In the past, Microsoft used to go years between major updates to its key products. But now, its major desktop and server software packages are getting updates every year, while cloud products get new features as often as every three weeks. ZDNet’s Simon Bisson writes, “The key to understanding what’s going on up in Redmond is the fact that all these changes result from the company’s shift to continuous development — and continuous integration of new technologies.”
This shift was on display at Microsoft’s recent developer conference, adds Bisson. “Build 2013 was the first sight of a faster, hacker-powered Microsoft, one that was ready to work with other platforms and other tools as well as its own…. From what we’ve seen so far, Microsoft’s new delivery cadence means we’re going to get access to a lot of intriguing new technologies a lot quicker than might have in the past.”
