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Microsoft Flow -- An IFTTT Alternative -- Aims To Connect Your Online Apps (fortune.com)

Posted by msmash on from the if-this-then-that dept.

An anonymous user writes: Microsoft has unveiled a new product called Microsoft Flow, which is designed to better connect diverse services so that you could, if you were so inclined, put all your tweets into a spreadsheet or get an SMS alert when you receive an email. That example may be a solution in search of a problem, but there are other more useful possibilities. Flow could be set up so that any email from your boss triggers an SMS notification to your phone, for example. Or you could make sure any updated work documents get deposited in your team's SharePoint. To be sure, Microsoft is not first to this app-integration party. Many people already use If This Then That (IFTTT) or Zapier, which claims more than 500 app integrations, to knit their services together.Some IFTTT users must be breathing a sigh of relief.

53 comments

  1. And operator by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The most infuriating thing about ifttt is I can't do an and. Why would I want to turn on the lights when I arrive home and it is actually dark outside must be a profound mystery.

    1. Re:And operator by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You construct an AND by chaining multiple IFs together.

    2. Re:And operator by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      chain them with what?

    3. Re:And operator by WarJolt · · Score: 2

      Synchronizing different events requires some assumptions about how synchronizing is done which should done by the things sending ifs to ifttt, not ifttt itself.

  2. Application style "port knocking" by Dareth · · Score: 1

    This sounds like application style "port knocking". What is available depends on what you are doing or have already done.

    --

    I only look human.
    My mother is a halfling and my dad is an ogre, so that makes me an Ogreling
    1. Re:Application style "port knocking" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Could this be used to spread malware? I am interested to learn more please.

  3. Remember, only apps can app apps! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Appsoft is simply letting you app even more apps while apping other apps! This is stuff LUDDITES couldn't even dream of doing!

    Apps!

    1. Re:Remember, only apps can app apps! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Be honest. That story gave you a spontaneous orgasm, didn't it.

    2. Re:Remember, only apps can app apps! by CaseCrash · · Score: 1

      This appappapp stuff is annoying. Can we get the cow/moo guy back please?

      --
      No, that link you posted to a web comic we've all seen a hundred times is not "obligatory."
    3. Re:Remember, only apps can app apps! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know. Depending on the story, and depending on his execution, which is spotty, the appity-app-app guy can be amusing.

    4. Re:Remember, only apps can app apps! by kheldan · · Score: 1

      You're a COW, CaseCrash, a sexconker-loving COW. Moo, goes the CaseCrash, Mooo, MOOO!!!!1! You COW, YOU!!!!1!

      --
      Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
  4. Having read a high-level view of this by H3lldr0p · · Score: 2

    I don't know whether to yell at people for reinventing restful service calls or for not knowing what a network stack is used for.

    I think I'm going to do both.

    1. Re:Having read a high-level view of this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They all rely on a server you don't control.

    2. Re:Having read a high-level view of this by lolococo · · Score: 1

      Funny, the first thing I was reminded of when reading the summary was SOA. Same shit, different name ...

  5. Re:Because everything you can do by Tablizer · · Score: 2, Informative

    I bet it's one of:

    A) A vehicle for spam (from which MS expects a slice of ad revenue)
    B) Active-X "2.0" with more security holes than Swiss-cheese after a shotgun attack
    C) An attempt by MS to create an MS-controlled internet
    D) All of the above

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  6. You trust MS over IFTTT? by Overzeetop · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'm not saying that IFTTT isn't over-reaching, but trusting Mircosoft to have your best interests at heart is like letting your kid go pet a Belgian Malinois because the German Shepherd didn't seem friendly looking.

    I wouldn't trust Flow primarily because MS has a horrible track record of supporting anything that's not created at MS. Eventually, this will only support MS products on MS servers, if it survives at all.

    --
    Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
    1. Re:You trust MS over IFTTT? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Exactly and there is probably agenda behind all this.

    2. Re:You trust MS over IFTTT? by radarskiy · · Score: 1

      I trust MS to have MS's interests at heart, which I can then account for when I decide to do business wiht them or not.

      IFTTT just seems to flop around like a landed fish.

  7. Why would I expose any of this to someone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why would I want MS to know when I wake up in the morning, send a text, and turn my coffee pot on?

  8. Am I the only one who had a "not so fresh feeling" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Flow?
    Maybe Aunt Flow?

