Microsoft – Wake up! You’re not Google.
Perhaps we should give Microsoft an A for effort in trying to keep up with the Joneses at Google. As my friends at Search Engine Land have reported, Microsoft as built a software package in their latest attempt to dominate computer users everywhere.
The new Windows Live Services bundles together an email client, blog writing software, instant messaging client, photo gallery helper, Microsoft Live Search browser toolbar and browser content filtering software. The products appear to help get the word out that Microsoft – not to be outdone by Google or Yahoo! – can also host blogs, photos and have a cool toolbar that works with ANY browser.
So, OK, I’ll bite. I chose to customize the services I wanted to install, opting out of Messenger, OneCare Familyt Safety. I also opted not to change my default start page, default search engine and to not let Microsoft collect “information about [my] experience.”
Each application I looked at had the Vista look and feel to it. Windows Live Mail looks just like the Vista Mail email client that replaced Outlook Express in the latest version of windows, Vista. Apparently it can check other email accounts, too – not just your Hotmail account. Live Writer – which aims to promote Microsoft’s Live Spaces online communities – also will work with Blogger, Type Pad, Movable Type, several versions of both hosted WordPress and WordPress.com blogs and many other industry-standard blogging softwares. Hmm.. should we start giving Microsoft some credit?
Imagine my surprise when, after installation, I found it secretly installed Microsoft Desktop Search, too.
I don’t trust Microsoft with too much information. It’s bad enough I have to use Windows as one of my operating systems. I certainly don’t want them probing through my file system. Many of the Windows Live products – Mail, Messenger, Live Spaces (blogging) – all have entries at SecurityFocus.com for potential vulnerabilities. Apparently Microsoft is still sub-par on software development and still not to be trusted to not “do evil things” (sorry, Googlers).
Microsoft has a long way to go until they’re trusted. But apparently trust is not their goal – percent share is. Pity.
ren’t there other things to consider as well? see, if i see an ad for pepsi, and i’m thirsty (there’s two points to consider already), i’ll probably go and get me a coke, or something else i like. what i’m saying is, if the product isn’t your taste, you won’t buy it, if you have a choice of something that you like more. what about that?