Back in the good old days, big software companies did big things. Little companies tiptoed around in the shadow of the platform makers, gaining enough speed to liftoff and attract enough attention to survive long enough to be acquired. Like the old movie studios of the 30’s and 40’s, the technology studios of the 80’s and 90’s built stars and played them off until the inevitable decline.
So it went with Microsoft, as the seeming invulnerability of Gates’ machine accelerated to the boundaries of global saturation. Though we tend to think of Google as the conqueror, the reality is that Microsoft has struggled most with itself, the victim not of decline but of lack of fuel — the very customers who created the megalith in the first place.
Everything changed with the Net. The platform wars, the browser wars, the widget wars — they’re all really battles in the grappling with the living, breathing, swarm that is the Web. Even the argument over whether Office is dead is bogus, a joke that became a conference that begat a series of endless reiterations of the first O’Reilly Peer-to-Peer conference known as Web 2.0. The stuff that went over the wire now goes over the air; the stuff that used to persist solely on the client now comes from G@d knows where in the Cloud.
I pick on the conferences because they are an easy target, whether large and self-important like the Web 2.0 Expo this past week in San Francisco or small and private smoke-filled rooms like the ones that may await us in Denver in August. An easy target when the guy who champions dataportability.org is nowhere to be seen on the panels of numerous sessions on dataportability, the legitimacy of standards baked in the dark having the same dubious odor it had when Microsoft and IBM tried the same thing back in the Web Services Wars.
So we grow to expect little of big companies, entrenched publishers, and the various gatekeepers that fester at the margins of this unruly beast of the Net. Google grew so fast we bought the laughable notion they weren’t attacking Microsoft with freeware, but it only seemed like a big company play after the fact, and even today is laughed off by so-called “enterprise” seers as a toy, albeit a collaborative one that can’t be duplicated by the incumbent without triggering self-destruction.
Instead, we watch big company plays emerging from virtualized roots, the Amazon services, the social media clouds, the endless “little” company dance of instability, VC stupidity, and media carbonation of the Valley. This is the universe of the little Duchies, the Fenwicks where media storms roll down through the hills and tumble past with names like Twitter and Friendfeed and Twhirl.
I’ll call them microbigs, because the media treats them like they’re big companies with little to lose and everything to gain. The microbigs can seem transcendent like Facebook or possessing the lifetime of a gnat like a thousand forgotten startups or neverwases, but nowhere are the range of possible outcomes more encapsulated than Twitter.
Twitter is a Rorschach test of a microbig. I see it as the most important enterprise event of the MicroBig era; others see it as SocMedBS. We’re both right, of course, but put your head down on the tracks and you’ll hear the superliner approaching: Live Mesh. Just when we thought it was safe…. Are the big companies back? Is it time once again to assemble the open source wagons? To whom do we look for authority in fighting this battle?
First, is Microsoft a big company? Sure, but composed of monolithic special interests or a fast-moving collection of microbigs orchestrated by a self-healing mesh. One from Column A, the Office group, secure in revenue via the corporate channel but increasingly undercut by virality — or one from Column B, Silverlight, secure in cross-platform transparency with a 100 million client gift horse in NBC’s Olympic coverage on the horizon.
Both poles are curiously hamstrung, Office by its size and historical association with pre-Web lock-in, Silverlight by its perception as a virtual iPod with nothing to play or project. And there’s the media, similarly hamstrung by the notion that the only play here is to stick the two together and move Office to the Web. The problem: that’s not a microbig, it’s a regular old big company.
Then there’s the mesh. Looks bigco in purpose, staffed by the new guard at Microsoft, the best and brightest of Redmond and the seedlings that trace back to Groove and forward to the intersection with telecom and hardware. But try an interesting thought experiment as we did on The Gillmor Gang, and throw Mesh lead David Treadwell a series of microbig scenarios, and the answer comes up yes.
First, the Coke Classic questions: When’s the Mac version? Two months. What’s the difference between this and FolderShare. Never mind that who cares about FolderShare to begin with. What about Sharepoint? What about Groove? No wonder there’s even a little doubtthat Microsoft can get traction with this, what with channel conflict left and right with its own flailing Net-grappling product lines.
