tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post113280512168485124..comments2024-03-18T12:52:48.117-07:00Comments on Mini-Microsoft: Some Holiday StuffingWho da'Punkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1137718946499764382006-01-19T17:02:00.000-08:002006-01-19T17:02:00.000-08:00Mini, an idea: Slashdot does guest chats where th...Mini, an idea: Slashdot does guest chats where the top 10-12 questions are asked to a guest.<BR/><BR/>Maybe you can formerly invite Lisa Brummel to answer our top questions? Sort of the blog listening tour?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1137620597010022762006-01-18T13:43:00.000-08:002006-01-18T13:43:00.000-08:00Goal: when someone is justly fired, someone else o...Goal: when someone is justly fired, someone else on the team should not have to have their review suffer. <BR/><BR/> - Indeed. The goal should be to remove the driftwood, an encourage the performers. Not to steadily cycle through employees<BR/><BR/><BR/>Goal: people are rewarded based on their results and not relative to their peers. <BR/><BR/> - yep. If I'm judged against my peers, then there is no teamwork. It hurts me to help someone else get better (and helps if I make them look worse). But, If I'm rewarded for my results alone, I'm willing to help others achieve the same results. They may help me someday when I need it. One question: how does bonuses work? There is a finite pool of bonus money, does it get harder to determine who gets a peice?<BR/><BR/><BR/>Goal: you should be able to give true, encouraging feedback anytime. <BR/><BR/> - Yes, but you can't change human nature. Most of us avoid conflict. Must allow anonymous feedback.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Goal: dump the loose-structured Word review document and make someone's performance a living website.<BR/><BR/> - Be careful. Our internal tools and websites SUCK. Ever used roleguide? I'd rather use Word (in fairness, roleguide is getting better). Have it built by people that actually know about useability and make it simple and fast.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Goal: anyone can provide positive or constructive feedback anytime, and not have to deal with consequences in the stack rank arena. <BR/><BR/> - Anonymously<BR/><BR/>Goal: managements commitments are public. <BR/><BR/> - Indeed. a good manager would do this already, and you should know how your commitments help their commitments. I had a manager like this, and it worked very well. I knew exactly what they expected from me, and where I needed to focus.<BR/><BR/>Goal: management feedback is broadly open. <BR/><BR/> - Again, good managers do this. another sign of bad managers ;)<BR/><BR/>Goal: if stack ranking stays around, I can find out where I am in the stack rank and why. <BR/><BR/> - The answer would be "your not visable enough." How can other managers rank you if they never heard of you. So you focus on networking, not your job.<BR/><BR/>Goal: reward for individual excellence. <BR/><BR/> - yeah! But should be a smaller reward than team excellence rewards<BR/><BR/>Goal: reward for team excellence. <BR/><BR/> - This is key. A team will never get better if I'm stacked against my teammates. But, if I can bring home more bacon with a team reward, then I will help the strugglers. If they can't be helped, they get voted out Survivor style. but you may still have team vs. team issues. Competition is healthy, but stacking teams is bad too. Imagine how powerful the company would be if we could all band together for the same goal, helping each other. What about a Company-wide profit sharing reward (a formula based on profit, ship targets, release dates, etc??? -- with public target numbers so we know where the bar is). A tiered reward system from the very top, down to employees, would be nice. In fact, our sales organization has very mature reward systems. You should look into it - amazing and not just monetary (cruises, family trips, retail goods - you name it).<BR/><BR/>Goal: more transparency. <BR/><BR/> - Indeed. Even Google is losing it's tranparency (see Xooglers). Hard to do in a big, public company with way too many press leaks. But for individual performance, why not?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1137604710201812922006-01-18T09:18:00.000-08:002006-01-18T09:18:00.000-08:00I was recently hired at Microsoft and came to know...I was recently hired at Microsoft and came to know of a select group of new hires from a peer called the "High Potential Candidate" program who are fast tracked for promotions and executive positions. Does anyone have any information on this? What is the criteria for being inducted into this program and how does Microsoft ensure that these fast tracked candidates are promoted without impacting hardworking normal potential candidates.<BR/><BR/>Would appreciate any feedback.