tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post113526792810531496..comments2024-03-29T04:53:26.072-07:00Comments on Mini-Microsoft: Comment Report - MarkL nee of Microsoft now of Google drops byWho da'Punkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comBlogger176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1137879750652152432006-01-21T13:42:00.000-08:002006-01-21T13:42:00.000-08:00I've been at msft for 10years now. I agree that Mi...I've been at msft for 10years now. I agree that Microsoft is missing passion to make it to innovation. <BR/><BR/>While writing W2KS we just didnt want to go home, sounds sick, but I was surrounded by extremely passionate devs on the thrill ride.<BR/><BR/>Obviously the thrill is gone, I and my directs are tired of making our execs rich for alowering of quality of life every year (4.0 & 3%). Of course I would never say that to them...but its hard pretending that you give ashit when your treated like dirt. <BR/><BR/>The exec response is .."weve done market studies, which show were in the 65% range... that has inspired me, my directs, my colleagues, to work at 65% capacity.. NOT an Industry leader.<BR/><BR/>so why do we stay? Insurance is still well above average, pull the rug out from that and this company will not only have a mass exodus..<BR/><BR/>Also this company, many of has grown to love, and like all things-Everything die's. This beast is near its death! Long live the memories of one of the greatest companies. ...and TimberAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1137108310546654822006-01-12T15:25:00.000-08:002006-01-12T15:25:00.000-08:00MarcL, you are lucky that this blog, while quite p...MarcL, you are lucky that this blog, while quite popular amongst a faction of people in the IT industry, isn't making the headlines of different major newspapers - because I think people will hate the ground you walk on with an attitude like that....<BR/><BR/>Passion is the last thing I see emanating from your post. Hubris is definitely more like it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136854338940924292006-01-09T16:52:00.000-08:002006-01-09T16:52:00.000-08:00Man! Am I sure I want to work for M$ anymore?Man! Am I sure I want to work for M$ anymore?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136761442579007122006-01-08T15:04:00.000-08:002006-01-08T15:04:00.000-08:00Notice that if your hotmail mail box gets too big,...Notice that if your hotmail mail box gets too big, it won't let you search in the message body.<BR/><BR/>Which idiots came up with this feature? MSN is their own worst enemy.<BR/><BR/>I am moving my email to gmail.<BR/><BR/>BTW, gmail have a lot more users than 50K, it's in the millions now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136616223398151762006-01-06T22:43:00.000-08:002006-01-06T22:43:00.000-08:00Yo, MarkL. Great job on the 19hr. days. Keep it up...Yo, MarkL. Great job on the 19hr. days. Keep it up and maybe you'll ship something beyond a beta.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136559025614078202006-01-06T06:50:00.000-08:002006-01-06T06:50:00.000-08:00I have read many comments and I feel no one is rea...I have read many comments and I feel no one is really contributing everyone is just going ga ga over MS or Goog . . .<BR/><BR/>Why are you still with MS or Googl, why don't you leave and join some company where you are happy rather than sitting around and doing nothing ????Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136236483693043232006-01-02T13:14:00.000-08:002006-01-02T13:14:00.000-08:00i have also made a blog for tips with microsoft .....i have also made a blog for tips with microsoft ...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136225044415646082006-01-02T10:04:00.000-08:002006-01-02T10:04:00.000-08:00I think you have all mis-read the 4am thing in a b...I think you have all mis-read the 4am thing in a big way. What markl was talking about mainly is the energy level at google, vs the energy level that HE witnessed at Microsoft and its decline through the years. He was here when Microsoft was a relatively small company (~600m in sales, ~2000 employees), about the same size as Google. He remained for 16+ years and saw a decline in energy and excitement. This is what his comment was about, and it was written in response to someone who claimed that Microsoft is empty because people are working hard from home.<BR/><BR/>Now to the specifics:<BR/><BR/><I><BR/>1) Are all the people who are already millionaires still doing the 4 am thing?<BR/></I><BR/><BR/>I think what you are really asking is if people who are already wealthy beyond all normal measures still working hard and still excited about their work?