Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Picnik will remain up and operational, at least for the foreseeable future.
Google already has Picasa Web. Did they buy to beef up that product, or to keep others from acquiring? I wonder about the strategy. Sometimes it seems Google just can’t stand any eyeballs on the web not looking at one of their own.
On the other hand, Microsoft inherited the Sidekick platform when it purchased Danger. The software giant will launch its own cloud-based OS, Windows Azure, next month. Windows Azure and Microsoft’s other online services are based on a completely different infrastructure than is T-Mobile Sidekick.
Fast work at damage control on the Windows IT Pro site.
Thurrott points out that the “relative number of affected users is low”, and also that Microsoft bought the Sidekick platform — presumably to imply it’s not really their fault. Then, he quickly distances the failed Microsoft infrastructure from an upcoming Microsoft infrastructure that hasn’t failed (yet). Smooth.
Inherited or not, the Sidekick platform ran for years with no issues, and the data was in Microsoft’s charge to protect. Some say they failed to do that. In any case, when you buy a platform it’s your baby, so this is a Microsoft’s screw up no matter how you look at it. Anyone who wouldn’t be a bit more cautious about Azure now isn’t thinking clearly.
Today Google removed the liability shield beta tag off of their suite of apps. Google Gmail, Calendar, Docs, and Talk are now official, supported apps.
This must have been a tough decision for Google. With the beta shield they pretty much escape serious criticism for outages, etc. since, after all, “it’s beta”. However, many people and businesses (rightly) look on relying on beta software as a problem. Ultimately, in my mind it comes down to this: When are you going to own up and have enough confidence in your solutions to stop hiding behind a beta label?
This is a good day for Google. Not just for its current apps users, but also for the new users they can bring on board now they they’re out of beta (though, no, I won’t be one of those users).
There’s been some discussion about the possible “dangers” or problems of Cloud computing. Some of it, though not all, stems from Richard Stallman’s recent comments about the Cloud initiative. The primary concern is that one may lose control of one’s data, or be at the mercy of (or “locked in” to) a single entity.
To be sure, Mr. Stallman and others make valid points in that if you trust your data to the cloud, where is your control? Where are your options in case of failure? If the entity has a catastrophic error, you could be in a world of hurt.
The Small Wave. 