As I wrote in a recent CEO message, we are approaching a major milestone - the Beta launch of Smartsheet v2. We’ve made numerous updates to the service since our initial launch in the fall of 2006 but unlike our previous releases, this endeavor encompasses a holistic review and update of the entire service.

So let’s get to the nuts and bolts of what makes this release different than most.

I think Robert Scoble said it best. “Yesterday someone challenged me to ‘say something useful’ in Twitter. Has anyone said anything useful in Twitter?”

Will Twitter be crowned the next victor in the messaging category, joining the ranks of e-mail, IM, and RSS? For all its coolness, ease of use, plugged in feeling it delivers - I sure as hell hope not.

Heavyweight fights seem to get most of the attention. Maybe that's why the press won't let go of its desire to promote the Microsoft Office vs. Google Docs fight.

My take - it won't be a fight worth watching. It won't be a 2nd round knockout. There won't even be a unanimous decision for Microsoft or Google. In fact, there will be many Software as a Service (SaaS) providers who realize success in bringing to market high value services. It will only accelerate as traditional and online software providers make it easier for customers to combine offerings.

We've all heard the old saying, "You can't have your cake and eat it too". It's rolls off the tongue so much more easily than, "You can't have two things which are incompatible".

A few things in life are absolutes. Most everything else, even if broadly accepted, is open to challenge.

I had the chance to give a brief update on Smartsheet's progress at the Under the Radar conference in Mountain View last week.

It was good to see this year's new companies present as well. Interesting products. Smart people. Similar probing from the expert panelists as last year:

- 'How do you plan on selling your service?'
- 'Is what you have any different from company xyz who has been doing this for the past 2 years?'
- 'Does your idea constitute a company, product, or feature?'

Microsoft yesterday threw a counter punch to Google Sites. Office Live Workspaces was launched with much fanfare. You could almost hear the students and non-profits around the nation shout ‘let FREEdom reign’. Peek past the well orchestrated announcements and blog posts and recognize the old adage, that there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Google search does it right. One page, one search box, one call to action. The result: mass usage and relevance. It’s nearly impossible to get wrong. My father, at 71, can search for the local Thai restaurant as well as I. How many technologies obliterate those pesky learning curves forced upon us by youth or old age? I relate as strongly to Google’s design principle of ‘Keep it Simple’ as I do to their ‘Don’t be Evil’ corporate motto.

Unfortunately, the beloved ‘Keep it Simple’ philosophy is now officially under fire.

To say that my wife and I share the same interest in the software business would be a bit of a stretch. It would also be a bit of a stretch to believe that I'm alone in this camp. While the curiosity and passion to achieve the optimal balance between utility, value, and user satisfaction is not shared between Jaimee and me, I must admit that she and a few of the other Smartsheet spouses have been invaluable in recent weeks. They have something that we at the business can't emulate - a less biased perspective.