Feb 29, 2008
Its in the "AIR"
Adobe recently launches their New Technoloy called Adobe AIR. AIR stands for "Adobe Integrated Runtime". AIR is the runtime for all the platforms(windows, Mac and linux) and it let user use the RIA's as desktop Apps. Adobe Air's runtime environment allows developers with access to API (application programming interface) kits from companies to create customized versions of the Web experience -- without the browser. Developers with Flash and HTML abilities can take the information structures of a Web site and create an application that users can download to their desktop, which would then operate just like any other desktop application. This would allow -- among other actions -- users to drag and drop information from any Web site onto their desktop.
Websites such as auctioneer eBay have already developed applications that use the new technology. After a quick download, the eBay users can click the company's logo on their desktop and launch an application that will allow them to do their business directly no browser required. The software is part of a growing number of technologies that aim to make the transition between the on and offline worlds seamless.
Feb 19, 2008
Feb 14, 2008
Microsoft Just Made Google's Year
At this point Yahoo! (YHOO) is dead man walking. Let's see - a $31 per share sword of Damocles hanging over their head, losing top employees amidst a sea of disappointment and uncertainty (see Horwitz, Brad) and no real plan except to say "Go away." Not a formula for success. Microsoft (MSFT) itself has opened itself up to a Pandora's Box of uncertainty, from both the perspective of "What are you doing spending $40 billion on Yahoo!" and "Sheesh, what is this going to mean for our culture and my job?" It seems to me that the Yahoo!, Microsoft and Google (GOOG) dynamic can best be characterized by the following metaphor: three brothers, one which is 5-years old, one which is 10 and the oldest that is 15. 5, 10, 15. Yahoo! Microsoft. Google.
Yahoo! is 5. Hippy dippy, Silicon Valley circa 1999 culture, never having made the transition to economic powerhouse like its older brothers. And this free-loving eco-chamber is now coming crashing down in the face of harsh market realities. Advertising share down. Search share down. Transition to a de-facto media company a failure. Now what? A plunging share price has made both employee retention difficult and rendered it a sitting duck for a potential buyer. And now its older brother, the big meanie Microsoft, is beating on it yet again. But this time it is an all-out scrap. The 5-year old is swinging but the long, powerful arms of the 10-year old are keeping it at bay. And this beating is causing a bunch of collateral damage - like losing friends, losing respect and losing its future. The 5-year old has and will continue to suffer badly from this encounter, no matter what happens from this point forward. His only hope for survival is by begging for protection and support from its tormentor, Microsoft.
Microsoft is 10. Graduated to middle school, feeling important, feeling like using some new tricks to impress the older kids. But still somewhat rooted to the past, in this case the heavy, software-based desktop franchise that is still the lifeblood of the company. And while Microsoft is picking on Yahoo! it is getting trounced in the most rapidly-growing markets by its older brother, Google. And it isn't pretty. MSN and Microsoft Live are just shadows of the Google search and advertising empire, and it appears that Microsoft has concluded that to make a run at its mighty brother it needs to impose a reign of terror on its younger brother. But this fight has left the 10-year old weakened as well. Looking desperate - why beat up on someone half your age? Clearly not a fair fight. Can't you go it alone with all those resources? Looking stodgy - do you really need those Yahoo! hipsters to breathe some life into that software-heavy culture? Looking financially irresponsible - just because you have $40 billion to spend is this really the best way to enhance shareholder value? All good questions. But in this case 5+10 doesn't equal 15, because this fight has taken years off both of their lives and the big brother remains above the fray, thinking about love, college and the future. What his younger brothers do is of little consequence, except insofar as their might be some good toys and friends to pick up after the fighting is over.
Google is 15. He is laughing - hard. "Boy, are my kid brothers dopes! I'm looking forward, living large, walking tall. I'm in high school but college is around the corner. I'm going to start my own company. And if my idiot brothers lose some of their friends because of the fight, they can come work with me on my company. And if my younger brother falls ill, very ill, I'll come and visit him and send my best but there is little I can do to help." Google must be thinking "Does Microsoft really want Yahoo! or are they simply trying to kill Yahoo! Either way, I win." Google will pick up top pros from both Microsoft and Yahoo!, who no longer want to deal with uncertainty and questionable business strategy, and for this Google will pay precisely nothing. Microsoft may end up spending $40 billion for something that has precious little value, as top human capital which is the real engine of growth will simply walk. Is the advertising engine and the other Yahoo! assets really worth buying the company, much less paying the control premium? And this doesn't even take into account the disruption and value destruction arising from the integration process, which is at any time and always a hairball.
And the end of the day those at Google must be shaking their heads. I think Larry, Sergey and Eric should send Steve a really expensive bouquet of flowers. He has simply made their year.