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1137469805908325362006-01-16T19:50:00.000-08:002006-01-16T19:50:00.000-08:00OK moron Microsoft Mini, been there done that, got...OK moron Microsoft Mini, been there done that, got many T shirts to prove it. The problem is they can't have a company work with the Jack Welch model and grow expoentially as they have. They have pushed too many moronic people into positions of power. They will eventually re-org the company, but Ballmer does not have the balls to do it. He will eventually bring in a hatchet man to do it. This will happen, I've seen it at over 5 fortune 100 companies that I've worked for. It's a matter of time! <BR/><BR/>BUDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1134068703466427822005-12-08T11:05:00.000-08:002005-12-08T11:05:00.000-08:00what blows my mind is that the xbox team had a shi...what blows my mind is that the xbox team had a <A HREF="http://spaces.msn.com/members/trixie/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c11_PhotoAlbum_spaHandler=TWljcm9zb2Z0LlNwYWNlcy5XZWIuUGFydHMuUGhvdG9BbGJ1bS5GdWxsTW9kZUNvbnRyb2xsZXI%24&_c11_PhotoAlbum_spaFolderID=cns!1psnqX6_nclWLCZnBPIhmokw!2562&_c=PhotoAlbum" REL="nofollow">ship party</A> at the showbox without actually delivering their product to the vast majority of customers who wanted to pay money for it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1133396170497908822005-11-30T16:16:00.000-08:002005-11-30T16:16:00.000-08:00There has been a new attempt at open space in RedW...There has been a new attempt at open space in RedWest A. The team using it seems to really like it, so maybe there is still some hope for that idea. When the NetGen team disbanded, we all really hated having offices. <BR/><BR/>-CJAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1133208924809292052005-11-28T12:15:00.000-08:002005-11-28T12:15:00.000-08:00Where's Brad Silverberg today?http://www.ignitionp...Where's Brad Silverberg today?<BR/><BR/>http://www.ignitionpartners.com/about/brad_s.asp<BR/><BR/>Same place as John Connors, the CFO who quit in January.MattyDreadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07672551550980038892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1133166999576177902005-11-28T00:36:00.000-08:002005-11-28T00:36:00.000-08:00Microsoft provides a very "safe" environment--good...<I>Microsoft provides a very "safe" environment--good job security, good salary, good benefits, etc. </I><BR/><BR/>That is how it seemed to me 6 years ago. I must admit, it was a good place to ride out the dot-com bust. Unfortunately, politics get to a point where all of my peers said "you are doing a great job" and my manager said "you suck". At that point, the job is no longer "safe".<BR/><BR/>I was fired last year for performance reasons as I was starting to interview outside of MS and just before my manager got the worst feedback score in the division. Funny, he still has his job at MS and I found a much better job outside of MS two weeks after I left to "Pursue other career opportunities".<BR/><BR/>Speaking of which, why is it that when you get fired, the only options you have are to have your fellow co-workers be told that you either left "for personal reasons" or to "pursue other career opportunities"? I don't remember lying to remaining team members being an official company value.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1133158631391003922005-11-27T22:17:00.000-08:002005-11-27T22:17:00.000-08:00Not sure i agree with that.Some units had QA issue...Not sure i agree with that.<BR/><BR/>Some units had QA issues, some were not. These issues may have happened in transit, storage or unpacking in the store. I doubt ANY unit left the folks crafting them up with issues.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1133156268973720802005-11-27T21:37:00.000-08:002005-11-27T21:37:00.000-08:00>>Wow, it sounds like MSFT has hired the same mark...>>Wow, it sounds like MSFT has hired the same marketing goons as WMT to naysay any negative posting<<<BR/><BR/>Actually, what I was trying to point out was the idiocy of accepting one set of reports from gaming forums and not accepting another. Why are negative reports valid and positive ones invalid? I think it's safe to say that the biggest issue with the xbox is the limited number of units, not the small number of defective units. Oh and by the way, it's clear you work for Google (see how that works?)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1133149707023542402005-11-27T19:48:00.000-08:002005-11-27T19:48:00.000-08:00>> I'm probably going to leave the company soon. I...>> I'm probably going to leave the company soon. I refuse to use my time in meetings, trying to play politics, so I can't get my 4.0's anymore and that's it for me. <BR/><BR/>I'm schizophrenic when it comes to MS. A significant portion of my work is cross group, and I see all this politics, meetings that sap me of the will to live, incompetent managers who are only managers because promotion was the only way MS knew how to remove them as incompetent ICs.