tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post113912378730280017..comments2024-03-18T12:52:48.117-07:00Comments on Mini-Microsoft: Recent Themes... Dilbertless in RedmondWho da'Punkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1140575250462378342006-02-21T18:27:00.000-08:002006-02-21T18:27:00.000-08:00I'm sorry, that's just a bunch of horse crap. Here...I'm sorry, that's just a bunch of horse crap. Here's my point by point rebuttal:<BR/><BR/>>> The magnitude of the bug and/or fix<BR/>>> is unrelated to the size and <BR/>>> potential impact of the change<BR/><BR/>Agree. But there are situations when with ANY fix at all situation will improve. I.e. you'll ship without a known security hole, or component that doesn't work will start working. There are also situations where issues are well localized and can be fixed with little to no risk. We're not fixing these issues currently. We punt some scary shit, release after release until shit hits the fan and someone dips our faces into it.<BR/><BR/>>> You don't have the information <BR/>>> you really need to make the<BR/>>> decision to fix/not-fix.<BR/><BR/>I see. This is a manager speaking here. He thinks punting bugs at random without considering future repercussions makes him more important in the "war room". <BR/><BR/>ICs worth their salary usually have enough information to make the decision. Trust your ICs. Ask them whether or not things should be punted. Be willing to prefer quality engineering over arbitrary scheduling. It's not that hard, but it does require serious balls, which many MSFT managers lack.<BR/><BR/>>> It's more than just the code<BR/><BR/>Bull shitake. It's all just the code. There are situations where "known bad" situation is preferred to "unknown, but possibly good", but those are rare. Usually it's just about error checks, exceptions, logic flaws, silly shit like that that an IC can fix if given enough time. What would all the managers do then? If there are no problems they're not needed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1140423209842671672006-02-20T00:13:00.000-08:002006-02-20T00:13:00.000-08:00One other question I have is, why not fix minor bu...<I>One other question I have is, why not fix minor bugs prior to shipping? Sure, you will ship a week later, but isn't it better to ship without minor bugs than with them?</I><BR/><BR/>Ignore the schedule for a moment. There are at least three other extremely good reasons to stop making changes including "minor" fixes:<BR/><BR/>1. The magnitude of the bug and/or fix is unrelated to the size and potential impact of the change.<BR/><BR/>Sure, it's just adding or removing a button, but this can be a lot of code. Or sure, it's just a one-line change, but it can affect everything. I've seen junior teams not understand this, go in and make the one-line minor fix that won't affect anything else, and then spend a week fixing all the regressions that fell out of that fix or else revert the change. Oops.<BR/><BR/>2. You don't have the information you really need to make the decision to fix/not-fix.<BR/><BR/>Software is poorly documented. Neither the person making the change, nor the people evaluating whether the change should be made have any objective pre-existing assessments of all the dependencies. All you have to go on are the on-the-spot descriptions, and they're all biased (either the person does or doesn't want this change to be made -- no one's ever neutral about it). So you get people insisting the fix shouldn't be made because it could break everything (when really it's a minor fix) or insisting the fix won't affect anything (when really it will).<BR/><BR/>3. It's more than just the code.<BR/><BR/>There's more to making a fix than just the code. There's the long-term stress testing, which needs to start over every time the product changes in any way. There's the documentation of how the product works. Maybe it worked the way it did for some reason that's not written down anywhere, and your last-minute fix breaks several important customer scenarios. These are not hypotheticals, but real-world examples from the things I've seen go wrong with last-minute fixes.<BR/><BR/>Once you've shipped enough software, you don't need these reasons enumerated. You understand that (in 99% of all situations) a period of stability is required to ship a successful product.