Collaborating by Groove
Published: 16 Mar 2004 11:55 GMT
Your company has close ties to Microsoft, which is pinning a lot on Longhorn, the next version of Windows. Do you think that Microsoft has made the business case for Longhorn?
I do not think it has, and I would not really expect that it should have at this point. It should not be hurting the sales of what they have to sell right now. Currently, Longhorn is at the phase in which Microsoft needs to get developers signed up. It is a big challenge for any software vendor to essentially communicate its things in a way that it is relevant to customers from a business value standpoint. And in terms of an operating system, it is hard to really justify the massive cost of an upgrade unless you really can make that case. I look forward to hearing what that case will be, but I have not heard it.
Is there any concern that some features Microsoft is introducing with Longhorn might overlap with and therefore diminish the value of Groove?
They will overlap, and I am not concerned, because the focus that we have on this particular domain is so intense. Our experience is so intense in this domain that what they put in there will be useful, but we are more connected to the business value of it. Microsoft is very focused on what an enterprise does within its own boundaries, and I think that what you will see -- if I could project based on what I know -- will be really interesting things you can do with the desktop or across communication lines, if you have things configured a certain way.
It is not obvious to me that what Microsoft has done or is proposing to do will be designed to work seamlessly across regular firewall boundaries, enterprise boundaries, operating system boundaries and infrastructure boundaries. And that is what we are focused on: real-world collaboration needs. Am I aware of Microsoft's plans, and do I track it? Absolutely, but I am not concerned.
Do you think that the adoption of peer computing and more decentralised computing systems is speeding up?
I think decentralisation in general is shaking things up in many sectors. It has shaken things up in the entertainment industry. Through Napster and MP3s in general, that industry has been rocked by it. It is about to shake up the movie industry in a big way. And the telecommunications industry -- have you ever played with Sykpe?
The voice over Internet Protocol service?
That's right. It is very interesting, because the telecom industry historically is very centralised; the whole circuit-switching model is passed here.
Previous
Did you find this article useful?
215 out of 438 people found this useful
- Share this article:
