MICROSOFT 1998

WINDOWS CE–Smarter & Better Devices 
 With the 1997 introduction of the handheld PC (HP/C), Windows CE products continue to expand with the introduction of new devices and updated OS versions and applications. The Palm-size PC and the Auto PC along with the HP/C professional edition expand the PC companion line.

 Launch of India Development Center in Hyderabad, India. The center will become the second largest development center outside the US facillity in Redmond (WA)

Microsoft’s Board of Directors approved a 2 for 1 split of its common shares. Shareholders will receive one additional common share held on the record date of February 6, 1998. As of December 31, 1997, Microsoft had approximately 1.2 billion common shares outstanding. This is the seventh time the common stock has split since the company went public on March 13, 1986.

Microsoft realigns its product groups to respond to changing consumer and market needs. The reorganization focuses the product groups on investing in Windows with the goal of delivering simplicity and scalability, allowing businesses to maximize their competitive advantage through their digital nervous system, and promoting the Web lifestyle

Microsoft delivers on its commitment to build innovative products for the Macintosh by releasing Office 98, Macintosh Edition, which offers Mac users all of the features found in Office 97, plus added functionality.

For the first time ever, Exchange Server outsold Lotus Notes in the first quarter of calendar year 1998. In its two years on the market, sales of Exchange Server totaled more than 13 million seats, easily making it the fastest-growing server product in PC history.

Slate becomes the first Internet-based magazine to join the New York Times global news distribution service, which includes content from The Economist and Le Monde

Microsoft launches Windows 98 worldwide

Presidents

On July 21, 1998, Steve Ballmer, 42, is appointed president of Microsoft to broaden the leadership of the company and better position the company to take advantage of future growth opportunities. Ballmer’s new responsibilities include boosting the business discipline and performance of all Microsoft’s existing and emerging businesses as well as improving customer satisfaction.

Bill Gates, 42, will continue as chairman and CEO, and will focus more time on Microsoft’s long-term planning and working with the development teams to devise the technologies and products of the future.
Stats
Revenues: $14.48 billion Growth 30%
Net Revenue (US$) $15.26B %Growth 28%
Employees: 27,055

Indian Act At 1919

In 1919, the Government of India Act was introduced.

This introduced a national parliament with two houses for India.
About 5 million of the wealthiest Indians were given the right to vote (a very small percentage of the total population)
Within the provincial governments, ministers of education, health and public works could now be Indian nationals
A commission would be held in 1929, to see if India was ready for more concessions/reforms.
However, the British controlled all central government and within the provincial governments, the British kept control of the key posts of tax and law and order.

Many Tory MP’s in Britain were against the whole idea of giving anything whatsoever to India in terms of self-government. They had two complaints about the whole idea:

1. If you gave India some form of self-rule, where would it end?

2. Would it start the process that would lead to the break-up of the British Empire?

The reforms were introduced very slowly and their spread throughout such a large country was equally as slow. This angered many as there was a general belief that the British were deliberately stalling on introducing these reforms to ensure their continued supremacy in India.

Riots did break out and the most infamous was at Amritsar in the Punjab where 379 unarmed protesters were shot dead by British soldiers based there. 1200 were injured. This incident shocked many in India but what caused equal outrage was the British reaction to Amritsar – the officer commanding British troops at Amritsar, General Dyer, was simply allowed to resign his commission after an inquiry criticised his leadership during the riot. Many national Indians felt that he, and others in the army, had got away very lightly. The more radical Indians felt that the British government had all but sanctioned murder.

As a result of Amritsar, many Indians rushed to join the INC and it very quickly became the party of the masses.

Modern World History

In 1900, India was part of the British Empire; but by the end of 1947, India had achieved independence.

For most of the Nineteenth Century, India was ruled by the British. India was considered the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. Queen Victoria had been made Empress of India and the British had a major military presence in India.

Indian nationals had no say in central government and even at a local level, their influence on policy and decision making was minimal.

