It's Microsoft's turn: With hardware makers thinking greener, pressure is on for the software giant

In case you didn't catch this on the news portion of the ZDNet site, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer actually had some things to say in Germany this week about the company's energy-efficiency and otherwise green tech intentions.

The company has been criticized for its "power-hungry" software, including the new Vista. Although the operating system includes features that ostensibly make for better power management, its hardware requirements are ridiculous from a green tech standpoint and essentially force an upgrade of many systems. The good news, of course, is that those upgrades will have the effect of making companies that ARE investing in Vista greener from a desktop tech standpoint.

In any event, comparatively speaking, Microsoft has been very quiet on the green front. Oracle and Google have been way more visible with their public comments and investments. But now that the big hardware vendors have made green design points a bigger focus, the developer needs to get its green act together, especially when it comes to delivering its software as a service that can be managed by thin clients.