Yahoo! is 5. Hippy dippy, Silicon Valley circa 1999 culture, never having made the transition to economic powerhouse like its older brothers. And this free-loving eco-chamber is now coming crashing down in the face of harsh market realities. Advertising share down. Search share down. Transition to a de-facto media company a failure. Now what? A plunging share price has made both employee retention difficult and rendered it a sitting duck for a potential buyer. And now its older brother, the big meanie Microsoft, is beating on it yet again. But this time it is an all-out scrap. The 5-year old is swinging but the long, powerful arms of the 10-year old are keeping it at bay. And this beating is causing a bunch of collateral damage - like losing friends, losing respect and losing its future. The 5-year old has and will continue to suffer badly from this encounter, no matter what happens from this point forward. His only hope for survival is by begging for protection and support from its tormentor, Microsoft.
Microsoft is 10. Graduated to middle school, feeling important, feeling like using some new tricks to impress the older kids. But still somewhat rooted to the past, in this case the heavy, software-based desktop franchise that is still the lifeblood of the company. And while Microsoft is picking on Yahoo! it is getting trounced in the most rapidly-growing markets by its older brother, Google. And it isn't pretty. MSN and Microsoft Live are just shadows of the Google search and advertising empire, and it appears that Microsoft has concluded that to make a run at its mighty brother it needs to impose a reign of terror on its younger brother. But this fight has left the 10-year old weakened as well. Looking desperate - why beat up on someone half your age? Clearly not a fair fight. Can't you go it alone with all those resources? Looking stodgy - do you really need those Yahoo! hipsters to breathe some life into that software-heavy culture? Looking financially irresponsible - just because you have $40 billion to spend is this really the best way to enhance shareholder value? All good questions. But in this case 5+10 doesn't equal 15, because this fight has taken years off both of their lives and the big brother remains above the fray, thinking about love, college and the future. What his younger brothers do is of little consequence, except insofar as their might be some good toys and friends to pick up after the fighting is over.
Google is 15. He is laughing - hard. "Boy, are my kid brothers dopes! I'm looking forward, living large, walking tall. I'm in high school but college is around the corner. I'm going to start my own company. And if my idiot brothers lose some of their friends because of the fight, they can come work with me on my company. And if my younger brother falls ill, very ill, I'll come and visit him and send my best but there is little I can do to help." Google must be thinking "Does Microsoft really want Yahoo! or are they simply trying to kill Yahoo! Either way, I win." Google will pick up top pros from both Microsoft and Yahoo!, who no longer want to deal with uncertainty and questionable business strategy, and for this Google will pay precisely nothing. Microsoft may end up spending $40 billion for something that has precious little value, as top human capital which is the real engine of growth will simply walk. Is the advertising engine and the other Yahoo! assets really worth buying the company, much less paying the control premium? And this doesn't even take into account the disruption and value destruction arising from the integration process, which is at any time and always a hairball.
And the end of the day those at Google must be shaking their heads. I think Larry, Sergey and Eric should send Steve a really expensive bouquet of flowers. He has simply made their year.
Feb 5, 2008
Microsoft’s Acquisition Of Yahoo: Not As Bad As Some Think
Microsoft’s Acquisition Of Yahoo: Not As Bad As Some Think: "Microsoft’s Acquisition Of Yahoo: Not As Bad As Some Think
The Microsoft is evil meme is alive and well this week as many digest Microsoft’s $44.6 billion takeover offer for Yahoo. There’s Flickr users protesting, talk of Yahoo teaming up with Google to block Microsoft’s bid, and general Microsoft is bad sentiment everywhere, even from Google itself. While Microsoft acquiring Yahoo may not provide the ultimate in happy endings to many, it’s really not as bad as some would have you believe.
Google’s response to the acquisition over the weekend was amazing in its veracity. Google and Microsoft have never been friends, but for Google to come out and attack the acquisition as it did can only mean one thing: Google is afraid, and that’s a very good thing. Internally Google believes that a combined Microsoft/ Yahoo will provide real competition to its dominant market position in search and text advertising, the very same position it has depended on to build its until recently huge share price and market cap. Google can preach about open access and open markets all it wants, but Google’s idea of open is only where users access it from one of its many web properties.
The Microsoft is evil meme is alive and well this week as many digest Microsoft’s $44.6 billion takeover offer for Yahoo. There’s Flickr users protesting, talk of Yahoo teaming up with Google to block Microsoft’s bid, and general Microsoft is bad sentiment everywhere, even from Google itself. While Microsoft acquiring Yahoo may not provide the ultimate in happy endings to many, it’s really not as bad as some would have you believe.
Google’s response to the acquisition over the weekend was amazing in its veracity. Google and Microsoft have never been friends, but for Google to come out and attack the acquisition as it did can only mean one thing: Google is afraid, and that’s a very good thing. Internally Google believes that a combined Microsoft/ Yahoo will provide real competition to its dominant market position in search and text advertising, the very same position it has depended on to build its until recently huge share price and market cap. Google can preach about open access and open markets all it wants, but Google’s idea of open is only where users access it from one of its many web properties.
