Thanks once again to Darren Bolton for this:
As far back as 1999, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer looked ahead enthusiastically to the rise of Web services as "more significant than the development of the browser."
In typical Microsoft fashion, the world"s largest software manufacturer dived headlong into the trend with a rush of marketing hyperbole. Also in character, at least according to critics, the company created much buzz about the new technology before fully developing its concept, let alone any actual products or services.
As originally envisioned, .Net My Services was to become a "digital safe-deposit box" for hosting and delivering personal information while providing an array of services ranging from commerce to communication in partnership with Web retailers such as eBay. The company had hoped consumers would pay fees that would cover the bulk of the expense to run these one-stop services, which would, in turn, manage passwords, calendars and other personal information.
Instead, the plan has been the source of continual confusion among potential customers, has encountered a series of problems with its underlying technologies, and has faced internal frustration that sources say even led its lead executive being reassigned.
Read on for a surprisingly candid interview with Steve Ballmer here.