We had been covering quite often recently about the challenges that lay ahead of Microsoft Opensource & Microsoft, Microsoft loses API war, Bandwidth is microsft's enemy, Future of Microsoft.
Steve Rubel writes from being a Microsoft fan – he is now considering dumping Microsoft for meeting his needs. Steve reasons that today, the Web is where the action is. It's the new OS. This means one can safely return to - the Mac - and yet still experience most, if not all of the hot new applications that are being built on AJAX on G4 PowerBook. In addition, there is no need to put up with patches, viruses, spyware, slowdowns, bloated registries anymore. While Microsoft is beginning to embrace RSS, & Longhorn will be hot and it will get many more people using feeds. But by the time Longhorn comes out (next year?) Microsoft will be less relevant than before. More people will be gravitating to the new wave of Web applications built on AJAX. Many of these applications will suffice as a more than adequate replacement for the 2% of Microsoft's product features they use regularly. The success of Gmail and Backpack - not to mention Socialtext and Wikipedia show the dawn of a new world.
In essence, Steve thinks Microsoft needs to make big bet like in the past & suggests focussing a lot more on Web 2.0. So far, Microsoft has been largely absent from this party – and urges Microsoft to incentivize the best talent within and start embracing the Web as OS. MSN Virtual Earth looks like a good start - but lot more is needed . Steve highlights the new world that Yahoo(Through Flickr), Google( Ajax & other initiatives(guessing google office)is taking where Microsoft is not present at all.While this is more or less repeat of what several others are saying, the very fact that we are hearing more of such things definitely portend to a change that is happening - wherein Microsoft may not have an incumbent advantage nor seen to be the pioneer - forcing to fight in to find a place for itself. To be fair to Microsoft - they are trying - we recently covered Windows Desktop Search APIs –Mashups & Web2.0 - this is clealry a Web 2.0 related initiative - the point is these are small advancements compared to what others are doing and what perhaps needs to get done..
Category :Microsoft
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