New iOS is arriving.
Xcerion is a company providing an Internet OS as a free service over the Internet.
The OS called, Xcerion XML Internet OS/3 (XIOS/3) enables a networked and collaborative experience with applications utilizing the potential of the Internet.
Applications may be developed in weeks instead of years using Xcerions new XML languages for development. The OS is created for desktop applications for both consumers and businesses.
http://www.youtube.com/Xcerion
The OS called, Xcerion XML Internet OS/3 (XIOS/3) enables a networked and collaborative experience with applications utilizing the potential of the Internet.
Applications may be developed in weeks instead of years using Xcerions new XML languages for development. The OS is created for desktop applications for both consumers and businesses.
http://www.youtube.com/Xcerion
FT.com / Comment & analysis / Letters - Don’t rule out Microsoft’s chances in Google battle
FT.com / Comment & analysis / Letters - Don’t rule out Microsoft’s chances in Google battle: "Don’t rule out Microsoft’s chances in Google battle
Published: February 5 2008 02:00 | Last updated: February 5 2008 02:00
From Dr Andrew M. Wild.
Sir, Microsoft’s bid for Yahoo shows that it is finally willing to mount a significant challenge to Google, and not before time. Google totally dominates the search engine market and has a firm grip on online advertising.
Founded by two former Stanford University students, Google has seen its employee numbers grow to more than 10,000 within 10 years.
Google has been able to recruit a torrent of talented software engineers and is famed for keeping them happy by supplementing generous salaries with a wealth of perks, from free transport to exquisite food.
It ensures that employees are given the freedom to innovate and allows 20 per cent of their time to be
devoted on projects of their choosing, with little interference from the corporate machine. The company seems to be a hotbed of new ideas and makes competitors look relatively snail-like in their development process.
Microsoft has simply not been in the game, but this is not the first time it has moved from the sidelines to the centre of battle – and ultimately won.
Published: February 5 2008 02:00 | Last updated: February 5 2008 02:00
From Dr Andrew M. Wild.
Sir, Microsoft’s bid for Yahoo shows that it is finally willing to mount a significant challenge to Google, and not before time. Google totally dominates the search engine market and has a firm grip on online advertising.
Founded by two former Stanford University students, Google has seen its employee numbers grow to more than 10,000 within 10 years.
Google has been able to recruit a torrent of talented software engineers and is famed for keeping them happy by supplementing generous salaries with a wealth of perks, from free transport to exquisite food.
It ensures that employees are given the freedom to innovate and allows 20 per cent of their time to be
devoted on projects of their choosing, with little interference from the corporate machine. The company seems to be a hotbed of new ideas and makes competitors look relatively snail-like in their development process.
Microsoft has simply not been in the game, but this is not the first time it has moved from the sidelines to the centre of battle – and ultimately won.
San Jose Mercury News - Takahashi: Google, Microsoft's next battle in cloud computing
San Jose Mercury News - Takahashi: Google, Microsoft's next battle in cloud computing: "The real battle between Microsoft and Google - now in conflict over Microsoft's $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo - ultimately isn't over search. Search is the source of Google's revenue and its growth. But it's pouring that money into things that scare Microsoft even more.
The Android cell phone operating system is one of those. It represents a threat to Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system. But a bigger threat is Google's push toward 'cloud computing,' which could dislodge Microsoft's position on the desktop computer.
Cloud computing is computation done not in the desktop but in the Internet-connected 'cloud,' or the heavy-duty computers known as servers in a big company's data center. Also referred to as the 'cloud operating system,' it has been talked about for years and is often dismissed as a minor sideshow. But it is a very real possibility today, and Microsoft should worry about a cloud OS in the hands of Google.
A primitive version of cloud computing already exists through Xcerion, a Swedish company that has created what it calls a 'cloud OS.' After six years of stealth design, it put its beta version out in September. Xcerion has done exactly what Google has reportedly been thinking about doing to undermine the Microsoft Windows monopoly.
The Xcerion OS is based on the XML"
The Android cell phone operating system is one of those. It represents a threat to Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system. But a bigger threat is Google's push toward 'cloud computing,' which could dislodge Microsoft's position on the desktop computer.
Cloud computing is computation done not in the desktop but in the Internet-connected 'cloud,' or the heavy-duty computers known as servers in a big company's data center. Also referred to as the 'cloud operating system,' it has been talked about for years and is often dismissed as a minor sideshow. But it is a very real possibility today, and Microsoft should worry about a cloud OS in the hands of Google.
A primitive version of cloud computing already exists through Xcerion, a Swedish company that has created what it calls a 'cloud OS.' After six years of stealth design, it put its beta version out in September. Xcerion has done exactly what Google has reportedly been thinking about doing to undermine the Microsoft Windows monopoly.
The Xcerion OS is based on the XML"
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