Microsoft hints at Web 2.0 with AJAX play

I've often said that when it comes to Web 2.0 and especially Office 2.0, Microsoft just doesn't get it. While potential competitors like Google are making bold moves into the web-based applications space, Microsoft has seemingly been sitting on the sidelines, taking a wait-and-see approach--a strategy that could ultimately cause them to miss the boat altogether, as they did with web search.

Well, Microsoft is expected to make some announcements today that may indicate that they're finally seeing the writing on the wall. The company will announce .Net Framework 3.0, for building Vista applications, as well as a plug-in for Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office, which will allow developers to build applications that use Office 2007's programs. The real news, however, is that the company is expected to announce the second beta of its ASP.Net AJAX, code-named Atlas, their upcoming web development toolkit. Atlas is designed to make the development of web-based applications easier and faster for programmers. While Atlas is a far cry from Office Online, it is an indication that Microsoft sees a demand for AJAX-based web-apps--and a possible hint that the company might be developing a few of their own.

For more on Atlas and Microsoft's other new developer products:
- see this CNET article