tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post113787910226099813..comments2024-03-18T12:52:48.117-07:00Comments on Mini-Microsoft: Microsoft Town Hall, Google, and OfficeBallot.comWho da'Punkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138949480739677722006-02-02T22:51:00.000-08:002006-02-02T22:51:00.000-08:00officeballot.com is anonymously proxy registered. ...officeballot.com is anonymously proxy registered. That and the request for work email is strong evidence that it is a vaid email collection site and nothing more. There was another scam site that worked the same way 'find out what people are saying about you', etc. I hope people are web savy enough nowadays to know not to give personal info to a site that is registered by proxy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138431934287128082006-01-27T23:05:00.000-08:002006-01-27T23:05:00.000-08:00... And Bill Gates defends Google's policy in Chin...... And Bill Gates defends Google's policy in China : <BR/><BR/><A HEF="http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,19149-2012784,00.html"> Gates defends China's internet restrictions </A><BR/><BR/>Quote:<BR/><I>Bill Gates, the billionaire founder of Microsoft, took the rare step of standing up for arch-rival Google today as he argued that state censorship was no reason for technology companies not to do business in China.</I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138431683813548702006-01-27T23:01:00.000-08:002006-01-27T23:01:00.000-08:00Here's google's official take on the censorship in...Here's google's official take on the censorship in China. <BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/01/google-in-china.html" REL="nofollow"> Google in China </A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138340427033932552006-01-26T21:40:00.000-08:002006-01-26T21:40:00.000-08:00We all know what killed Netscape - Netscape engine...We all know what killed Netscape - Netscape engineers are weenies!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138315526627199492006-01-26T14:45:00.000-08:002006-01-26T14:45:00.000-08:00On the subject of the China censorship, CNet publi...On the subject of the China censorship, <BR/>CNet published a study of what each of the search engines censor in China.<BR/><BR/><B><BR/>http://news.com.com/What+Google+censors+in+China/2100-1030_3-6031727.html<BR/></B><BR/><BR/>To be fair to MSN Search, they seem to censor the least while Google and Yahoo apply a more broader brush in censoring web sites.<BR/><BR/>While some posters have commented that manual censorship seems worse than censoring by keyword, the net effect seems that MSN Search censors the least.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138301289868905522006-01-26T10:48:00.000-08:002006-01-26T10:48:00.000-08:00This isn't true. Internet Explorer really was bett...<I>This isn't true. Internet Explorer really was better than the version of Netscape that was out. Leveraging the desktop monopoly helped a lot in getting people to try Internet Explorer, but the Netscape brand was still big in people's minds. Netscape killed itself.</I><BR/><BR/>There was a definite effort at Microsoft to "kill" Netscape at the time.<BR/><BR/>If you read <A HREF="http://biztech.ericsink.com/Browser_Wars.html" REL="nofollow">Memoirs From the Browser Wars</A>, you will get a better understanding of why Netscape got "killed".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138298446760433482006-01-26T10:00:00.000-08:002006-01-26T10:00:00.000-08:00A lot of the complaints commenters have just aren'...<I>A lot of the complaints commenters have just aren't valid outside of corp. In the 3 subs I have worked in, MS is a really good place to be, particularly in comparison with similar outfits - especially around areas like good benefits, lack of politics and opportunity to grow.</I><BR/><BR/><I><B>Have you ever heard the term "YMMV?" It means that someone is going to get the 4.0 and the promotions. You say that like you have no idea why you were promoted.</I></B><BR/><BR/>Where in the original comment does it mention anything about promotion or 4.0's? It talks about field subs not seeming to be like corp in terms of politics and package being related to performanceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138283736303778172006-01-26T05:55:00.000-08:002006-01-26T05:55:00.000-08:00Just a clarification for Anonymous, at 12:21 AM:Th...Just a clarification for Anonymous, at 12:21 AM:<BR/><BR/>The request for search information had nothing to do with child pornography. It was about pornography accessible to children (ie. COPA).<BR/><BR/>The government wants to show that lots of people are searching for porn and hence we need to protect the children.<BR/><BR/>I think Google had it right: basically the government is trying to push a law through and due to it's rocky support they are subpoenaing data from search engines to show that the law needs to be enacted.<BR/><BR/>Let's face it: this really doesn't help anything. How does showing that lots of people look for porn equate to "the children need to be protected". It's a strawman and I can't see how you can argue differently.<BR/><BR/>Unless of course they want to show that there's lots of users searching for both "pokemon" and "boobies"...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138262028404563302006-01-25T23:53:00.000-08:002006-01-25T23:53:00.000-08:00Fire people, fire people, and fire people! ...We o...Fire people, fire people, and fire people! ...We over-expanded and hired way too many people that we just plain don't need.