Monday, March 29, 2004

Microsoft and RSS. Jeremy Wright: How Microsoft could get into RSS Joshua Allen: Microsoft and RSS? Joshua seems to disagree with Steve Gillmor's rant that Microsoft needs to do more with RSS. I don't see it that way. I see it as a disconnect. Microsoft employees know that the way to get things done is five levels down from Bill Gates. But the outside world thinks that the way to get things done is to talk Bill Gates into doing them. I fall into this trap too. "If only I could get an hour with Ballmer I could change the world." That's really hogwash. Although I certainly wouldn't turn down the hour. :-) OK, let's look at it differently. Soon Microsoft will turn on Channel9. Now, Channel9 will have an RSS feed. Did the five guys who work on that team need to check with Steve Ballmer or Bill Gates before doing that? No. Now, take that further, does the SPOT watch team need to check with Gates or Ballmer before turning on an RSS feed? No. Does the Outlook team need to check with Ballmer and Gates? No. Sharepoint team? No. MSN team? No. How about the Researchers here? No. So, what's the problem? It's a people problem. We need to do the hard work and evangelize RSS to everyone. That's not easy. Believe me, I'm on a team of guys who are trying to evangelize .NET and Longhorn. There is no shortcut. It's a people business. On the other hand, Steve knows that the way to get the guys who are five or six levels down from Ballmer or Gates to do something, he should write a letter to Ballmer or Gates and put it in eWeek. That's called applying social pressure. It's a tool of evangelists. You think our PR department (and me) isn't going to do the same thing with Longhorn? Remember when I first started working at Microsoft? I told you how it's more like an ant hill than a tank? Well, I notice there's quite a stream of ants checking out syndication lately. All Gillmor is trying to do is tell the ant hill: "hey, there's a pot of honey over here." I appreciate that. So, let's go get it! [Scobleizer: Microsoft Geek Blogger] 8:22:52 PM    comment []

Sam Gentile's new .NET app: parental control for cell phones. OK, here's one back on the .NET side of the fence. Sam Gentile, who's one of the most talented C++ guys I've ever met, blogged what he's been working on for the past 10 months: bcgi Mobile Guardian. It is a .NET-based service that lets you manage wireless phone usage and expense. For families. Groups. Or even just yourself. Congrats Sam on getting this baby out! "As a parent with children, I feel proud to have designed the architecture of a product that will help parents manage their children’s wireless phones balancing concerns safety, usage management and financial restraint; a product that will matter in the world." [Scobleizer: Microsoft Geek Blogger] 8:22:01 PM    comment []

MSN Readies Newsbot, Blogbot and Answerbot. MSN is prepping three new search services: MSN Newsbot, Blogbot and Answerbot. Both Newsbot and Blogbot are expected to go beta in the U.S. this year; Answerbot is running a bit later. [Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley] 8:20:58 PM    comment []

Bill Gates Dons His Chief Software Architect Hat. When Bill Gates thinks, Microsoft jumps. Gates recently emerged from one of his sequestered Think Weeks, full of ideas about the next great thing in which Microsoft should be investing. eWEEK chats with Microsoft's chief software architect about mesh networking, WiMax, Web services and more. [Microsoft Watch from Mary Jo Foley] 8:20:41 PM    comment []