At the intersection between technology and economic policy, John Carroll brings years of experience as a software developer to bear on the latest issues affecting the technology industry.
John Carroll has delivered his opinion on ZDNet since the last millennium. Since May 2008, he is no longer a Microsoft employee. He is currently working at a unified messaging-related startup.
Google yesterday officially confirmed the existence of Google TV, a "not so secret" project hints of which have existed for quite awhile. A number of key Microsoft engineers wandered into permanent positions on Google campus while I worked for Microsoft as part of its Mediarom division (Google's Mountain View headquarters is less than a mile from Microsoft's large office in Silicon Valley).
Exposure to the limitations of the new browser-based help system for Visual Studio 2010 made me realize a fundamental truth: people hate browser applications, which is why web developers work so hard to make their browser applications look like desktop applications.
Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft, noted Apple's recent licensing changes to iPhone OS 4.0 with great interest. So, effective immediately, he is making the following changes to the licensing of Microsoft Windows.
The iPhone and Mac computers are never likely to dominate a particular market for Mac OS X. iPad represents Apple's real chance to do so in a market that is, for all intents and purposes, virgin territory.
Carmi Levy at Betanews recently through cold water on excitement over new 3D TVs coming from major television manufacturers. Though I agree, I think software targeted at TVs could increase the value proposition enough to accelerate demand.
Last week, I took Apple to task for launching the patent nukes against HTC. This week, I try to explain why patents are so corrosive within a software development context.
In the past, I merely favored non-Apple platforms. With Apple's recent decision to sue HTC over patent violations, mere preference for other products has turned into an active dislike of a company with a clear flair for hardware design.
Microsoft's has had great difficulty creating new businesses that replace Windows and Office from a revenue standpoint. This is largely due to internal organization that makes it very hard for Microsoft to bring to market the good ideas that Microsoft develops in-house.
The GSMA World Congress was this week in Barcelona. Though its difficult to identify themes in a conference as large as the GMSA extravaganza, the sense I got from four days wandering its halls was that fragmentation will rule the smartphone market for many, many years to come.
The US Congress wants to include "Buy American" provisions in the stimulus bill. I say "no thanks." Protected industries aren't going to pull America out of recession.