Microsoft paranoia...
Just a quick one to vent a bit about Microsoft... Apparently "Microsoft Plans E-Mail, IM, Blog, And Photo Sharing Suite". They plan to integrate all their Windows live products: IM, Hotmail, blog authoring, photo gallery, etc. into one suite
...says Brian Hall, the General Manager for Windows Live (qtd. in Hoover).
Well that all makes sense, and definitely we can already see blogs with integrated chatrooms, using Flikr, etc. And it does make sense to have an integrated product... however - what I see happening is that you may be lumped with a use one, use all policy (aka bundling). So, for example, I use Windows IM at the moment - against my will really, but because that's what most people I know use. This forces me to have a Hotmail account which I otherwise don't want. I can just imagine the Windows Live suite trying to install itself left, right and centre on my PC, taking up resources and making me search and fiddle with things to make it go away...
Basically, one day (hopefully) the internet would be something like phone lines, or the airwaves, where you can use different devices to connect and all would be interoperable. So I could use any IM to chat with anyone who has any other particular IM. The overwhelming dominance of Microsoft, however, makes this less likely - I really should go Open Source, Linux, etc. I have tried occasionally, but I do find them somewhat difficult to understand, not being very knowledgeable beyond standard applications... I don't have the confidence to be able to deal with inevitable glitches and problems.
++++++++++
Hoover, J. Nicholas. "Microsoft Plans E-Mail, IM, Blog, And Photo Sharing Suite". InformationWeek. 27 June 2007. 27 June 2007 http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=200001104
By creating a single suite and a single integrated service, it will become much easier for users to understand what Windows Live actually is. We're focused on making sure Windows Live is the best place for communicating, sharing and accessing things from anywhere and making sure you and your stuff is protected.
...says Brian Hall, the General Manager for Windows Live (qtd. in Hoover).
Well that all makes sense, and definitely we can already see blogs with integrated chatrooms, using Flikr, etc. And it does make sense to have an integrated product... however - what I see happening is that you may be lumped with a use one, use all policy (aka bundling). So, for example, I use Windows IM at the moment - against my will really, but because that's what most people I know use. This forces me to have a Hotmail account which I otherwise don't want. I can just imagine the Windows Live suite trying to install itself left, right and centre on my PC, taking up resources and making me search and fiddle with things to make it go away...
Basically, one day (hopefully) the internet would be something like phone lines, or the airwaves, where you can use different devices to connect and all would be interoperable. So I could use any IM to chat with anyone who has any other particular IM. The overwhelming dominance of Microsoft, however, makes this less likely - I really should go Open Source, Linux, etc. I have tried occasionally, but I do find them somewhat difficult to understand, not being very knowledgeable beyond standard applications... I don't have the confidence to be able to deal with inevitable glitches and problems.
++++++++++
Hoover, J. Nicholas. "Microsoft Plans E-Mail, IM, Blog, And Photo Sharing Suite". InformationWeek. 27 June 2007. 27 June 2007 http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=200001104