March 5, 2008 9:25 AM PST

Ozzie outlines Microsoft's embrace and extend to the cloud strategy

Posted by Dan Farber

Following a most amazing pre-keynote performance by Vince Mira, a 15-year-old with the voice of Johnny Cash without the gravel, Microsoft Chief Software Architect took the stage to update the software and services strategy, in the context of content, commerce and community, for company.

Vince Mira, the 15-year-old reincarnation of Johnny Cash

(Credit: Dan Farber)

As News.com's Ina Fried chronicled in her play-by-play of the keynote, Ozzie offered carefully orchestrated nod to the bid for Yahoo. "I can say its [Yahoo] already added some interesting twists to what promises to be a really, really exciting year," he said.

He noted the huge growth coming in search and advertising (which Yahoo can help Microsoft could intercept) and reference the talented engineering resources that Yahoo would bring to Microsoft.

After getting the Yahoo question out of the way, he outlined the various initiatives across Microsoft to embrace the cloud via connected devices, entertainment, productivity, business and development. He didn't add much to what has already been said about Microsoft's quest to embrace and extend the cloud with its technologies as well as the standard protocols that enable the Web to be useful.

Ozzie did hint at a technology that will create a seamless mesh out of PCs and connected services via the Web. Ozzie said:

Just imagine the possibilities of unified application management across the device mesh, centralized, Web-based deployment of device-based applications. Imagine an app platform that's cognizant of all of your devices. Now, as it so happens, we've had a team at Microsoft working on this specific scenario for some time now, starting with the PC and focused on the question of how we might make life so much easier for individuals if we just brought together all your PCs into a seamless mesh, for users, for developers, using the Web as a hub.

Erick Schonfeld of TechCrunch found that Microsoft owns the Mesh.com URL, and it leads to a Windows Live ID sign-in page for a site that isn't Live.

Ray Ozzie on stage at Mix 2008

(Credit: Dan Farber)

In the world of cloud and utility computing applications and the back end will need to be "refactored." for this new world. Apps will take advantage of the unique strengths of each device. New front end development skills will be required, Ozzie says, along with back-end technologies.

In closing he told the crowd of developers, "I'd like you to bet on us, and on the power of Internet and the magic of software across a world of devices." In other words, join the Silverlight, XAML revolution and become part of the Microsoft cloud.