Steve Ballmer - Quick chat with Microsoft's CEO | scobleizer

Nata1
.Search - Google Appliance killer

they released the desktop search api (silently) - maybe we'll get a webservice api for internet searches

There was that namespace that disappeared, System.Search - whatever happened to that?

Well search is not something that you would ever want to be in the framework, it would have to be an outside api. There should be a single API where you can spider a couple million pages if you have 10 gigs free sql space - and if you want to override text extraction, the developer can write their own module to plug in, want to implement your own ranking algorithm, plug in a module, want to use your own stemmer? plug a module in.

Personally, I'm going with Community Server by Telligents 100%, even from winform apps - because of the module architecture, and dataprovider architecture

Like if I ship a product and include my help files, I can use the html generator, or I could use a much more powerful system that uses an embedded web server running on the cd-rom - and I could ask full text questions, and when I'm authoring this help, I could quickly alter the default ranking, sticky certain pages so they always come up first, etc. and I could keep my entire corpus in xml.

In order to beat Google at relevancy, it's going to take getting developers on their side, to develop solutions as they arise. Whoever heard of tagging a year ago? I didn't - or Social Search? Or the next cool blog feature of tommorrow that allows relevancy to take off. Yes, relevancy is about a bunch of algorithms, Googles got em and Microsoft is throwing dozens of C++ programmers at the problem (and hiring some awesome Gurus, some of my personal heros like Selberg) but their missing the point that its not about how many C++ developers you throw at the problem, its the tools that you give to the .Net community, and let them innovate as new 'things' arrise. Google and MSN relevancy right now is all about SEO and changing some constants in the ranking algorithms rather than going after the real problem

The REAL problem is that we do have the capability to handle relevancy. You and I. But we're not given the chance. It shouldn't be Google vs MSN Search. It should be Google vs MSN Search solutions - where MSN just takes care of the hefty work of basic spidering and indexing of the entire internet and serving up search results, but where WE have control over our own ranking if we want, where we can use that huge corpus in our own apps in different ways than your typical web search - where dozens of smaller companies start popping up that would use the MSN Search service, pull a thousasand pre-ranked hits (with basic ranking control), and then WE rank ourselfs - so tommorrow when some new Social Search innovation comes out of nowhere, new companies can use MSN Search and implement their own ranking solution.

I've already proven that its possible, and Selsberg works for Microsoft now - he created the Meta Crawler which is very similar in concept back in 96.

So there's alot that Microsoft could be doing that its not doing and that it probably won't be doing, but we can hope Smiley

I'd give anything for 5 minutes with Steve to tell him why I think MSN Search is doomed, and some simple, cheap steps that can be taken to make it happen (succeed) - throwing dozens of gifted C++ developers at the problem isn't going to solve things - but put a couple thousand C# and VB developers on the task - a couple dozen outside vendors on the task, and create that environment Today, and there will be no Google tommorrow because there's no way they could keep up.

Sorry for the Rant!

IanD

He certainly has enthusiasm!
Great interview Robert. channel 9 videos are great, Keep up the good work

Ian
The Windows Media Center Show

buggy123

I'm surprised that so many people here (well, OK, I guess not really) find him compelling. Ballmer seems manic to me. I also don't find him to be particularly inspiring as a developer. He is a business guy right?

Of course I got here from a Slashdot posting.

In about 2 weeks I will be purchasing a Power Mac. My first ever Apple. I have Visual Studio on every computer I use and around 3 months ago I got my company to start using C# for an application I am the lead developer on. So I'm not anti-Microsoft.

However, I think Microsoft is really missing the "average user" need on the desktop.

If Apple can find a strategy that allows them to get in more homes (the Intel switch could help) then I say Microsoft is in real trouble in the home-user market.

Backwards compatability is great, but in the home it's only useful for 3-5 years (IMHO). So, instead we get the same bloated OSes that power business computers. The home OS needs to be A LOT more nible and forward thinking. Unfortunately I'm not sure the monolith that is M$ can actually recognize this need and effectively deal with it.

