How big is R2 for partners?

Bit of clarification on the Schragging that took place today at the Small Business Symposium. Man, what a sad yet ironic way for this great event to end. First off, a panel of senior Microsoft executives was introduced by Andrea Russell to answer quite a few questions. Schrag, in his usual courteous way, asked everyone to stand up if they liked Microsoft software in SMB — nearly everyone did, and some even clapped. But then as everyone sat down he asked them to stand back up in.. well, you can see where this one is going. Long story short, Schrag won the Xbox giveaway after insulting the deck of Sr. Microsoft managers and thanked god for it. Not exaggerating it at all.

Not all bad news, I totally called it, and saw Chris fall to his knees next to me as if he got hit by a bullet. In his defense, he has been craving an Xbox since we went to Best Buy the other day.

After the event we went to Harry Brelsfords launch of the SMB Magazine. Big thanks to Beatrice Mulzer of SMB Nation for giving us an ad for the SBS Show in there!

But on to the serious topic – as I noted earlier, SBS R2 is eeeeeeverywhere. Yet nobody is talking about it today. Read between the lines here, “The big dog is about to announce something tomorrow” – cheaper, bigger, slimmer, ? In the SBS community this will be a big non-event, I doubt my customers will ever even notice – but for WWPC it seems to be the big news. 

Part of the Australian and US reception.

And for the ultimate SBSer koolade drinker in you – green check on the lunch box, green check on the cup of water, green check everywhere.

As a partner, and as you can witness from the vlog, a Microsoft shareholder I have to show serious concern if this is “the” major announcement at WWPC in the morning. Microsoft’s most insignificant upgrade in its most insignificant server product justifies this kind of marketing expenditure? I’m sorry, but the end of the 2003 Server Wave is coming with the same excitement and shame as the end of Zidane’s career – battered, broken, aged and missing expectations despite a phenomenal quality throughout its lifecycle.

News from Small Business Symposium?

Whats in the works for the micro-Microsoft focus?

Look at Microsoft Office Live around the Office 2007 launch.

Where is SBS going?

Not sure. Partner ridiculed it as “Smallhorn” and the worldwide manager remarked to it as a part of Longhorn wave. When its coming, what it will have….. well, 64bit platform, thats about all we know.

Biggest understatement of the conference…

Cindy Bates: “I’m sure some of you have heard of lessthanfries.com or 86centsaday that Eric Ligman has been working on…” at which point everyone raised their hand “Wow, good job Eric”

Good job indeed.