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MS To Launch Internet Versions of Office And Windows

daria42 writes "In a press conference this morning, Bill Gates said Microsoft plans to launch Internet-based complements to its core products, dubbed 'Windows Live' and 'Office Live'. Windows Live is a set of Internet-based personal services, such as e-mail, blogging and instant messaging. It will be primarily supported by advertising and be separate from the operating system itself. Office Live will come in both ad-based and subscription versions that augment MS' Office suite. The programs won't replace the paid software but instead seem aimed at diminishing Google's ad revenue. Windows Live already appears to have 'gone live' in a preview format on the web."

27 of 530 comments (clear)

  1. That can't be Microsoft by Psionicist · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Firefox Users
    Firefox support is coming soon. Please be patient :-)

    . Did I read that right? MS supporting Firefox?

    Hmm. Cool.

    1. Re:That can't be Microsoft by Juanvaldes · · Score: 4, Insightful

      As long as they hurt google they will do almost anything. Besides, they can break compatibility later.

    2. Re:That can't be Microsoft by inburito · · Score: 4, Funny

      Not only that, but top feed is slashdot. This is surreal!

    3. Re:That can't be Microsoft by AKAImBatman · · Score: 5, Funny

      It works! Really! All you need is the flash plugin, and even FireFox can run Microsoft Windows Live!

    4. Re:That can't be Microsoft by dindi · · Score: 4, Funny

      actually I tried it with firefox and it seems to be working just fine...

      actually I just tried IE : A runtime Error has occured. Do you wish to Debug?

      Line:2
      Error: 'fun' is undefined :)

      HAHAHHHHAHAHA

    5. Re:That can't be Microsoft by ToasterofDOOM · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Despite what you and almost every other /.er would love to think, MS isn't inherenty bad. They have just made more mistakes than others, but that can change. Did you ever stop to think that they might just want to do something right? That they might want to experiment with new technologies? That this is actually pretty cool? No? Didn't think so.

      --
      I am Spartacus
    6. Re:That can't be Microsoft by Baricom · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Microsoft has made so many mistakes at the past, that they've lost the trust of customers. To regain that trust, they need to make a number of correct decisions in a row. Keep in mind that even more people distrust Microsoft than complain about the quality of their software, so even if they stop making "mistakes," they still need to work to re-gain customer goodwill.

    7. Re:That can't be Microsoft by patternjuggler · · Score: 5, Funny

      MS isn't inherenty bad. They have just made more mistakes than others, but that can change. Did you ever stop to think that they might just want to do something right?

      People who stay in abusive relationships all sound exactly alike...

  2. Bill Gates was quoted as saying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    This has absolutely nothing to do with the reason news of Goo.... Goooo... Ggggg... I can't say the name... but it has nothing to do with them and their work with Open Office.

  3. Go for it, Microsoft... by Saeed+al-Sahaf · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Why would anyone PAY for something they can't have? And what happens to those Word docs when your subscription runs out? Read only and no copy/paste?

    All I can say is "Microsoft, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE 'bet the farm' on this".

    --
    "Who are in control, they are not in control of anything - they don't even control themselves!" - Glen Beck
    1. Re:Go for it, Microsoft... by jm92956n · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Sun called: they want their dumb terminals idea back.

      The market has repeatedly shown that there is no interest in the concept of remote software or slimmed down computers. People really do like their personal computers. I had thought Microsoft understood this well, though it looks as if I've now been proven wrong. Are customers asking for this?

      --
      An effective signature identifies a particular user amongst a base of thousands.
  4. Hope it don't use ajax or java script by codepunk · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I hope they don't plan on using ajax or java script to do it. The IE java script interpreter is so damn slow it is like watching paint dry. I just tried to build a large scale app using a java script interface kit and failed. It failed not because the program was bad, as a matter of fact it was damn snappy in firefox. Then I did the unthinkable and loaded it up in IE, slow as mud to the point of being totally unusable. The next person that tells me how great IE is, I am going to punch in the teeth.