<BR/><BR/>But then I look at my own group. STU (the org formerly known as SBTU) gets it fair share of critisim, and the unit deserves it. But if you look deeper there is one group in the unit that stands out. That's a group that's grown from 8 to 80 in 3 years, yet has only lost about 7 people in that time - 2 to the outside world, 2 to other groups and 3 were loosers who needed to go. It's a group where the GM's calendar is almost always free because he refuses to attend inane meetings - even if they are called by his VP. It's a group where frankly you get to have an impact, do cool things and not worry about risks not paying off. The pain is that unfortunately that we have to work with the rest of the lunatics in the asylum. Sometimes I wish 'they' would spin us off into our own little division...<BR/><BR/>So there are groups where there is 'life', but they are few and far between. I've had a couple of years here and thought it might be good to get exposure elsewhere in the company, but couldn't a single group that got me excited or where I felt i could be 'me'.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1133105955697010222005-11-27T07:39:00.000-08:002005-11-27T07:39:00.000-08:00Wow, this xbox bashing is idiotic. Has it crossed ...Wow, this xbox bashing is idiotic. Has it crossed anyones mind that maybe the vast majority of people that are happy with their boxes are too busy actually playing xbox games instead of logging on to some random forum? Anyway, visit forums.xbox.com, seems most people think the console is great (since we're taking random forum posts as evidence that the machine is a dud)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1133071909357989572005-11-26T22:11:00.000-08:002005-11-26T22:11:00.000-08:00It'd be cool if more MSfties could say "We honestl...It'd be cool if more MSfties could say "We honestly screwed up here. Let's do what we can to fix it" rather than "there are no problems here. It's all your imagination."<BR/><BR/>The increasing numbers of videos and posts about the crashes show that there is increasing anecdotal "evidence" that something is wrong. MSft would be better off saying "We recognize that some customers have received bad equipment and we are replacing these units free of charge as soon as we hear of them." Much better press than "you're lying, it's not that bad."<BR/><BR/>Giving away free XBox 360s can't be much more expensive than selling them, anyway - I hear MSft is losing ~$160/unit. (I suppose they'll make it up in volume?)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1133048730428334542005-11-26T15:45:00.000-08:002005-11-26T15:45:00.000-08:00Re-read mini's post, read the two comments on the ...Re-read mini's post, read the two comments on the thread. Do you really need to have some extract it out for you again?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1133048025984898912005-11-26T15:33:00.000-08:002005-11-26T15:33:00.000-08:00... that software was a peice of crap and crashed ...<I>... that software was a peice of crap and crashed constantly. Makes sense that Mini would covet it.</I><BR/><BR/>Looks like one of us can't read. What did Mini say in particular about the three degrees <B>software</B>? Looks like he was discussing more of the buzz, earned or not, that the product achieved, and how that buzz wasn't leveraged.<BR/><BR/>Could you paste in the specific comment that points to the software coveting?<BR/><BR/>Just so, you know, it doesn't look like you're making stuff up and being another one of those shallow critics too timid to hang out on /.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1133046691744592552005-11-26T15:11:00.000-08:002005-11-26T15:11:00.000-08:00Thank goodness someone chimed in on Three Degrees ...Thank goodness someone chimed in on Three Degrees - that software was a peice of crap and crashed constantly. Makes sense that Mini would covet it. Puke... oh, go mini, yeahAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1133035384288573792005-11-26T12:03:00.000-08:002005-11-26T12:03:00.000-08:00A note below regarding Sony-related employees goin...A note below regarding Sony-related employees going online to spread "anger" about 360 units in order to kick the 360 in the groin:<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.news0r.com/index.php?p=2801" REL="nofollow">http://www.news0r.com/index.php?p=2801</A><BR/><BR/>It's a whole new battlefield out there. Is overheating really that bad? Do you need to hang your power brick in the air? Are disks really getting scratched?