• PC World
• » Tech Industry

Microsoft's future is all about integrating software and services through the Internet.

The Redmond giant on Thursday unveiled its Microsoft .Net platform--a vision for future software and services previously referred to as Next Generation Windows Services, or NGWS.

Microsoft .Net consists of an Internet-based programming infrastructure as well as a user environment and services that support multiple devices--all built around the new extensible markup language (XML). It includes server and client software, as well as services that will be built around familiar faces like Windows, Office, and MSN and that will be linked by the Internet.

Neither a new operating system nor a new software suite, Microsoft .Net will rely on XML and a series of building blocks that Microsoft will host and sell as subscription services.

Microsoft considers this announcement as significant as the launch of Windows and the graphical user interface.

"It's a platform for the next-generation Internet," said Bill Gates, Microsoft chair and chief software architect. "What we've been working on is how you take software and enable it across many devices. The Internet is the starting point."

Microsoft .Net includes protocols and services for PCs, Web tablets, cell phones, personal digital assistants, and smart phones. Servers at application service providers or inside corporations will provide the services across the Internet that support these devices.

Microsoft .Net is not like Windows, a product in a box, said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft president and chief executive officer. "With software as a service, it's not as easy to say what it is."

Users Get Control

At the heart of the Microsoft .Net vision is a new user interface that's intended to be personalized and secure. Microsoft will blend Internet and communication tools such as instant messaging and e-mail with productivity tools such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Hypothetically, an XML-based universal canvas will let you work with data across applications and Web sites within a single view.

And all of your information will exist on the Internet with XML tags, so it will be sorted intelligently. As soon as you define yourself through authentication, your information will be downloaded to the device you're using. Software itself can be downloaded and installed on new devices without you entering a lot of user information. You'll be able to work offline and have your changes synchronized across all devices you use when you go online.

Of course, a lot of the Microsoft .Net platform depends on device and network evolution. Microsoft is developing Microsoft .Net with high-speed third-generation wireless networks (3G), as well as new devices like Web tablets, Web TV, Pocket PC, and smart phones in mind. Beyond multiple devices, you'll have multiple means of input, such as speech and handwriting recognition.

Microsoft demonstrated a Web tablet that is able to recognize handwriting and then transform it to type. The tablet also has EReader software for electronic books. Integrated browsing and stored personal information means you could go to the Web and purchase a new book with one or two clicks.