[Asterisk-Users] xbox asterisk?

[Dean Collins]

Yep, Cringley pointed out that MS delivering quasi pc's was the end game
here.

Delivering a true voice service over this is obviously on the cards.
Then delivering asp payg services is only 1 step removed.

Hopefully google will come along with their net based office
competition.


Dean

> -----Original Message-----
> From: asterisk-users-bounces at lists.digium.com [mailto:asterisk-users-
> bounces at lists.digium.com] On Behalf Of Colin Anderson
> Sent: Monday, 16 May 2005 7:30 PM
> To: 'C F'; 'Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion'
> Subject: RE: [Asterisk-Users] xbox asterisk?
> 
> 
> > interesting comment this week about the Xbox - any intelligent
thoughts
> > here?
> 
> Semi-intelligent:
> 
> xbox, as with any pc hardware, is commoditized to the point of
absurdity.
> The shift of the pc industry has changed from hardware driving the
> industry
> forward, to software, and specifically IP (Intellectual Property) in
the
> form of specific functionality (Skype, for example is more Hype than
Tech,
> but it is a more or less recognizable and bankable name brand. Ditto
> Napster,Itunes, sort of.) The hardware simply becomes the medium.
Hardware
> these days is simply meatspace TCP/IP to deliver services that the
meat
> will
> spend money on. Microsoft and Sony are pursuing the console platform
as a
> means of delivery for next-gen services, ostensibly as a means of
> delivering
> a better gaming experience. Xbox Live is a means for Microsoft to
shake
> out
> how such a service will work. Seems to me, the guy that delivers 50 to
100
> million consoles with an Ethernet port and a hard drive to north
american
> households will automatically have a huge premade installed base for
any
> other service they choose to market on that console. Microsoft has
*not*
> gone after the guys who ran arbitrary code on xbox thru the buffer
overrun
> in the James Bond game and later put out the modchips as much as they
> *could* have, because they want to learn more about how the best and
> brightest minds reverse engineer encryption down at the bus level, and
> take
> those lessons and apply them to Xbox 360, make it so tight that
there's no
> way anyone will be able to run arbitrary code on it. Other lessons,
you
> will
> see when the console is released. It will be smaller. It will run
cooler.
> There will be decent controllers. They will stop using crappy Mitsumi
> drives
> that flake out. One thing Microsoft is absolutely brilliant at, is
taking
> a
> turd and polishing it until it shines (precedent and disclaimer: I
bought
> MS
> Access 2.0 / I own an xbox)
> 
> Now, let's see: An industry giant, markets a console that they loose
tons
> of
> money on. They don't seem to care, which is unlike them, because
Microsoft
> cutting bait is legion (BOB, Cairo, WinFS, I could go on for days)
> instead,
> they come out with ANOTHER box that they will loose even MORE money
on. It
> will be as good as, or better than Cell, run on broadband, and locked
up
> internally tighter than Warren Buffet's sphincter before he announces
a
> full
> point rate hike. Oh yeah, it also happens to be a kick ass PC. That
runs
> on
> your TV. And only Microsoft code (or duly appointed licensees) will
run on
> it. And everyone in North America will have one. Unlike 3Com's stupid
> fantasizing about Audrey, the games on the Xbox will make people
*want* to
> have one.
> 
> This is probably the best way to stage your service rollout.
> 
> You have a captive audience, with hardware they already own, which is
not
> a
> specific purpose console, but a general purpose turing machine that
just
> *happens* to run games. They *know* how to do an online service, with
> lessons learned from Xbox Live. They *know* how to mess with
> reverse-engineering attempts, so they can lock out any attempt at
running
> any code that they don't get a piece of. At that point, you come out
with
> your entire service offering. VoIP? check. Tivo? check. Movies on
demand?
> check. MSN portal? check. Need Word for a weekend? check. All for
$14.95 a
> month X installed base = lots of dough coming in for little effort
> outlaid.
> No boxes. No shrinkwrap. No CD's. Just bits going from 1 server to 1
box,
> that'll be $2.99 please.
> 
> I hate to say it, but it's pretty damned smart.
> 
> PS I read somewhere that Mark has Asterisk running on his Xbox with
USB
> FXO
> adapters. Good luck on the 360, though.
> 
> 
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