DrWinn
09-18-2004, 06:49 PM
Here is the skinny on Microsoft's next generation Windows and how it will transform the EMR landscape
First off, I want to start by saying that I don’t particularly like Microsoft. They remain a monopoly and seem to be conspicuously devoid of ethics. I have shared my opinion of them with groups like the AAFP (whom we believe then shared that opinion with Microsoft, based on subsequent MS behaviors – thanks AAFP/Dr. Henley!) Anyway, there is no love lost between us. That said, I believe MS will continue to utterly dominate the desktop. Their strategy with Longhorn, Indigo (XML messaging/SOAP) and Yukon (next version of MS SQL server) is so compelling as to make users of open source throw in the towel. Fortune and Scientific American have both lamented the brain trust drain that Redmond has created. There is no shortage of genius’ working for MS.
So, how is this hybrid strategy of marrying the rich GUI (Longhorn/Avalon) and the web (.net/Indigo) going to control the world? The GUI is the least exciting of the components. It will provide a 3D ‘world’ to viewing information that is marginally superior to Windows XP. It will, of course, remain far superior to the GUI constraints imposed by pure web ’Java’ applications. As good as the new presentation layer will be (called Avalon), it pales in comparison to the other planned enhancements (some are in beta now). The windows file system (Win FS) will inherent the search capabilities, speed and scale of MS next generation SQL (Yukon). Data in files and documents will inherent the advantages of both the traditional relational databases and automatic XML indexing. That means enormous amounts of data (like google searchs) will be searched and results returned almost instantaneously. Fuzzy logic and embedded and indexed XML will make finding a needle in a haystack easy. Now here’s the rub. This ‘morphed’ Yukon object database (similar to Cache used by EPIC) will effectively lock developers/users into the MS world. MS is betting that the advances will be such a paradigm shift that everyone will bend to their will. All I can say is “yes master”.
MS hasn’t made everything proprietary. They have opened XML/Soap (Indigo) up so that it becomes the standard for data transport. The advantage to developers is significant. Unlike the prone to fail bridges that plague so many data transactions today (and why integration is a good thing), Indigo will allow the use of metadata tags to identify information and bypass the need for lengthy custom code. Indigo will be the backbone of XML/HL7 and the CCR interoperability standards that everyone is so jazzed about.
So, the ideal EMR will embrace the GUI richness of Avalon, the indexing performance of Yukon and the centralized IT management capabilities and automatic updates of .net. This will essentially make the next generation hybrid EMR possible – the best of both worlds. So where does e-MDs fit into all of this? Well, we’ve designed our database to take advantage of the object model (MS didn’t rate our db #1 for nothin). Our apps are modular, so we have been porting them to .net in stages. When Longhorn ships we will be ready with open arms. And yes, we will be married to Microsoft. Maybe being a concubine isn’t so terrible. I just hope Mr. Gates will be gentle.
First off, I want to start by saying that I don’t particularly like Microsoft. They remain a monopoly and seem to be conspicuously devoid of ethics. I have shared my opinion of them with groups like the AAFP (whom we believe then shared that opinion with Microsoft, based on subsequent MS behaviors – thanks AAFP/Dr. Henley!) Anyway, there is no love lost between us. That said, I believe MS will continue to utterly dominate the desktop. Their strategy with Longhorn, Indigo (XML messaging/SOAP) and Yukon (next version of MS SQL server) is so compelling as to make users of open source throw in the towel. Fortune and Scientific American have both lamented the brain trust drain that Redmond has created. There is no shortage of genius’ working for MS.
So, how is this hybrid strategy of marrying the rich GUI (Longhorn/Avalon) and the web (.net/Indigo) going to control the world? The GUI is the least exciting of the components. It will provide a 3D ‘world’ to viewing information that is marginally superior to Windows XP. It will, of course, remain far superior to the GUI constraints imposed by pure web ’Java’ applications. As good as the new presentation layer will be (called Avalon), it pales in comparison to the other planned enhancements (some are in beta now). The windows file system (Win FS) will inherent the search capabilities, speed and scale of MS next generation SQL (Yukon). Data in files and documents will inherent the advantages of both the traditional relational databases and automatic XML indexing. That means enormous amounts of data (like google searchs) will be searched and results returned almost instantaneously. Fuzzy logic and embedded and indexed XML will make finding a needle in a haystack easy. Now here’s the rub. This ‘morphed’ Yukon object database (similar to Cache used by EPIC) will effectively lock developers/users into the MS world. MS is betting that the advances will be such a paradigm shift that everyone will bend to their will. All I can say is “yes master”.
MS hasn’t made everything proprietary. They have opened XML/Soap (Indigo) up so that it becomes the standard for data transport. The advantage to developers is significant. Unlike the prone to fail bridges that plague so many data transactions today (and why integration is a good thing), Indigo will allow the use of metadata tags to identify information and bypass the need for lengthy custom code. Indigo will be the backbone of XML/HL7 and the CCR interoperability standards that everyone is so jazzed about.
So, the ideal EMR will embrace the GUI richness of Avalon, the indexing performance of Yukon and the centralized IT management capabilities and automatic updates of .net. This will essentially make the next generation hybrid EMR possible – the best of both worlds. So where does e-MDs fit into all of this? Well, we’ve designed our database to take advantage of the object model (MS didn’t rate our db #1 for nothin). Our apps are modular, so we have been porting them to .net in stages. When Longhorn ships we will be ready with open arms. And yes, we will be married to Microsoft. Maybe being a concubine isn’t so terrible. I just hope Mr. Gates will be gentle.