From the Editor
Volume 12, Number 26: December 15, 2008
Happy Holidays from Bruno
I just read a very provocative article in the November 2008 issue
of Wired magazine, wherein Ray Ozzie (Chief Software Architect at Microsoft,
a.k.a. the software visionary and microprocessor of the Microsoft machine)
outlines a dramatic shift in direction and emphasis for Microsoft. This is
required reading for anyone wanting to know where the software industry is
heading. It isn't just about Microsoft - it's about all the major players.
Clearly It Is Cloudy
That is the future. It isn't about huge releases every couple of years.
The traditional software model is going away, and it has been for quite
some time. Microsoft realizes it is about the customer and staying plugged
in. Microsoft must maintain a constant and continuous relationship with
customers. Ray Ozzie has the right idea - focus on one important
customer at a time and figure out their specific needs. We must continually
produce, update, and support panoply of services.
There must be continuous integration and constant adaptation to customer
needs. In the 1996 edition of The Road Ahead, Microsoft Chairman and former
CEO Bill Gates laid out his vision of an interconnected world built around
the Internet. It was based on the premise that life will be transformed by
the convergence of inexpensive computing and inexpensive communications. It
is this convergence that is driving software + services and cloud computing
to be responsive to customer needs. That was 12 years ago. Wow.
What is currently available?
That is easy, actually. One of our successful services is Windows Update,
which automatically installs patches and bug fixes on users' operating systems.
Hotmail, like all Web-based mail applications, is also a service. Virtual
Earth? A service. As a company we must continually produce, update, and
support a full suite of services that customers need.
Currently, the Azure platform includes five services - Live Services,
SQL Services, .NET Services, SharePoint Services and Dynamics CRM Services -
that developers can use to build applications that will run in the Cloud. A
client library, in managed code, and associated tools are also provided for
developing Cloud applications in Visual Studio. Scaling and reliability are
controlled by the Azure Fabric Controller so the services and environment
don't crash if one of the servers crash within the Microsoft datacenter. The
Azure Fabric Controller also manages aspects of the user's Web application
such as memory resources and load balancing.
Office: Simply a Service
This is a huge surprise to most. Microsoft will make even its traditional
apps accessible via the Cloud. For our entire history we have been deploying
our esteemed Office suite on the desktop. Until now.
Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will be airlifted into the Cloud and become
services as well. In this demo,
an Excel spreadsheet is running in the Cloud with almost all its functionality
intact, including features like auto-complete and auto-formatting, as well as
built-in collaboration and a way to link the spreadsheet results to e-mails
and Web pages.
Free Cloud Architecture Knowledge Transfer
I realize most developers are barely keeping up with their day-to-day jobs
and with currently released software. But as the economy weakens, it makes sense
to better prepare for the future. Ambrose Bierce defines the future as "That
period of time in which our affairs prosper, our friends are true and our
happiness is assured." So why not get some free training and treat yourself
to a holiday gift of knowledge. Applications will be architected very differently
moving forward.
For a discussion on how the Microsoft platform can be leveraged to create
a new class of applications, check out the
Microsoft Architect Council | Cloud Computing and Impact on Architecture,
December 18 at 12:00 noon in San Francisco.
Another Free Training Event
Want to learn ways to create incredibly beautiful applications on Windows, including
drawing and animation for the ultimate user experience - features that were previously
only available from specialized libraries? I'm putting on
MSDN Events Unleashed: The .NET Framework Pillars,
January 7, 2009 in Mountain View, CA. You'll see the technology that was used to deliver
the Olympics to the public and how it is an
adaptation of the rich technology used to create beautiful applications on Windows.
Thanks for reading,
Bruno
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