Tag Archive for 'data portability'

When you’re big, it’s easy for people to throw rocks at you…

Published by Ben Kepes on July 2, 2008 in Business, Design, Efficiency, IT and Strategy. 3 Comments

This post is going to come across as something as the missive of a corporate apologist. I’m not a corporate apologist, just have this naive idea that goes something like “but can’t we just all get along”.

Anyway - I see that Microsoft has begun releasing a heap of technical documents that has the aim of achieving better interoperability and eventually data-portability. Read Write Web takes the position (and it’s understandable given the history)of asking;

Is this what data portability looks like? Or are these steps just being taken to fend off legal challenges concerning unfair monopolistic practices? Does that matter, really, if the effect is the same?

I’ve got to say that the last sentence is the most important. Sure Microsoft have employed some less-than-savoury business practices in the past, but they shouldn’t be judged today by actions of the past (in much the same way that I have many German friends - despite what my family went through 60 years ago). I’d like to think that in the modern age, the MS move is a good first step, and one which should be applauded.

And I’m sure there’s a bunch of opensource folks just waiting to disagree with me…

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Scobleizer on MS/Yahoo/Facebook

Published by Ben Kepes on May 20, 2008 in IT and Strategy. 0 Comments

Robert Scoble has an interesting take on the on again/off again MS/Yahoo deal and how it relates to MS’s rumoured overtures to Facebook.

Scoble sees this as potentially the battle supreme between an open web and a closed web. Scoble sees that by purchasinf FB and locking up Yahoo search, Microsoft could lock Google out of massive proportions of online content.

Check out his post here - it’s worth a read.

Of course one has to wonder if Facebook can remain truly closed in the face of the huge pressure regarding openess and data portability - of all the players, Facebook may have sufficient momentum to do so.

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