(cross posting from Mike Riversdale: Enterprise 2.0 New Zealand style blog)
As I have stated previously, file storage standards are becoming a quaint footnote in electronic history. Despite Microsoft seemingly winning the protracted OOXML vs ODF standards war (a report) they have definitely lost the war … and probably quite some time ago.
Quiz – In regards to “storage format” – what does YouTube use, what does Yahoo! Mail use, what does Zoho Docs use, what does the Wii use, what does your local satellite provider use?
I know, not your typical office applications as we sit here today but really, who believes it’s all gonna be stored on each and everyones PC desktop (or, laughingly, on the company’s network) in distinct, separate and silo’ed forms like this in, ooooh say 5 years?
The storage of (portable) data in the cloud is far more relevant to the next 5 years than some petty discussion about how I might store my CV on Ubuntu (sorry, should I have said Windows XP/Vista?).
Petty because I just don’t use it and I believe neither will you, despite Microsoft’s PC powerplay. Of course Microsft may be making it a little harder to move from your PC desktop to a truly open/interoperable cloud and ‘streaming’ you and your company into a “Microsoft space on the Internet” … that is the really worrying part.
But, if you (YOU) make the choice yourself and do move away from the “file format” world view to the “stored in the cloud (accessed and used via any browser)” view you, in a very short time, Just. Won’t. Care.
Ben Kepes is an analyst, an entrepreneur, a commentator and a business adviser. His business interests include a diverse range of industries from manufacturing to property to technology. As a technology commentator he has a broad presence both in the traditional media and extensively online. Ben covers the convergance of technology, mobile, ubiquity and agility, all enabled by the Cloud. His areas of interest extend to enterprise software, software integration, financial/accounting software, platforms and infrastructure as well as articulating technology simply for everyday users. 