Bill Gates, the Chairman of Microsoft, has confirmed that the company will upgrade its browser on a cycle of 9 to 12 months to keep pace with the rapid development of technology and web development tools.
During the MIX06 conference, held from March 20 to 22 in Las Vegas, USA, Gates acknowledged that the release of Internet Explorer 7 (IE 7) has been delayed (expected by the end of this year) and promised more frequent updates for the browser. Yesterday, Microsoft also released the IE 7 Beta 2 preview and an AJAX toolkit named Alas. Microsoft aims to demonstrate to developers that they are well aware of the ongoing changes in the online world, from AJAX technology to Software as a Service (SaaS), pioneered by competitors like Salesforce.com.
According to Gates, the new web technology allows software to be stored both on computer hard drives and on the Internet, providing users with access to data anytime, anywhere. “We have fallen behind and lost a portion of the market to open-source programs like Firefox and some other browsers. Therefore, all our current plans and products are centered around user experience, not just the device,” Gates stated.
The traditional software market and web software are beginning to converge and share development strategies. Ashley Highfield, the new media technology director at the BBC, showcased software running on Windows Vista that allows users not only to view BBC programs via broadband but also to search through a search tool and pull content to their Windows desktop.
Windows Vista, Microsoft’s new generation operating system, will be equipped with Windows Presentation Foundation technology, enabling developers to create web applications that optimize the power of computer graphics chips.
This Redmond, Washington-based company is also continuing to expand its offerings that bridge the gap between web and PC. The Office 2007 suite will have the capability to process data from InfoPath and Excel applications directly within a web browser.
This week, Microsoft will also announce details about its Live software and services—a web-based program designed to build web applications for a range of devices, from desktop computers to mobile phones and gaming consoles.
However, Adam Gross, Vice President of Marketing at Salesforce.com, believes that while Microsoft has been very successful in developing traditional operating systems and browsers, they will not be able to replicate that success in the web environment.
