The new facet can be found at www.live.com, which Microsoft uses to deliver some of its software products. The Live.com Web site debuted about three weeks ago.

At Live.com, Microsoft now supplies e-mail and instant messaging features for any Internet domain (addresses used to network computers).

Analysts felt Microsoft is also trying to fend off challenges from Google Inc. and other competitors that have already adopted the same "live" view on software.

But it means a departure from Microsoft's historical way of offering services: licensing the applications to computer manufacturers or selling them to consumers on disks.

Has the time come where people really think their own machines and applications are best managed by someone else? I still remember people scoffing at Larry Ellison when he made statments about network applications years ago. Have the weaknesses of the OS and browser created yet another market? Was it a case where MS could take on Oracle and Sun easily. When the word Google is spoke they seem to respond in turn.