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Redmond's Heavy Guns Go After OpenSocial

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the rat-a-tat-tat dept.

jg21 writes "It is probably coincidental, but two responses to OpenSocial from well-respected members of the Microsoft blogging community have each in their own way come out against Google's OpenSocial initiative, Dare Osabanjo because in his view OpenSocial while billed as a standardized widget platform for the Web, actually isn't. And Don Dodge because his claim is that fifty million Facebook developers "don't know what OpenSocial APIs are...and don't care.""

3 of 148 comments (clear)

  1. MS talks, Google walks by HangingChad · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Sure MS employees are going to take shots at Google services. But even if they're not perfect, Google is getting the services out there and putting the tools out there. While MS blogs about it. I'm sure MS will eventually field some Windows-centric competitive product...just as soon as they get done blogging about how bad Google is.

    --
    That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
  2. Re:fifty million Facebook developers by DragonWriter · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Sorry, but in order for a social networking application to be useful, [i]lots of people have to be interested in it[/i]


    (1) OpenSocial isn't an application, its a set of technologies on which applications are built;
    (2) Actually, you need lots of people involved in the social network, which serves as the "database" of the social networking application. They don't have to use the particular application, much less be interested in the particular set of APIs on which the application is built; and
    (3) Lots of people can be not interested in something (the supposed 50 million Facebook "developers") and still have lots of other people interested in it. "Lots of people aren't interested in X" does not imply the falsity of "lots of people are interested in X".

    You don't need a social networking application to connect to your friends whom you sit around with in the basement playing D&D.


    Certainly not while you are doing that; outside of that time, social networking functionality would be useful to just that kind of group, too.

    You're not going to reconnect with old friends (which is what I use Facebook for) if none of your old friends use it.


    So? What does that have to do with OpenSocial APIs? Your friends don't have to use the OpenSocial APIs, or even applications built with them, for them to be part of the network you access if you use them. You seem to be confusing social networks with social networking applications and with social networking technologies and confusing developers with users.
  3. Did people actually read the articles? by gaindev · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Did a few people actually read the articles before they commented? I think the two articles raised a few interesting points.



    The one from Don Dodge pointed out the most important fact that Facebook's success is based on its users' loyalty to the service. Do they really care about applications? Most of them dont care that much. If one developer leaves, there will be plenty of others who will do same thing, even better.



    The second article looks at OpenSocial from technical perspective. It compared the two set of APIs to see whether facebook's or opensocial is better technically. OpenSocial should be seen as FREE APIs rather than "open" (which generally regarded as good, no evil) APIs. These APIs are owned and administered by Google, which they can withdraw anytime they want as with Google Map APIs.



    Having said that, it's still interesting to watch the battle bw facebook and "the new microsoft" :D