<BR/><BR/>The simple answer is that some are and some are not. Look at markl for a second. He started at Microsoft in 1988. Over the years, I think it is safe to estimate that he cashed in at least $75m worth of Microsoft Stock. Is he still doing the "4am thing (meaning is he still excited and working hard)"? Clearly from his comments the answer is yes. Are there others like him? Sure, Dave Cutler was still coding hard, Chris Guzak, Scott Ludwig (who is now at Google), David Weiss, Steve Wood, etc. All of these guys still enjoy what they do and have absolutely no reason to remain working.<BR/><BR/>They are not doing this for the $$. They are doing this because they love what they do. I am sure that on occasion, each of these guys loose track of time while deep into a problem and surprise themselves when they look at the clock strike "4am".<BR/><BR/><I><BR/>2) Is there a chance that the people doing the 4 am thing can become millionaires?<BR/></I><BR/><BR/>I don't think there is any correlation between working at 4am and turning into a millionaire. In fact, at Microsoft today, someone posted a comment earlier that all Partners at Microsoft simply have to remain employed for a few years to collect $5m. We all know that they are not working hard for this money. They are just lucky suck ups.<BR/><BR/>Becoming a millionaire in tech is all about luck and timing. You either need to be a self motivated founder of a company, with a good idea and the luck of timing, OR you need to be a worker bee at a hot company that is growing very quickly.<BR/><BR/>Working at 4am at Microsoft IS NOT going to make you a millionaire. It has nothing to do with you working hard, instead it is because Microsoft IS NOT growing, its stock IS NOT in demand, and you probably don't have enough of it anyway to matter.<BR/><BR/>In Markl's time, Microsoft was a different beast. In those days, a smart college hire (like a David Treadwell or a John Vert) would have received ~1,000 options. If these guys held these options for 4 years, they would have been millionaires on just this small amount of stock. Thats because Microsoft was in a hyper growth phase (similar to the current growth rate of Google), they participated in several splits, and they continued to receive option grants every year. Did these guys work hard, did they work at 4am? Sure they did. My God, they were on a mission to write windows and they loved their work. Did working at 4am make them millionaires? NO! The inertia and hyper-growth of Microsoft made them millionaires. Sure, they contributed to the product line, BUT my guess is that if they shut down at 11pm instead of 4am, Microsoft would have had the same growth rate.<BR/><BR/>If your goal is to become a millionaire, don't focus on working hard till 4am. Focus on landing a job at a hot growing company that will give you stock, work hard, love your job, and hope for the best. <BR/><BR/>Like it or not, Google is a hot company that is in its hyper growth stage. If you joined Google 18 months ago and received 10,000 shares of options, your options would be worth $3m+. If you joined a year ago, they would be worth $2.4m. Google would expect you to work hard, and would expect you to love your job. They would not chain you to your desk and expect you to work 20hr days.<BR/><BR/>At Microsoft, you ARE NOT going to become a millionaire by working until 4am. In fact, you are not going to become a millionaire at Microsoft no matter what you do technically. At Microsoft, your ability to become a millionaire IS a direct function of your ability to play the political game and become a "partner". As others have pointed out, partners are rewarded with massive stock grants. These grants are basically free stock that transfer to upon vest. If the stock stays parket at $27 they are still worth something. IF you are awarded 200,000 shares then you get ~$5.4m. All you need to do is stay employed, don't take too many risks that might damage you politically.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136199885753299612006-01-02T03:04:00.000-08:002006-01-02T03:04:00.000-08:00Is there a chance that the people doing the 4 am t...<I><B>Is there a chance that the people doing the 4 am thing can become millionaires</B><BR/><BR/>Very few got rich by doing the 4am thing, more people got rich by having a bunch of other people doing the 4am thing for them.</I><BR/><BR/>You would have a better chance if you were doing the 4am thing for your own company.<BR/><BR/>There's risk in either case.<BR/><BR/>Working until 4am for a large company, you're taking a risk on whether or not you will be rewarded for all the hard work.<BR/><BR/>Since no one is around to see you working at 4am and the same people only notice that you're late in the morning, unless you show some spectacular results, you're going to do some real damage to your reputation by working late and not showing up in the morning.