Would You Rent Software From This Man?

Microsoft's .NET wants to be your source

I have always been a fan of outsourcing enterprise software applications via Application Service Providers (ASPs). I am even more in favor of the new breed of Storage Service Providers, companies that offer data storage/backup hosting services, which can simplify--and, in the long run, reduce the cost of--data management. The Internet offers unprecedented ease of outsourcing, allowing enterprises to concentrate on their core competencies, leaving software management to experts.

But when it comes to corporate and end-user productivity apps, I have some reservations about hosting. This new trend is exemplified by Microsoft's .NET (dot-net) development strategy, which can be summed up in Microsoft's own words: User data lives on the Internet. Microsoft is so determined not to miss any more Internet trends that it has gone too far in the other direction, throwing everything at the Web. Redmond is assuming that off-loading applications and data to hosted service providers (like Microsoft) is more desirable than keeping (and supporting) them locally. I believe this is a solution in search of a problem. Here's why.

The Internet is not even--and very well may never be--close to a reliable data delivery mechanism. Sure, it works well for sending email and Web browsing. But try removing your PC's email application and replacing it with Yahoo! or Hotmail. These services are feature-deficient, slow (especially during busy times of day) and clunky. After you've deleted your local email, try deleting Word or WordPerfect and using a hosted word processor cribbed together with some JavaScript or ActiveX controls. I guarantee you'll go insane. You might be able to work effectively with a hosted productivity app over a broadband connection, but why would you want to? In fact, why would you need to?

Microsoft is also seeking to make "the Internet the Operating System." But there's an ironclad argument in favor of keeping the existing PC computing model: it works, and it works well. Sure, the Internet can expand the reach and power of a PC. But Microsoft is going as far as introducing so-called "Web APIs" that developers can call just as they would traditional local program APIs. When it comes to sheer processing power, why would you take the PC's most visible strength and cripple it by making it dependent on offsite APIs and an Internet connection?

The Internet is a great way to keep software up-to-date and working properly: having my PC self-diagnose problems and download necessary updates to my browser and OS is a real time saver (provided it works as designed, which it doesn't always). But Microsoft's .NET vision takes Windows Update to an illogical end. Productivity software is not a Web service, and the OS isn't either. What's the rationale for making them so? Microsoft does a decent job of creating applications that do what we need them to. It has bigger problems when it comes to OS scalability, security, and reliability--and this is on a local OS! Will putting traditional OS functions on the Internet reduce these deficiencies? I'm not yet convinced.