[LINK] Microsoft Live Mesh

[Jan Whitaker]

At 09:00 AM 24/04/2008, Stilgherrian wrote:

>Both reactions are necessary to provide a balanced response to a new
>technology. How to we get them to meet?

How about a mashup of Link and the other group where guided 
questioning and hopefully some open minds exchange ideas? I know! How 
about a summit! LOL
I'm only half joking. The range of attitudes, values, and 
interpretations are important when something new is proposed. Being 
too accepting is just as unhelpful as being too dismissive. The 
Goldilocks approach should be taken.

The trouble with MS efforts like this is that soooo much suspicion is 
out there already, that any major change is going to be strongly 
questioned, if not outright resisted.

Personal example. I wanted to load a freeware program on Tuesday that 
looked interesting. Before it would work, I was advised I need .NET 
framework. I had no idea what that was. Fortunately, I was at a 
computer club interest group and could ask. My initial concern, that 
it was another MS snooping control method, was pretty much answered, 
but then I found out it was a 200mb bloatware set of programs! My 
response then was what planet do these developers live on? That is 
just nuts, broadband for access or not. One of the guys had a copy of 
the latest and gave me a copy, but I still haven't loaded it until I 
do a bit more research about what it really is.

As for Live Mesh, no way am I going to put my data on some machine 
elsewhere in order to use the apps. Granted, I put a lot of stuff out 
there on blogs and mailing lists, but NOT for general public abuse 
with no control or holus bolus permissions for the extent of MS ToS 
presumably sets out. There will be lots of people who will do it, not 
realising what they have signed up for, just because of the cool 
factor, someone else's storage cost, and 'mobile access'. La di da. I 
can also put files on a subscribed server under my control without 
those 'open' qualities. The difference of uptake: Brand pervasiveness.

Jan



Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
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