<BR/><BR/>All the "team players" that only get rewarded for "individual contribution" will delight in stabbing you in the back over the hours that you work.<BR/><BR/>Working for a smaller company or your own company, you're taking a risk that the company will be successful.<BR/><BR/>It depends upon what kind of risk you perceive to be "safer".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136199445675481802006-01-02T02:57:00.000-08:002006-01-02T02:57:00.000-08:00Can someone tell me how to set up hotmail to autom...<I>Can someone tell me how to set up hotmail to automatically save sent messages? The lack of this feature is the only reason I moved to gmail.</I><BR/><BR/>Yes, I also think that is a very annoying thing about hotmail. You could probably write a Greasemonkey script to do it for you... Greasemonkey is a Firefox add-in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136192957189419772006-01-02T01:09:00.000-08:002006-01-02T01:09:00.000-08:00Just wanted to post an agreement with Justin above...Just wanted to post an agreement with Justin above...comments are really driving this, but I hate having to count which comment I've read down to. Please investigate other forums which might help this. However, I would not move to a different platform that did not allow anonymous posting. If Google Groups doesn't let anonymous people post, DON'T DO IT!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136190605715060182006-01-02T00:30:00.000-08:002006-01-02T00:30:00.000-08:00Speaking of millionaires, I came across this inter...Speaking of millionaires, I came across <A HREF="http://www.proclub.com/?area=54#demo" REL="nofollow">this interesting titbit</A> regarding the membership demographics of the Pro Club<BR/><BR/><I>8000+ are millionaires</I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136158655013389252006-01-01T15:37:00.000-08:002006-01-01T15:37:00.000-08:00I got rich at msft by working many late nights and...I got rich at msft by working many late nights and I continue to work many late nights. It's too bad markl wasn't excited anymore at msft but there are many people there who are still excited. I didn't work late nights back then to get rich and I don't work late now to get richer. I do it because I like solving hard problems & I like working with the people I work with. Of course I'm sure I would work hard for google, too - unless I had to use javascript. I'm sure they're solving hard problems and the people there are fun to work with. It's funny that markl discounts the notion that people are working late from home but even two of his hard days were spent working from home. Given his logic, I guess those days don't count.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136155035895150562006-01-01T14:37:00.000-08:002006-01-01T14:37:00.000-08:00Is there a chance that the people doing the 4 am t...<B>Is there a chance that the people doing the 4 am thing can become millionaires</B><BR/><BR/>Very few got rich by doing the 4am thing, more people got rich by having a bunch of other people doing the 4am thing for them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136150461514614742006-01-01T13:21:00.000-08:002006-01-01T13:21:00.000-08:00Hotmail is the world's most popular email service....<I>Hotmail is the world's most popular email service.</I><BR/><BR/>Can someone tell me how to set up hotmail to automatically save sent messages? The lack of this feature is the only reason I moved to gmail.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136147354046193232006-01-01T12:29:00.000-08:002006-01-01T12:29:00.000-08:00It's great to see all the different points of view...It's great to see all the different points of view about work/life balance. <BR/><BR/>I have some questions:<BR/>1) Are all the people who are already millionaires still doing the 4 am thing? <BR/>2) Is there a chance that the people doing the 4 am thing can become millionaires?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136110489485596632006-01-01T02:14:00.000-08:002006-01-01T02:14:00.000-08:00Hang on a second. Is this really the Distinguishe...Hang on a second. Is this really the Distinguished Engineer who stabbed Microsoft in the back, and is trying to steal Hailstorm for his new home, Google?<BR/><BR/>And he's talking about Dedication?<BR/><BR/>If I was working with Lucovsky, the main dedication I'd have is watching my back for his inevitable knifing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136109600393635112006-01-01T02:00:00.000-08:002006-01-01T02:00:00.000-08:00>Well, a lot of people eat at McDonald's every day...