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Pastimes : Home on the range where the buffalo roam -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jhg_in_kc who wrote (2648)	6/22/2000 3:16:00 PM
From: Boplicity	Respond to of 13572

I'm taking pass, starting to wind down, getting ready for vacation. Greg

To: jhg_in_kc who wrote (2648)	6/22/2000 3:20:00 PM
From: Boplicity	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13572

MSFT new strategy plays right into the infra. plays. see below ><><Microsoft Eyes Net-Based Software By MICHAEL J. MARTINEZ .c The Associated Press REDMOND, Wash. (AP) - Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates on Thursday unveiled an ambitious effort to transform Microsoft's software products into Internet-based personal services. The initiative, called Microsoft.NET, will allow individuals to access data from a wide array of devices, including personal computers, handheld organizers and cell phones. The devices will communicate behind the scenes, coordinating between themselves and constantly updating each other, Gates said. ``We have the opportunity to take this vision of a digital world and apply the magic of software to make this a reality,'' Gates said. Previews of these new services - which will include online versions of Microsoft's popular Office software and features of its Windows operating system - will begin in 2001, but full services will not be widely available until at least 2002, Gates said. Thousands of developers have been working for nearly a year on Microsoft.NET, though company officials would not say how much Microsoft has invested. ``You could say it's a bet-the-company thing,'' Gates said, adding that it is ``far more ambitious than anything we've done in the past.'' Some analysts have said that the kind of integration needed to make Microsoft.NET a reality could run afoul of the company's antitrust battle, however. Microsoft is fighting a court-ordered breakup in appeals court after a federal judge found that it previously broke antitrust laws. There are also a number of proposed restrictions on Microsoft's business practices that, if upheld, could severely hamper the company's progress on Microsoft.NET. Gates did not comment on the antitrust case during his presentation. Microsoft plans to take its popular software products, such as the Windows operating system, Microsoft Office and the Microsoft Network online service, and make their features readily available over the Internet. Thus, with Office.NET, Microsoft's proposed online business software service, a user could write Microsoft Word documents and integrate them with Excel spreadsheets or other Microsoft software, all through a Web browser on a handheld organizer with a link to the Internet. The user later could access the same documents from a different computer, since the material is stored in a central computer and accessible from anywhere over the Web. Gates demonstrated a number of the new technologies on so-called ``smart'' phones, handheld computers and a ``tablet PC,'' a fully functional computer that uses a pen and handwriting recognition instead of a keyboard. Microsoft Network Web sites and services will become MSN.NET, and will continue to offer such services as free online e-mail, bill paying, appointment management and instant messaging. These services will be integrated with Windows.NET, Office.NET and a suite of tools that customers can use to build their own products. Gates has been leading the charge on Microsoft.NET since stepping down as chief executive in January. He said he has focused his time on making the new services easy to use. Gates hopes to make handwriting and voice recognition the keystones of the project, eventually allowing people to get work done by simply talking to a computer. Microsoft has already received backing from Compaq Computer Corp. and Dell Computer Corp., among others. Marc Andreessen, founder of Netscape Communications Corp. and now the chairman of Loudcloud Inc., also voiced support for Microsoft.NET in a statement. In the past, Andreessen has been a vocal opponent of Microsoft. ``Loudcloud is excited about .NET because it is directly in line with our vision of a world of networked services,'' Andreessen said. ``It will provide a great foundation for next-generation Internet applications and services, which will further enable Loudcloud to provide innovative new infrastructure services to our customers.'' Microsoft is only the latest entrant into the market for Web-based services. Oracle Corp. has invested heavily in providing similar services to corporations, while Sun Microsystems Inc. will unveil a Web-based office software suite by the end of the summer. Shares of Microsoft were up 87.5 cents to $81.563 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market. On the Net: microsoft.com >> Greg