Challenging Microsoft on the Desktop

Dotnaught writes "As Microsoft moves to offer software-as-a-service with Windows Live, online companies are moving to challenge Microsoft on the desktop. In a decision that would have been seen as foolish a few years ago, file sharing and social networking company TransMedia plans to release desktop productivity apps (in conjunction with online ones) as lightweight Microsoft Office alternatives. Google, meanwhile, through its deal with Intuit, is colonizing desktop apps as it has done with browsers and search toolbars. Microsoft used to have a home field advantage on the desktop, thanks to Windows. Lately, operating system ownership is looking a lot less valuable."

Comments

Is this new?

[andrewman327]

I really fail to see how this is a new advancement. The only real news that I see here is that some of these programs (OoO, Linux) are finally mature enough mature enough to challenge Microsoft. Haven't there always been other providers of desktop applications?

I don't see how this is unique threat to M$ either. From TFA's first sentence (underlining mine): A year after the release of its suite of online integrated media-sharing and social networking applications, Glide Effortless, TransMedia is redoubling its effort to challenge Apple, Microsoft, MySpace, and Google.

Online apps

[insomniac8400]

There is not a chance in hell I would use an online app for something that runs fine on my local pc. Why add an unneeded security risk?

Re:Online apps

[Anonymous Coward]

Because every now and then vendors decide it's time to try and make desktop systems into dumb clients again and they need another kick in the ass to remind them of why it's a stupid idea.

Fear not. This too shall pass. Just like it did the last three times somebody tried it.

Actually, to be fair, online applications do make sense in a controlled environment such as a workplace where you can deliver a basic windows system and apps on-demand from any platform of your choosing (read: Citrix) to a group of people who don't need any control over their systems (the typical office worker). It's just that sometimes vendors get it into their heads that EVERYTHING should be like that and they try to push it, fail, and get fired, leaving the next batch of marketroids and accountants to come in, eventually develop this "novel" idea, and repeat the entire process again.

Re:Online apps

[99BottlesOfBeerInMyF]

There is not a chance in hell I would use an online app for something that runs fine on my local pc. Why add an unneeded security risk?

There are four main advantages:

• Free and free upgrades - You don't have to worry about paying for this or keeping it up to date especially if you use multiple different computers.
• Accessible anywhere - you can work on the same files at home, work, the library, your cousin's house, school, or anywhere else without bringing a laptop or constantly transferring it to a disk.
• Reliability - Network services have real redundancy. If your hard drive dies, you might lose all or some of your work, depending how good your backups are (most people have none at all). If your house burns down, you might lose it all. Having it stored remotely in multiple physical locations is safer.
• Collaboration - With an online service you and a friend can both work on the same documents easily. With the right software, you can both even edit the same word processing doc simultaneously, with multiple insertion points/cursors. It is fun and useful.

For the most part, I agree that I won't be using these services and my company sure doesn't want me collaborating on work projects that get stored by a third party. My backups are good enough and I already host my own server on my workstation when I collaborate on documents (SubEthaEdit). This might, however, make sense for others I know who like to casually collaborate or who know how to use a Web browser and Web mail and don't want to be confused by anything else. To some people, the Web browser is the only application they really run. This might be fine for them and they don't care if someone else steals the Senior Citizen Arts and Crafts schedule, or the erotic sci-fi short story they are co-editing with their old college buddy.

Re:Online apps

[Digicrat]

Online apps are being developed with a lot of advantages over locally running applications, however only one of them can't be duplicated in a conventional application--network file storage of your files.

The only advantage to online applications is being able to access your files from wherever you are, from any computer that you choose. This is not however a feature that everybody needs, or that we need for every file. If you do use multiple computers however, it can quickly become frustrating maintaining synchronized copies of your files between systems, or keeping track of which computer has the latest version saved on it.

Instead of making an entire application online, they should simply provide the online file storage capability with a plug-in to easily integrate (synchronize) its usage into the productivity application of your choosing. Be that service premium or advertisement based (hmm, seeing an ad to open your own essay . . . ) it would make much more sense than an entire online office suite.

As with anything else, the minimalist approach is needed to maintain security with any network file system. Only place those files on the network (file server, online office app, w/e) that you will actually need to access from multiple places, and where possible limit access not just by password, but to known computers as well. Using an online app indiscriminately (or exclusively) for saving and editing all of your files is just asking for trouble.

