Microsoft Live Meeting Channels Company's Unwillingness To Discuss Opening Up

from the let-the-technology-do-the-work-for-you dept

Thu, Oct 19th 2006 2:12pm — Mike Masnick

A bunch of security companies have been complaining lately that Microsoft hasn't been particularly open lately with them and how they can integrate with Microsoft's latest operating system, Vista. Microsoft finally decided to respond and set up an online briefing, using their ever popular "Live Meeting" offering... except Live Meeting proceeded to kick out a bunch of the participants fifteen minutes in and wouldn't let them back in. It's obviously just a technology screwup, but considering the accusations of Microsoft not being open enough, it does seem particularly amusing that they'd screw up in such a manner. Perhaps the technology just sensed Microsoft's desire not to be so open. They say technology should help you achieve your goals, and perhaps Microsoft inadvertently succeeded.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

8 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Kyros, 19 Oct 2006 @ 3:06pm

and to the story - thats just plain crappy and wrong and i doubt thats a software issue. Microsoft has always been a lockbox, thats just how they operate.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 19 Oct 2006 @ 4:39pm
  
  Re:
  riight. cause everything is a conspiracy *rolls eyes*
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Sohrab, 19 Oct 2006 @ 3:31pm

It might not matter much but in a year, with virus's are running all over the field, MS is gonna wish they had let McFee and Symantec and TrendMicro do something about Vista
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Your Mom, 19 Oct 2006 @ 3:41pm

Ironic, ain't it?

Actually, it isn't. But whatever.

I just think it's interesting that Microsoft would put a meeting like this off, and then risk screwing it up like they did. With half the world using XP and more and more planning to switch to Vista, it'd seem to me like they'd want the security companies onboard right away. I doubt the hackers that are going to make the Viruses are going to wait...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
The Toe, 19 Oct 2006 @ 4:08pm

Re: Sohrab
They don't need the Anti-Virus folks any more since they have their own product line; Windows Live One Care. They just don't give up the code and everyone that uses Vista has to use Msft One Care. It's all planned out. Come on everybody jump on board this train heading straight to hell.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
u no, 19 Oct 2006 @ 4:14pm

screw it
All technology companies are "lockboxes". In the words of 2Pac, "Thats just the way it is." Sometimes reality sucks, but it's better that living in a made up world.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Eric Williams, 19 Oct 2006 @ 4:30pm

Today in my engineering design class we spent more time on Intellectual Property rights than we did on the entire engineering design process. And lectures are based straight off the text book, and the text-book is pretty standard.

Take the limit as engineers approach lawyers, and you get Microsoft.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Stu, 19 Oct 2006 @ 5:55pm

LIGHTEN UP
Lighten up. It's just funny - that's all.

Of course, maybe you should look under your bed - just to be sure the bogey man isn't hiding there, right?

Lighten up. It's just funny - that's all.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]