<BR/><BR/>All that said, the original poster is right -- moving bug bars is a bad practice. The focus needs to be not on hitting a calendar date, but on truly achieving a functional/quality bar. Unfortunately, this is very hard to achieve in practice because everything's in motion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1140374554199334232006-02-19T10:42:00.000-08:002006-02-19T10:42:00.000-08:00One other question I have is, why not fix minor bu...<I>One other question I have is, why not fix minor bugs prior to shipping? Sure, you will ship a week later, but isn't it better to ship without minor bugs than with them? No one on the outside will remember you've shipped two weeks late, and everyone will remember a shitty experience with your product for a long, long time.</I><BR/><BR/>Because at some point you have to pick a schedule and stick with it, and postponing minor issues is part of that. The final builds go through a LOT of testing in a ton of variations. If you make a minor change you need to either retest everything it could possibly have affected or use the "hope and pray" method. It's less risky to make those fixes early, because they'll get covered as part of the full validation passes happening later. But once you're almost done, you have to be extra careful - because fucking up might mean you're shipping a new and worse bug.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139898216313930492006-02-13T22:23:00.000-08:002006-02-13T22:23:00.000-08:00I just don't really have patience to read the whol...<I>I just don't really have patience to read the whole web site just to make sure that I read the best comments (which are probably less than 10%). So, on the top of my head, here are some proposals:</I><BR/><BR/>A while ago, I wrote up a navel-gazing post called Bloggity Thoughts or such where I posed what kind of evolved blogging solution I'd like. Ended up sounding a lot like /.<BR/><BR/>I read every comment and flag the interesting ones. Probably the only solution I could do in the near term is start a sister blog to just publish those to.<BR/><BR/>Or if blogger would have an Atom / RSS stream either for all comments or a per post stream. That would be good enough. Or an option for each comment for me to say "publish this in the comment stream" when I approved the comment.<BR/><BR/>It's an interesting problem that I don't think there's a good solution to, yet.<BR/><BR/>Thanks.<BR/>Mini.Who da'Punkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139853905704504612006-02-13T10:05:00.000-08:002006-02-13T10:05:00.000-08:00>> You don't fix minor bugs five minutes before yo...>> You don't fix minor bugs five minutes before you are done. <BR/><BR/>Well, first of all, all minor bugs are punted way before the bug bar is even established. Bug bar serves one purpose - and that is to punt "tough" bugs to the next release and spread the blame across multiple people (war room) if something goes wrong with no one in particular being accountable.<BR/><BR/>One other question I have is, why not fix minor bugs prior to shipping? Sure, you will ship a week later, but isn't it better to ship without minor bugs than with them? No one on the outside will remember you've shipped two weeks late, and everyone will remember a shitty experience with your product for a long, long time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139820814642124382006-02-13T00:53:00.000-08:002006-02-13T00:53:00.000-08:00Raising the bug bar - A bar is a bar is a bar. You...<I>Raising the bug bar - A bar is a bar is a bar. You either meet it or you don't. You don't move it so that you can claim success. <BR/><BR/>Across the company, set a standard set of f-ing quality bars that are acceptable for self-hosting on a client, for self-hosting on a server, for beta, and to ship and DON'T F-ING MOVE THEM!<BR/><BR/>Otherwise, managers will do anything to ship, even if it is crap.<BR/></I><BR/><BR/>ANY software company raises the bug bar when it gets clear to shipping. You don't fix minor bugs five minutes before you are done. <BR/><BR/>In general, this is not a bad concept. Read this blog entry for more information... <BR/><BR/>http://blogs.msdn.com/virtual_pc_guy/archive/2004/12/30/344424.aspxAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139819839659674172006-02-13T00:37:00.000-08:002006-02-13T00:37:00.000-08:00Hey Mini,Your blog is very interesting overall, an...Hey Mini,<BR/><BR/>Your blog is very interesting overall, and especially some comments are even more interesting. Of course, some other comments are obviously posted by "M$" haters (who naively pretend to be MS employees), or by sour-grape ex-MSFT fired persons, or Google propaganda, etc. Mostly discernable, given enough thinking.