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March 5, 2008 9:00 AM PST

Ballmer: Microsoft is thinking green

Ballmer: Microsoft is thinking green
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Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said more efficient use of IT is one of his company's main priorities for the future--despite the fact that the software giant has been criticized by some for producing processor-hungry software.

Speaking Monday at the CeBit technology show in Hannover, the Microsoft chief described how the software maker is collaborating with German nuclear power provider Yello Strom. Yello Strom's managing director, Martin Vesper, demonstrated a "Yello-saving counter"--a Vista widget that lets consumers monitor their home power via a PC.

Ballmer explained that PCs and other technology still consume far too much electricity. "The lowering of energy consumption is as important for us as new uses of software and IT for the environment," Ballmer said.

Microsoft cited a study by the U.K.'s PC Pro Labs, which found that for a company with 200 PCs, running Windows Vista on the machines produced 45 tons less of carbon per year than running XP. As far as Microsoft is concerned, Windows Vista is the most efficient operating system the company has delivered.

However, a recent survey by U.S. IT services company Softchoice claimed Vista is the most power-hungry Windows desktop so far. The report said that at Windows XP's launch, for example, the minimum CPU requirements were 75 percent greater than those for the operating system it replaced, Windows 2000. Vista's minimum CPU requirements are 243 percent larger than that of XP.

The Softchoice survey also showed that of 113,000 desktops checked from more than 400 U.S. organizations, 50 percent of the machines wouldn't be able to meet the basic Vista requirements. The U.K.'s Green Party has also criticized Vista for requiring "more expensive and energy-hungry hardware, passing the cost on to consumers and the environment."

Dietmar Mueller of ZDNet Germany reported from Hannover.

See more CNET content tagged:
Hannover, Steve Ballmer, CeBit, Microsoft Windows Vista, requirement

Add a Comment (Log in or register) 8 comments
What?
by MadKiwi March 5, 2008 11:14 AM PST
This from a company that brings out new versions of software that encourage the purchase of new machines, relegating old ones to scrap because the versions of Windows they run perfectly adeqautely are no longer, or shortly won't be, supported by Microsoft thus rendering them too dangerous to use in terms of viruses, malware and trojans...
Reply to this comment
Reason for less polution
by beldon2 March 5, 2008 11:48 AM PST
Microsoft cited a study by the U.K.'s PC Pro Labs, which found that for a company with 200 PCs, running Windows Vista on the machines produced 45 tons less of carbon per year than running XP.

Mhe most reasonable reason is likely that up to half of the computers no longer worked?????
Reply to this comment
Microsoft is thinking green because...
by t8 March 5, 2008 1:52 PM PST
Microsoft is thinking green because Google is.

Microsoft's cutting edge plan for moving forward is to copy Google.

They spend billions on research and development and all they can do with that is copy Google.
Reply to this comment
Microsoft should convert to Linux
by t8 March 5, 2008 2:05 PM PST
Microsoft should convert to Linux because Linux processing needs less resources than Windows. Just ask Yahoo or Google.

Windows isn't as green as Linux.
Reply to this comment
thinking green?
by givmebackmymoney March 6, 2008 9:23 AM PST
Green as in more money they can steal from the consumer?
Reply to this comment
Microsoft's idea of "green"
by Get_Bent March 6, 2008 11:17 AM PST
When Microsoft is thinking green, it's along the lines of "How can we squeeze more money out of our customers?" Anything else is just a PR campaign....
Reply to this comment
Yesteryear News ....
by petermpham2003 March 6, 2008 6:14 PM PST
M$ has always been thinking GREEN. This is the
only thing they have been thinking.
Reply to this comment
Going Green? Sounds Like A Load To Me !
by CashGiftSite com March 7, 2008 7:48 PM PST
It's gonna take alot of scrubs to turn a software giant green. Mabey they meant they'll put a juicer in the break room. lol
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