Newsmaker: Ozzie's quiet revolution at Microsoft

Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software architect, is not one to take extreme views or make outlandish claims. But he is adamantly sure of one thing: a combination of software and online services is the future.

And so far, Ozzie's contention that the industry is going through a disruptive shift from software to services is bearing out.

Desktop software heavyweight Adobe Systems is increasingly introducing online services. Even Web companies like Amazon.com and eBay are building desktop services, like gadgets or applets, to complement their Web services.

Microsoft detractors say that the company has been slow to develop ad-supported Web software because of its fixation on its massive on-premises software business.

But Ozzie says that the transition to software and services is under way and going well. For a taste, take a look at Silverlight Streaming, a service introduced at the Mix '07 conference in Las Vegas where Microsoft will store and stream video clips into Web pages at no cost.

Another key piece to building a services business is creating a platform and tools for programmers. Also at Mix, Microsoft said that .Net developers can build applications for Silverlight, its cross-platform browser plug-in.

Backstage after his keynote speech at Mix on Monday, CNET News.com spoke to Ozzie about the company's ongoing transition from the age of desktop software to a new era.

Q: Silverlight is deliberately cross-platform. We also see Microsoft supporting standards and participating a bit in open source. It looks like Microsoft is trying hard to be more than just a Windows company. Is that part of your agenda, or am I reading into it?
Ozzie: Well, Microsoft is a Windows company--it actually is the Windows company. We have a really strong platform in Windows--it's in use by a lot of people, it will be in use by a lot of people. Hopefully, more and more people (will use it) because Windows Mobile has reached an inflection point.

Video: Silverlight in action
Microsoft's Ray Ozzie and Scott Guthrie show off some key features of the new application for Web developers.

I don't necessarily think that it would be accurate to characterize the increasing openness as a backing away from Windows. I think what it is is a reflection that Windows is in a broader technology environment. Just count the number of devices that are out there right now, count the number of people who use browsers in a variety of situations where it's not just their PC--they might be somewhere else. These are some areas that are very relevant, and if we did not have tools and platforms that serve all those things, then it's like a self-imposed exile. We're essentially reaching out to where the audience is.

It's a nonstarter for something purporting to serve people building Web apps to not let them reach the broadest possible audience. Because generally ad-supportive business models need to get to as many people as possible. Of course, we believe that our things will show best on our platforms. But we also want to go to where they (our audience) are.

Walking out of the keynote, I heard some people wondering whether Microsoft products like Silverlight will really work on the Internet or just inside company networks. You talk about Mac support today, but what about Linux? Let's just start with Silverlight on the Mac--is it going to be on par with what's on Windows?
Ozzie: Yes...I'm extremely serious about the fact that when you are developing for the universal Web (browsers for a range of devices), you can't think about what platform the user is running on. It could be on the phone, it could be on a PlayStation portable--do they have a browser on that? I don't know. It could be something that you don't even know what the platform is and we have to take that very seriously. We also want to make Windows the best possible platform for rich applications. So my guidance to the (Microsoft development) teams would be: look at the audience, where is the audience, and prioritize the development for Silverlight based on where the audience is. And we are investing that way.

It's not religious--let's just put it that way. To the extent we look at the audience for a given (Linux) distribution, given OS, whatever. And if it's a material thing, we'll prioritize it.

On services, is the Silverlight Streaming service something that we can expect to see more of from Microsoft?
Ozzie: Yes, you'll definitely see more. It's an example of where we can take advantage of our investments in infrastructure...(With) Windows update and our online services, we get great economies of scale, we build a data center infrastructure, we drive storage costs extremely low. So this is one good example of a service that helps the Silverlight developer--especially the "tail" developer. People that are at the head like an MLB or a Netflix (two Microsoft customers that showed off at Silverlight applications on Monday), they are big companies. They can negotiate their own agreements with content delivery networks. For most small app developers--this is a very complicated thing. And they won't be prepared for the spikes in usage if they achieve their dream at being successful.

More Newsmakers

[cyberbiker]

Emphasis on Web Based Apps . . .

It seems to me that there are too many times that internet
access is NOT available, making applications requiring Internet
access to operate properly "crippled" and less usefull. Where I
live, it is still quite difficult to find internet access away from
home. Since I do a lot of computing when the Web is not
available, these applications would significantly reduce my
productivity. This seems contrary to the purpose reason for
having a computer in the first place.

Web requiring productivity applications remain premature, give
the large geographical areas with inadequate broadband
support.

DHD

[rcrusoe]

Premature? I don't think so.

Web apps may not be for everyone - yet, but they are working very well for me.

I switched to Google Apps for my personal domain and have been using GMail and Docs & Spreadsheets for several months. When I'm away from my computer I run GMail and Google Reader on my phone.

And anywhere I can get internet access, whether using my computer or any other my mail, calendar, and documents are available. And while there is some risk anytime you use a foreign computer, the "bag of tricks" I carry on my USB drive minimizes the danger.