<BR/><BR/>But, the main reason I come here is that once in a while, I see here thoughtful posts from real MS employees that have something to say.<BR/><BR/>My biggest problem with your blog is a technical one. This stuff is very hard to read/browse in the first place. It's like reading assembly. (Not that reading assembly isn't fun - I actually enjoy it, if I have enough time)<BR/><BR/>I just don't really have patience to read the whole web site just to make sure that I read the best comments (which are probably less than 10%). So, on the top of my head, here are some proposals:<BR/>1) I would love a "Top 100 comments" list, updated once in a while... <BR/>2) Some sort of structure is badly needed in this long, flat list of comments. We have here lots of comments, mostly from this guy called Anonymous, and is not always clear who responds to who. Maybe this amorphous communication pattern discourages an actual dialog. <BR/>3) Some sort of user-driven voting?<BR/>4) If not voting, at least some way to mark "NOISY" comments, similar with theserverside.com.<BR/><BR/>So, time to move to a better blog hosting solution?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139796123021156262006-02-12T18:02:00.000-08:002006-02-12T18:02:00.000-08:005. Open culture. (other companies would have fired...<I>5. Open culture. (other companies would have fired Mini by now)<BR/>9. Social citizen (giving compaign).</I><BR/><BR/><BR/>For a company with an open culture, you sure made some guy calling himself Roy Williams really mad.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.mcse.ms/archive149-2005-4-1567239.html" REL="nofollow">Microsoft abandons gays</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139789163284281302006-02-12T16:06:00.000-08:002006-02-12T16:06:00.000-08:00"Empowered with resources to change the world.You ..."Empowered with resources to change the world.<BR/><BR/>You must be a partner. Level 59 employees aren't empowered to take a dump without a potty-pass."<BR/><BR/>I am not a partner nor level 59 either. I have no reportee. I am at the bottom of the tree. But what I have seen is that whenever I have ideas, I have approached the highest person whom the idea had been relevant and it had been well appreciated. The only question I was always asked is how does it improve our products for our customers.<BR/><BR/>I did not write the explanation of my 12 points but if you want I could point to concrete evidences. For an example, the quality of our employees is considered so high that one of our competitors open a shop next door just to attract us. You just have to include a keyword "microsoft" in your resume and your resume will be given proper attention.<BR/><BR/>Each one of us have an equal chance to become big at Microsoft. But believe me closing our eyes and not seeing the positive is not going to help. Microsoft is as good a company as any other if not better. Both for employees and for customers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139786844997067812006-02-12T15:27:00.000-08:002006-02-12T15:27:00.000-08:00WOW! You are smoking some great stuff there! 1. ...WOW! You are smoking some great stuff there! <BR/><BR/>1. Explosive growth potential.<BR/><BR/>For whom? Level 65 employees?<BR/>Or are you talking "explosive" on a geologic timescale?<BR/><BR/>2. Passionate and talented employees.<BR/><BR/>Some. Those who were not fortunate enough to make their millions in the early years are having their passion stomped out by the review process and bad managers.<BR/><BR/>3. Empowered with resources to change the world.<BR/><BR/>You must be a partner. Level 59 employees aren't empowered to take a dump without a potty-pass.<BR/><BR/>4. Allowed to be self criticizing.<BR/><BR/>Sure. You don't really need this job, right?<BR/><BR/>5. Open culture. (other companies would have fired Mini by now)<BR/><BR/>Other companies can treat employees like cogs because they are just doing simple tasks.<BR/><BR/>6. Product line as diversified as any company in the tech industry is a competitor.<BR/><BR/>Which only means that we probably won't be completely closing the doors any time soon despite the huge levels of mismanagement.<BR/><BR/>7. Can weather any environment.