The main topic at this year’s Microsoft Tech.Ed keynote was the combination of Live Mesh platform and Software plus Services — Microsoft’s version of SaaS.

S+S is different from SaaS in that it also involves the rich-client.

“Take all the benefits of software running locally, all the benefits of service and bring them together,” said Amit Mital, the general manager of Live Mesh.

Mital described Live Mesh as a platform combined with S+S, which stops developers from worrying about connectivity.

“You don’t have to worry about where you are […], you don’t have to worry about where your data is stored, if it’s online or offline,” he said.

Mital talked about the Web as a hub of all our experiences and shared Microsoft’s vision of meshing — connected devices, connected entertainment and connected business. Here is a brief explanation of each:

Connected Devices
By default the devices are connected to the internet, but not to each other. Microsoft’s goal is to integrate all your different devices, using the Web as the medium. When the device is connected to the internet it can interact with other devices in your mesh, and all your files and folders will be automatically synchronised.

Connected entertainment
Media will be available on any device with only one licence. This way, individuals would be able to access all their media from any device in their mesh. Users will have media or gaming personas that they can use to express themselves and interact with others.

Connected business
Companies should be able to focus on their business needs rather than the infrastructure. The integration of on-site operations, hosting and cloud services should be seamless.

If you want to see what this is all about, visit https://www.mesh.com/Welcome/Welcome.aspx. It is currently in tech preview, but if you have a Live ID you can log-in and check out the functionality that is available.