<BR/><BR/>An example of which is this recent thread on the Competitive Intell alias. This is a real thread - I couldn't make up something that shows such silliness and lack of people focused on doing real work. Here goes (cross your legs so you don't pee)!<BR/>(read from the bottom)<BR/>_______________________________________<BR/>Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2006 2:11 PM<BR/>Subject: RE: Any references on...<BR/><BR/>Have you pinged the Hardware team? I know they do research on mouse and keyboard usage.<BR/>________________________________________<BR/>Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 2:52 AM<BR/>Subject: RE: Any references on...<BR/><BR/>There may also be benefit derived from reducing RSI if the pattern of mouse vs. keyboard usage is significantly improved. Might need time/motion study to determine if you're making things better or worse.<BR/>________________________________________<BR/>Sent: Mon 2006-01-23 13:41<BR/>Subject: RE: Any references on...<BR/><BR/>Don’t think I’d do a TCO study on mouse clicks. I think I’d do analysis on error rates, failures, support costs, and their impacts. The user may not care about the time of 6 clicks, but if he/she increases their chance of failure in accessing a service online because of it, or he/she has to call a helpdesk – it gets MUCH more painful/costly.<BR/>________________________________________<BR/>Sent: Monday, January 23, 2006 1:30 PM<BR/>Subject: Any references on...<BR/><BR/>…the average time it takes for a computer user to do one mouse click? Trying to quantify ROI on a process used by many internally and repeatedly where 6 mouse clicks would be saved <BR/><BR/>Thanks if you know.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138259523766920942006-01-25T23:12:00.000-08:002006-01-25T23:12:00.000-08:00Microsoft can beat Google the same way it killed N...<I> Microsoft can beat Google the same way it killed Netscape: offer ad search for free.</I><BR/><BR/>That misses the point entirely. With a web browser, a user will make a choice - one or the other. But with advertising more is always better.<BR/><BR/>So long as companies are getting value out of Google's advertising, they will use it, even if MSN is free. They will use MSN as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138257076944116752006-01-25T22:31:00.000-08:002006-01-25T22:31:00.000-08:00Regarding the whole MSN / Yahoo search vs. Google ...Regarding the whole MSN / Yahoo search vs. Google search fighting the subpoena vs. Google and China and "Don't Be Evil"(*) emergent thread: if you want to talk cold, hard specifics, fine. But the broad generalities and crude bashing because it's easy to bash doesn't float my moderating boat. <BR/><BR/>Please contribute that to a more appropriate place where it can be loved and appreciated.<BR/><BR/><BR/><I>(*) Except where void.</I>Who da'Punkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138228683269260822006-01-25T14:38:00.000-08:002006-01-25T14:38:00.000-08:00For a conversation about "How Microsoft can beat G...For a conversation about <BR/><BR/><I>"How Microsoft can beat Google<BR/><BR/>Microsoft can beat Google the same way it killed Netscape: offer ad search for free."<BR/><BR/><BR/>Microsoft CAN'T.<BR/><BR/>Microsoft edged out netscape not because Internet Explorer was better...</I><BR/><BR/>see this: http://chircu.blogspot.com/2006/01/can-search-follow-browser.htmlfChhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08007305273044171670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138219393513415162006-01-25T12:03:00.000-08:002006-01-25T12:03:00.000-08:00I found this post about how it "used to be" at Mic...<I>I found this post about how it "used to be" at Microsoft in the mid-80s.</I><BR/><BR/>Ah, yes. Gordon Letwin (far right, second row, <I>that</I> photograph...) Last of the Albuquerque guys, and first to build a 'Microsoft mansion' for himself, on the basis of his stock. OS/2, HPFS... Officially left the company in 1993... Only <I>actually</I> left the employee roster in 2003.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps all these things tell a story, in themselves. Letwin might be what we'd call a 'partner', nowadays.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138216613555334942006-01-25T11:16:00.000-08:002006-01-25T11:16:00.000-08:00A lot of the complaints commenters have just aren'...<I>A lot of the complaints commenters have just aren't valid outside of corp. In the 3 subs I have worked in, MS is a really good place to be, particularly in comparison with similar outfits - especially around areas like good benefits, lack of politics and opportunity to grow.</I><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>Have you ever heard the term "YMMV?" It means that someone is going to get the 4.0 and the promotions. You say that like you have no idea why you were promoted.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Things that make you go, HMMMMMMM!Christian H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138214199083540432006-01-25T10:36:00.000-08:002006-01-25T10:36:00.000-08:00I am proud of Bill and all of Microsoft for their ...<I>I am proud of Bill and all of Microsoft for their concern about social values. Including the recent gay right support issue. I am proud of being a Microsoft employee for this reason.</I><BR/><BR/>Microsoft withdrew its support for the legislation, waited until it failed to pass by one vote, and then said they would support it next time.