I think a new strategy is needed in the home. What about a site license for the home as well? A big factor for me was when I looked at upgrades from one version of an Apple OS for 3-5 computers (which is what I normally have at home) compared to an upgrade for those same 3-5 computers from one version of Windows to the next, the cost is like a difference of a factor of 3-4. Of course there's a lot of factors there, Apple has a more frequent release schedule, but that means I can deal with the cost yearly instead of every three years. Helps the financial impact seem smaller.

Wow, this turned in to quite a ramble. I guess that's what happens at 7:28 A.M. when hurricane Dennis is threatening to take you out. Smiley

V.graziano

Hi guys how are you? My name is Vincenzo and I am Italian. I write from Sheffield (UK) where I study marketing. I was watching Steve Ballmer interview. He positively impressed me. He didn’t look like a CEO, it was like I knew him since a long time.

Actually, at first Steve Ballmer looked like my uncle Nicola in Italy and I said “UNCLE NICOLA IS MICROSOFT CEO AND I DIDN’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT?! He can probably help me with my dissertation!” But then I realised that it wasn’t my uncle. I will have to cope with this sorrow for the rest of my life, eh eh eh J

Joking aside I enjoyed the interview. As marketing student I have to appreciate Ballmer natural communication skills to promote his company. Also, I think it is great when a CEO finds the time to listen to his employees especially in a big company like Microsoft. I would like to add something to what Ballmer said about innovation. I think that innovation is not only interactive television, messenger, live communicator and the real-time stuff. Don’t get me wrong guys, these things are important. But they cannot be the only form of innovation we value. I make an example. During the master in marketing that I am currently attending I have participated to a project with IBM UK. We have studied the technology that IBM has developed to help people with disabilities (blind, hearing impaired, with a low vision and so on) use IT applications that we can all use today. I think that this technology doesn’t have a great impact on IBM revenue but still is “technology that matters”…to society. It is still great innovation. Ballmer said about IBM "I don’t think they’ve done much interesting at all”. Mr Ballmer let me disagree with you. I think that technology that helps people with disabilities is very interesting. I don’t work for IBM and, believe or not, I have no interest to promote this company; yes I am studying this company for my dissertation but I consider myself a free thinker like you guys.

By the way, I like your blog. Keep it up guys and hope to participate more to the discussions on channel 9 eh eh eh eh eh J

Vincenzo Graziano

hzjpmp

Congrats gang. As they said in "Wallstreet" - you "bagged the elephant!" - Ballmer that is, not Gecko. Great work.

elmimmo

A little off-topic.

Orbit86 wrote:
what I hate from MS is that they create to kill other competitors.. Acrylic - Photoshop Virtual PC - VMware

I am a Mac OS X user and was once a Windows user (up to 98, although I've fiddled with XP). It's not that I dislike Windows. I simply like Mac OS X better. This is just to state that I am not particularly pro-MS (and neither I consider myself anti-MS). In any case, those two apps were already far in development before MS acquired them. In relation to Virtual PC, neither Connectix, VMWare Inc or MS invented hardware virtualization, so giving more credit to VMWare than to VPC is, IMHO, unfair (VPC is here since 1997, no idea about VMWare). In relation to Acrylic (formerly Expression), if you consider it to be competition to Photoshop, you simply have used neither professionally. Both serve different ends and might even complement each other. I do grant you, though, that acquiring Expression seemed to lead to killing any further development for the Mac OS version (read Apple & Logic or Shake…). I still have hopes, since Acrylic is in beta stage. And I do agree with you that MS had and still has in many areas that strategy. It's just that I do not think those two products are representative for that. PS:Excuse me for the lack of formatting. No idea why it is happening…

alanc5

This is why Microsoft will never lose at anything, he's a true leader- I fealt inspired from the minute he sat down. Great answers right off the cuff.

What a cool guy, a ball of energy with a passion his company.

*sniff*

I could cry, I love Microsoft! Go Steve!