I'm at the MIX conference in Las Vegas, courtesy of Microsoft New Zealand. Ray Ozzie has just completed his keynote speech, in which he delivered a more refined version of his 'integrated Web/Desktop' vision. He talked about how the best solutions are "integrated solutions", meaning integrated Web, desktop and mobile. He talked about RIAs and devices, and noted that in this era SAAS now means "software *and* a service". He went on to say that web apps today and tomorrow are complicated, fragmented. He also noted the richness of all the possible delivery platforms in this era.

Next Ray Ozzie outlined two types of web apps - what he calls "Universal Web" apps, meaning ajax, html, browser based apps. Then he discussed "Experience First" apps - xbox, mobile, pc desktop apps. He pointed out that "the most sucessful solutions have an element each of universal web and experience first".

Ray said that a common design pattern has emerged for this new era of desktop/web/mobile apps - desktop for richness, browser for tagging and other collaboration/community features, mobile for location-specific information.

Ray said that this "brings together the best of the web, best of the desktop and best of the device - using the service as a hub". He also noted that to build these apps, developers and designers can use all kinds of platforms - some of them not Microsoft's. He may've been referring to Adobe Apollo, for example. (Incidentally, I visited Adobe's HQ last week and there is a post on that coming soon).

Silverlight Extended

Next up, Ray Ozzie announced some major upgrades to the Silverlight product, which was first announced a couple of weeks ago. There are 3 main parts to Silverlight now, said Ozzie.