[WesternCulture]

Especially over here in Sweden, it is often pointed out that none of my nation's large, globally successful companies in fact was founded after WWII (However, IKEA was founded during that war, which perhaps says something about the business skills of founder Mr. Ingvar Kamprad).

Skype, founded in 2003, is the most evident exception to that rule so far - whatever happens now when Microsoft is in charge of the company.

Since the wake of the 1990’s, when more or less everyone in crisis-stricken Sweden begun to realize something was severely wrong with our traditional, Socialist, cradle-to-grave welfare society, the economical development of Sweden has been considerably strong. Today, Sweden's annual GDP-growth is the strongest of all fully industrialized nations (up 7.3% from fourth quarter 2009 to fourth quarter 2010) and entrepreneurship is on the rise.

This development has been guided by low corporate taxes, major income tax cuts (for all segments of the population), close collaboration between universities, business life and various levels of government as well as major investments in areas like infrastructure and education.

The success of the Swedish IT industry and the rise of Stockholm as one of the World's major IT hubs might never have taken place if Sweden would have continued to rely on the kind of political model Obama today is working hard to introduce on American soil..

[iowamark]

I know a lot of people who use Skype, but only because it is free. What a business model!

[Cronos]

I’m not sure this is a good thing.

[firebrand]

Maybe they won’t make the mistake that eBay made and will hold themselves back from selling off 80% to hedge funds.

[Incorrigible]

This is great news! Microsoft Lync for business customers is shows great innovation in communications. Though Windows Live Messenger would eventually benefit from those innovations, buying Skype with its installed base and expertise in the consumer space can result in benefits for both corporate users and home users.

[paulycy]

Have Your Say Every Day.

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Make Yours NOW and End the FReepathon!

[thecodont]

In related news

http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PG01&p=1&S1=20110153809&OS=20110153809&RS=20110153809

United States Patent Application 20110153809
Kind Code A1
Ghanem; George ; et al. June 23, 2011
Legal Intercept

Abstract

Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to silently recording communications. In aspects, data associated with a request to establish a communication is modified to cause the communication to be established via a path that includes a recording agent. Modification may include, for example, adding, changing, and/or deleting data within the data. The data as modified is then passed to a protocol entity that uses the data to establish a communication session. Because of the way in which the data has been modified, the protocol entity selects a path that includes the recording agent. The recording agent is then able to silently record the communication.

Inventors: Ghanem; George; (Redmond, WA) ; Bizga; Lawrence Felix; (Monroe, WA) ; Khanchandani; Niraj K.; (Redmond, WA)
Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
Redmond WA

Serial No.: 645485
Series Code: 12
Filed: December 23, 2009