An open Hailstorm? Windows Live coming together

Marc Canter was in London for the etribes/mashup event yesterday and got to hear Sam Sethi of Vecosys/MSN talk about Microsoft's Live.com. Sam is a consultant for MSN UK and apparently had lots to say about Microsoft's Live platform yesterday. Marc wrote:

"On one hand you can say “Hailstorm” is back - on the other hand it’s based upon open standards this time - RSS, OPML, microcontent, digital IDs.

What we know this time is what to demand of Microsoft (control over our own data and personas) and though Passport is still around (as the internal MS ID system) they’ve started to roll out the notion of the ‘meta-identity’ system, as propounded and developed by Kim Cameron and his team."

Hailstorm is back, based on open standards this time? Marc is big on Open Source Infrastructure and open standards (disclosure: I do work for his company Broadband Mechanics), so this was music to his ears. I think there's a lot of water to go under the bridge yet - the proof is in the pudding...to mix my cliches and metaphors.

If you want to check out what Microsoft is rolling out with its Live platform, have a look at Windows Live Ideas. It includes all of the components, mostly as beta products currently. 

What is Windows Live?

"Your online world gets better when everything works simply and effortlessly together. That's the basic idea behind Windows Live. So the things you care about - your friends, the latest information, your e-mails, powerful search, your PC files, everything – comes together in one place. This is a brand new Internet experience designed to put you in control. And this is just the beginning – you'll see many more new services in the coming months."

As discussed in previous posts, there may be some branding issues between MSN and Live. But overall the vision is an exciting one and I'm actively tracking its rollout.