In 1885, educated middle class nationals had founded the Indian National Conference (INC). Their aim was to get a much greater say in the way India was governed.

In response to this development, the Morley-Minto reforms were introduced in 1909. Morley was the Secretary of State for India and Lord Morley was Viceroy of India. Their reforms lead to each province in India having its own governor and Indian nationals were allowed to sit on the councils which advised these governors.

After 1918, nationalism within India intensified. This was probably due to 2 reasons:

1. Many educated nationals in India were far from satisfied with the Morley-Minto reforms. White Englishmen still dominated India and there had been no real decrease in their power or increase in national power. The INC (Indian National Council) wanted a lot more.

2. Woodrow Wilson had stimulated the minds of many people with his belief in national self-determination – i.e. that people from a country had a right to govern themselves. The whole concept of national self-determination undermined the basic idea of the British Empire – that the British governed this empire (or people appointed by the British to do the same). For national self-determination to fully work, India would have to be governed by the Indians living there.

Japan and India reaffirm partnership against terror

Tokyo:  Reaffirming their commitment to fight terrorism and transnational crimes, India and Japan on Wednesday signed a joint declaration on security cooperation that will intensify interaction between their militaries and expand the scope of strategic dialogue between the two Asian powers.

Cooperation between coast guards, defence dialogue, coordination on issues relating to disarmament and non-proliferation and disaster management are some of crucial elements of the security cooperation pact signed here by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso.

Disaster map

According to the joint declaration, mechanisms will be underlined whereby there will be a strategic dialogue at the level of foreign ministers, the defence ministries and periodic consultations by the national security advisors of the two countries.

The coast guards in the two countries will cooperate in maritime security and safety. Bilateral consultations will be intensified to enhance cooperation in the crucial area of counter-terrorism. Japan has also agreed to help develop a tsunami disaster map in India. There will also be cooperation between the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency in the field of disaster management.

Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut have fashionista Rita Dhody to thank for their glamorous looks in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion. The designer, who plans to take a break after the film releases, says it has not been an easy job. “Once I took up the film, a lot of questions came to my mind. I could not stick to fashion trends in the film. I had to see that the looks don’t get outdated even after three years. It needed to appeal and be understood by all sections of society,” she says.

Rita has made the women, including newcomer Mugdha Godse, look like hot supermodels in the film. Her experience in the fashion industry for 25 years has definitely helped her. “My experience was my research,” she says. Priyanka’s look in the film goes through five subtle distinct phases. Her look starts with the character Meghna Mathur, a small town girl. Her model look is the second phase. Finally, she becomes a supermodel, which is her third look. The fourth look is when she starts becoming edgy and doesn’t care about her looks anymore. The way she comes back as a winner is her final look,” explains Rita.

Rita, who runs a company, Ananda has worked with almost all international brands like Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Armani and Dolce & Gabbana. “Unfortunately, while working on Fashion, I did not have much time. Madhur just called me and we just started work. It was so hectic and there were last minute changes to be handled. I had to style eleven shows in the movie,” informs Rita.

Manish Arora: Indian Style Fashion Circus

The Indian fashion designer Manish Arora, known for his wide activities in the field of art, presented his collection for spring/summer 2009 at the current Indian Fashion Week in Nfew Delhi.

We remember the designer from cooperation with the makeup giant MAC, and designing a limited edition collection for Swatch, as well as a shoe collection called “Fish Fry for Reebok”. He is known for his palette of live colours, strong contrasts and kitsch motifs, which are elements of his newest collection inspired by the circus. The sculptured silhouettes are decorated with traditional Indian techniques, like tying and lining up beads in patterns such as a wheel, spiral and circle.

This is how the wheel set his inspiration in motion, to make a dress that has a merry-go-round around the waist, inside of which is a circus presentation. The originality, the combination of things unable to be combined – tradition and the West, it is as if Arora remembers the first clown presentation he saw in his homeland, India. After 11 years since the founding of the brand Arora, he showed why he is considered to be the best Indian designer, and all who respect the concept that cherishes tradition and modernity for fashion purposes.

