Trying to choose the right tool for a big data project? This chart (and three simple rules) can help guide you through the options.

Microsoft's aim with the Xbox One was to use as much Windows technology as possible, and when Windows Threshold appears, it should be theoretically possible to run a single piece of code on both platforms. Yet despite that Windows dependency and the need to run multiple apps in parallel, the Xbox One doesn't actually use Microsoft's Hyper-V virtualisation technology. This is why.

"What's the weather in Melbourne?" I ask Cortana, the newly-launched virtual personal assistant for Windows Phone 8.1. Given I'm in the US, I'm half-expecting to see the results from Melbourne, Florida. The reality is worse: I see the weather for Millburn, New Jersey, a place I have never heard of. This is the state-of-the-art for intelligent voice recognition when you're an Australian.

Back in 2011, Microsoft launched Roslyn, a project to expose its .NET Compiler as a series of services. Now that project has gone open source, alongside a move by Microsoft to group all its open source activities under a new banner: the .NET Foundation.

While the major focus of Build 2014 has been on Windows 8.1 Update and Windows Phone 8.1, the keynote also included glimpses at the next major release of Windows. We know that it will include the much-discussed return of the Start menu, but what else was revealed?

At its Build 2014 developer conference today, Microsoft announced the concept of "Universal Windows Apps": code that can run both as a desktop Windows app and on Windows phone devices. It sounds appealing for both developers and consumers, but the reality is a little messier than the vision.

The next version of Windows 8.1 doesn't have a fancy name -- it's just called Windows 8.1 Update. But when it comes out next week, it will dramatically improve how keyboard and mouse users actually interact with Windows. Here's what you need to know.

One of the most-hated aspects of Windows 8 was that it eliminated the Start Menu. After two years of users screaming, it seems Microsoft has finally listened: a future version of Windows will include the return of the Start menu in enhanced form.