Finally, the real questions: Does Silverlight intersect with Mesh to produce the Net OS? Answer: Yes. Treadwell calls it orthogonal and complementary. MicroBig language. Can Mesh support Twitter streams orchestrated by identity mapping via affinities and abstracted to devices across OS, mobile, and corporate divides via Silverlight? Yes, but it can do so much more. Yes, but I didn’t ask about WIndows. OK, yes. When?
Big company play at MicroBig velocity. Yes, and rather than yes, but.
Gillmor: Is this service intended to compete against or enhance, which is a good part of the question, Google and Amazon Web Services?
Treadwell: This service is a different level than Amazon Web Services. Amazon Web Services does a great job of providing what we sometimes call utility computing resources– the ability to do mass scale storage, computation, etc. This service doesn’t have anything that operates at that level
Gillmor: Well it sits on top of services that operate at that level.
Treadwell: That’s exactly correct.
Gillmor: So can you wire the two up? Can you sit on top of Amazon services and use Mesh services to synchronize and orchestrate them?
Treadwell: It would certainly be possible for somebody to create a virtual device of a sort that uses Mesh’s open protocols to use S3 as one type of device. We don’t have that support today, but again, by virtue of the open protocol, somebody could create such a device.
Gardner: If someone decides they didn’t want, for some reason, their content to go out through this platform, wouldn’t it be fairly easy for them to block it?
Treadwell: They could simply choose not to map the folder. Is that what you mean?
Gardner: Not the end user necessarily, but perhaps the large organization that’s got content.
Treadwell: I see your point. That’s one of the things we know we have to do a good job with Mesh; that is, to be IT-friendly, and to give IT control on what kinds of data can and can’t be stored on this thing. In addition, one of the things that we expect to do longer-term is to allow IT departments to operate their own cloud storage mechanisms, such that data owned by that enterprise would only be stored on that enterprise’s devices and that enterprise’s servers. They would never go to Microsoft and they would have complete control of that data.
GillmorGang 04.25.08
Yes? Yes. So what you’re saying is that Google is a microbig. Yes, did I say that? No, but I didn’t ask that either and the answer is still yes. Bottom line: Microsoft can’t gain and retain traction with Mesh unless the answers are yes.
Where we take this is even more interesting than whether it will be successful in Microsoft’s stated terms, that with a dominant client position on the desktop and a growing one in gaming, mobile, and corporate they will get the lion’s share of whatever becomes the coin of the realm (services.) Looking at Mesh as a data synchronization transport ignores its abilities to virtualize identity, permissions, information aggregation, realtime feedback loops, and other SocMedBS attributes that define the substructure of, for example, a Twitter-Mesh-Silverlight gateway to compete with GTalk/Twitter etc.
Imagine (not for long will it be ephemeral) an information bus that orchestrates the signaling of text, rich media, calendar, communications, transaction, and group location status under a social graph umbrella based in part on user-controlled behavior aggregation (gestures). Now imagine what Google needs to do to match this architecture and its overwhelming lead in connectors to existing hardware via Windows.
Google’s answer for now is no. There’s no need to attack Mesh directly, but rather continue to iterate on Officenomics while retaining its dominant leads in user credibility and advertiser cloud. But Microsoft can efficiently hybridize Google and other microbig services with the Mesh layer added, creating information bus fail-over to multiple streams (virtual devices) to insure enterprise levels of reliability and security.
Those who dismiss this SocMedBS should note that even without Mesh or a Silverlight installed base of sufficient size or a Twitter that can scale at the affinity level, we are already able to orchestrate multiple services at an adhoc level with tangible results. For example, Friday’s Gillmor Gang was carried simultaneously by a Ustream feed with live video from my studio in Daly City and graphics intermeshed with the conference call by Jerry Schuman in Los Angeles, a live chat with questions from a global audience, the concurrent Twitterstream, and members of the Gang including Robert Scoble by cell from Ansel Adams’ playground deep in Yosemite.
It’s another fine mesh we’re getting into. But we have to face the facts that choice is the only weapon we have for progress. Whether it’s someone trying to force a choice of who we are friends with, or guilt by association with other ideas and experiences, or any gatekeeping that isn’t in service of any of us, that is to be rejected and routed around until the obstruction clears. It’s time for us to act like the microbigs we can be, and, like Microsoft, just say yes.
That was so more than 140 characters….I’ll just print this and read it later…. BTW I’m glad you picked up Gilmore gang since your other podcast was far and in-between
Dude, such a long post this late at night. Could someone post a one or two line summary letting me know what’s going on here.
