MS-DOS and later Windows as the dominant operating system for the personal computer thanks to its own pioneering efforts, the brilliance of its business strategy and the network effects that give a single standard inherent advantages over any rivals.

ECONOMIST: Busted | The

Microsoft is tinkering with a technology called Stuff I've Seen that will pull results from the Web along with one's own computer and its network. (Microsoft claims this won't make personal files viewable by the public.) Google's Internet Explorer toolbar tracks the sites users surf and relays the addresses back to headquarters.

FORBES: Google Me Not

The hackers installed malware which enabled them to access any computer using the New York Times network, steal the password of every employee, and access 53 personal computers, mostly outside the Times offices.

BBC: New York Times 'hit by hackers from China'