    --


    Got Code?
  5. That sound you hear... by pedantic+bore · · Score: 5, Funny
    ... is your local broadband company throwing a party.

    Unless they can really trim the fat, this will be the biggest motivation for broadband since pr0n.

    --
    Am I part of the core demographic for Swedish Fish?
  6. Re:Ripping off Google by Otter · · Score: 5, Informative
    Windows Live is a painfully bad rip off of Google's Personal Homepage. It all just Microsoft up to their old tricks: copy someone elses idea then try to extend it.

    That's what used to be known as a "portal". About 10 years ago, anyone who could slap together a page like that could instantly IPO for a billion dollars. It's hardly something Google invented.

  7. I love marketing-talk by kebes · · Score: 5, Funny

    "This advertising model has emerged as a very important thing," Gates said.

    Translation: "We really missed the boat on that one, and are desperately trying to catch up."

    "The live phenomenon is not just about Microsoft. It's partners, it's competitors...the whole space is being transformed."

    Translation: "I woke up one day and suddenly there was this technology company making alot of money... and to my surprise it wasn't Microsoft! I knew I had to take over that tech sector ASAP so I asked someone what all this 'online' stuff was about."

  8. Re:Ripping off Google by Chokolad · · Score: 5, Informative

    Google personal homepage showed up waaay after Microsoft experiments in this kind of homepage under http://start.com./ Talk about revisionist history...

  9. You know what this means? by thepotoo · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Microsoft is getting really desperate. They are downright paranoid about us slashdotters, as well they should be. Firefox support (I hope soon) probably means Linux support (interesting... an alternative to WINE, or just useless?) means that they are really panicy about the google situation.

    Also, is it just me, or does firefox do the same thing IE does there? Tried both, and it looks the same, with just the little Firefox users... banner at the top.

    --
    Obligatory Soundbite Catchphrase
  10. Bad Move? by B4L1STA · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This seems like it could be the beginning of everything moving to a more web-oriented computer experience. Who needs Windows when you can use Office, MSN, etc. FROM FIREFOX (under Linux). Windows could be left for professionals who need a robust platform to run "real" applications for things like video/image editing, CAD design, etc. Everyday users could do the most basic computer tasks in the same way under Linux as under Windows... I guess even if this kills Windows, Microsoft has a stake in it either way now...

  11. Re:Ripping off Google by ergo98 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Windows Live is a painfully bad rip off of Google's Personal Homepage [google.com].

    I hope you're kidding. It seems, more and more, that there are the deluded who believe that Google, along with Apple, are responsible for everything.

    This is nothing more than a rehash of portals, such that we saw in the late 90s. Excite was one of the biggest and most configurable portals, and of course many of us configured it, setting up our stocks and our weather, and then never used it again.

    Developers are leaving Microsoft and going to Google in hopes to make millions like early Microsoft employees did.

    It's a bit late for that at Google now: It's too big of a company for that get-rich-quick type nonsense. However it is true that a lot of ex-Microsofters have left to join small startups, or to create one themselves. This is especially true too now that Microsoft is becoming just like every other traditional "where careers go to die" organization.

    Also Microsoft is stuck using their own software as a development platform

    Nonsense. Microsoft's development platform is extraordinarily powerful, and it certainly isn't a detriment that they use it.

    The problem that Microsoft's internet ventures have, and it's always been this way, is that they do the absolute minimum amount possible to ensure that they aren't eviscerated, but no more. If you remember, the IE team smoked Netscape, and then they were promptly disbanded. Why? Because that team and group represented a threat to the Microsoft cash cows - Office and Windows. These "web versions" of Office and Windows are almost laughable - if anything they'll complement, and most certainly they won't replace until Microsoft is on its deathbed and the revenue has completely dried up.

  12. Re:I was more impressed... by badriram · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You mean like Google Personalized Homepage was like start.com

  13. difinetly M$$.. by xTantrum · · Score: 4, Interesting

    live.com wow, wish i was the one who owned that name. Imagine how much money they payed for it.

