Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates has announced he is moving aside to let company president Steve Ballmer take the reins as the company’s chief operating officer. Gates, who will remain chairman, now has the title of chief software architect.

The announcement came amid reports that lawyers prosecuting the government’s case against Microsoft are pushing to split the company into two or three separate companies. However, company officials say yesterday’s change was planned long before Microsoft’s legal troubles.

How is the announcement being interpreted, and what will the change mean for Microsoft? Here are 10 links that explain yesterday’s news.

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* ·  The New York Times gives a thorough overview of yesterday’s announcement . Included is an analysis of Microsoft’s struggles with Internet competitors. The Times also has an article that quotes Ballmer as saying that the breakup of Microsoft into smaller companies would be “reckless.”
* ·  The Washington Post ran a profile of Ballmer this morning that quotes one Microsoft official as calling him “Microsoft’s ‘heart and soul.’“
* ·  MCNBC, which is partially owned by Microsoft, has a lengthy story on Ballmer that includes a “Ballmer-Gates Partnership” timeline.
* ·  If you have a multimedia player, you can listen to a report on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered that includes comments by Ballmer on the breakup.
* ·  Some of the most comprehensive coverage of the announcement has come from CNET, which includes an analysis of Gates’ continuing role in Microsoft as well as Microsoft’s move to Internet-based software.
* ·  A story in the Financial Times focuses on the challenges that Gates will face as the company’s “software architect” in a changing software environment .
* ·  You can also check out a press release on the announcement from Microsoft that includes numbers for the media and investor relations.
* ·  And while it’s not a free site, if you subscribe or have a trial subscription to The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition, you can check out a thorough analysis of yesterday’s announcement.

What do you think about Steve Ballmer taking on the day-to-day working of Microsoft? What changes do you think are in store for Microsoft? How will this affect consumers? Post a comment below.

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates has announced he is moving aside to let company president Steve Ballmer take the reins as the company’s chief operating officer. Gates, who will remain chairman, now has the title of chief software architect.

The announcement came amid reports that lawyers prosecuting the government’s case against Microsoft are pushing to split the company into two or three separate companies. However, company officials say yesterday’s change was planned long before Microsoft’s legal troubles.

How is the announcement being interpreted, and what will the change mean for Microsoft? Here are 10 links that explain yesterday’s news.

* ·  The New York Times gives a thorough overview of yesterday’s announcement . Included is an analysis of Microsoft’s struggles with Internet competitors. The Times also has an article that quotes Ballmer as saying that the breakup of Microsoft into smaller companies would be “reckless.”
* ·  The Washington Post ran a profile of Ballmer this morning that quotes one Microsoft official as calling him “Microsoft’s ‘heart and soul.’“
* ·  MCNBC, which is partially owned by Microsoft, has a lengthy story on Ballmer that includes a “Ballmer-Gates Partnership” timeline.
* ·  If you have a multimedia player, you can listen to a report on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered that includes comments by Ballmer on the breakup.
* ·  Some of the most comprehensive coverage of the announcement has come from CNET, which includes an analysis of Gates’ continuing role in Microsoft as well as Microsoft’s move to Internet-based software.
* ·  A story in the Financial Times focuses on the challenges that Gates will face as the company’s “software architect” in a changing software environment .
* ·  You can also check out a press release on the announcement from Microsoft that includes numbers for the media and investor relations.
* ·  And while it’s not a free site, if you subscribe or have a trial subscription to The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition, you can check out a thorough analysis of yesterday’s announcement.

What do you think about Steve Ballmer taking on the day-to-day working of Microsoft? What changes do you think are in store for Microsoft? How will this affect consumers? Post a comment below.