A New Outlook on RSS
RSS feeds are all the rage, which is why I am embarrassed to admit that I don’t
subscribe to any (what are your favorite feeds? E-mail me at
[email protected]).
Microsoft either wants to control RSS or make is easier for us by
adding
RSS aggregation to Outlook 12 late next year.
The Future According to Ozzie
When Microsoft bought Groove Networks, there were two prevailing theories about
Ray Ozzie. Many saw Ozzie as the next Bill Gates, while others felt Ray would
bail after the minimum term of his contract expired and start another company.
It seems like the first theory is making more sense as the 50-year-old Ozzie
continues to increase his influence, in a very positive way, on Microsoft.
One of the more positive aspects is that Ozzie is pretty open about his work.
In his newly revived blog,
he talks about the role of his brother Jack in developing skunk works kinds
of projects, some of which may be free on the Web, and seems to emphasize “services-enhanced
software” rather than software as a pure service. He also has some tantalizing
hints about the role of Groove in boosting Office 12. My guess is that Microsoft
bought Groove almost purely to improve Office and keep the competition from
devouring its desktop productivity monopoly.
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The part that killed me is his mention of an idea I used to bore people with
15 years ago. At that time the Amiga was a pretty sweet video computer. Beyond
being able to do what today’s Tivos can do, like digitizing everything
on your TV, computers like the Amiga made it feasible to have real-time hookups
between homes. This way you can drink with your friends and not get arrested
driving home.
Ozzie was talking about what he calls “tele-presence” so he can
be with his wife in Boston when he’s in Redmond. I don’t mind a
bit if it’s Microsoft that makes this dream come true.
Google Buys Market Share
Critics like to point to the ways that Microsoft buys its way into market, but
guess who just spent a billion dollars for the privilege of being the No. 1
search engine for millions of AOL customers? If you read the headline, you already
know the answer -- it’s
Google. Of course, Google may be the No. 1 search engine for AOL users,
but what browser are most of them using?
About the Author
Doug Barney is editor in chief of Redmond magazine and the VP, editorial director of Redmond Media Group.