...Who owns the site?...
Microsoft was founded in April 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen who own 51% of the Internet institution, whilst the other 49% is owned by shareholders.
...Do they also own any traditional media businesses?...
Bill Gates owns a think-tank company named "bgC3" which covers the design and development of computer hardware and software founded by himself, and he also owns a company that sells and distributes photography and film footage named "Corbis Corporation" which was founded in 1989.
Paul Allen does not own any traditional media businesses, he is however the chairman of "Charter Communications" which is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 5.7 million customers in 29 states.
...What other Internet sites do they own?...
Bill Gates and Paul Allen do not own any other Internet sites.
...What is its revenue?...
As of 2008, Microsoft has a global annual revenue of U.S. $60.42 billion.
...What is its overall worth?...
Microsoft's overall worth currently stands at being $520 million.
...Five key facts about the Institution...
* Microsoft is a United States based computer technology corporation, which is headquartered in Redmond, Washington.
* Its most profitable products are the Microsoft Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software.
* On August 24, 1995, it launched a major online service, MSN (Microsoft Network), as a direct competitor to AOL. MSN became an umbrella service for Microsoft's online services.
* On 30th January 2007, Microsoft launched Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office System to consumers worldwide.
* The company's first international office was founded on November 1, 1978, in Japan, titled "ASCII Microsoft" (now called "Microsoft Japan").
...Three quotes (with references) about the Institution...
* The ensuing rise of the company's stock price has made four billionaires and an estimated 12,000 millionaires from Microsoft employees. [10][11][12]
* In its January 2009 report of financial results, Microsoft announced layoffs of up to 5,000 employees in response to slowing economic activity due to the ongoing financial crisis. [54]
* The company received a silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program for environmental design. [94]
...Summarisation of two linked Wikipedia articles about the Institution...
* The company has now become largely successful and has nearly 90,000 employees in 105 countries.
* Ireland became home to Microsoft's first international production facility in 1985, and on November 20 Microsoft released its first retail version of Microsoft Windows (Windows 1.0).
* Due to its evolvement, Microsoft now develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of software products for computing devices.
* During the transition from MS-DOS to Windows, the success of Microsoft's product Microsoft Office allowed the company to gain ground on application-software competitors, such as WordPerfect and Lotus 1-2-3.
* By 1993, Windows had become the most widely used GUI (Graphically Used Interface) operating system in the world. Fortune Magazine named Microsoft as the "1993 Most Innovative Company Operating in the U.S."
* Microsoft is accused of locking vendors and consumers into their products, and of not following and complying with existing standards in its software.
* Users wish to gain refunds after purchasing computers with the pre-installed Microsoft Windows operating system if they wish to use a different operating system other than Windows, such as Linux or BSD.
* Microsoft is accused of never producing technology except by buying it, this is an example of its acquired assets such as Hotmail, Internet Explorer and Direct3D being rebranded after having been bought by Microsoft and being offered for free or being bundled with Microsoft's operating system.
* Although Microsoft has been known of treating its employees well, it has received complaints regarding the treatment of those who work there which includes accusations of overworking them.
* Microsoft has been criticised for developing software capable of analysing the output of remote sensors in order to measure the competence and productivity of workers based on their physical responses.
...Key information provided on the company's corporate homepage...
http://www.microsoft.com/en/gb/default.aspx
The UK website for Microsoft provides online users with a variety of choices and a range of information about the Microsoft software. The UK's Microsoft corporate homepage comprises of information such as:-
* The different products owned by Microsoft.
* Any downloads and trials which are available.
* Security and updates.
* Training and events which may be held in the UK for those who want to learn more about the company and its products.
* It also enables online users to carry out research due to its use of being a search engine.
* Support they may need with any of Microsoft's products.
* Partner and customer solutions where they can receive help with using the products at work and home.
* Information about the Windows products; such as Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows Media Player.
* Information about Microsoft UK.
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