“In among the pre-launch spin supporting MSN Explorer, Microsoft
consumer business chief Rick Belluzo has lobbed-in a highly
significant signpost. Future version of the MSN client, he told the
WSJ (which seems not to have grasped the import of the blurt) will
include a word processor.”
“We’ve moved on quite a bit from the point earlier this year
when MSN execs were – hoplessly implausibly – telling people they
didn’t yet know how MSN fitted into the .NET strategy. Belluzo is
now saying that MSN illustrates the principles of .NET, and that
it’s moving towards “delivering a near-complete computing
experience” (the WSJ’s phrasing). It’s in that context that the
lack of a word processor, and the consequent need to add one,
arises.”
“One last point worth considering. MSN Explorer currently only
runs on Windows, but as it’s largely just client software with
bells and whistles… Think of what MSN’s doing as developing a
simple kind of client middleware that would be relatively
straightforward to implement on other operating systems. Say AOL’s
Linux Web appliance is a success, mightn’t that be a smart place to
start?”