Mix07 is going to be interesting

I just saw a secret Microsoft project that I can't talk about (I was shown it in confidence by a Microsoft executive who was NOT named Ray Ozzie <g>). But, it's the kind of small thing that I was hoping to see at Mix that'd demonstrate that Microsoft has a Web strategy.

The thing I saw today, alone, isn't enough to be able to say Microsoft has a Web strategy (we gotta see several other things drop into place to be able to see that) but it IS enough to say that I'm excited about going to Mix07 now.

You going?

Well, that's a great.. tease.

Anyway, no. But I expect round the clock reporting for the geographically challenged.

Must win REMIX contest.

Bas wrote:

Anyway, no. But I expect round the clock reporting for the geographically challenged.

http://twittervision.com/ is the answer.

RobertScoble wrote:



Bas wrote: Anyway, no. But I expect round the clock reporting for the geographically challenged.

http://twittervision.com/ is the answer.

Ahhh! Not that time killer again!

RobertScoble wrote:

I just saw a secret Microsoft project that I can't talk about (I was shown it in confidence by a Microsoft executive who was NOT named Ray Ozzie <g>. But, it's the kind of small thing that I was hoping to see at Mix that'd demonstrate that Microsoft has a Web strategy.

I know exactly what that strategy is, and quite frankly I don't think it'll work. It looks to those inside Microsoft (and their sycophants) as something original to counter the gains made by {a certain company} after their initial approach in 2001 (which won them many fans, btw), but I see it as yet another contrived and poorly-conceived service. It'll go the same way as the Zune, after a year it'll drift into obscurity and be long forgotten.

Microsoft did something similar to this "strategy" in 1999 with Hotmail, I never really saw how it ended (but I know it didn't end spectacularly well either)

Scoble, methinks you need to fire up your ability to criticise Microsoft again, I don't know how you can say this demonstrates Microsoft has a working web strategy.

W3bbo wrote:


I know exactly what that strategy is...

Is it a mineral, animal, or vegetable?

Is it bigger than a bread box?

Is it bread?

Is it a box?

Web 2.0's played out.  People need better things to buy, not better ways to buy things.

W3bbo wrote:



RobertScoble wrote: I just saw a secret Microsoft project that I can't talk about (I was shown it in confidence by a Microsoft executive who was NOT named Ray Ozzie <g>. But, it's the kind of small thing that I was hoping to see at Mix that'd demonstrate that Microsoft has a Web strategy.

I know exactly what that strategy is, and quite frankly I don't think it'll work. It looks to those inside Microsoft (and their sycophants) as something original to counter the gains made by {a certain company} after their initial approach in 2001 (which won them many fans, btw), but I see it as yet another contrived and poorly-conceived service. It'll go the same way as the Zune, after a year it'll drift into obscurity and be long forgotten.

Microsoft did something similar to this "strategy" in 1999 with Hotmail, I never really saw how it ended (but I know it didn't end spectacularly well either)

Scoble, methinks you need to fire up your ability to criticise Microsoft again, I don't know how you can say this demonstrates Microsoft has a working web strategy.

Feel free to explain what this "strategy" is, please.

>Anyway, what are you talking about?

I can't say, sorry. I was shown in confidence and the person showing it to me didn't have approval to show it to me.

I seriously doubt anyone else outside of Microsoft has seen it. Certainly not W3bbo. It's not a copy of something anyone else has done.

I'll tell you what it was at Mix.

>
Microsoft did something similar to this "strategy" in 1999 with Hotmail, I never really saw how it ended (but I know it didn't end spectacularly well either)

What I saw today is NOT a strategy. It's just a neat "little" thing. If I see six more "little" things like the one I saw today, THEN we might call it a "strategy."

As to how Hotmail ended? In the past 30 days about 200 million people have used Hotmail.

I wish +I+ had a few strategies that ended that way.

Didn't hotmail just change it's name to Windows Live Hotmail or did I miss something?

>I've been one of the most vocal about the lengths he's recently gone to slam us.

Microsoft has deep problems. If you think it doesn't, just read http://minimsft.blogspot.com/ sometime.

Attacking me will make you feel better, but it won't make those problems go away.

Great to know you'll kiss me everytime I say something nice about Microsoft and pull out the attack guns everytime I say something nasty.

Personally, I'll call them as I see them. Sometimes Microsoft sucks, sometimes it is brilliant.

I'm still hoping I see a real Internet strategy. Today's secret demo was a small start, but a long way from competing with Google and with the startup culture that even Ballmer is worried about (cause it continues to run away from Microsoft's platforms).

Robert Scoble
http://www.scobleshow.com (Star developer Joel Spolsky is on my show today).

Charles wrote:

Plus, you'll finally get to hear what Ozzie has been noodling on for so long...C

How can you be sure that his team is going to be finished by then? I sure hope he doesn't get pressure to come out with unfinished code.

Microsoft made that mistake with Longhorn (hyping it up before it was really ready to be hyped up). I was wrong to take part in that, but I really didn't know just how bad it was. From looking at the demos I thought it was ready. I, and others, are going to be far more skeptical the next time around.

I know Ray's team is working hard to remain quiet until they have real code to ship. But, anyone in development knows how hard it is to really nail a date. Since Mix was planned a long time ago, I don't want Ray to feel pressure to talk about something that's vapor. If he does, he'll really blow his team's chances at getting the world's attention.

That all said, I really hope he hits a grand slam home run at Mix. If he doesn't, there will definitely be chatter about Microsoft's Internet Strategy failures yet again. No matter how pissed Rory gets.

W3bbo wrote:



RobertScoble wrote: I just saw a secret Microsoft project that I can't talk about (I was shown it in confidence by a Microsoft executive who was NOT named Ray Ozzie <g>. But, it's the kind of small thing that I was hoping to see at Mix that'd demonstrate that Microsoft has a Web strategy.

I know exactly what that strategy is, and quite frankly I don't think it'll work. It looks to those inside Microsoft (and their sycophants) as something original to counter the gains made by {a certain company} after their initial approach in 2001 (which won them many fans, btw), but I see it as yet another contrived and poorly-conceived service. It'll go the same way as the Zune, after a year it'll drift into obscurity and be long forgotten.

Microsoft did something similar to this "strategy" in 1999 with Hotmail, I never really saw how it ended (but I know it didn't end spectacularly well either)

Scoble, methinks you need to fire up your ability to criticise Microsoft again, I don't know how you can say this demonstrates Microsoft has a working web strategy.

Uh... Scoble has been criticizing Microsoft lately.

I've been one of the most vocal about the lengths he's recently gone to slam us.

Frankly, I find this message very welcome. There's already enough crap going on.

Anyway, what are you talking about? It's the end of the day, my brain is dead from a long day (and night), and I'm not doing a good job of guessing...

>Obviously, nobody talks about technologies that aren't ready to be disclosed publicly.

You forget PDC 2003. In hindsight those technologies (WinFS, which was later killed). And others, were discussed. Oh, and the PDC in 2001 where Hailstorm was discussed. In hindsight if Microsoft had kept developing Hailstorm (with a freaking better name) it might have had a great answer to Amazon's S3, which is taking the startup world by storm right now.

Robert Scoble