Windows & Office Live

Bill Gates very recently announced the Windows Live and Office Live. The ‘live era’ could be a significant shift from the desktop computing that we have all grown up with, to the new networked computing that the software giant, Microsoft is going to introduce to us.

Well, the idea of typing a document on a web browser with most of the features that one would expect from a word processor has been proven possible, thanks to the introduction of AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript & XML) programming technique. In fact, there has already been a number of web-based word processor such as Writely. Perhaps Microsoft would make something slightly better with a Office-like user interface.

Many of the Live releases will have payment tiers, with the lowest levels free and ad-supported, and higher-end versions paid for by the user. We’ll have licenses and subscriptions as well.
- Bill Gates

The subscription model for this live services/software caught my attention. Looks like Microsoft have not given up on the idea of subscription-based software that they have talked about some years ago (oops… there’s X-Box Live already). I guess with these Live releases, Microsoft could now charge us every time we use their software on a monthly or yearly basis instead of a one-off price to purchase the software. Well, from Microsoft’s business perspective, this is certainly a great way to generate constant (multi-billion) cash revenue from consumers (poorer for the rest of us ). On the other hand, perhaps the Live releases could also indirectly help Microsoft’s fight against software piracy that is rampant in many developing countries, as the server would authenticate each user before one could use the services/software. Besides, it would also ensure that the softwares are updated as soon as possible from bugs. Perhaps the ad-supported free version of the services/software would be for the rest of us who could not afford to pay for these better features.

Despite all the advantages of the ‘Live’ that Microsoft would like us (me) to believe, I’m still not buying into it 100%. For one, not everyone on earth is connected to an always-on internet broadband connection. And in some countries, having broadband is a luxury and beyond what one would call affordable. Well, sooner or later I believe everyone would be connected to some sort of a broadband internet. Besides, I’m quite sure that Microsoft would not abandon its monopoly on our desktop operating system – Windows as well as its cash cow Office. I guess these ‘Live’ releases would just be an extension of its monopoly in the cyberspace (despite a contrary emphasis during the press release). Anyway, don’t expect to boot your computer to Windows Live, since it’s just going to be a more interactive version of a web portal like MSN in my opinion.

Well, perhaps I’m a little old-school or something, I still love desktop computing and I’m not ready to give it up just yet.