<BR/><BR/>Maybe.<BR/><BR/>8. Have patience and determination to win.<BR/><BR/>Only in some areas. In many other areas we only do the bare minimum and then panic when the market produces something better.<BR/><BR/>9. Social citizen (giving compaign).<BR/><BR/>...and anti-trust lawsuits on multiple continents.<BR/><BR/>Dare I mention Steve Ballmer chanting "Kill [insert competitor here]" in front of product groups?<BR/><BR/>10. Customer focused. <BR/><BR/>I don't know if I should laugh or cry. I have yelled, screamed, and pleaded to get customer information and I barely got anything after years of struggling. Then, I was re-organized to a different product.<BR/><BR/>11. Highly ambitious.<BR/><BR/>You are right on the money there...there is enough ambition to be another Enron.<BR/><BR/>12. The goal is to improve people's life with technology.<BR/><BR/>Were you injected with the company line?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139780228113913012006-02-12T13:37:00.000-08:002006-02-12T13:37:00.000-08:00I didn't realize this was supposed to be a "wish l...I didn't realize this was supposed to be a "wish list" exercise:<BR/><BR/><I>1. Explosive growth potential.</I><BR/><BR/>...never mind that it's easy to brag about "potential" when you haven't done anything in years.<BR/><BR/><I>2. Passionate and talented employees.</I><BR/><BR/>...pitted against backstabbing colleagues in a ridiculous ranking system that serves to dull the passion and reporting to inept managers seemingly determined to squander the talent.<BR/><BR/><I>3. Empowered with resources to change the world.</I><BR/><BR/>...and many other "feel good" marketing slogans. Collect 'em all!<BR/><BR/><I>4. Allowed to be self criticizing.</I><BR/><BR/>...at least in the most literal sense. You are welcomed, if not encouraged, to criticize yourself. If you don't, your management will anyway.<BR/><BR/><I>5. Open culture. (other companies would have fired Mini by now)</I><BR/><BR/>...as would MS if they could figure out who he was.<BR/><BR/><I>6. Product line as diversified as any company in the tech industry is a competitor.</I><BR/><BR/>...all of which (save two) have never made money and will continue to flounder for the foreseeable future while management reaps millions in grants.<BR/><BR/><I>7. Can weather any environment.</I><BR/><BR/>...as long as overseas labor continues to be cheap.<BR/><BR/><I>8. Have patience and determination to win.</I><BR/><BR/>...even if that means waiting for the competition to die of old age.<BR/><BR/><I>9. Social citizen (giving compaign).</I><BR/><BR/>...and other public goodwill maneuvers.<BR/><BR/><I>10. Customer focused.</I><BR/><BR/>...as long as the customer is named Bill or Steve and lives in Medina.<BR/><BR/><I>11. Highly ambitious.</I><BR/><BR/>...yet criminally underachieving.<BR/><BR/><I>12. The goal is to improve people's life with technology.</I><BR/><BR/>...and five years later, maybe a version of the technology that actually does what it was originally marketed to do. If the entire project isn't scrapped by then.<BR/><BR/>Damn, since when did they start offering Kool-Ade IV drips?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139775514450883072006-02-12T12:18:00.000-08:002006-02-12T12:18:00.000-08:00I understand that the system is competitive but it...I understand that the system is competitive but it doesnt have to be unfair. LisaB, if you are reading then this then you may want to think about it a bit. <BR/><BR/>A true 3.5 score means a certain level of performance at a given level (say L63). The same level of performance at a higher level (say L64) would mean a lower score (say 3.0) and I can understand that because performance expectations are higher. Does it mean that you get no raise, no bonus, and no stock at the higher level? Is this even consistent across groups, i.e. the same score, same level, same penitration in the compensation gets you the same reward? <BR/><BR/>Personally for me it is academic, since I dont work at MS anymore. If you guys really care then you should take a long hard look at the corrupt culture within Microsoft before it is too late.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139775033337092742006-02-12T12:10:00.000-08:002006-02-12T12:10:00.000-08:00I like a few things about Microsoft:- Flexible hou...I like a few things about Microsoft:<BR/><BR/>- Flexible hours. I can come in at 11AM and go home at 7PM and no one will say a thing as long as I perform well.