Windows Live - I just don't get it.
Is it just me? Perhaps I'm just old (in web years) or did the web just get WAY more complicated than it needs to be? There's msn.com, there's MSN Messenger, there's Windows Messenger, there's Office Communicator, there's Hotmail, yada yada yada.
Tell me that this: http://ideas.live.com/ isn't going to confuse folks even more?
Why does Microsoft feel the need to release Yet Another Web Portal?
- Live Mail = GMail
- Live Favorites = del.icio.us
- Live Safety Center = McAfee, et. al.
- OneCare = ibid.
- Live Messenger = Skype
- Live = Google
P.S. The fact that http://www.live.com looks considerably different in my build of Firefox is really unfortunate given that everyone else seems to manage cross-browser at this point in the game.
P.P.S. Note the search on Live.com for "Hanselman" yields a #1 result for my old blog from 3 years ago. A blog I haven't updated in I don't know how long. Results #2 and #3 are for, some reason, sub-categories of my current blog.
P.P.P.S. Patrick says, "Ah, like My Yahoo. Welcome to 1996."
P.P.P.P.S. I typed in "PDX," the airport code for Portland Airport into the Weather Gadget and got Vancouver, WA. Stunning.
About Scott
Scott Hanselman is a former professor, former Chief Architect in finance, now speaker, consultant, father, diabetic, and Microsoft employee. He is a failed stand-up comic, a cornrower, and a book author.
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I really want a portal where I can put *-* stuff.
Plus RSS of course ;-)
Maybe this is a step in that direction.
Why can't I add a flickr gadget, a del.icio.us gadget etc etc? Hopefully I'll be able to soon.
I know that right now it seems to be a bit of a copy, but I'm holding off judgement for a while in the hope that we finally get a portal that is truly open. *
* Yeah, I know. I can hope though..
To be fair www.live.com does say that Firefox support is forthcoming at the top of the page.
Take a look at it in Safari, even better...
Still, I think the purpose was best described in Dare's post at: http://www.25hoursaday.com/weblog/PermaLink.aspx?guid=53565948-e358-4ced-b44e-2fb417136e5e where he says (trying to do this without HTML): As someone who works on MSN^H^H^H Windows Live products
In other words, little new here folks, keep playing and come back in a while for the good stuff.
Ian - there's already a basic Flickr gadget. Check it out in the gallery at http://www.microsoftgadgets.com
Those people aren't paid to do it either!
This is the main reason why I develop Javascript stuff in Firefox (with JS strict mode on!) then hack at it to get it working in IE. Perhaps the MSN red-vests should try that approach too. :)
You are far more liable to end up down an IE-only path if you are developing for IE from the start.
Gmail = Hotmail
Talk = MSN Messenger
Google = MSN Search
Google Maps = TerraServer
I'm sure I'm missing some.
All "knockoffs" of previous Microsoft releases.
The reason nobody (including me) sees it that way, is that Google made improvements to make theirs unique (well, I'm not so sure about Talk). So we don't accuse Google of copying MS.
Are you assuming that Live won't add any new features (does gmail have drag and drop folder management)? Why accuse MS of copying Google, or anyone else? They are building on the sucess of their predecessors; something EVERY good software developer should do.
The largest, most profitable software firm the world has ever known worked on something to show they "get it."
Is it wrong of me to have expected more?
I got that tingly feeling with Windows 3.1. The hairs went up with Windows 95. When Exchange made the jump it made me excited.
This bored me.
Where were the new ideas? The new ways of doing things? The better than the rest?
Was it supposed to be a "see what we're doing?" If so, I can see that from any number of other companies.
"*An error has occured importing your favorites.*"
"_Import failed. Error=6. Server version=11.0.1029. Exceeding maximum combined favorites and folder count.._"
Well, gosh... forgive me for having a lot... that's why I want to store them there, silly!
Infact, all company names in your posts which are not "Microsoft" answer that need :)
You just don't "get it" man. See, that's the new Microsoft message, at least as seen by Robert Scoble. If you don't immediately heap praise upon whatever new offering they have announced , be it live or the "ribbon", you just don't "get it". You're not smart enough to see the whole picture based on their brilliant marketing. You have to "wait and see", once they release something that is more obvious then your poor, addeled brain will grasp the enormity and greatness that is "live.com".
Just you wait. ;)
(P.S. I can't even use MS Virtual Earth or Mappoint to find a burger joint in Redmond consistantly and you expect MS to know that Vancouver is across the bridge in a whole other state! Talk about setting your expectations high!)
http://weblogs.asp.net/fmarguerie/archive/2005/11/03/429346.aspx
From a technical stand point, I must agree with you, Windows Live is nothing new under the sun. However, IMHO Windows Live is a major change in Microsoft business model. It is the recognition by Microsoft that it makes a lot of sense to sell software using advertising-supported model. This is the repetitive theme that kept jumping out at me when reading the press release was "advertising".
"Windows Live will primarily be delivered free to users and supported by advertising,"
It does not mean that Microsoft will stop selling Windows and Office the way it is today. I just mean that Microsoft want to get a major share of the WEB 2.0 market leads actually by Google. Microsoft must ensure that the revving web promoting on the client side the browser as THE platform will not run on something else than Windows OS. Just like Microsoft did for WEB 1.0 against Netscape, you should expect Microsoft to embrace and extent WEB 2.0 platform in a way that will ensure Windows OS to survive on the PC. And this is why, even if it is only a web portal, this free service has WINDOWS in its name. It will all start as an AJAX only web portal but expect XAML and WPF to follow in a near future.
Here is my post entry about Windows Live http://dotnet-expertise.com/cs/blogs/mario_cardinal/archive/2005/11/05/180.aspx
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