India Perfect From Start to End

Sachin Tendulkar’s record-breaking innings in Mohali on Friday, which saw him become the highest Test scorer of all time and the first man to pass 12,000 runs, was the foundation for a big total.

Sourav Ganguly was there to help him enjoy his celebration and went on to score a fighting century himself but it was the stand-in captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni who yesterday orchestrated India’s early push for victory with an attacking 92.

Good captains sense strategically important moments in the game and they act accordingly and Dhoni’s timing was absolutely perfect; not just with the bat but also his tactics.

Dhoni strode to the crease and immediately thwarted Australia’s ploy of unsettling the Indian batsmen with short-pitched bowling. He dispatched some glorious hook and pull shots to and over the boundary and not only did his brilliant counter-attack bring quick runs and thwart the Australian plan, it also boosted the confidence of Ganguly.

Where Ganguly had taken a couple on the body he suddenly started to pull the short stuff and their productive liaison provided India with a challenging total. With runs on the board, Dhoni then backed the bowlers with thoughtful field placings.

Zaheer Khan is now inside Matthew Hayden’s head and for the third time in this series he dismissed him cheaply. That was a big wicket for India but it got better when Ishant Sharma continued his mastery over Ricky Ponting, trapping him lbw. If the two Australians can’t reverse this trend it leaves India with a huge advantage.

Like a shark smelling blood, Dhoni took the opportunity to introduce debutant leg-spinner Amit Mishra with Australia’s two most aggressive batsmen back in the pavilion. This move paid immediate dividends as the leg-spinner claimed Simon Katich as his first victim in Test cricket.

There was a vibrancy about India’s play that included a much-improved fielding display and more aggressive field placings. Dhoni is a natural leader and he had one last trick up his sleeve.

In the last over he suggested Mishra go round the wicket to Michael Clarke and the batsman, expecting a delivery pitched in the rough was late getting his bat forward to a wrong’un. India had ambushed their fourth victim on a day where Dhoni’s timing had been perfect from start to finish.

Just like 2005 when the Australians struggled against good swing bowling they currently have their hands full with a confident and well-balanced Indian attack. With Dhoni’s inspiring leadership and a confident bowling attack there is every chance that Tendulkar’s record breaking match will become a dual celebration in conjunction with an impressive Indian victory.

Indian History

The history of India begins with the Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent, from c. 3300 to 1300 BCE. Its Mature Harappan period lasted from 2600-1900 BCE. This Bronze Age civilization collapsed at the beginning of the second millennium BCE and was followed by the Iron Age Vedic period, which extended over much of the Indo-Gangetic plains and which witnessed the rise of major kingdoms known as the Mahajanapadas. In one of these kingdoms Magadha, Mahavira and Gautama Buddha were born in the 6th century BCE, who propagated their Shramanic philosophies among the masses.

            Later, successive empires and kingdoms ruled the region and enriched its culture – from the Achaemenid Persian empire[1] around 543 BCE, to Alexander the Great[2] in 326 BCE. The Indo-Greek Kingdom, founded by Demetrius of Bactria, included Gandhara and Punjab from 184 BCE; it reached its greatest extent under Menander, establishing the Greco-Buddhist period with advances in trade and culture.The subcontinent was united under the Maurya Empire during the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. It subsequently became fragmented, with various parts ruled by numerous Middle kingdoms for the next ten centuries. Its northern regions were united once again in the 4th century CE, and remained so for two centuries thereafter, under the Gupta Empire. This period, of Hindu religious and intellectual resurgence, is known among its admirers as the “Golden Age of India.” During the same time, and for several centuries afterwards, Southern India, under the rule of the Chalukyas, Cholas, Pallavas and Pandyas, experienced its own golden age, during which Indian civilization, administration, culture, and religion (Hinduism and Buddhism) spread to much of south-east Asia.