Today we announced the project that has been keeping me very busy as of late.  Windows Marketplace will be selling Microsoft's flagship products Windows Vista and 2007 Office at the same time the products hit the shelves.  This is a huge event for those of us in Windows Marketplace and we are very much looking forward to "GA-Day" (the day the products become "generally available").

In my early morning searching, I came across this article on MSNBC written by the Associated Press.  I don't think I've ever been this involved in a project that was picked up by the AP.  WiX got a lot of coverage but I don't remember the Associated Press.  It's quite a cool feeling.

I also saw Mary Jo Foley questioning how many people will actually purchase Vista for download from Windows Marketplace.  The AP article also suggested that few users were expected to download Vista over the Internet.  I'm optimistic that providing Windows Vista on Windows Marketplace that we will be able to reach a new set of customers.  In any case, we are building out Windows Marketplace to ensure that we can serve anyone who wants to purchase Vista and/or Office online.

However, I believe that releasing Windows Vista and Office 2007 on Windows Marketplace makes one thing very clear.  Electronic software distribution (ESD) is here to stay.  We've already built up a lot of cool technology to distribute software electronically (like the Digital Locker) and we've got a lot more coming.  If you're a software developer, I suggest taking a look at what it takes to get listed on Windows Marketplace.  If you're a consumer, in the coming months you're going to see improvements across many aspects of the Windows Marketplace Catalog.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment here or contact me directly.  I'm obviously a bit busy through January 30th but I'll try to answer any questions I can.  In the meantime, keep coding, you know I am.