MICROSOFT

DESCRIPTION

Microsoft's ambitions are anything but small. The world's #1 software company provides a variety of products and services, including its Windows operating systems and Office software suite. The company has expanded into markets such as video game consoles, interactive television, and Internet access. With its core markets maturing, Microsoft is targeting services for growth, looking to transform its software applications into Web-based services for enterprises and consumers. Microsoft has reached a settlement to end an ongoing antitrust investigation, agreeing to uniformly license its operating systems and allow manufacturers to include competing software with Windows.

While desktop applications and platforms remain the cornerstone of its operations, Microsoft has inexorably expanded its product lines, which include video game consoles, enterprise software, computer peripherals, software development tools, and Internet access services.

 

 

SUN MICROSYSTEMS

DESCRIPTION

When it comes to network computing, it's hard to find an area where the Sun doesn't shine. Sun Microsystems is a leading maker of UNIX-based servers used to power corporate computer networks and Web sites. It also makes workstation computers and a widening range of disk- and tape-based storage systems. Unlike most hardware vendors, Sun makes computers that use its own chips (SPARC) and operating system (Solaris). Its software portfolio includes application server, office productivity, and network management applications. Sun also developed Java, a programming language for creating software that can run unchanged on any kind of computer.

 

Sun got a leg up on competitors by optimizing its hardware for serving Web sites and by capitalizing on the dot-com explosion, but the subsequent e-recession has leveled the playing field for competitors. The company's aggressive and outspoken CEO, Scott McNealy, has waged a public battle with Microsoft over the use of Sun's Java programming language. But Microsoft's greatest threat to Sun has been in the server arena, where competitors look to undersell Sun's UNIX-based offerings with servers based on the Wintel platform (Intel processors, Microsoft's operating system). In addition to offering Windows machines, Hewlett-Packard and IBM both sell servers running their own versions of UNIX.