Microsoft ready to 'Mesh it up'

SAO PAULO, Brazil--Well, I know one thing I'll be doing once I return from Latin America.

In my in-box Saturday morning was an invite for an April 24 event in San Francisco, where Microsoft plans to offer more details on its Live Mesh service. Ray Ozzie first hinted at the project during his speech at last month's Mix event in Las Vegas.

Microsoft takes a page from Apple's playbook, sending out a teaser invitation for an April 24 event to launch Live Mesh.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Live Mesh is expected to be a service that synchronizes data between a number of different devices. Microsoft has talked about a long-term vision in which you need to only store things once, in the cloud, and have them appear on various devices. For example, music could be licensed once and appear on multiple gadgets without having to go through the more cumbersome process of transferring it from the original source. Likewise, contacts and other data could more easily be sent down to PCs and other devices.

The invitation was short on details, reminding me more of Apple's typical strategy than Microsoft's. A big headline screams "Mesh it up with Microsoft," and it says the evening event will be invitation-only.

Additional details have come out since Ozzie's Mix presentation, however, with ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley saying a beta test version is due this month and noting that the product's general manager, Amit Mital, is due to speak at the Web 2.0 conference on April 23.

[GatesOfHell]

Typo

Should be more like MESS IT UP with Microsoft.

[Penguinisto]

Let me guess...

...it will likely only work with devices that --if MSFT makes an app/OS for it -- will only work with MSFT products. In other words, if you want the benefits they tout, you have to give $$$ to Microsoft.<br /><br />Kinda misses the whole point of having a mesh in the first place.<br /><br />Too bad that I can already do this w/ Apple and Linux.<br /><br />/P

[kojacked]

Troll it up...

"...it will likely only work with devices that --if MSFT makes an app/OS for it -- will only work with MSFT products."<br /><br />Well duh... Maybe Microsoft should start by making it work with my toilet first to show how concerned they are with openess. Of course they are going to start with an OS and devices they know. <br /><br />How much do you want to bet they'll publish the APIs for this so others (read: the open source community) can build support for other OS's. DO you think they are so stupid as to not notice what Google is doing with their application platform? (yes if you can speculate wildly so can I) Of course that won't stop trolls like you from saying how horible this is as you can't trust Microsoft not to sue you...<br /><br />"Too bad that I can already do this w/ Apple and Linux."<br /><br />Oh and it's too bad I can already do this with Windows and Windows Mobile. <br /><br />"you have to give $$$ to Microsoft."<br /><br />I can't believe you even mentioned Apple. They want the most closed eco-system on the plant -- all hail King Jobs. Oh and Steve doesn't want your money either?

[Norseman]

Microsoft really has a knack.....

for coming up with phrases and terms that mean absolutely zilch to the 95% of the general population that aren't geeks. Ask the person off the street what "Microsoft mesh" means and watch their eyes glaze over. Microsoft seems to pitch their stuff to developers without any understanding of how this "mesh" or "cloud" stuff is totally meaningless to the vast majority of people. If they want it to take off, shouldn't they somehow expose it to the general public instead of keeping it in their sandbox?

[AppleSuxLeo]

"Windows as we know it must be replaced,"

Yea Nimrod...it will be replaced by Windows 7 with the MinWin kernel. Takes up 25-40MB And OSX is nothing but bloatware add-ons lately. OSX keeps getting more bloated to gain more "bullet-points" and MSFT is going in the opposite direction with Windows 7.

[Penguinisto]

Damned straight it does.

Err, you did read the article, correct? It appears that you haven't.<br /><br />/P

[nsmoly]

as usual: all comments have nothing to do with the article = no editor

Interesting observation: if someone posts an article about Microsoft, then several Apple and Linux addicts jump out of their boxes and start shouting about how great they are (and their OSes). Looks like if they don't do this each time, people will forget about their existense... <br /><br />All posted comments have nothing to do with the subject - Microsoft's "Live Mesh", which might be a very interesting system.

[Sniche]

This will be a first

They must be using Helical Gears , they're interesting if your a <br />Mechanical Engineer, but if they it's using Windows it will loose <br />interest quickly

[Penguinisto]

As usual, the astroturfers come out and tell lies.

Hey, kid. I dunno about you, but my point still stands - Microsoft's main efforts (including this one) is more often than not a rehash of what already exists, with heavy vendor lock-in added just so you the customer don't get any ideas about straying from the paddock.<br /><br />This has nothing to do with Apple and Linux per se, but rather they illustrate that MSFT is not only behind the curve, but that its intentions with this are anything but beneficial to the world at large.<br /><br />/P

[Vegaman_Dan]

Some are paid by the post

There are unfortunately people who are paid by the post to make derogatory comments about Microsoft and to promote Apple / Linux as much as possible.<br /><br />It's a sad reality, but they are out there.

[chash360]

Misleading garbage....

I was hoping this was a real technology work on mesh networks, which have real beneficial technological implications and uses. <br /><br />Not some pathetic middleware that sounds like it is basically just sync software that can already be done with simple scripting.<br /><br />Once again M$ trying to sell you what you can already do if you put a little effort forth. They will probably try to patent the software too, so that they can sue the pants off anyone providing such tools for free....and gain 'market monopoly' and claim they invented the stuff.

[JCPayne]

Perfect. Now when the virus hits one thing...

you sync-it then everything will go down.... lol yippie!!!

[The_Decider]

lol

Too true, in 5 years after it has been repeatedly raped, MS will start talking about how security is important so will start a mesh security initiative and bolt on easy to get around "fixes".<br /><br />Either that or it will fall flat on its face.<br /><br />Those are the only two options with MS products.<br /><br />Touting this as a DRM tool will not help matter either. Only irrelevant dinosaurs seems to like DRM.<br /><br />What is the point of this? There is nothing here that can't already be done and who needs the inevitable lock-in and extremely limited interoperability?<br /><br />Just another pointless idea from a pointless company.