<BR/><BR/>They only said they would support it next time because of pressure from their employees. They did not actually support it.<BR/><BR/>They got to satisfy the religous conservatives by not supporting the legislation and then they pacified their employees by saying they would support it next time.<BR/><BR/>You are proud of being an employee of Microsoft because of their "support". They didn't actually do anything.<BR/><BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/25/AR2005042501266.html" REL="nofollow">Microsoft Draws Fire for Shift on Gay Rights Bill</A><BR/><BR/><I>But Microsoft's decision to withdraw its support for state legislation that would have banned discrimination against gays and lesbians in housing, employment and insurance drew sharp criticism yesterday from those who say the company missed an opportunity to make an important public statement. Instead, they say, Microsoft caved in to pressure from religious conservatives who opposed the bill, which failed by one vote last week.</I><BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/06/AR2005050601593.html" REL="nofollow">Microsoft Backtracks, Supports Gay Rights Bill</A><BR/><BR/><I>Microsoft Corp. said yesterday that it would support a bill in Washington state to ban discrimination against gays and lesbians in housing, employment and insurance in the next legislative session, shifting away from the neutral stand it took on legislation that failed by one vote to pass last month.<BR/><BR/>In an e-mail to employees yesterday, Microsoft chief executive Steven A. Ballmer said he had heard from many workers who sent "passionate e-mails" conveying their unhappiness with the company's failure to throw its muscle behind the bill, as it had done with similar legislation several years ago.</I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138209337654766362006-01-25T09:15:00.000-08:002006-01-25T09:15:00.000-08:00"Tomorrow they may be giving it out to China or In..."Tomorrow they may be giving it out to China or India or even to Iraq , just so that they can get better business there???? "<BR/><BR/>They (google) are giving it out to China today.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138202608973080552006-01-25T07:23:00.000-08:002006-01-25T07:23:00.000-08:00I found this post about how it "used to be" at Mic...I found this post about how it "used to be" at Microsoft in the mid-80s. I didn't start there until the early '90s but it was still similar. The feelings described in this post seem totally gone now:<BR/><BR/>http://groups.google.com/group/net.jobs/browse_frm/thread/931a1f4c1da6967/4f2cf440919eeda9?tvc=1&hl=en#4f2cf440919eeda9<BR/><BR/>But they are available at at least one competitor, right down the street in Kirkland.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138200226661983602006-01-25T06:43:00.000-08:002006-01-25T06:43:00.000-08:00"How Microsoft can beat GoogleMicrosoft can beat G...<B>"How Microsoft can beat Google<BR/><BR/>Microsoft can beat Google the same way it killed Netscape: offer ad search for free."<BR/></B><BR/><BR/>Microsoft CAN'T.<BR/><BR/>Microsoft edged out netscape not because Internet Explorer was better but because you guys have a monopoly on the desktop and bundled it with your OS. Given a choice, things may have turned out differently. And if you want proof, check out Mozilla Firefox. Its faster, does not generate pop-ups and its faster.<BR/><BR/>Search is a whole different ballgame. Search does not reside on OS. MS does not control the internet, nor search. It cannot even get search on the desktop to work properly let alone across the internet. Oh by the way, there is also another search engine called Yahoo. Competition is not just from one player but coming from all directions on all fronts (search, OS, apps)<BR/><BR/>And guys please stop announcing what Microsoft will deliver/launch and then have it delayed with another annoucement of the launch. Just do it. Make it, test it, announce it and sell it the very next freaking day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138197046832984772006-01-25T05:50:00.000-08:002006-01-25T05:50:00.000-08:00Why do not you write about the recent issues where...<B>Why do not you write about the recent issues where DOJ wanted to have the access of the search data. MSFT proudly provided it and helped the democratically chosen government and one of the competitors did not.<BR/><BR/>I think it was the blackest day in MSN search history actually. And it's going to hurt business in the future.<BR/></B><BR/><BR/>I agree with this poster, it is one of the blackest days.. second only too when MS re-launch their search engine and the thing is a piece of horse crap and falls to #4. And if you are thinking to yourself, hmm but there are only 3 main search engines....Exactly. The new search engine will fall behind itself. <BR/><BR/>And can we please stop cloaking everything in "we are protecting the children". If you actually believe the government especially this current administration cares a bit about anyone but themselves, then you are an absolute moron. <BR/><BR/>The DOJ is not demanding search data because they care about "protecting children" but because they just to keep a tab on your dumb ass and dictate what you can and cannot read/see on the internet. <BR/><BR/>And MS did not release its search data to the DOJ because MS cared about "protecting children". It released it because it did not want to bothered by dealing with yet another legal battle so get off your moral high horse. "Protecting Children" was the last thing on MS mind, it was a business/legal decision... which is ok. I just hate it when everything cloaked around morality bullshit.