Don't be surprised when the big ISPs start offering thin clients and a full suite of web apps to their customers.

I think if you offer Joe Sixpack a"cable box computer", for say $10 a month, he'll snap it up. Especially when he learns that he doesn't have to worry about spyware and viruses.

[a85]

I agree

Web apps have their place and they are useful, but the recent web infrastructure collapsed in Asia should serve as a warning. It is easy to conceive that if we become even more reliant on the web for basic productivity, such a collapse in the future would be even more devastating.

[Crunchy Doodle]

My two cents . . . . .

For many years I have been writting software for systems that are not web based and will likely never be. These are embedded controllers for machines as well as specialized communications systems that for security reasons must not have general or web connectivity. There is a whole world out there that cannot, or should not be on the web. I include the Microsoft Office Suite that resides on the PC that I use for development that will never be on the web.

[StargateFan]

Web Platform is not the future...

Let me clearify this a little. Moving my desktop and my data to the web is not the future. And to be honest I am a little confused after reading this article of where Microsoft stands on the matter. That being said I do believe that my idea of the future of software and MS's idea is very similar.

Many people believe that web 2.0 is actually moving my data online. Meaning when i boot up my computer the POST will run and then fire up the NIC Card which will then connect to some companies server where my desktop is located. This server may or may not contain my data, but it will be a normal desktop with icons that launch software. But here is the trick these shortcuts launch yet another connection to a server belonging to another company where this app is located. This is definately not the future. It removes the meaning of Personal Computer, and it screams the return of the Mainframe, which this model is just on a larger scale and utilizing a global mesh network (Internet).

This is not the true nature of web 2.0 instead Web 2.0 is the ability of software to utilize the internet as resource tool. Meaning I still have my desktop and data on my own personal computer, along with my own personally bought software. But this software is coded with the internet used like a regular code module. Menaing that it can acces the internet for collaboration purposes or updates. Basically the software uses the internet as just a simple resource it is not on the internet.

This is what believe both myself and MS's Ray Ozzie is thinking of. Any thoughts?

[thecatch]

What is really happening here....

Microsoft is becoming just another application developer.
Microsoft's core software is surely not going to be the platform
that leads us forward.

All of this activity is a good thing. It gives Microsoft and escape
route, it takes away the need to wait another 10 years for Vista's
replacement, because the network will become the platform.
And the player to watch out for isn't Google, it's Cisco.

And Smart Screens, (not dummy terminals), will proliferate our
daily environments. Portable key-boards and portable memory
will give you that personal PC security and independence you are
discussing, but all master data will be stored centrally through
the network, and locally on your portable memory sticks or box
like device at home, or anywhere you desire.

The affordability of LCD's will make all of this real, in class-
rooms, at work, at home, at the airport, everywhere. The
affordability of stored memory will make it real. And better
network and foundational software will make all of this real.

While attending CES last Jan. every keynote spoke of this world,
Chambers, Gates, Motorola, etc. The LCD is a big part of this,
because it provides that affordable visual. The foundational
software is a major player here, because it provides the speed
and always connected reality.

And when you get down to it, it doesn't matter where you get
your apps. from, because their origin will be somewhere in the
network. What really is happening here is, that the network will
become the most important thing in your life, and Microsoft
most likely will not control the network. That's the major shift
we will see take place.

[StargateFan]

I have to disagree with you

Whether Smart Screens or dummy terminals they both do the same thing. It's like the difference between car and automobile they are the same thing. The scenario you described is nothing more then the return of the mainframe on a network. I will be darn if my data becomes available through a mainframe like model, this is the personal computer revolution, not the time for a mainframe rerun.

[trueview]

NO WAY

Man those Capi ent guys are simply not only going to crush them, but show what Services really means

[t8]

Wormed his way out of the question

<question>I don't see us living at the extreme world, meaning apps that don't connect to the Web or service apps don't have some (offline) component.</question>

But the question really is that many apps will be entirely online and therefore will not dependent on Windows. He wormed his way out of that one by quoting something that Google said they will do, i.e., web apps with offline mode.

In otherwords he didn't answer the question, so I will answer it.

Yes web apps will be big and Microsoft are instead going to be doing Windows apps that have an online component. This is so to only preserve Windows and is not really the future that Google and others will give us.

[ewelch]

Microsoft will lose to Adobe

There is zero chance that this is going to succeed. Why? He
claims it's cross-platform. Then uses weasel words to talk about
focusing on where the customer is. Oh wait, 95 percent of
computer users are Windows? Guess where the emphasis is.

On top of that, how can it be cross-paltform if all the
development tools are on Windows? Adobe's tools are Mac and
PC. That's not completely cross-platform, but Adobe has come
to realize that so many creative types and media developers are
on Macs that it would be stupid to make their tools Windows-
only. (Linux just doesn't make a compelling platform yet for
content creation.)

So they can say all they want, but Mac-using creative
professionals are not going to drop Macs and Flash and Apollo
to go with an unproven technology from a company that has
shown itself to never work for the interests of anyone but
Microsoft.