>Well, a lot of people eat at McDonald's every day. It doesn't mean they have the best hamburgers,<BR/><BR/>I actually would say that McDonalds does have (close to) the best food <I>for meeting the public's fast food needs</I>. That's what people like you fail to get: It does not matter that the food is not the absolute best as defined by a tiny minority as long as it meets the needs of the person buying it.<BR/><BR/>Suggesting that somebody is the McDonald's of their industry isn't much of a slam if you ask me. (Just out of morbid curiosity, I looked it up: McDonald's has ~4 times the revenue and nearly twice the profit as Google.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136068160810782332005-12-31T14:29:00.000-08:002005-12-31T14:29:00.000-08:00That is great. Technology solving a problem that d...<I>That is great. Technology solving a problem that doesn't exist and more MS resources being wasted to invent the problem through marketing.</I><BR/><BR/>I was invited into a focus group with 6 other managers. One of the questions on the pre-survey was 'What is .NET?' Seven Microsoft managers - seven different answers. Needless to say, I don't use the term '.NET' anymore.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136050087425889032005-12-31T09:28:00.000-08:002005-12-31T09:28:00.000-08:00As a Microsoft shareholder, I find this site fasci...As a Microsoft shareholder, I find this site fascinating. I will definitely be back to read more. Perhaps I will incorporate some of this into my next installment of the Capitalist Pug's Stock Picks. Peace be upon you.Ayatollah Mugsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09125273995287780992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136049207938053332005-12-31T09:13:00.000-08:002005-12-31T09:13:00.000-08:00When I was searching for a post-msft job at a smal...When I was searching for a post-msft job at a small company, I found that a lot of small area companies list jobs on craigslist.<BR/><BR/>After a few weeks of searching, I accepted a job that I had found through craigslist. A year later it has been a great decision.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136047062946970602005-12-31T08:37:00.000-08:002005-12-31T08:37:00.000-08:00MarkL wrote:At Forum 2000, Microsoft showed the pr...<B>MarkL wrote:</B><BR/><I>At Forum 2000, Microsoft showed the press its vision for a world where data, devices, and services interacted seamlessly to suck people into a new "digital lifestyle". We showed a video of several very interesting scenarios where medical records. music, contacts, mail, documents, etc. flowed seamlessly across devices and systems.<BR/>...<BR/>I spent a few weeks going thru the video scenarios frame by frame looking at all of the proposed interactions and came back to steve with the results of my analysis.</I><BR/>So what you're saying is that Hailstorm's primary problem to solve was to fulfill the made up scenario of a video? What's wrong with this picture?<BR/><BR/><B>MarkL wrote:</B><BR/><I>I told him [Steve B] that in my opinion, to enable these scenarios, you would need to build a data-centric platform where things like your online presence was far richer than simply online/offline, and that this state must be available to an unlimited array of applications and services (with your consent of course). Additionally, your music preferences, your web surfing history and favorites, your documents, your ability to make payments, you profile, your address book, etc. would have to be similarly available. Your email would have to be available from any device, thru a variety of applications. Same with your calendar. <BR/></I><BR/><BR/>Wow. All of this from a video. Did you validate that this was solving any particular problem that actually needed to be solved? I mean, all of this sounds really cool, but is it solving a problem that I or anybody really has? <BR/><BR/>This really sounds like making the <I>one</I> kitchen appliance that cooks, refrigerates, toasts bread, mixes cakes, freezes and has a can opener. Sure sounds like a great appliance, but will that one appliance do anything well? <BR/><BR/>I'm a gadget person without many gadgets. I have my iPod and my laptop and my desktop (they're all Macs, but that is really beside the point). Each has a purpose. My iPod is used for playing music, and letting me store small reminders to myself (calendar, todo list and the like), my laptop is my home away from home and is configured as a remote extension of my desktop. I don't need all of my desktop facilities on my laptop (like DVD production or video editing) because my desktop fulfills those needs.<BR/><BR/><B>MarkL wrote:</B><BR/><I>Steve, in vary black and white terms said that my job was to figure out how to build it and start on it right away. His job was to figure out how to sell it.