    Seriously, iPad is probably worse but name teams in tech companies need women on board too ;-)

  9. Having read a high-level view of this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Even with that all of them depend upon a server you don't control.

  10. no gmail by jlv · · Score: 2

    Try signing up with gmail: "You entered a personal email address. Please enter your work or school email address to continue."

    I know people who use gmail for their work address. Hmmmph.

    1. Re:no gmail by Pfhorrest · · Score: 1

      And how the hell do they automatically determine whether an email address is work or school vs personal?

      I own a couple domains of my own and have email addresses there. Work or personal?

      I have my original email address on a tiny local ISP from decades ago. Work or personal?

      I work for a small company that runs their own private mail server. Work or personal?

      But that small company prefers we use email addresses on another domain managed by Gmail now. Work or personal?

      --
      -Forrest Cameranesi, Geek of all Trades
      "I am Sam. Sam I am. I do not like trolls, flames, or spam."
    2. Re:no gmail by epyT-R · · Score: 1

      They just want an email address you can't easily divest yourself of so they can sell it to spamhouses.

    3. Re:no gmail by ray-auch · · Score: 1

      So use something like spamfrom[nameofwebsite]@yourdomain.com

      If any spam from elsewhere comes to it, you know they've sold, or lost, your details. In the meantime it goes to an inbox that is not your main personal one.

    4. Re:no gmail by epyT-R · · Score: 1

      yup, but it's nicer to have a throwaway account that isn't associated with a domain you own.

    5. Re:no gmail by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dunno about your experience with GMail, but they are extremely accurate at nailing and isolating spam to my accounts (along with some false positives...)

    6. Re:no gmail by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I handled that buying a domain and setting up a website that looks like a generic webmail provider like "webmailforfree.com" (currently unregistered if you want to buy that one). But I only use it for myself and everybody I talk to gets a unique email address to communicate with me.

      That won't stand up to a subpoena, but anyone else just looking at the email address is unlikely to think it is connected to the domain owner.

    7. Re:no gmail by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But that's just it. I've only ever had one gmail address, but I go through a different work address every few years. There are a few places that have the "no gmail" policy that I've ended up with 2 or 3 accounts on as a result.

  11. Hmmm... have they really looked this through? by jlv · · Score: 1

    Click on the Support FAQ link and get a 404: https://flow.microsoft.com/en-...

    1. Re: Hmmm... have they really looked this through? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Same here. 404. Mod up

  12. Great. No positive comments. by CaseCrash · · Score: 1

    I don't know why I bother to read Microsoft stories on slashdot anymore.

    IFTTT is basically ending and Microsoft offers a free replacement and all anyone does is bitch.

    Fuck all y'all.

    --
    No, that link you posted to a web comic we've all seen a hundred times is not "obligatory."
    1. Re:Great. No positive comments. by epyT-R · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You mean yet another SaaS 'solution' that'll disappear eventually? How is flow any different than ifttt? Who really wants to refactor their solutions every time one of these 'service providers' decides to eol their 'solutions'?

      Stuff like home automation should not be handled 'in the cloud'. At worst, it might expose a portal for remote admin but that's it.

    2. Re:Great. No positive comments. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know why I bother to read Microsoft stories on slashdot anymore.

      Google zealots hate Apple zealots.
      Linux zealots hate corporation controlled distros.
      OSS zealots hate corporate backed software. (Look at the Apache Foundation and let that sink in for a bit)
      GLP zealots hate BSD zealots.
      Linus hates everyone who submits kernel code changes, but laughs about it with many of them later.
      And everyone above hates Microsoft for the completely unforgivable sin of giving away a web browser and packaging it as default with their OS.

      Microsoft stories are the one source of unity and togetherness on Slashdot, united hatred rather than divided.

    3. Re:Great. No positive comments. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I used to hate Microsoft. Now I just don't care anymore. I almost don't see people with Microsoft things anymore, except a friend who is a game freak. He has all consoles since the Atari in the 80's, so he also has all the XBox consoles. There is nothing to worry about anymore in my personal little bubble. Friends all use Apple or Linux. Few use Windows because they just need a cheap laptop to do some one time in a year things on the internet.

      But Microsoft is no longer that monopolist that shows up everywhere someone needs to use a computer. Now I sometimes feel sorry for people who still have to work in an environment where Microsoft (or rather their system engineers) dictates how you should do your work. They seem to be living in the good old early 0's and their company didn't keep up with the times.

