Markets

Microsoft pulls rank — and makes its smartest move in years

Microsoft ditches stack ranking in employee reviews, but Machiavellian system reigns at Yahoo, Google, and Facebook

Oracle seeks Java performance boost, joins HSA Foundation

Oracle, which has already been working with HSA Foundation on projects, finally becomes a member

Cyanogen makes it easier to install alternate Android OS

Available on Google Play, CyanogenMod Installer app simplifies removal of your phone's version of Android, but still far from one-click process

Xamarin teams with Microsoft on cross-platform mobile development

Better integration between Xamarin tools, Visual Studio allows Windows developers to more easily build apps for iOS, Android

MICROSOFT kills employee-ranking system — GOOGLE bigger than newspaper and mag industries — NY TIMES brain drain: Bai, Stelter follow Pogue — MACRUMORS hacked

DOJ says Lavabit cannot prevent search warrants by ‘locking its front gate’

Email provider Lavabit shut down after being forced to give its encryption keys to the U.S. government

Microsoft, Google, Facebook furious after denied full view of government reply to FISA court

The companies were given only a heavily redacted version of the government's response to a request that they be allowed to publish info on data requests

The ‘Internet of things’ needs a lot of work

Connected devices, homes, and cars may make life easier in the long run, but they currently are often a chore to live with, says a panel of mobile experts

Oracle seeks Java performance boost, joins HSA Foundation

Oracle, which has already been working with HSA Foundation on projects, finally becomes a member

Windows XP update locks machines with SVCHOST redlined at 100%: Fix it with KB 2879017

Bug returns with recent patches in Windows XP's Windows Update processing, as SVCHOST pegs 100% CPU utilization