Software: Features

Thomas P. Jackson, the former federal judge who in 2000 ruled that Microsoft should be split into two companies, died Saturday. What if his ruling, overturned before it could be implemented, had gone into effect?

The problem with Microsoft's approach to Office for the iPhone is that a diverse range of alternative iOS apps and suites already exists. Apple and other developers have had years to create and refine products that deliver compatibility with Office file types.

Adobe has released its long-awaited and highly controversial Creative Cloud suite of applications for both longtime professional devotees and the newcomers it hopes to attract.

Many eyes in the tech world will fall on Oracle later this week, when the vendor's fourth-quarter results are set for release. This is typically the biggest reporting period for Oracle each year in terms of revenue, but a number of questions loom beyond its top-line performance.

Revelations over the U.S. National Security Agency's Prism surveillance program have much of the general public in uproar, but in terms of the controversy's impact to enterprise IT, some CIOs have measured, albeit watchful reactions.

Discover the software alternatives when you unplug the Creative Suite drip

The star of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference last week was clearly iOS 7, which gets a new look and a raft of new features. Columnist Michael deAgonia takes a look at what's coming this fall.

IT workers get plenty of support for achieving their career goals at the No. 48-ranked organization on our 2013 Best Places to Work in IT list.

Raytheon CIO Rebecca Rhoads was tapped earlier this year to lead the defense contractor's newly formed Global Business Services unit, whose goal is to improve operations and services by optimizing resources.

Rivals Apple and Microsoft bookended the week by revealing productivity tools aimed at the same pool of customers: The millions who own Apple's iPhone.

Microsoft's release of an Office suite for the iPhone is too little, too late and yet another timid move aimed at protecting Windows 8 sales at the expense of customer demand for a product like this one for iPads, according to analysts.

Almost as an afterthought, Apple has announced it was working on browser-based versions of its iWork productivity applications, a move one analyst said challenged Microsoft's Office behemoth.

It's difficult to define what the "Cloud of tomorrow" will look like because of all the changes happening in the IT industry - changes to fundamental application architecture, service models and interactions between components. The Cloud continues to disrupt IT in new ways so predicting tomorrow is a perpetual moving target.

Microsoft's announcement Wednesday that it will add Outlook to Office on Windows RT says as much about the company's app problem as it does about customers clamoring for a business-grade email client.

One of the most appealing things about R is its ability to create data visualizations with just a couple of lines of code.

Whether it's local or from the Web, there are several ways to get data into R for further work.

Why x=3 doesn't always mean what you think it should, about data types and more.

Merging the Windows Phone OS with the Windows and Windows RT OSs could give Microsoft a boost in attracting more developers and, ultimately, improving its market share for smartphones and tablets.

Adobe's move to Creative Cloud offers a chance to overhaul its software in exciting ways – but it could leave the company damaged if customers aren't won over.

IT upheaval is inevitable -- like it or not.