August 2nd, 2007
A (Microsoft) Code Name a Day: Confucius
I’m resuming my Microsoft Code Name a Day series that I started in December 2006. The goal: To provide the back story, each day in August, on one of Microsoft’s myriad code names. Some of these code names might be familiar to Microsoft watchers; others (hopefully) will be brand-new.
Microsoft code names offer some great clues about the Redmondians’ development priorities, not to mention a better understanding of which future Microsoft products fit together, from a strategy standpoint. And not every product group is moving to boring, numbered codenames (like Windows 7 and Office 14).
Without further ado, let the codename games begin.
Microsoft
code name
of the day:
Confucius
Microsoft code name of the day: Confucius
Best guess on what it is: A Windows Live service that is an offshoot of Windows Live Barcode. Confucius allows cell-phone users to send two-dimensional barcode information between cell phones or between cell phones and Web sites, allowing users to save keystrokes.
Meaning/context of the code name: Not sure why the Live folks chose Confucius to represent this bar-code-related project. Could it be Confucius’ decision to focus his teachings on the ‘“Six Arts” — ritual, music, archery, chariot-riding, calligraphy, and computation” (and especially the latter two)? Any other theories/thoughts?
Back story: The Live team has been stepping up its focus on mobile platforms as of late — not a surprising development, given Google’s similar push. Windows Live Barcode and Windows Live Confucius are just two of a growing number of Windows Live Mobile services and betas underway at Microsoft.
Additional info: You can check out the Windows Live Barcode and Windows Live Confucius betas yourself.
Got a Microsoft code name you’ve been wondering about? Send it my way and I’ll do my best to track down some leads on what it might be.
And if you want to keep track of the full month’s worth of Microsoft code names I end up posting, bookmark this “Microsoft Codenames” page. You can also check out this video-whiteboard I did recently on Microsoft codenames.
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