5 minutes wasted that I’ll never get back reading a podcast advertisement disguised as a circular argument.
#2 - I’m pretty sure he’s saying Mesh = good.
Fun being on the Gillmor Gang from 7,200 feet in Yosemite. This week I’ll be at a journalism conference in Berkeley, so should be able to have more fun.
#4: yes, that’s what Steve was saying. Me too. Windows 7 just got a lot more interesting.
why did this show up as a partial feed on goog reader? Don’t tell me techcrunch is now in full monetize any and all PV mode.
Robert Scoble - What Conference is this?
#6. Indeed. It will be interesting!
I’m waiting to get in on the beta!
more like live + mesh = good
Wow, what kind of writing is that? I hate BS like this.
“not for long will it be ephemeral”
That article could and should have been about a third the length, or better yet, just put an ad for the podcast up and save us the misery of having to decode that rubbish.
Fascinating dissection of some big moves by MS that could have significant impact on ‘Web 2.0′ and ‘Enterprise 2.0′ if they get traction. Not sure about SilverLight - I think Adobe are too deep and mature in that space, but Mesh will make some serious waves as the 2.0 world matures…
To truly see the power of mesh you need to watch this channel 9 video by the microsoft boys themselves. It demo’s Mesh across devices and across OS’s. Really drives home why this is going to be huge!
http://channel9.msdn.com/Showp.....tid=399964
(note that the video is an official MS demo video more geared towards developers BUT shows real world applications of MESH)
I saw twitter mentioned again and quit reading.
It is a pleasure reading you Mr. Gillmore, though in this case your hopes for Mesh are probably overrated. The Net OS needs to be vendor-agnostic, and that is why all MSFT, ADBE or GOOG’s efforts to control it will be ineffective. It will much rather be directed by the W3C, Sir Berners-Lee, or somebody else from that gang.
Yeah, next time how about an executive summary in English? I think I can generally understand basic concepts– but I have no idea where those might be in the article above.
#4, #6: Woot @ Live Mesh.
Sorry for misspelling your name Mr. Gillmor.
It’s happened before, Conrado. As to vendor agnostic, Google seems to be doing just fine with Gmail etc. Microsoft will too.
MyMesh.com — better relevance for you, opensocially.
Interesting piece, but did you really censor “God”?
way to many words man. i’m going to read something else to figure out what mesh is.
@20 - where you means the user, in context.. as in, eg, a new MySpace for you
Are your guest writers paid by the word? And whats with the self quotation crap?
| Anatoly: Are your guest writers paid by the word?
|
| Mike: Yes, but our commenters are not.
|
| Anatoly: Good point, I’ll shut up.
Note to all writers, blog or small:
More words doesn’t mean well written.
I think someone needs an editor.
Spending over a page defining arbitrary categories and then spending another page debating whether certain companies fit into the arbitrary categories you just defined is pretty bad form.
Though to be honest, that part at least made sense which is more than can be said for the Mesh/Silverlight discussion that followed.
Sure Mesh can be used with Silverlight but from a business perspective Mesh is an attempt by Microsoft to reaffirm Desktop applications while Silverlight is a hedge strategy against online applications. So they’re contradictory initiatives (from a proud tradition of Microsoft hedging their bets). Has anyone from Microsoft, who wasn’t answering a GillmorGang question, mentioned the two being connected in any way?
I mean of course they are going to work together, Mesh has an API, but to mash them together into some bizarre NetOS strategy is pure imagination on Mr. Gillmor’s part as far as I can tell.
Oh, and I love this quote: “Silverlight by its perception as a virtual iPod with nothing to play or project”
What? Who perceives it as that? I did a Google search and couldn’t find one reference to that myself. Seriously, I’m all for the Crunch/Gillmor synergy but if this is what it’s going to produce I say no thank you.
Indeed Google is offering one fine webmail system, plus other great services. But in many occasions, the fact that there is only one company behind leads them into restricting the potential use (they only let you embed youtube videos into their documents, for instance). Of course, Microsoft traditional behavior on this subject needs no comments.
The Net OS needs open standards, open protocols, and preferably open implementations. Plus, it will likely need consensus.
Too many words … no no no.
Steve is thinking, and forcing us all to think, about some big things.
No way a Tweet can convey this. No way a 1000 word article can. But the conversation - that can!
I have no idea if the Mesh is going to be great. BUT, an any to any architecture, with an open social graph and the ability to bind to data and services…. now that IS the future.
