Microsoft Seeks More Windows Live Developers<br /><br />BOSTON – Microsoft officials took another turn at explaining its Windows Live strategy, this time specifically to developers and IT professionals, on June 13, the second full day of the TechEd 2006 conference here.<br /><br />erhaps it was the early morning (8:30 a.m.) time slot. Or maybe the fact that the Windows Live strategy session wasn't listed on the TechEd program, only on the Web site. Or it could have been the change in speakers, with scheduled speaker Brian Arbogast, corporate vice president in charge of Windows Live, being replaced by one of his direct reports.<br />ADVERTISEMENT<br /><br />Regardless of the reasons, the Windows Live strategy session audience was rather sparse, with many chairs at the Boston Convention Center ballroom occupied by other Microsoft employees. Nonetheless, Microsoft's Windows Live developer show went on, with Windows Live platform team members George Moore, general manager, and Ken Levy, product planner, walking attendees through Microsoft's high-level Live developer pitch. The pair also explained at a more granular level the interfaces and services that Microsoft is making available to developers, in the hopes that they will build to the Microsoft platform.<br /><br />In the Windows Live space, Microsoft's primary competitors are Google, Yahoo, eBay and other companies which increasingly are cultivating developers, too.<br /><br />Moore told attendees that while Microsoft has been building out its MSN services (many of which are in the process of being rebranded as Windows Live) for the past six or seven years, it only now that the platform is gaining critical mass. Moore noted that the Live team currently is maintaining a database of 12 billion contact records (with name, instant-messaging handle, e-mail address, presence status, birthday and other related information). Many users have multiple records, supporting different home/work identities, he added.<br /><br />Microsoft's goal, as company officials noted in March at the Microsoft MiX '06 conference, is to convince more developers to build on top of the Live platform. That platform consists, at the core infrastructure level, of common contacts, identity and storage services; at the common services level, of search, adCenter, presence, mapping and mobile services; and at the application level of Spaces blogging, Live.com, video, Windows Live Expo classifieds, e-mail and instant-messaging offerings.<br /><br />Microsoft launched on June 9 its new Windows Live Dev platform, a single site for developers looking for Live code samples, interfaces, documentation, forums, blogs and RSS feeds.<br /><br />Levy and Moore highlighted some of the additional developer-specific resources that Microsoft has launched and is preparing to launch in the coming months. These include software development kits (SDK), gadget galleries, and search macros, among other tools.<br /><br />Levy demonstrated for the audience how developers can customize and flesh out their consumer and business services by relying on Windows Live tools. He showed off a beta build of the Windows Live Messenger add-in SDK that Microsoft posted on June 9 to the Windows Live Dev portal. The SDK allows C# or Visual Basic developers to create customized Messenger bots.<br /><br />Levy also played up the opportunities for developers to create gadgets, mini applications that can be placed on users' Live.com start pages and made available on the Microsoft gadgets Web gallery site. Levy said that Microsoft is in the works of adding support for Windows Live gadgets on MSN Spaces. MSN Spaces – soon to be renamed Windows Live Spaces – is Microsoft's blogging platform.<br /><br />Windows Live Search macros are another resource of which Levy encouraged developers to take advantage. The macros allow developers to create their own customized search engine on top of the Microsoft Live Search core engine. Microsoft is offering up a Search SDK, as well.<br /><br />At the same time, Microsoft is maintaining a gallery of macros on the Microsoft Gadgets site, as well. Microsoft also is offering developers who want and need them lower-level Live SOAP programming interfaces, which will allow them to mash-up their own code with XML Web services, he said.<br /><br />In related news, on June 13, Microsoft rolled out its first line of Web cams, christened Microsoft LifeCams, that include embed Windows Live Messenger functionality. A Windows Live call button is located on top of each LifeCam, allowing users to see online buddies who are available, and to contact them directly. The cams only feature a "one-touch blogging" feature that allows users to post LiveCam pictures directly to their Spaces blogs.<br /><br />Microsoft officials said last month to expect an increasing number of hardware vendors, including Microsoft itself, to integrate Windows Live functionality into future headsets, keyboards, phones and other devices.
