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Office’s new release cycle∝

Microsoft’s Office team has an ambitious roadmap ahead of it. But can a team of 5,000 engineers move from delivering product releases every 2 to 3 years, to every quarter or even faster?

Yes. It can. If the Office team releases features that are small and useful occasionally, every ninety days is completely possible. Chrome decided the long form release cycle was not going to work for a browser. Imagine what it could do for Office. Alienating users that are used to the slow cycle? Well, those users don’t mind their Chrome updates, their Firefox updates and their Windows updates that are pushed them literally all the time — because those updates don’t break their workflow and the changes are actually gradual.

Microsoft: Idiots.∝

ZDNet:

Now, Microsoft could revive Windows 7 sales, or make Aero Windows 8.x’s interface, but from everything we can see about Windows 8.1, aka Blue, that’s not what they’re doing. Instead, Microsoft seems to be doubling down on Metro.

Idiots.

Or, they could improve their new user experience and make it great. How about that as an option?

Imagine Xbox Live offline in the future∝

It’s early 2014 and a large scale DDoS attack has been launched at the Xbox Live servers, rendering the service offline. Hundreds of thousands of gamers cried out in horror as their always on Xbox, while definitely connected to the Internet locally, couldn’t connect to the Xbox authentication service, and thus their entire console has been rendered into a mediocre at best room heater.

Today from The Verge:

Xbox Live is currently experiencing a significant service disruption, with many users reporting problems when trying to sign in to Microsoft’s online gaming platform. The outage — which inconveniently comes during peak weekend gaming hours — has subsequently rendered a large part of the console’s functionality useless for the time being. Many of the most popular apps on Xbox 360 (including Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu, and YouTube) are tied to Xbox Live Gold subscriptions; if you’re unable to sign in, you won’t be able to access any content.

The future is nigh.

Durango requires constant connection∝

“If there isn’t a connection, no games or apps can be started. If the connection is interrupted, then after a period of time—currently three minutes, if I remember correctly—the game/app is suspended and the network troubleshooter started.”

Durango, the codename for the next Xbox, apparently requires a constant connection. Microsoft is generously allowing a brief service interruption, three minutes, before pausing the game and trying to diagnose the network problem.

I think EA’s SimCity disaster would make them think differently. This is likely just for developer units so they don’t go missing. At least I’m hoping that’s the case.

MinKernal: Windows Everywhere∝

So what is MinKernel in this context? According to one of my sources, MinKernel is a minimal set of functionality that is shared across the different Windows kernels that run on x86, ARM, Windows Phone and Xbox. MinKernel is the one base-level implementation on top of which these platforms are built, the same way that BaseFS may be the base-level file system that is common across different platforms.

Yep. That’s it. Windows is everywhere.

The Next Interface∝

I always thought of ZDNet of being proactive in its Windows evangelism, but that could be just my impression based on Foley.

It’s beginning to look more and more like if you want a traditional desktop you’re going to need to use Linux. Who’d thought it?

Despite that, Windows 8. Apparently, the press things that Microsoft thinks Metro is the future of its interface. Sure, it might be. But here’s the thing that I don’t like to forget when I think of Windows 8 and iOS: can you build the next interface? For instance, iOS as it stands, cannot build the next version of iOS — it cannot build the next interface for interaction. Likewise, Metro, as it stands, cannot build the next version of Windows 8. But it’s always as it stands.

X-Surface∝

It’s sad that The Verge was caught by this. Reporting is hard and believing rumors is easy.

(The X-Surface makes some degree of sense, but in the scope of things, no, it doesn’t really.)

Teasing the next Xbox? Uh, no.∝

The Verge thinks Microsoft is teasing the next Xbox with Microsoft’s secret-out-of-the-bag IllumiRoom.

I don’t think that’s the next Xbox. Using that kind of technology is a residential setting would be begging for problems. I can’t even imagine most of them, but I can think of enough to give me pause. It’s not the next Xbox. It might be the next thing, but certainly not coming anytime soon.

