After Bill

So now that's BillG's gone part time, what is Microsoft going to do?

The answer, not surprisingly, is "software". However, I've noticed a slight change of direction in the last year or so. It's a subtle change, but it's also a pretty major change in the way we approach things. It's as though we've decided that - architecturally speaking (as in "how we think about the design of the software") that the PC is not the centre of the software universe - it's actually the internet that everything revolves around. (And I'd forgive you for thinking "well, duh" but when you're doing quite nicely making hammers you do find that there are still plenty of nails out there.)

The "Microsoft" difference is that we still think that the centre of what's really important is the person using that software. So whereas some companies might see the internet as an excuse to hide a mainframe in the cloud and see the browser as just a modern day terminal, at Microsoft we still think it's very important to use the power at the edge of the network for the benefit of the user.

So what's changed? Well (and remember this is just my observation) it seems that in the last year or so, we've realised that the PC is not the only "first class citizen" working for the user. There are also mobile devices, TV's and even rich applications running in the browser - and maybe even a non-Microsoft browser running on a non-Microsoft OS. And it's clear that Microsoft wants to deliver the software for all those end user experiences - and of course the software for the services in the cloud (or in the enterprise) to which they connect.

So Live Mesh is a lot more than just "Groove Again". Or as Ray Ozzie says "At this moment in time, I see nothing but opportunity as we're moving into a world where the internet has taken a very big role and our vision really is to build compelling experiences that bring together the power of the internet with the magic of software across a world of devices".