June 06, 2006
Google Excel
Google is getting into the spreadsheet business. Spreadsheet applications, like Microsoft Excel, are not the most exciting things in the world, but this foray by Google is, in my opinion, very big news. Why? Because I believe it hastens the day when operating systems will become commodified.
For those of you who aren't computer geeks, imagine a world in which you could sit down at a PC (or thin client or docked smartphone), open a browser window and do everything you now need MS Office, Quicken, Photoshop and iTunes to do. In other words, the browser IS the computer.
We are on the edge of this today. The company I work for depends on only a handful of Windows-only apps. Were it not for them, we could easily dump Windows and move to Suse or some other *nix OS for the desktop because ANYTHING that runs a browser would do the job. Our branch offices already browse for e-mail and the entire company uses a browser to access our database front end and our imaging server.
This future world scares the hell out of the folks at Microsoft. Their continued success as a company depends on solid sales of Windows, both on the desktop and on the server side. Right now, the world is flooded with Window-only applications, but in a world where everything lives on the server, no one will care (or even know) which OS they're using. Those of you who have done helpdesk work can imagine a world in which the desktop is completely locked down and the PC startup launches a browser window containing everything the employee needs.
If this keeps up, I may have to go sell used cars.
Posted by Matthew at June 6, 2006 08:45 PMTrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.opaquelucidity.com/movabletype/mt-tb.cgi/787
How would you feel about selling used Porsches and Audis, lol.
John
Posted by: FCastle25![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.opaquelucidity.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at June 6, 2006 11:05 PM
Just thinking aloud ...
I wonder if a future world where everything runs on a server is something Microsoft would be scared of. I think in soem ways they might really want it. Yes if the business world changed to thin clients, they would lose WIndows sales for individual PCs. But Microsoft has time and again talked about "Software as a service". Think about a world where MS sells licences to corporations for MS Windows "Thin Clients" on desktops hooked up to Windows Server with MS Office / Outlook etc run of the server. As always MS will make it that "somehow" the Apps just run "better" when you have the whole stack as Micorosoft. The big plus for Microsoft - you wont have a physical copy of the apps on your computer. They will have complete control. The server will phone home to Mama every day to ensure you ahve paid your subcription fee for the number of clients this month. If you are late on your bill ... poof your outlook mail is inaccesible. The beauty of it for Microsoft - they won't have to come up with upgrades for a revenue stream. Companies find it difficult to day to get out of the clutches of Microsoft today. Once you are stuck in a MS subscription world, it would be near impossible to get out.
Expand this concept to a subscription based Windows Home edition - think Windows One Care - No updates without subscription. I shudder at the concept.
at June 7, 2006 11:06 PM