<BR/><BR/>---StockholderAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138178593990993152006-01-25T00:43:00.000-08:002006-01-25T00:43:00.000-08:00"Microsoft can beat Google the same way it killed ..."Microsoft can beat Google the same way it killed Netscape: offer ad search for free.""<BR/><BR/>Lest you forget, netscape helped their own demise.<BR/><BR/>Other than a browser (which was the star of the company) they had poor a poor supporting business plan and really quite scary server products. Bottom line, while we were very competitive, they certainly were stretching themselves too thin and did not have good product to back it up. <BR/><BR/>You do recall they basically borrowed/stole/hired the UIC browser dude.<BR/><BR/>The server products were based upon poorly ported to NT NNTP, Firewall, Webserver and proxy UNIX products (which as i recall were open source based)....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138177278141221972006-01-25T00:21:00.000-08:002006-01-25T00:21:00.000-08:00"I agree with you as it being a black day. I was c..."I agree with you as it being a black day. I was checking out msn search etc, but now I am back to sticking with google. I don't care if M$ can get a better search engine out if they are willing to just give the details to which ever government asks. Today it is the US govt. Tomorrow they may be giving it out to China or India or even to Iraq , just so that they can get better business there????"<BR/><BR/>You would be fool if that is your reason to stick to Google. It is easier to fight with US government than to fight with Chinese government. For an example - Google just deployed their "censored" search engine. When this chinese journalist blog was removed from Microsoft spaces, I did not hear any offer for google to offer some blog space to the same journalist.<BR/><BR/>If Google's policies are so private protecting than why do not they fight for countless individuals on whom the government seeks data. They always say "no comments" on this question, confirming that they have been serving the government.<BR/><BR/>In this case, the government wanted to have some statistical data - how many people search for children porn and whether the children porn is indexed in the google search engine.<BR/><BR/>This statistical information would be of the same nature that the google provided the top ten queries of the last year. I think it is more useful to know whether people looked for britney spears as the top query than knowing whether significantly many people looked for child porn.<BR/><BR/>About the index - everytime you search you are sampling google index. Why can't they help the government on this much needed request. Also, note that they did not cite the privacy concern but cite their trade secret concern. All they cared about is money (i.e., misleading the users to a privacy issue, which it is not) not about the social benefit. If they could use the statistical data to milk the advertisers why can't the public use the same statistical data to make effective laws against child porn?<BR/><BR/>I am proud of Bill and all of Microsoft for their concern about social values. Including the recent gay right support issue. I am proud of being a Microsoft employee for this reason. And yes, this is additional incentive for me to use Yahoo, MSN etc and not use Google.<BR/><BR/>We as a public must tell google that we are not fooled. If you really want to demonstrate your concern for privace then wait until the issue appears. You will find that Microsoft would be more aggresive in protecting user's privacy than you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138176597607845822006-01-25T00:09:00.000-08:002006-01-25T00:09:00.000-08:00I find it pretty ridiculous reading about some of ...<I> I find it pretty ridiculous reading about some of the posters here being dissapointed with the Town Hall meeting - them not being thrilled and all. <BR/><BR/>You sound like a partner that rewards brown noses. Why did you chicken out and not leave your name? </I><BR/><BR/>Well, I am not the one whining. It's you guys. BTW. I am just one happy L60 IC. So there goes your ability to sniff out partners. Also, whether or not I chickened out is not the issue at all :) Or do you like to avoid the issue when it becomes obvious that the issue can be easily solved by no one but you so that you can keep whining.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138172970928874642006-01-24T23:09:00.000-08:002006-01-24T23:09:00.000-08:00"I agree that interviews are not good predictors o..."I agree that interviews are not good predictors of good work"<BR/><BR/>Exactly. If we have a strong hire and a mediocre hire, what's the guarantee at the end of the day they would get the job done?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138168078586843632006-01-24T21:47:00.000-08:002006-01-24T21:47:00.000-08:00>I find it pretty ridiculous reading about some of...>I find it pretty ridiculous reading about some of the posters here being dissapointed with the Town Hall meeting - them not being thrilled and all. <BR/><BR/>You sound like a partner that rewards brown noses. Why did you chicken out and not leave your name?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1138166350578561372006-01-24T21:19:00.000-08:002006-01-24T21:19:00.000-08:00"(Insert other AI projects)"...are we being astrot..."(Insert other AI projects)"...<BR/><BR/>are we being astroturfed?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com