Sure, the low-cost computers developed by OLPC and Intel may look cute, but actually using one reveals a host of shortcomings. In the OLPC XO, software was complicated and buggy. For weeks neither my brilliant niece, nor her well educated parents, could figure out how to get it to connect online. The Intel Classmate was no miracle of modern design, either.

The prominent role of Silverlight in the Intel-Microsoft collaboration leads to a new set of questions

As the release of low-cost laptops based on Intel's upcoming Atom processor draws near, Microsoft is getting boxed into a corner. The software company plans to stop selling most Windows XP licenses after June 30, yet most of these low-cost laptops won't be powerful enough to run Vista when they arrive later this year.

To accelerate the process of getting more people using Chrome OS and getting them using Google online services, information is coming to light from our industry sources that indicates Google may very well plan to battle Intel and Microsoft on 2 separate fronts to win the OS, browser and services wars.

Microsoft has patented "pay as you go" PC computing. This means users could purchase low cost computers with usage based fees. A user would only pay for and use the specific software application needed. No thanks!

News that Microsoft is to be hit with yet another fine from the European Union has naturally attracted plenty of attention, but it has also raised the old questions of whether such interventions by governments are justified or even do any good.

Alright, let me break things down for you: there is a battle going on. There’s no bullets, nobody dies (as far as I know of), but it’s a battle that could change office computing forever: file formats.

Now that the major OSs all run on Intel chips, the playing field is pretty leveled out. We compared the heavy hitters in an eight-point test to find who wins the OS battle.

"Earlier this week, just less than a couple of months after their seemingly-friendly deal, Microsoft betrayed Linspire. There are more questions to be raised and implications to discuss."