Microsoft Search

It's nice for an immature niche market like search to have an experienced and dedicated journalist providing 'professional grade' services while the rest of us amateurs hack away. Today John Battelle reports on a trip to Microsoft and shares his thoughts on the future of their search and MSN work. It's worth a read for anyone interested in how this market is going to mature via long term changes rather than minor issues like algorithm tweaks.

I haven't tracked MSN well enough to know how many versions they've had thus far - wasn't it once part of the big Microsoft HOME division - but philosophically at least it appears they're gearing up for the traditional 3.0 version where they shake off the stupidity that drips from their 1.0 and 2.0 offerings and lay out a deep and solid product or service.

Usually 3.0 isn't the sexiest product in the target market, but is so well centered that it leaves others with no advantages except those sexy frills. My drawers are filled with t-shirts from no-longer-with-us software companies who produced better software than Microsoft. I don't have a Google shirt, but I think I'll try and get one in the next year or two, just in case.

Posted by Craig Danuloff at April 22, 2004 10:20 AM