<BR/><BR/>- No dress code. Want to dye your hair green and wear shorts to work? Go ahead!<BR/><BR/>- Medical insurance. Even with shitty Premera, Microsoft is still better in this regard than a lot of companies out there.<BR/><BR/>- Smart people around me, for the most part. It's just not the same outside, and folks who have been with the company for a long time tend to forget just how moronic people can be.<BR/><BR/>2 the guy above with a long list with manager-speak in it. Pass me your crack pipe dude. We re not changing the world anymore, we're down to putting out fires.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139761890457930232006-02-12T08:31:00.000-08:002006-02-12T08:31:00.000-08:00"What do you think of having one post solely dedic..."What do you think of having one post solely dedicated to discussing the things we love about this company?"<BR/><BR/>What the . . .<BR/><BR/>Are you kidding me? I was the same person who was trying to behead trolls here a few days ago, but that suggestion just sounds like a completely disingenuous idea given the kind of unhappiness we've seen in the comments here. Let's all smile and be happy? Shut up and drink the Flavorade? Let's just shut down the dissent and have a Valium day? Oh, my. That would surely be jumping the shark.<BR/><BR/>Try Micronews, baby!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139733240996686532006-02-12T00:34:00.000-08:002006-02-12T00:34:00.000-08:00"- High speed internet access"Are you joking. I h..."- High speed internet access"<BR/><BR/>Are you joking. I haven't had this paid for since my first group. I'm telling you that the fringe (i.e. those things that are gray areas in a manager's discretion to allow expensable items in a group's budget) benefits are totally disappearing. The company expects you to work at home (i.e. the email you get on a Friday late afternoon asking for a PPT due by Monday), but they won't pick up the tab for ANY of the infrastructure to do that work at home. <BR/><BR/>The sodas aren't that great, my seat sucks (as does that of my office mate in our cramped shared office). And "good pay" are you high? <BR/><BR/>I will say that one of the great things about working at Microsoft are the great people. I'm not blowing smoke. If you filter out the bad managers, people that take credit for others' work, just plain dicks, and sponging execs...well after filtering all those out, you still have some REALLY great people that are a pleasure to work with. My thought is to gather a few dozen to a hundred of those types and go start something outside...make it compelling enough to MSFT to be bought and then cash out or come in at a very high level.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139725647332079092006-02-11T22:27:00.000-08:002006-02-11T22:27:00.000-08:00"Ok, Here is my list:- High speed internet access-..."Ok, Here is my list:<BR/>- High speed internet access<BR/>- Free soda pop<BR/>- Comfy Chairs<BR/>- 9-5 work hours<BR/>- Good pay without having to work too hard "<BR/><BR/>This list is just a footnote. My list would include:<BR/><BR/>1. Explosive growth potential.<BR/>2. Passionate and talented employees.<BR/>3. Empowered with resources to change the world.<BR/>4. Allowed to be self criticizing.<BR/>5. Open culture. (other companies would have fired Mini by now)<BR/>6. Product line as diversified as any company in the tech industry is a competitor.<BR/>7. Can weather any environment.<BR/>8. Have patience and determination to win.<BR/>9. Social citizen (giving compaign).<BR/>10. Customer focused. <BR/>11. Highly ambitious.<BR/>12. The goal is to improve people's life with technology.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139717546321801282006-02-11T20:12:00.000-08:002006-02-11T20:12:00.000-08:00Yes, it's certainly been on my mind lately. I agre...<I>Yes, it's certainly been on my mind lately. I agree things have been a bit unbalanced as of late. As I've taken advantage of today's lovely weather to reacquaint myself with my garden, I've been thinking on this.</I><BR/><BR/>I think the best way of saying something positive about Microsoft is through a press release announcing that a product <B>is</B> shipping.<BR/><BR/>Anything else is just public relations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139714269223382192006-02-11T19:17:00.000-08:002006-02-11T19:17:00.000-08:00What do you think of having one post solely dedica...