Laura DiDio Quotations

Microsoft has shown it will dip into its huge cash reserves to settle the private cases that it can. Regulators have asked for Microsoft to let down its guard on what it considers its most valuable asset -- intellectual property.

Microsoft has been in the forefront of placing bounties on hackers and in filing lawsuits against software pirates.

Microsoft has been doing everything it can to ensure that customers are comfortable with its product. People need a reason to move to a new product. They don't need a reason to stay with an old one.

Microsoft can afford to make payments to end the private cases. But it has a long history of guarding its source code vigorously, and the change of philosophy required to throw it open -- and to competitors, at that -- is significant.

Microsoft and the EC came out swinging and then retired to their respective corners.

Microsoft and Apple have always had a love/hate relationship.

Microsoft's compelling financing option is especially relevant to small businesses with smaller purchasing budgets and very limited IT personnel. Businesses today should take advantage of the significant benefits available with the extended financing option. Partners that are not currently engaged with Microsoft Financing should seriously investigate this program for their customers.

Over the years, Microsoft has guarded its source code very carefully. It's been very measured in how it's approached complying with that particular part of the sanctions.

Emerging countries don't have the same requirement for advanced functionality and therefore go for the baseline stuff with a low entry point. That's a concern for Microsoft, and is why it is launching 'Windows light' and 'Office light' versions for countries such as Thailand.

It's a different, more dangerous world. Technology is more sophisticated, but so are the software pirates. Consumers or businesses that deploy counterfeit software put their PCs and networks at peril for encountering tampered code, viruses and even credit card theft. In the end, the consumer and the corporation may suffer just as much, if not more, harm than the software vendors.