    4. Re:Great. No positive comments. by jrumney · · Score: 1

      IFTTT is basically ending

      Where did you get that info? It is somewhat surprising given that the last news about them was Google releasing new routers with built in support yesterday. There were a lot of negative comments on that story too, and quite rightfully so. If there is one thing worse than routing all your device interactions through a single cloud company though, it is routing all your device interactions through a single cloud company that is Microsoft.

  13. What a terrible summary by chihowa · · Score: 4, Insightful

    That example may be a solution in search of a problem, but there are other more useful possibilities.

    What's with all of the stream of consciousness "reporting" lately? How about you take a few minutes to think of some compelling uses for this sort of thing and then write about those examples in your summary?

    It's one thing to see crap like this in Slashdot summaries, but it's increasingly showing up in "legitimate" news. It comes across as stupid and lazy, and that's coming from someone who's posting to Slashdot from work.

    --
    If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
    1. Re:What a terrible summary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Would love better quality posts but I'd prefer the summary to this comment... insightful for using "stupid and lazy"?

      chihowa, if you want a behavioral change, insulting doesn't work in RL, nor here, nor elsewhere on the internet. If someone called out an action by you as "stupid and lazy" I would be inclined to think your first response isn't, "Thank you, you're right"... but more of the lines of "piss off wanker" and would double-down on that action. No one gets what they want and everyone thinks each other is a jerk.

      TL;DR: Some courtesy goes a long way.

  14. New tool for hackers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Microsoft is good at providing new tools to hackers (executable code in Office documents, ActiveX, remote scripting tools for people never use it etc)
    So this maybe for increasing targets for hackers so that any compromised software anywhere in the world would allow anyone in the world to be hacked instantly.
    (Or maybe that is the ultimate goal of MS.)

  15. Re:Because everything you can do by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's no WUPHF, I'll tell you that much!

  16. Re:Because everything you can do by WarJolt · · Score: 1

    Don't worry, ifttt will support Microsoft Flow soon making it usable.

  17. It's the 1980s again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's the 1980s again. ARexx, DDE, AppleScript (and stuff like DBUS though I think it was a bit later) are back. They had to come back because when people started using websites instead of the apps that they used to, they lost all the good technological "baggage" such as "of course your app must listen on an ARexx port and you must document its commands somewhere."

    Except they're not really back, because so many websites don't have good interfaces. So it's really like the mid 1980s when we were starting to learn why we liked this tech.

  18. Judging by the Band by Rhaize · · Score: 1

    As the microsoft band owner (it had alot of sensors) I can say that the can't even integrate the stupid band app with things like mapmyfitness reliably. I couldn't imagine them doing this right.

    --
    Within the arms of tragedy, there is little comfort in being right.
  19. EMACS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You could always use EMACS. Sure its more than 30 years old but still. Just sayin'

  20. Can't sign up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can't sign up.

    Any email address I enter says: "You entered a personal email address. Please enter your work or school email address to continue."

  21. But Microsoft, when are you going to flow into . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    . . . leaving the awful, closed MOOXML behind, and fully support ODF?

  22. Why depend on timely text messages? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The way my texts were delayed by AT&T yesterday, my coffee pot would have automatically shut off, and the coffee many hours old/cold before I would have seen the message....

  23. Woohoo, Microsoft reinvents itself by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Microsoft reinvents itself! They go with the flow!

  24. Cloud Integration has it's place. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This does look interesting, and a lot of players are starting to get into this space. This is simplified form of iPaaS called iSaaS, connecting differnet cloud apps. It's all part of the overall cloud integration story.

    People are using more and more apps as they get more granular and specialized, and to get the most of these apps, especially in terms of getting data between them in sync (without having to manually update), it's nice to be able to just automate that whole bit.

    IBM has a similar offering called App Connect (appconnect.ibmcloud.com). What's nice about App Connect, and what differentiates it from Flow and IFTTT is the extensibility - you can connect to custom apps (proprietary, desktop packaged applications, etc) and also on-premises stuff - not just cloud to cloud connections. So say for e.g. you can keep stuff in sync between SAP and Salesforce.

  25. Flow is slang for money. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Global Mother Fucking Spyware money.

  26. Next Microsoft abandonware like on{X}? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Previous it seem like Microsoft on{X} would be their response to IFTTT. Instead, Microsoft has allowed it to stagnate. It seems clear that Microsoft can't possibly be as invested in the success of Microsoft Flow to the same extent that IFTTT's invested. This is just a side project to Microsoft and to IFTTT this is a flagship product.