Let me know when you can: mount a projector to the ceiling, behind you, at least fifteen feet away from the TV you’d like to play your games on, oh, and power it, oh and somehow get the signal from the console wirelessly and not by a cable.

Gizmodo predicts the future (without leaks from a bar)∝

Gizmodo on Windows 8:

If the rumors are true, a company which usually releases operating systemson a three-year cadence will suddenly start selling a new mainstream operating system less than a year after Windows 8 launched. And before Microsoft starts selilng its next OS, it will no doubt go through months of public and developer previews as it has with Windows 7 and 8.

So, for Windows Blue to launch even as late as Q4 of 2013, Microsoft would have to announce a developer preview or public beta at the beginning of the year.

Because Mountain Lion to OSX is an entirely different OS. Yep. Because marketing doesn’t exist. No, Microsoft does not really need to offer widespread developer testing yet for Blue because it will offer new APIs that will not interfere with existing APIs. Oh, and, the hardware will not demand new drivers, so OEMs will not have to waste three months writing drivers again.

The other predictions are probably fine. I’m only vested in Windows success.

(Via The Loop.)

Windows 8 Pro Boxes∝

Who does Microsoft think they are? Adobe? Is that really something to aspire to?

Besides, there’s not even a story going on in those boxes. There aren’t eight leaves on a tree, there aren’t eight flowers in the scene, there aren’t eights anywhere. There is no meaning. It’s just, “Oh, look at me and my pretty pseudo-psychedelic colors!”

Yeah, but Microsoft has an important legacy∝

On its own, Apple’s iPhone business would be a Fortune 50 company.

It’s also bigger than all of Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500). Not just Windows or Office — the iPhone generated more sales than the entirety of Microsoft’s product lineup over the past four quarters.

If all the iPhones disappeared instantly right now, nobody would be really that worse off, they could still buy another phone for about the same price.

If all Microsoft products disappeared right now… that’s basically the end of the world (or at least, the United States).

Microsoft’s New Logo∝

I would have liked to include the logo directly, but Microsoft has not updated their logo release page yet. But, the shock will be better for your heart anyway.

Jokes aside, I think it looks nice and fits in with the design Microsoft is going for. It’s interesting that the window panes were not also at an angle like the Windows logo — wait! In that, it explains the crippled Windows logo: Microsoft is adopting it for itself.

(Via The Verge, read the comments.)

Windows 8 Mail Woes

I have been using the Windows 8 Consumer Preview since the launch at the end of February. To test more than just the regular Windows desktop, I’ve wanted to attempt using the built in applications like Mail and Calendar. Those two applications are of prime importance on my Android phone, so on Windows, I like to think they would be too.

The woes of Windows 8 Mail begin with the standardized login screen for all those Microsoft-metro apps.

Windows 8 Mail on Metro

This screen which insists on Microsoft credentials block some degree of my progress. Previously, I don’t think Live Mail needed any special accounts to the application. This has something to do with the new sync feature of Windows 8, where you can log in anywhere and everything will just be like it is at home. The screen prompts:

Sing in with a Microsoft account
Enter the Microsoft account you want to use with Mail, Calendar, People and Messaging.

Incidentally, I have an account I never use save for Live Messenger once in a blue moon. I don’t know what that password is by memory either since I use the wonderful LastPass – only the best security for email accounts, right? I open up the LastPass site editor via the vault and bring forth the details, and then copy right password right out like I do for other non-webapp apps on Windows.

That is Totally Not My Password; Good luck, though.

Then back on the log in screen for Windows 8 Mail, I enter my Microsoft account username, which is of course is my email address, and then I go to the password box ready to paste in my very long and secure password. Except it does not paste. So I assume I waited too long and maybe it was cleared by LastPass for security reasons. I leave the metro side and copy the password again, and return, and try again. No difference.

It turns out that Windows 8 will keep the clipboard separate between the Windows 8 desktop and the Metro-interface. You know, to be secure and all – to prevent mischievous things from happening.

That’s ridiculous. In order to the use the Mail application on Windows 8, I need to have an intentionally short and memorable password just so I can log in a sync service I do not really intend on using. That’s absolutely unacceptable.