Microsoft + Web Dev = Scarey

[KingBahamut]

For the past decade, Microsoft has largely ignored the Web as an emerging platform for application development with fears that it could render Windows obsolete. But that will all change next week, as Microsoft unveils a new strategy for transforming its Web properties into an open platform for developers. As part of its new 'Web 2.0 Platform' strategy, Microsoft will expose application programming interfaces, or APIs, for MSN Search using SOAP. MSN Virtual Earth, Desktop Search and MSN Messenger will all be opened up for outside developers to extend. From the article: Microsoft's online rivals, notably Google and Yahoo, already provide the hooks that let third-party Web developers write applications that tap into their Web services, such as search and mapping. Because these Web applications rely on a Web browser, they can, in theory, run on any operating system. Microsoft, meanwhile, has always drawn third-party developers to Windows. But even with its commitment to Windows, analysts said, Microsoft needs to more fully address the growing popularity of online Web development. Having a healthy ecosystem of third-party add-on products helps drive traffic to Web properties.

External Links
http://www.betanews.com/article/Can_Microsoft_OutGoogle_Google/1126286132
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+Web+plan+takes+aim+at+Google/2100-1007_3-5855244.html?part=rss&tag=5855244&subj=news

[macgyver2]

Hmm...I don't really see how this is scary...

[evilghost]

I'm not concerned, we heard the same song and dance during the .NET propoganda push and the bastardized languages like C# and ASP.NET

Same 'ol song and dance with Microsoft. If you can't buy out your competition create a similar solution and rave/rant how great it is, pre-package it in your WGA program, and tout how it's significantly more robust, secure, reliable, and valuable.

[blastus]

The Web seems to be a conflict of interest for Microsoft. Being able to run things off the Web without MS-Windows has always been a huge concern for Microsoft. Think about it, if everything you need or want is on the Web and you don't need MS-Windows to access it, then Microsoft is no longer necessary. This is why Web technologies and thin client computing scare the crap out of them.

As part of its new "Web platform" strategy, Microsoft will expose application programming interfaces, or APIs, for MSN Search using SOAP. Third party applications will be able to access up to 10,000 search results per day.

Google has had a SOAP interface now for quite a long time. Really, these interfaces are not necessary. It is very easy to write a program that can programmatically hit Google, Hotbot and other search engines without a special API. The disadvantage is, is that if the search engines change their layouts then it can break your program. The idea of these APIs is to provide an incentive for automated processes to use them...therefore constraining the number of queries they can hit the search engine with.

Microsoft's Desktop Search API will also be opened up to outside developers.

A hacker is an "outside developer" also. That's great, I can imagine hackers remotely searching an MS-Windows machine with this API.

[newbie2]

"In my experience, the combination of an Oracle database, Windows operating system, Unix hardware and an Apache webserver is a bad combination," Barlow wrote in the memo to Thomas M. Brady, the school system's chief business operations officer.

"In fact, through our research the last few days, we have found an advisory on the Apache website that states, 'Please note that at this time, Windows support is entirely experimental and is recommended only for experienced users.'
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/09/AR2005090901866.html

[BWF89]

But that will all change next week, as Microsoft unveils a new strategy for transforming its Web properties into an open platform for developers.
Has Microsoft ever created an open platform?