Time for a Microsoft Conference on Consumer Network Issues

Michael Gartenberg | January 25, 2006, 08:42 AM

I had an interesting chat yesterday with someone working on some issues in the digital home. First word was, forget the network issues, let's just pretend for a moment that it really all works. Problem is, it doesn't.

There's a lot at stake in the battle for the digital home but there's a huge Achilles heel in the infrastructure that no one is talking about and it's going to derail a lot of efforts. While everyone is working to get consumers to move from utilitarian network users (sharing an internet connection or printer) to entertainment network users, (think lots of media moving all over the home, to other devices, your car and other places as well) no one is bother to look at the fact that the network is the weakest link in the equation. Let's face it, all those demos you saw at CES depend on a really fast, secure and reliable home network that isn't there.

There's a lot of problems here. First, the technology is uncertain. WiFi is great for internet sharing but doesn't really work well for getting HiDef content from one place to another. Just ask anyone with a Media Center PC and an Xbox 360. Second, it's all way too complex. Consumers are being asked to shoulder networking and technical burdens that would make a professional networking admin weep. I've said it before, Dad doesn't want to be CIO, Mom doesn't want to run the help desk and the kids don't want to do technical support.

Are there answers? Some. Folks like Pure Netowrks are doing a really good job at solving parts of the problem. Apple does a really good job as the only player here that actually takes ownership for the network, end to end. Is it a perfect experience? nope, but they manage expectations well as to what will work and what won't and make the experience far less daunting than anyone else (Ever call one of the major network vendors for help with a router... go ahead, I'll wait, just make sure you have at least and hour two booked and are prepared to re-wire your home while troubleshooting. Oh and you'll also need a working network connection since you'll be asked to do things like flash the firmware on your router).

So what's the answer? Well, it's time for another Czar at Microsoft, a consumer networking one. And the first thing to do is to convene a networking summit on campus ASAP. It's time to get all these folks in a room from the network device folks to the media hubs and everything In between. Then go over the scenarios and come up with a plan. At the end of the day, there needs to be a real certification process associated with Vista that consumers can see and know that if they buy those things, they will work together well and will in fact perform tasks advertised. That's right, make it task centric and not tech centric. If this sounds a lot like the Windows logo or Plays for Sure, it's supposed to. Those things weren't bad ideas, they were just implemented in the wrong way (my favorite, the Windows 95 logo program basically said that the logo certified a given program would work with Windows 95 unless architectural issues prevented it from doing so. In other words, it's guaranteed to work unless it doesn't)

This isn't that hard but it needs to be done and needs to be done soon. It doesn't have to be Microsoft, but they are in the best position to make it happen. Of course, making it happen will serve their interests well and it also would serve many of their partners who depend on the Vista to be successful.

If there's anyone in Redmond reading this, give me a call and we can chat more and I'll tell you what else needs to be done.