The first thing you notice about it is how all Microsoft stuff feels like it's living in the early 90's. To me, this is just more evidence that MSFT just doesn't get it - the modern internet, that is:

• You need a Microsoft Passport account to get the API! That probably eliminates 50% of the potential users right there.
• It's called an 'SDK'. Kinda archaic sounding.
• It's SOAP-only, no REST options.
• The idea that anyone (like me) would run this from PHP on a UNIX box was never considered.
• Heavily tied into Visual Studio. Not a bad IDE for fat client C# apps, but a big pain for a simple script.
• There's no sample code. The Yahoo YSDN guys do this right.
• The installed docs are in a Microsoft doc reader. Not HTML. (Well, if you search, you can find them on msdn.)

I could go on, however the point that if MSN is ever gonna compete, they need to slip the surly bonds of the legacy IT development world that shackles even the simplest of their tools.

¶ 7/20/2006