By trying to defend and extend its Windows and Office history, Microsoft missed the market shift.

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With the passing of time postcards have also become a part of our history, windows on a bygone world.

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Windows Mobile's history involved a close UI familiarity with the PC.

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The Windows Phone Team published a history of every new version pushed out to phones and what each one included.

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But stepping through the front door took you into another world - high ceilings, big bright windows and a sense of history - a third-floor home that would not look out of place in Paris.

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The property finally reopened as the Hotel Parq Central in 2010 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, thanks to its railway history and impressive Italianate architecture, featuring arched windows, a flat roof and exterior baluster staircases.

BBC: A hospital turned hotel in New Mexico

Throughout Office's history, it's been the most important set of Windows applications for Microsoft.

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Next month, the company will let the masses download and test a not-quite-finished version of Windows 8, which Ballmer has called the most important product in company history.

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Microsoft, with its history of corporate software sales, is still cultivating the business potential of search, but its forthcoming Windows Live product is expected to take a similar turn.

FORBES: Chief Executive Eric Schmidt