MIX08 - Ray Ozzie lays out the vision...

Ray Ozzie took the stage at MIX08 and talked about the Microsoft/Yahoo merger,the 3 core principals that are reshaping Microsoft's core products and offerings and driving Microsoft's Software+Services strategy and 5 areas that Microsoft is focused on to deliver products and technologies that allow developers and designers to create the next generation of connected experiences.

On the 3 core principals that are driving Microsoft's Software + Services strategy:

• The Web is the Hub - the Internet is the hub of our social mesh and the hub of our device mesh. Microsoft is creating a platform of products technologies and services to support a hub based model for managing all of our social interactions and our devices
• The Utility Computing Model - there is now an ongoing transition from dedicated application servers to a combination of onsite and off site hosted solution fro all types of applications from purchased to homegrown. Microsoft is delivering advancements in our products, technologies and services to support this move to a Utility Computing Model
• Transparency, Interoperability and Standards - support for a fabric of loosely coupled, loosely federated cooperating systems offering designers and developers the tools and technologies to deliver the next generation of connected experiences.

Ray covered the 5 areas where designers and developers can work with Microsoft to create the next generation of connected experiences:

• Devices - Software that brings them together with the Internet as the hub. Common services that connect, link and allow you to manage all your devices
• Entertainment - access and enjoy your media across your devices in a consistent manner
• Productivity - Office for the PC, Office Mobil and Office Live for the Web all connected into a seamless experience with the Internet acting as the hub
• Business - Connected Business, services for business such as CRM, Dynamics Live. Utility computing for the Enterprise for their data centers and for the cloud.  Platform level investments (HyperV, System Center), Finished Services such as running Exchange, SharePoint as services in the data center or in the cloud and Building Block services such as BizTalk Services. SQL Server Data Services
• Development - platform and tools that span from the desktop to the phone to the server. .NET Framework, VS and Expression. Connected Development

Wow! Ray laid out an ambitious and all encompassing vision that is both exciting and profound. The remainder of the keynote focused on the latest releases of products, technologies and servers that are moving this vision forward.

-bob