Microsoft Office Live

[Chris]

I don't want "Hosting with a blue screen".
I don't think someone here is intimidated by Microsoft going hosting.
This will only lead to more people coming here asking "Where can I switch from Microsoft?"

/me loads the penguin gun

[Tony]

ROFLOL HYSTERICALLY!!!! That's a good one!

[-DataCenter-]

I think that this is nothing to do with MS intimidation, though we all know how good they can be at grinding their way to market domination once they get a good start.

The issue is about the potential of the package they might (we can't be sure yet) offer. I don't think anyone else is positioned to be able to make that type of offer - either not big enough, not well known enough or not having the current market to use as a springboard. The hosting market is very fragmented and immature (in the market sense, rather than hosters) and is ripe for something to change that will bring about consolidation. This could be it; it all depends on the quality of what they do & how much added value the target market perceives in it. If it does work very few companies will be able to compete in that market segment and I cannot see any current hosting company doing so. The only possible option I could see would be Google, using their current clusters & backbone & expanding from their gmail base; I think they would need MS to stutter a bit though to give them the time to develop it. OpenOffice would need a lot of development and extra features to help them much.

Of course, no self-respecting geek would have anything to do with MS, but that's not the market they would look for.

It is always possible that MS would want to develop their online software without being a host, in which case everyone would be OK.

[Tom]

Microsoft will not fall now, but considering all our kids are or will be geeks, they will fall eventualy...

[Chris]

I still say that all of you are worrying too much. Go run your companies! Worrying will certainly not get you anywhere!

[gene7oh]

Hey Group.
I just signed up for the forum and wanted to say hey.
I have been using the Office Live for about 3 weeks now and so far I do like where MS is taking me with it.
I look forward to the conversations posted here in the next couple of months as the beta nears its end.
I especially look forward to the questions and solutions of the small and medium sized business owners such as my self in the coming month.
Till then Ya'll have a Great 4th of July and I'll be seeing ya'll after the holiday.
Gene

[hk998]

well they are still in beta, would you still be interested when you pay $29.95 per month?

[gene7oh]

So far I'm still pretty confident I'll be using the site when they are charging for it. However, until I'm confident that the paid version will be more beneficial to my business, and I see how quickly the bugs are worked out I'll keep the free version and will use the paid version on a practice account and then up grade when I'm satified.
Why do you ask? are you running a business through the site or are you just one of the testing folks that look for bugs and recomend fixes? Thanks Gene

[Carter15]

I think Tony put it best, MS Live won't effect the web hosting market nearly as much as some may think it will. It's a bit different than free web hosting.

[Keys1877]

Yeah, and it will be expensive. Pretty smart of Microsoft to create a product with residual income, such as their X-box must be doing for them.