</I><BR/><BR/>That is great. Technology solving a problem that doesn't exist and more MS resources being wasted to invent the problem through marketing. Any wonder the world doesn't see MS as innovative? Reminds me of the old "if a tree falls in a forest" adage. If a innovation doesn't solve an obvious problem, is it really an innovation?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136023026250167132005-12-31T01:57:00.000-08:002005-12-31T01:57:00.000-08:00Steve asked me what I thought of forum 2000, and i...<I>Steve asked me what I thought of forum 2000, and if I thought we could build a platform that enabled that. I told him that I would look into it. I spent a few weeks going thru the video scenarios frame by frame looking at all of the proposed interactions and came back to steve with the results of my analysis. I told him that in my opinion, to enable these scenarios, you would need to build a data-centric platform where things like your online presence was far richer than simply online/offline, and that this state must be available to an unlimited array of applications and services (with your consent of course). Additionally, your music preferences, your web surfing history and favorites, your documents, your ability to make payments, you profile, your address book, etc. would have to be similarly available. Your email would have to be available from any device, thru a variety of applications. Same with your calendar.</I><BR/><BR/>Not to start another flame skirmish... Too big, too ambitious, too all-encompassing? Perhaps this is the real difference between MSFT and GOOG.<BR/><BR/>I like and use some of Google's tools because they are lean, mean, and work well for me. Lean and mean is a term that one just does not apply to most Microsoft offerings (recent experiments notwithstanding).<BR/><BR/>For instance, Google made it <I>positively trivial</I> for me to put targetted ads on some of my sites, and earn modest revenue - when other ad companies did nothing of the sort - Google pays me, Google earns more money. This experience has given me a taste for exploring other ways to earn revenue via the internet.<BR/><BR/>Google, in some ways, is arrogant, and will inevitably become the very evil that it says it won't become. This is the way of things...<BR/><BR/>And yes, I'm a 20-plus-year veteran coder, not a godlike uber-whiz described by some commenters, but a conscientious, dedicated, knowledgeable C/C++/Win32/.Net/VB/C#/JavaScript/whatever guy who likes to get the job done in short order with a high level of quality.Inactivisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01000978931178109729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1136001536602778972005-12-30T19:58:00.000-08:002005-12-30T19:58:00.000-08:00Normally Microsoft supports such products, taking ...Normally Microsoft supports such products, taking their time over years to let them grow. But in this case it stepped on the toes of other groups trying to build a data platform. Which still are nowhere, 4 years later.<BR/><BR/>--<BR/><BR/>this is true, of course Don Box and guys have had 3 solid beta releases (albeit they call them RTM products) to get to WCF. I am sure those customers who bought in big to WSE are screaming due the substantial changes nevermind that 6 years ago they all bought the farm for COM+/MSMQ.<BR/><BR/>Didn't chris sells join that group? :-0Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1135996284057264822005-12-30T18:31:00.000-08:002005-12-30T18:31:00.000-08:00Let’s help mini accomplish the objective of making...<I>Let’s help mini accomplish the objective of making MS leaner, I’ve read some comments in the past about happy ex-microsoft employees now working for other companies. If you have concrete suggestions please post them, preferably in the (425) & (206) area, I’m sure mini will be more than happy to make this data available Btw, google is not an option, not interested in working until 4am on a regular basis!<BR/>I’ll be ready to leave in a couple of months and it will not hurt to do some homework before and probably others are in the same situation.</I><BR/><BR/>Bioinformatics is one area of software development where jobs are available.<BR/><BR/>Education:<BR/> http://courses.washington.edu/bioinfo/BIR/Bioinformatics%20at%20UW.htm<BR/>http://courses.washington.edu/bioinfo/BIR/<BR/><BR/>Some Pacific Northwest Companies:<BR/> http://www.biotechcareercenter.com/PacificNorthwest.html<BR/>http://www.geospiza.com/jobs.htm<BR/>http://www.insightful.com/company/jobs.asp<BR/>http://www.insilicos.com/careers.html<BR/>http://www.rosettabio.com/about/jobs.htm#jobs<BR/>http://www.vizxlabs.com/<BR/><BR/>Other locations:<BR/><BR/>http://www.bioinform.com/companies.htmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com