NET applications. This new feature gives users the ability to... (more)

Next Up Microsoft Windows 7, Not Vienna

Well, we know one thing about the next, post-Vista, desktop Windows. It's code named Windows 7 now, not Vienna, and Microsoft is taking another round of blood oaths about it not taking five years to see market although it already looks like it's been pushed back. Microsoft says it's "scoping Windows development to a three-year time frame and then the specific release date will ultimately be determined by meeting the quality bar." Three years, of course, would be 2010 and Microsoft previously suggested it would be 2009. Anyway, the company has started talking about it with folks ... (more)

Microsoft-Yahoo! - Full Text of the Letter to Yahoo!'s Board of Directors

Microsoft Corp. today announced that it has made a proposal to the Yahoo! Inc. Board of Directors to acquire all the outstanding shares of Yahoo! common stock for per share consideration of $31 representing a total equity value of approximately $44.6 billion. SYS-CON.com here brings you the full text of the letter that Microsoft sent to Yahoo!'s Board of Directors: January 31, 2008 Board of Directors Yahoo! Inc. 701 First Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94089 Attention: Roy Bostock, Chairman Attention: Jerry Yang, Chief Executive Officer Dear Members of the Board: I am writing on behalf of the B... (more)