    --
    $action = empty(PHP) ? backToC() : unset(PHP) ; "when the concrete cases are understood, the abstractions are readily
  14. Not even paying for 1st choice! by billybob2001 · · Score: 4, Funny

    It was their 2nd choice...

    http://evil.com/ was already taken, so they thought laterally!

    Make that 3rd, http://vile.com/ is taken too...

  15. Re:Desperate times... by NitsujTPU · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How exactly is Google a tyrant?

    All that this says is, "All of these years, the reason that I've hated MS is because they were successful. All of that bitching and moaning was because MS made money. I have never had anything objective to say about Microsoft. It's all been lies."

    Seriosuly. What did Google do? All that anyone has accused them of is 1) Stealing all of the talent in software (damn, people want to work there, sounds evil) and 2) Raising the prices of software engineers (shit, and now I make more money).

    News flash, the only people who complain about Google are the evil corporate masters that you're also supposedly railing against. Really. If their company was all that good, people would want to work their anyway. Amazon.com is not having any problems hiring talented people. Trust me. I've met some of their people.

    What you're saying is that nobody can succeed and not be evil. I disbelieve that. I believe that honest people can make an honest living and still, at the end of the day, be honest. Call me old fashioned like that, but believe it or not, one day I'd like to be successful too. Also, I'd appreciate it if you don't call me a tyrant when I am.

  16. Re:No, NO. by rogabean · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm going to bank that they don't hurt Google in the least bit. Google has a customizable portal that I tried using for a while as well. And honestly I ended up back at the original Google page (well truthfully I'm using the suggest version... I love that page).

    When it comes to searching the web... I don't want a portal and I'm going to assume that most people don't care. Portal services I use Yahoo, but I never use Yahoo for searching I use Google. It's simple and clean which is what i want in a search engine.

    Microsoft is likely to hurt Yahoo in the portal arena for me if they can match and surpass what Yahoo currently offers though.

    just my .02 copper though.

    --
    "why don't you just slip into something more comfortable...like a coma!"
  17. Re:Yes microsoft is bad by Maxo-Texas · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Sorry to bust your balloon but microsoft is fundamentally dedicated to a world where everyone pays a monthly subscription for microsoft products and there are no competitors and any potential competitors are locked out before they can even get started.

    Fooled me once, shame on me- fooled me at least 15 to 20 times- well I guess I should assume you are trying to fool me on any future attempts. (convicted of stealing competitors products, well known tendency of breaking competitors products by tweaking the operating system, well known tendency to slow competitors products by tweaking the operating system or using illegal API's and still certifying product, bundling, giving away products for free until the competition is dead then never innovating, "embracing and extending" java, j++, the halloween memoes, "collaborating" on products with a competitor and then bringing out their own version using knowledge they picked up during the collaboration, etc. etc. etc.).

    They are not just another large capitalist company. They are something unique and they want to lock that in forever. They bought or drove out of business every legitimate business that competed with them either legally or illegally (Stak/doublespace comes to mind- there are others).

    Trust me, you don't know it but you really do want 4 to 5 solid OS's competing with many different products so that they keep each other honest.

    --
    She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
  18. Obnoxious PR-Speak by bedouin · · Score: 5, Interesting

    "It's easy. It's live, and it has 'me' at the center of the universe," said Blake Irving, a Microsoft vice president who was on stage to demonstrate Windows Live.

    Microsoft has the most obnoxious PR-speak of any corporation on earth. On the other hand, Google or Apple would just tell you what their product does and why you need it, usually in one sentence.

  19. Re:No, they are not by guet · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I already said in another post that I want coexistence, not a monopoly on any side.

    Unfortunately what you want doesn't matter at all.

    What Microsoft wants is to kill all competitors by 'cutting off their oxygen supply'. BTW, every other IT company is seen as a competitor. This is ingrained in the corporate culture, and starts at the very top with Gates/Balmer. That is why no one trusts them, not because they love Linux and hate MS (or whatever), but because they hate the things Microsoft has done and wants to do.