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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.

21 of 53 comments (clear)

  1. 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
  2. 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 lolococo · · Score: 1

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

  3. 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.
  4. 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 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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-...

  7. 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 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.

  8. 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.
  9. 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."
  10. 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.

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

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

  12. 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.
  13. 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!