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I agree with you (especially about Microsoft.) I've been saying for years that there is a killer opportunity for Microsoft in the enterprise: develop a single p

by exelius 13y ago

I agree with you (especially about Microsoft.) I've been saying for years that there is a killer opportunity for Microsoft in the enterprise: develop a single platform for serving applications that serves a tablet view to tablet users, a desktop view to desktop users and a mobile view to mobile users. Basically, enable the hell out of BYOD because the PC is disappearing. They can make the money they lose in Windows licenses back on the server side: if the PC industry is pushing all the workload and complexity to the server, the costs should go there as well. Basically, it should be RDP/VDI but the entire interface adjusts to the device you're using it on. They have a great touch interface in the Metro (or whatever they're calling it) -- their mistake was forcing users with a mouse and keyboard to use it as well. I suspect that a lot of Microsoft's tablet shenanigans have been because they were trying to make the Surface happen. IMO the better tactic for them to take would have been "We don't care what platform you access your business applications from, as long as your app servers are running Windows." Which is basically exactly what you're saying. So I agree with you.

superbaconman 13y ago
I've personally been thinking along the same lines. We may be thinking about the personal cloud. Bringing the application server to the user allows us to provide thin clients, reestablish personal security, and drive consumers to buy more advanced hardware for their core infrastructure. It would require a big change in how things are done today, but I think it would ultimately end up helping the industry.
erichocean 13y ago
I've been saying for years that there is a killer opportunity for Microsoft in the enterprise: develop a single platform for serving applications that serves a tablet view to tablet users, a desktop view to desktop users and a mobile view to mobile users. My startup is doing things that way (although not for Microsoft products, obviously). Being able to create an 'app' that is write once, run well on Desktop/Tablet/Mobile, with efficient UIs on all of them, is pretty dang useful, at least in the business market.
- exelius 13y ago
  Yeah; but the biggest problem you'll encounter in launching this is that you're not Microsoft. Microsoft has an extensive partner sales network and a lot of companies already using many of its infrastructure products. They write the SDKs and IDEs that developers use to develop Windows apps. They write the software that the system admins run on the servers. They write the security policy management systems that most companies use to manage their users, applications and hardware. And they also write the most popular desktop applications so they can show people how to really implement something like this. I don't think anyone other than Microsoft can realistically do this. Which is exactly why Microsoft should; it's a product that nobody could copy and they would have a 90% market share on corporate BYOD management in under 5 years. Nadella is the right guy to actually push something like that forward; I just hope that the shiny consumer stuff doesn't remain a distraction. There's nothing fundamentally cannibalistic about someone running MS Outlook on their iPad: in order to do this, they still need a Windows user license, an Exchange license and an Outlook license, so MS is still getting paid three times for that user.

by exelius 13y ago

superbaconman 13y ago

I've personally been thinking along the same lines. We may be thinking about the personal cloud. Bringing the application server to the user allows us to provide thin clients, reestablish personal security, and drive consumers to buy more advanced hardware for their core infrastructure. It would require a big change in how things are done today, but I think it would ultimately end up helping the industry.

erichocean 13y ago

I've been saying for years that there is a killer opportunity for Microsoft in the enterprise: develop a single platform for serving applications that serves a tablet view to tablet users, a desktop view to desktop users and a mobile view to mobile users. My startup is doing things that way (although not for Microsoft products, obviously). Being able to create an 'app' that is write once, run well on Desktop/Tablet/Mobile, with efficient UIs on all of them, is pretty dang useful, at least in the business market.

exelius 13y ago
Yeah; but the biggest problem you'll encounter in launching this is that you're not Microsoft. Microsoft has an extensive partner sales network and a lot of companies already using many of its infrastructure products. They write the SDKs and IDEs that developers use to develop Windows apps. They write the software that the system admins run on the servers. They write the security policy management systems that most companies use to manage their users, applications and hardware. And they also write the most popular desktop applications so they can show people how to really implement something like this. I don't think anyone other than Microsoft can realistically do this. Which is exactly why Microsoft should; it's a product that nobody could copy and they would have a 90% market share on corporate BYOD management in under 5 years. Nadella is the right guy to actually push something like that forward; I just hope that the shiny consumer stuff doesn't remain a distraction. There's nothing fundamentally cannibalistic about someone running MS Outlook on their iPad: in order to do this, they still need a Windows user license, an Exchange license and an Outlook license, so MS is still getting paid three times for that user.