Microsoft seems to be getting further and further down the rabbit hole with respect to real time communication and collaboration features and products (see
A short history of Microsoft and IP based Video calling).
Their recently rebranded Live Meeting service seems not to use the T.120 standard for any part of collaboration (in fact it seems they aren't even aware of the standard). Msn seems to be competing with Windows Messenger on the enterprise front blowing completely out of the water the current line that Msn Messenger is a consumer product and Windows Messenger is the enterprise product. I have been told that the Longhorn alpha/preview/pre-alpha/PDC version (or whatever the current buzzword label for the version is) available from MSDN still includes NetMeeting(which otherwise Microsoft seems to be butchering -- even to the extent that they recently "lost" the downloads normally available at the NetMeeting site).
Which brings to mind some questions about the future:
Does Microsoft have a unified vision of realtime P2P audio/video and collaboration?
What is the vision?
Is Longhorn going to provide something that is a step to that vision or is Microsoft going to continue down the path of fragmentation, petty intracompany squabbling?
Maybe we can get our friendly neighbourhood Longhorn evangelist to provide some guidance?
