November 3rd, 2005
The real deal behind Microsoft Live, politics and ODF and more (The Dan & David Show)
In this latest episode of the Dan & David Show Microsoft’s Windows and Office Live is at the top of the show. Bill Gates and Ray Ozzie demonstrated (actually the demos were full of glitches) that 
Micosoft taking its learning from MSN, bCentral and competitors to turn the ship around services. It’s not about technology–Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are playing leapfrog. It’s about having a Web platform that doesn’t require Windows or Office and garnering ad (Microsoft’s forthcoming adCenter) and subscription dollars. It’s also about being a hub for deep engagement with users and user generated content.
In the ongoing Commonwealth of Massachusetts vs. Microsoft saga, David gives his take on the politcally charged Senate hearings in Massachusetts, where the authority of the state’s IT department to standardize on formats for storing public documents was questioned and state officials demanded more time to study the potential impact of setting the OpenDocument Format (ODF) as a standard. In addition, an economic stimulus bill was suddenly amended with text that could subjugate all IT procurements and decision making to a special task force. David also rants about Sony’s DRM root kit. The podcast can be delivered directly to your desktop or MP3 player if you’re subscribed to our podcasts (See ZDNet’s podcasts: How to tune in), or you can just download the MP3. Let us know what you think.
Dan Farber, editor-in-chief of CNET News.com, has more than 20 years of experience as an editor and journalist covering technology. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
