From CNet News:
Although it has taken Microsoft five years to develop the next version of Windows, the software maker seems to crank out a new Windows Live service every five minutes.
And, to some degree, that’s the point.
Last fall, MSN executive David Cole and his colleagues pitched CEO Steve Ballmer and Chairman Bill Gates on the idea that the company could launch online services a whole lot faster than complicated software such as new operating systems. They presented their plan with many of the online services that have been introduced in recent months as part of Windows Live.
“They were amazed,” Cole said in a recent internal e-mail to MSN workers. “And they said if we could pull off that many releases, it would be monumental for the company and for our customers.”
Not long after that presentation, Gates touted the idea to the world, announcing the “Live” era of software with a launch event in San Francisco.