erhaps it was the early morning (8:30 a.m.) time slot. Or maybe the fact that the Windows Live strategy session wasn't listed on the TechEd program, only on the Web site. Or it could have been the change in speakers, with scheduled speaker Brian Arbogast, corporate vice president in charge of Windows Live, being replaced by one of his direct reports.<br />ADVERTISEMENT<br /><br />Regardless of the reasons, the Windows Live strategy session audience was rather sparse, with many chairs at the Boston Convention Center ballroom occupied by other Microsoft employees. Nonetheless, Microsoft's Windows Live developer show went on, with Windows Live platform team members George Moore, general manager, and Ken Levy, product planner, walking attendees through Microsoft's high-level Live developer pitch. The pair also explained at a more granular level the interfaces and services that Microsoft is making available to developers, in the hopes that they will build to the Microsoft platform.<br /><br />In the Windows Live space, Microsoft's primary competitors are Google, Yahoo, eBay and other companies which increasingly are cultivating developers, too.<br /><br />Moore told attendees that while Microsoft has been building out its MSN services (many of which are in the process of being rebranded as Windows Live) for the past six or seven years, it only now that the platform is gaining critical mass. Moore noted that the Live team currently is maintaining a database of 12 billion contact records (with name, instant-messaging handle, e-mail address, presence status, birthday and other related information). Many users have multiple records, supporting different home/work identities, he added.<br /><br />Microsoft's goal, as company officials noted in March at the Microsoft MiX '06 conference, is to convince more developers to build on top of the Live platform. That platform consists, at the core infrastructure level, of common contacts, identity and storage services; at the common services level, of search, adCenter, presence, mapping and mobile services; and at the application level of Spaces blogging, Live.com, video, Windows Live Expo classifieds, e-mail and instant-messaging offerings.<br /><br />Microsoft launched on June 9 its new Windows Live Dev platform, a single site for developers looking for Live code samples, interfaces, documentation, forums, blogs and RSS feeds.<br /><br />Levy and Moore highlighted some of the additional developer-specific resources that Microsoft has launched and is preparing to launch in the coming months. These include software development kits (SDK), gadget galleries, and search macros, among other tools.<br /><br />Levy demonstrated for the audience how developers can customize and flesh out their consumer and business services by relying on Windows Live tools. He showed off a beta build of the Windows Live Messenger add-in SDK that Microsoft posted on June 9 to the Windows Live Dev portal. The SDK allows C# or Visual Basic developers to create customized Messenger bots.<br /><br />Levy also played up the opportunities for developers to create gadgets, mini applications that can be placed on users' Live.com start pages and made available on the Microsoft gadgets Web gallery site. Levy said that Microsoft is in the works of adding support for Windows Live gadgets on MSN Spaces. MSN Spaces – soon to be renamed Windows Live Spaces – is Microsoft's blogging platform.<br /><br />Windows Live Search macros are another resource of which Levy encouraged developers to take advantage. The macros allow developers to create their own customized search engine on top of the Microsoft Live Search core engine. Microsoft is offering up a Search SDK, as well.<br /><br />At the same time, Microsoft is maintaining a gallery of macros on the Microsoft Gadgets site, as well. Microsoft also is offering developers who want and need them lower-level Live SOAP programming interfaces, which will allow them to mash-up their own code with XML Web services, he said.<br /><br />In related news, on June 13, Microsoft rolled out its first line of Web cams, christened Microsoft LifeCams, that include embed Windows Live Messenger functionality. A Windows Live call button is located on top of each LifeCam, allowing users to see online buddies who are available, and to contact them directly. The cams only feature a "one-touch blogging" feature that allows users to post LiveCam pictures directly to their Spaces blogs.<br /><br />Microsoft officials said last month to expect an increasing number of hardware vendors, including Microsoft itself, to integrate Windows Live functionality into future headsets, keyboards, phones and other devices.
