There's a lot of hype right now about Web 2.0. This is a way for Microsoft to take control of the noise. |
There's long been concern about privacy on the Internet. What's different now is there is more criminal activity on the Internet. |
There's money to be made off browsers, in part because of search. The browser may be a giveaway, but it's a freebee people use to access content they are willing to pay for or advertisers are willing to subsidize. |
There's no question that Microsoft needed to do something. |
They don't just want it to look good, they want it to sound good, too. Why have the boring PC 'beep' when even the basic sounds of the operating system can be an experience? |
This is phase 2. Phase 1 was withholding certain things, such as downloads. But that wasn't going to make sure that people get legal, so they went on to the next phase. Now Microsoft's going to remind them at boot, when the system wakes from sleep, that there's something funky about their Windows. |
Unlike Windows Vista, I also don't see any major disturbance caused by 2007 delivery of the next Office version. Microsoft is smart to release both products together. |
We are reaching a point where the search engine becomes the basic interface for everything on a PC or computing system, including launching applications or files as well as finding information. |
We've got new versions coming next year. And Microsoft has the tough sell of convincing existing business customers and consumers that what they have isn't good enough. |
What these services do differently is protect the messaging environment. |
What Wallop is trying to create is a service that introduces 'real world' visual cues about the relationships to the online community. |
When I look at Linux, the playing field isn't level because Microsoft is the incumbent. |
When you introduce something new, it disrupts, and this increases things like help desk costs and employee downtime. So, to get to the benefits that come with this, they have to get past whatever retraining will be needed around the new user interface and any hardships around the new file format, which are always disruptive. These are two big hurdles Microsoft has to get around. |
When you own a shopping mall and someone sets up a small business alongside of it, you still own the shopping mall. |
While most companies understand the need to archive e-mails, they often overlook the need to archive instant messages. If there's a security breach with respect to messaging and the company doesn't properly archive the messages, it could lead to compliance problems. |