7 ms·

Can anyone ELI5 the significance of this?

woodruffw 3y ago
I think it's being posted in light of the USG's pending antitrust lawsuit against Google[1]. (However, that case concerns digital advertising, and this document seems to have been produced by discovery in a different case. So I'm not sure if it's relevant beyond the general theme of "Google considers other companies competitors.") [1]: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-google-monopolizing-digital-advertising-technologies https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-googl...
- summerlight 3y ago
  It's from FTC vs MSFT.
privacyking 3y ago
It's basically analogous to what Valve is doing with steam. Windows has a monopoly on PC gaming and Valve does not want to be subject to any future restrictions or requirements that may be enforced in the future, so they funded andfacilitated gaming on Linux based PCs. Analogously, Microsoft doesn't want to be subject to the duopoly of Google and Apple with mobile (gaming), so they want their cloud steaming platform available on competitors.
- dataflow 3y ago
  > they want their cloud steaming platform available on competitors. Not sure if typo or a newly coined cloud computing term :-)
  - williamtrask 3y ago
    I don’t know why but that’s the funniest HN comment I’ve ever seen. I’m still chuckling. Took me a minute to figure it out. xD
    - dataflow 3y ago
      Haha I'm happy to hear, thank you!
    - passion__desire 3y ago
      Woody Allen would be proud.
  - diarrhea 3y ago
    All vapourware.
    - djbusby 3y ago
      Or a pile of some type
  - anoncow 3y ago
    steaming (present participle) to create a software platform which is platform agnostic. to not depend on other businesses for your company's success
  - slowmovintarget 3y ago
    The layers of architecture for apps on the steaming service are referred to as "piles."
- sundvor 3y ago
  First: I'm happy that Steam has put effort into Linux! Then, as a bit of a tangent: Windows only has a "monopoly" on PC gaming because Apple refuses to licence their operating system for non-Apple hardware - and because Linux just isn't mainstream enough. If you could buy OSX just like you can buy Windows and install it on your home built PC, I'm confident the landscape would at least be somewhat different. (It is certainly possible to install osx yourself on your own PC hardware, if you put your pirate hat on and are happy with massively outdated GPU drivers etc - or at least it was half a decade ago when I checked last). Of course Apple would also have to develop some care for gamers.
  - darklion 3y ago
    Your last sentence betrays your entire argument. “Windows has a lock on PC gaming because macOS isn’t available for PCs. Of course, macOS would have to radically chamge to be even remotely usable as a gaming competitor to Windows.” If macOS is that bad for gaming, no gamer is going to use it even if it was available for PCs.
    - sundvor 3y ago
      Disagree. My argument is that Apple have been ignoring it pretty much completely. If a significant user base of PC users had OSX, then with a bit of TLC/ development from Apple I'm sure it'd be a very viable platform for gaming as well. I.e. Microsoft are going a crap load of work behind the scenes to provide the best gaming experience, so Apple would have to step up their (sorry) game to compete.
      - toast0 3y ago
        > Disagree. My argument is that Apple have been ignoring it pretty much completely. Worse than ignorning really. Games for windows from years ago largely still work. Games for Mac Os X don't because Apple regularly breaks compatability. This means the long tail of late sales won't happen without more developer effort, which isn't usually available.
      - makeitdouble 3y ago
chaostheory 3y ago
Satya says that the more different competing platforms exist, the better it is for MS and their cloud services ie MS services will be eventually be available on all those platforms like Meta’s Quest charging subscription fees Imo it’s inline with Satya’s Microsoft Everywhere strategy. Office and Xbox are everywhere now with the cloud
gamepsys 3y ago
I think the key to their strategy is the line "more fragmented set of device stores/platform is better for us." Nadella is acknowledging that being an app means the platform hosting the app has a lot of leverage. Apple could potentially prevent Microsoft from releasing an update on any of the apps they publish on the App Store. Apple and Google essentially play a gatekeeping role between many Microsoft Users and Microsoft itself. This is big for Microsoft because they have a huge install base on Android/iPhone/iPad, and have some exposure to macOS. Teams without iPhone won't work. This is a topic Microsoft is specifically sensitive too because of it's history. Nadella is saying it's worth investing in less popular devices in hopes that they become a bigger competition again iPhone and Android. In fact, Nadella is hoping Meta takes a small but meaningful portion of the market.
TradingPlaces 3y ago
The significance I saw was Microsoft trying to project being the good guy for upcoming regulations of digital marketplaces. I thought they had a strategy to separate themselves from Apple and Google, and this confirms that. They keep getting the game console stores exempted from consideration.