There will be MANY players here… and the great news is we (developers, product builders, entrepreneurs) can choose to use one of all of them.
The real story is the applications and services that will emerge. Mike will no doubt be cheering. Techcrunch will be needed for quite a while yet as this all plays out.
Thanks for making the effort Steve.
Keith Teare
Steve is an acquired taste. his writing isn’t efficiently packaged into bite sized chunks like a lot of people have come to expect. but if you decide to give it the attention it needs, you may find that you come away a little bit smarter after you’re finished. He’s seen the same fights over and over in silicon valley over the last couple of decades. I like his insight.
that must be some good pot
Hello Keith!
Are you still missing Diego Forlan’s goals at the MUFC sir?
People need to read more eh?
Steve’s story has been a good read, despite its length…
Good attempt to share some of the most interesting parts of the latest Gillmor Gang, it is easier to reference a written article than just pointing to a lengthy podcast. As a suggestion I think the following should be in bold: “… But Microsoft can efficiently hybridize Google and other microbig services with the Mesh layer added, creating information bus fail-over to multiple streams (virtual devices) to insure enterprise levels of reliability and security”.
It’s good to have in TechCrunch, the deep analysis and insight Steve provides.
Love the “listen for the Superliner” line. We’ve had our ear to the tracks for a while, while MS cleaned up the back end, and started to build out data centers, and yes, even worked on Silverlight. Live Mesh has so much potential, but short term thinking and poor perception in the marketplace are bigger stumbling blocks than MS realizes. These new thinkers, led by Ray Ozzie, are on the right track, but it’s going to take more than a new blue theme to get this thing off the ground.
I hope it’s great, but before we all get excited about the brave new world, I’m not sure what credibility they have in the execution department. Microsoft has a tendency to over promise and underwhelming deliver little.
Vista / Longhorn
Any Live property
This is especially bleak when you consider how well they work with “open” standards.
IE7
Windows Live ID / Passport
If entrepreneurs / developers aren’t behind it, its not going to work. Surveying the reality of the net today, if it doesn’t play nice with the LAMP stack and tools *real* developers use, I don’t think it has a chance.
..all of you need to stop this web 2.0, Microsoft is on-to-something, Google is god masturbation.
Speak in plain English and not turgid prose. Save the latter for your own wank session…
“This is the universe of the little Duchies, the Fenwicks where media storms roll down through the hills and tumble past with names like Twitter and Friendfeed and Twhirl.”
I feel like I’m back in English AP class trying to dissect Jane Eyre and Ulysses.
“…I was a Flower of the mountain yes when I put the rose in my hair like the Andalusian girls used or shall I wear a red yes and how he kissed me under the Moorish wall and I thought well as well him as another and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down to me so he could feel my breasts all perfume yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes. ”
I forget — was that quotation Molly Bloom’s closing soliloquy of James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” or was it just Steve Gilmore talking about Mesh?
What was this chap trying to say up there?
Liked this article. Made me see a little bit bigger picture of Mesh and make some sense as to why its a step forward.
Very insightful post, a lot of concepts and hypotheses to chew on. This post was also a pretty good run down of where the other big players in the cloud are on the whole mesh issue and how it could affect them. Very probable that they could use them to their advantage. But its unlikely that they will give up so much control to use it in such a way that would be extremely powerful
If nothing else I at lease got that out of it.
@39
I think it was a subtle exercise in proving SG > Twitter.
@Michael Arrington
Getting errors on some pages, such as:
“The requested URL /adserver/adframe.php was not found on this server.”
I’m glad some people agree with me. I recently published an article a few days ago that was pro Live Mesh and Microsoft. I got more hate mail with that article than ever before. Great Article.
This one:
http://www.realsoftwaredevelop.....-even.html
and this one:
http://www.realsoftwaredevelop.....and-t.html
Could not parse text. Please try again using better english.
When two comments in a row compare your post to Ulysses, either you’re a genius or someone who could use a good editor. Either way, you’re not writing for your audience.
#46 - he is writing for his audience. Your just not it!
#45 - “better english”, maybe you should try to take your own advice!
I usually hate long posts… but for some reason I love this guys ramblings. Don’t edit! This is Gillmor. Keep it coming
At last some more intelligent commentary from techcrunch again. You be lucky to be having gilmore as part of your crew:)
what’d he say? was it good?