Online applications do have their uses, but do you really want to be dependent on a network connection to finish writing that paper? For example, if your away from home or on campus and don't have an active connection for your laptop. On the other hand, being able to press open/save and having the file (if you choose) automatically synchronized with a network server iff your online could be invaluable.

Re:Online apps

[DragonWriter]

Online apps are being developed with a lot of advantages over locally running applications, however only one of them can't be duplicated in a conventional application--network file storage of your files.

Assuming you have access to a network location to do the storage, its fairly trivial to have network storage of files from a desktop application. What you lack, typically, is guaranteed software with which to access that store from just about any standard browser, which ias the real advantage of online applications.

OS owneship

[E IS mC(Square)]

>>Lately, operating system ownership is looking a lot less valuable.

This could not have been true-er. First, I substituted MS Office with OpenOffice*. After Google came out with spreadsheet and document solutions of its own, I do not even use OpenOffice anymore. What more, it does not matter anymore if I am on Windows XP or Ubuntu or Suse - as long as I have a relatively mainsteam browser with me, I am good to go.

*I am talking about my home environment where I do not user "Office" applications that heavily, and online solutions available to me satisfy ALL my needs.

I Smell a Dot-Bomb 2.0

[mpapet]

I find it hard to consider this seriously when the CEO's bio reads:

"Mr. Leka established strategic partnerships with industry leaders including Apple Computer and Microsoft and throughout the HealthSCOUT Syndicated Network of over 3,000 sites (e.g. Yahoo, USA Today, NBCi, iWon, Juno, AT&T, Prodigy). Previously, Mr. Leka was a co-founder and Executive Director of The Fultz Foundation in Washington, DC where he was instrumental in securing funding from the George Soros Foundation and USAID among others. Mr. Leka developed and directed various international projects focused on business development and management training including telecommunications and the internet." http://www.transmediacorp.com/about/board.htm

Sounds like he's successful at shaking money out of wealthy people's pocket because http://www.fultzfoundation.org/ is little more than a placeholder and the dot-bomb marketing speak is so 1998.

Re:It has been MS office more than Windows for yea

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

My assertion is that a corporate IT department could substitute any operating system and users would barely notice as long as they could continue to use Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio, and Access.

Many vendors could easily out-do MSFT in application space. MSFT did not get its marketshare and lead by simple technical superiority of its product or coding skills. It got it by better business tactics. Infact every flag ship product that is minting money for MSFT started out as a pale copy of some other better program. WordPerfect, QuattroPro/Lotus, Harvard Presentation Graphics, Dbase/Foxbase etc. Then the marketing muscle, clever tricks to prevent interoperability, agreements with vendors to throttle competition and naivity of its user base that confused interoperability with PC-compatibility got MSFT the market share and lead. If the OS advantage is removed and the playing field is leveled by demanding true interoperability and compatibility to standards, (standards not wholly owned and manipulated by MSFT) you will see what other vendors are truly capable of.

The key is Open STANDARDS. Do not confuse it with Linux/Mac/Unix or Open Source or Free Software or Gnu or GPL. If the users demand true portability of their data and their applications the playing field will be leveled. My docment, my macros, my scripts are mine. I want them to work whether I choose to run MSOffice or OpenOffice. Only when owners of the data assert their ownership and refuse to be locked into a particular vendor's format the playing field will be level.

Why I'm sticking with my MS Office (97)...

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

Why I'm sticking with MS Office (97):
    - It still works with people using Office 2003
    - It doesn't take a registration key
    - The CD is quite easy to copy for friends and family
    - The built-in VB stuff is completely (safely) broken when you just run it off a file share
    - It never phones home (and there's no Internet component)
    - It installs in under 100MB
    - If any new features have been introduced since 1997, I don't need them
    - It doesn't try to figure out my advertising profile from the documents I work with

Let me tell you....

[CdBee]

I keep my car service schedule in Google Spreadsheets so my mechanic can log in and see when core parts were last changed or maintained. I use Writely to compose blog posts and note down useful information for later retrieval. I use Google Calendar so I can add events whenever I get a message rather than just at home. Thats what Onlline apps are for. use-anywhere.