Friday, November 18, 2005 12:54 PM
Microsoft is sounding like a company at the crossroads. A couple of allegedly leaked memos from Microsoft's software visionaries, namely Bill Gates and Ray Ozzie, have been making the rounds on the web. The memos are focused on internet software services, which some are lumping into the bigger vision called Web 2.0. More specifically, the memos openly discuss the emergence of the web as a robust software platform and its potential to overtake the desktop (which obviously is Microsoft's bread and butter).
I definitely believe the memos are worth a read, even if you are not technically-inclined. If they are real (and many people in the media say they are), the memos clearly outline a recognition by Microsoft that it needs to change, and quickly, if it expects to be a technology leader in the future. The memos are being likened to Gates’ now famous 1995 memo entitled The Internet Tidal Wave. In that memo, Gates recognized that the emergence of the internet and the web was going to shake Microsoft's business model unless it adapted, and quickly. It is hard to argue that the company didn't meet his challenge.
And, looking at Microsoft's compelling beta site Live.com, it appears the company is already shifting gears for Web 2.0.
For all of us who will be using Web 2.0 applications, the potential is a much better user experience; faster, more connected, more powerful, and significantly easier to use.
If you are interested in reading more, here is the link to the memos, help yourself.