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1133025780455892832005-11-26T09:23:00.000-08:002005-11-26T09:23:00.000-08:00Demings' ideas are being applied in parts of Micro...Demings' ideas are being applied in parts of Microsoft, see <A HREF="http://www.agilemanagement.net/Articles/Papers/DefinitelyNotMickeyMouse.html" REL="nofollow">The influence of W. Edwards Deming on Project Planning and Tracking in MSF v4.0</A>.Curious Cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1133004029098813792005-11-26T03:20:00.000-08:002005-11-26T03:20:00.000-08:003 degrees was an expirement of various methodologi...3 degrees was an expirement of various methodologies to be "agile" ...<BR/><BR/>Their PMs were useless (e.g. CJ) and no one wanted their crap. The only reason they got some support from Windows networkign was due to trying to promote the ill-fated/premature IPv6 strategy Christian Huitema was responsible for putting together.<BR/><BR/>That comic-chat experience was just downright laughable.<BR/><BR/>Oh person who has an offer .. use your inner fealings ... if you have other options weigh them closely<BR/><BR/>SherwoodAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1132994909405719132005-11-26T00:48:00.000-08:002005-11-26T00:48:00.000-08:00Hi, I have an offer from MS to join. What is your ...Hi, <BR/><BR/>I have an offer from MS to join. What is your suggestion on that. From the posts here, the situation in MS does not seem to be very good, but still it is a good company ?<BR/><BR/>Maybe you can give some thought on this and have a post with your thoughts ?<BR/><BR/>Thanks !Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1132993618355285232005-11-26T00:26:00.000-08:002005-11-26T00:26:00.000-08:00Yes, let's moan orgasmically about threedegrees, t...Yes, let's moan orgasmically about threedegrees, they could have saved Microsoft. <BR/>Bullfrackingshit. The reason threedegrees isn't around any more may have something to do with the fact the NO ONE gave a crap about it when it was released (beta ?). Kazaa and their ilk outlasted it because people used them.<BR/><BR/>And I'm sorry, but a mention in cnet is not good buzz. Cnet is usually the last to latch on to any trend.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1132980428377414522005-11-25T20:47:00.000-08:002005-11-25T20:47:00.000-08:00Do you remember Three Degrees?Whaaa! Netgen! Some ...<I>Do you remember Three Degrees?</I><BR/><BR/>Whaaa! Netgen! Some folks used to hang out at Le Pichet late at night, those were good times. Some even still work for Microsoft, in the Redwest campus though :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1132978704427486722005-11-25T20:18:00.000-08:002005-11-25T20:18:00.000-08:00Good grief. We sell half a million new consoles in...<I>Good grief. We sell half a million new consoles in a matter of hours and what does mini focus on? The 0.5% with defective units.</I><BR/><BR/>87.3% of statistics are made up. Meanwhile, the X-Box 360 defects are getting a lot of press. Reports of people suspending their power supplies from the floor using string to get rid of the crashes.<BR/><BR/>I saw a commercial on today showing the new basketball game. It showed the Shaq game character, and you could see glimmering sweat on his head. Otherwise, the game looked like other basketball games of today. Two young narraters talked about the sweat. Then the X-Box 360 logo appeared.<BR/><BR/>Disappointing and ineffective TV marketing happening, in my opinion. What's with the jump rope one?<BR/><BR/>The launch titles could have been better. Halo 3 should have been planned long ago and ready on launch. Probably should have just made Halo 2 a 360 title and held it until now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1132978594591915662005-11-25T20:16:00.000-08:002005-11-25T20:16:00.000-08:00Sorry Mini but,In the midst of the Xbox 360 "issue...Sorry Mini but,<BR/><BR/>In the midst of the Xbox 360 "issue," a very prominent IT person - namely me - has decided that until Firefox stops stealing all of my RAM ( I have 2GB ) I will not be using it anymore. My new browser choice is IE x64. It is MUCH faster than ALL 32bit browsers under x64 and 32 bit IE leaves something to be desird.Christian H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1132959630009203042005-11-25T15:00:00.000-08:002005-11-25T15:00:00.000-08:00HAHAHAHAHAI've seen this company become a LOT more...HAHAHAHAHA<BR/><BR/>I've seen this company become a LOT more open in the age of blogging and transparency, and we have Scoble to thank for a lot of that, as dweebish as he is. Early adopters even tell us that they are starting to like us for it!<BR/><BR/>But what happened with the U.N. fiasco (on /. now) proves there are still dunderheads who don't get it, who don't want to compete on merit.<BR/><BR/>Let's fire the marketing loser who did this and use the cash to pay for a prominent msdn.com blogger to have it included in his goals.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com