Back in 2006 both Nintendo and Sony stated in public that they were switching to reporting actual sales to customer numbers. Googling only finds references to the original statements by Nintendo and Sony and not the original statements.

However, just a month or so ago Sony once again reiterated that they only report actual sales:

http://news.spong.com/article/19131/SCEE-Clarifies-PS3-Install-Base-Maths

"We calculate our install base by 'sell through' and have done for the last four years I believe", we asked for a little additional clarification...

"We classify 'sell through' as the number of units consumers have actually purchased from retail. 'Sell in' is the number of units we've sold to retail."

Didn't check for a recent statement by Nintendo, but I assume they still report actual sales.

Microsoft remains the only one who still tries to pass off their shipments of stock to retailers as actual sales to customers. Basically pads the worldwide installed base of the Xbox 360 by a couple million units.

100 million dollars did nothing to stop Bing from failing. This next desperation move by Ballmer won't save the floundering Bing.

"recommended that government agencies dump Microsoft"

The contract win is good for Google. But the recomendation to dump Microsoft across the board is huge.

Microsoft appears to be taking this path for exiting the console market:

1. Close down existing first party studios

2. Stop putting any but the minimum resources into the existing 360

3. Retarget Rare and Lionhead into Wii/casual focused developers

4. Use existing 360 online and other fees to pay for the relauch of the same 360 hardware with motion controls add on

5. Hype the motion control like mad until late 2010 since they really have almost nothing coming out on the 360

Microsoft isn't Nintendo anymore than Apple. There just isn't the culture and people there to create a wildly popular device and ecosystem like the iPod and Wii. But going up against Sony has been a costly many billion dollar disaster for Microsoft. Even something as basic as deciding the next gen movie format couldn't be won with the Xbox 360 as when Sony whiped Toshiba and Microsoft's HD-DVD right out of the market. So much for 'owning the living room'.

The execs up in Redmond must have looked back and billions in losses over the last eight years and said "Enough." Time to move on. Leave the console market to Sony. Losing to Nintendo is much cheaper than losing to Sony.

Nintendo -> Apple
Wii -> iPod
Xbox 360 with motion controls -> Zune

"What is the real use of getting a man to Mars"

There isn't.

Thankfully the people running our space program are grown ups and are only giving the idiotic 'send people to Mars so we can all watch them plant a flag' bullshit lip service and focusing on actually important space goals.

The exciting near term space technology and goals are orbital manned/robotic construction/repair and eventual manufacturing and a permanent manned base on the Moon.