Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    Its About Time and Space

    By
    Steve Gillmor
    -
    October 31, 2003
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Discuss This in the eWEEK Forum

      Remember the .Net rollout? Hailstorm? .Net Insecurity Day? Theres nothing quite like the rush you get from a Microsoft all-hands-on-deck launch. For just a few hours or days, you get to sit in Bills chair, see what Bill sees, knowing it will all happen eventually — given enough time and hard work. Microsofts Professional Developer Conference (PDC) this week was as big, or bigger than those launches.

      As sure as the seasons turn and the network sweeps come and go, Microsoft will have enough money to implement whatever it wants. Its market dominance virtually guarantees Microsofts eventual success, subject only to the small possibility of more government anti-trust action or the the somewhat larger risk posed by All The Other Guys.

      As the smoke begins to clear from Los Angeles and this weeks, I find myself longing for a good old-fashioned time machine. One I could jump into and fast forward to 2006 or 8, and view this weeks Longhorn unveiling in the context of What Really Happened.

      From the future of 2008, heres what Id see. The view would be pretty much as Bill called it: a dynamic array of platform services encompassing real-time presence, event notification, resource virtualization, and personalized declarative portfolio management. But I wouldnt be the only one with a time machine – according to my crystal ball, Microsoft will invent one too – sometime in 2005 or 2006. But they keep it a deep, dark secret – at least for a while.

      Lets click on the Timeline and review the History:

      2004: Yukon ships on December 31 at 11:59, with SP1 promised for June. Apple ships iChat Server, iCast, and $130 Panther upgrade with RSS information router console. Sun buys WebMethods. Bush reelected.

      2005: Bush recalled on January 21. Maria Shriver elected. Sun ships free desktop client based on Looking Glass but renamed The Java Visual System. Client includes RSS-coordinated componentized OpenOffice modules. Miguel de Icaza ships Mono framework abstracting Avalon XAML calls to the Sun/BEA objects. Sun and BEA merge. Yukon SP1 ships.

      2006: Longhorn Beta ships. Apple Records buys Apple Computer, forcing Microsoft to adopt Apple DRM model to get access to Beatles catalogue. Microsoft revs Office System, ships free InfoPath runtime to recapture RSS InfoRouter market share. Technorati buys Google.

      2007: Ballmer ousted after revealing details of Longhorn Time Machine in eWeek interview. Allchin denies using Time Machine to alter Linux source code to match SCO lawsuit. Longhorn release date set for New Years Eve at Midnight. Allchin says hes “absolutely certain it shipped, uh, will ship on that date.” President Shriver reelected.

      2008: – PDC opens in Los Angeles as floods rage. In final keynote as Chief Software Architect, Gates announces personal Time Machine will be bundled with Office System. Microsoft catchphrase changes to “When do you want to go today?”

      Of course, none of this could happen, because as we all know, there is no such thing as a free runtime. Seriously though, time travel and teleportation is what Longhorn is all about—and Bills vision is shared by many of technologys captains. From wireless to RSS to video-conferencing, we are projecting ourselves more and more efficiently out into the information storm.

      I didnt make it to the PDC this time, spoiled as I am by my NetNewsWire RSS router, my iSight/iChat peer network, my GPRS/Bluetooth camera phone, and my WiFi Powerbook. It may not yet be the seamless mesh of services Bill proffered on the PDC stage, but its getting very close. I virtually attended Dave Winers BloggerCon several weeks ago from the comfort of this years model of a time machine, as IM, RSS, video conferencing and streaming webcasts collaborated to put me there, even though I was here.

      If you can live with a new-style 80/20 rule (80% of the functionality at 20% of the cost ) you can have most of Longhorns promise today. Sure, Bill will get there. And some of us will be waiting for him when he shows up – with a few more bucks in our pockets, to boot.

      Whats Steve talking about? How can you get 80% of Longhorn today?

      Join him in our discussion forum and find out!

      Steve Gillmor
      Steve Gillmor is editor of eWEEK.com's Messaging & Collaboration Center. As a principal reviewer at Byte magazine, Gillmor covered areas including Visual Basic, NT open systems, Lotus Notes and other collaborative software systems. After stints as a contributing editor at InformationWeek Labs, editor in chief at Enterprise Development Magazine, editor in chief and editorial director at XML and Java Pro Magazines, he joined InfoWorld as test center director and columnist.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×