I think it's being posted in light of the USG's pending antitrust lawsuit against Google[1]. (However, that case concerns digital advertising, and this document seems to have been produced by discovery in a different case. So I'm not sure if it's relevant beyond the general theme of "Google considers other companies competitors.") [1]: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-google-monopolizing-digital-advertising-technologies https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-googl...

summerlight 3y ago
It's from FTC vs MSFT.

privacyking 3y ago

It's basically analogous to what Valve is doing with steam. Windows has a monopoly on PC gaming and Valve does not want to be subject to any future restrictions or requirements that may be enforced in the future, so they funded andfacilitated gaming on Linux based PCs. Analogously, Microsoft doesn't want to be subject to the duopoly of Google and Apple with mobile (gaming), so they want their cloud steaming platform available on competitors.

dataflow 3y ago
> they want their cloud steaming platform available on competitors. Not sure if typo or a newly coined cloud computing term :-)
- williamtrask 3y ago
  I don’t know why but that’s the funniest HN comment I’ve ever seen. I’m still chuckling. Took me a minute to figure it out. xD
  - dataflow 3y ago
    Haha I'm happy to hear, thank you!
  - passion__desire 3y ago
    Woody Allen would be proud.
- diarrhea 3y ago
  All vapourware.
  - djbusby 3y ago
    Or a pile of some type
- anoncow 3y ago
  steaming (present participle) to create a software platform which is platform agnostic. to not depend on other businesses for your company's success
- slowmovintarget 3y ago
  The layers of architecture for apps on the steaming service are referred to as "piles."
sundvor 3y ago
First: I'm happy that Steam has put effort into Linux! Then, as a bit of a tangent: Windows only has a "monopoly" on PC gaming because Apple refuses to licence their operating system for non-Apple hardware - and because Linux just isn't mainstream enough. If you could buy OSX just like you can buy Windows and install it on your home built PC, I'm confident the landscape would at least be somewhat different. (It is certainly possible to install osx yourself on your own PC hardware, if you put your pirate hat on and are happy with massively outdated GPU drivers etc - or at least it was half a decade ago when I checked last). Of course Apple would also have to develop some care for gamers.
- darklion 3y ago
  Your last sentence betrays your entire argument. “Windows has a lock on PC gaming because macOS isn’t available for PCs. Of course, macOS would have to radically chamge to be even remotely usable as a gaming competitor to Windows.” If macOS is that bad for gaming, no gamer is going to use it even if it was available for PCs.
  - sundvor 3y ago
    Disagree. My argument is that Apple have been ignoring it pretty much completely. If a significant user base of PC users had OSX, then with a bit of TLC/ development from Apple I'm sure it'd be a very viable platform for gaming as well. I.e. Microsoft are going a crap load of work behind the scenes to provide the best gaming experience, so Apple would have to step up their (sorry) game to compete.
    - toast0 3y ago
      > Disagree. My argument is that Apple have been ignoring it pretty much completely. Worse than ignorning really. Games for windows from years ago largely still work. Games for Mac Os X don't because Apple regularly breaks compatability. This means the long tail of late sales won't happen without more developer effort, which isn't usually available.
    - makeitdouble 3y ago

chaostheory 3y ago

Satya says that the more different competing platforms exist, the better it is for MS and their cloud services ie MS services will be eventually be available on all those platforms like Meta’s Quest charging subscription fees Imo it’s inline with Satya’s Microsoft Everywhere strategy. Office and Xbox are everywhere now with the cloud

gamepsys 3y ago

I think the key to their strategy is the line "more fragmented set of device stores/platform is better for us." Nadella is acknowledging that being an app means the platform hosting the app has a lot of leverage. Apple could potentially prevent Microsoft from releasing an update on any of the apps they publish on the App Store. Apple and Google essentially play a gatekeeping role between many Microsoft Users and Microsoft itself. This is big for Microsoft because they have a huge install base on Android/iPhone/iPad, and have some exposure to macOS. Teams without iPhone won't work. This is a topic Microsoft is specifically sensitive too because of it's history. Nadella is saying it's worth investing in less popular devices in hopes that they become a bigger competition again iPhone and Android. In fact, Nadella is hoping Meta takes a small but meaningful portion of the market.

TradingPlaces 3y ago

The significance I saw was Microsoft trying to project being the good guy for upcoming regulations of digital marketplaces. I thought they had a strategy to separate themselves from Apple and Google, and this confirms that. They keep getting the game console stores exempted from consideration.