<I>What do you think of having one post solely dedicated to discussing the things we love about this company? </I><BR/><BR/>Ok, Here is my list:<BR/> - High speed internet access<BR/> - Free soda pop<BR/> - Comfy Chairs<BR/> - 9-5 work hours<BR/> - Good pay without having to work too hardAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139697840733449742006-02-11T14:44:00.000-08:002006-02-11T14:44:00.000-08:00RE: the Fargo comment aboveMini, I think this coul...RE: the Fargo comment above<BR/><BR/>Mini, I think this could take another whole topic up. "Cross-site collaboration"...how many ICs have heard this? How many sites are all working together on the same products? And how many of these products have shipped? I keep hearing how we are blazing new trails in the industry, having so many different groups all contributing to the same product. But it seems to kill productivity! Worldwide developemnt seems to be working for some of our competitors...but I don't think we've figured out how to do it yet.<BR/>(Oh, and yeah, let's build a BUNCH more buildings out in Fargo. Maybe a different building for each Vice-President (as an upgrade from an office)! I'm sure there's plenty of room...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139697731778267362006-02-11T14:42:00.000-08:002006-02-11T14:42:00.000-08:00Yes, it's certainly been on my mind lately. I agre...<I>Yes, it's certainly been on my mind lately. I agree things have been a bit unbalanced as of late. As I've taken advantage of today's lovely weather to reacquaint myself with my garden, I've been thinking on this.</I><BR/><BR/><BR/>I think the greater problem is that the average rank and file employee doesn't have much good in their day. MS is THE software company. It is encumbent upon mgmt to MAKE SURE that every employee is happy and empowered to truly contribute. <BR/><BR/>I have noticed that very few people complain about their salaries, and most cmplain about the mess that mgmt is making of the company right now. I for one LOVED working in Windows and hate that there was too much counter-productivity to stay. I hope that MS returns to a time when a blog like this is unnecessary but I don't think I'll hold my breath.<BR/><BR/><BR/>I am stretching my brain to find positivity, but if you have to look beyond employee-empowerment to commuity involvement, it is no wonder innovation is seemingly dead.Christian H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16847810167041864292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139693831735485982006-02-11T13:37:00.000-08:002006-02-11T13:37:00.000-08:00"What do you think of having one post solely dedic...<I> "What do you think of having one post solely dedicated to discussing the things we love about this company?"<BR/><BR/>I second this demand.</I><BR/><BR/>Yes, it's certainly been on my mind lately. I agree things have been a bit unbalanced as of late. As I've taken advantage of today's lovely weather to reacquaint myself with my garden, I've been thinking on this.Who da'Punkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139693321379884182006-02-11T13:28:00.000-08:002006-02-11T13:28:00.000-08:00"What do you think of having one post solely dedic..."What do you think of having one post solely dedicated to discussing the things we love about this company?"<BR/><BR/>I second this demand. Frankly, the mood on this blog is quite opposite to what one can see in Redmond. Most employees are energetic and passionate about making a change in people's lives. So may be Mini has been successful in creating a platform for losers? (no bad feelings but a technical possibility). I would love to see the reaction of readers to an all positive post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139684265291491672006-02-11T10:57:00.000-08:002006-02-11T10:57:00.000-08:00>HR generalists and recruiters on the other hand s...>HR generalists and recruiters on the other hand sometimes can't follow proper (ethical) policy because they are under so much pressure from senior managers and executives on the business side to do what these managers and executives want.<BR/><BR/>--<BR/>You are complaining that you are held accountable? No, you dont report to senior managers. You report to other HR managers who are also not accountable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139676841454469172006-02-11T08:54:00.000-08:002006-02-11T08:54:00.000-08:00Mini could I make a humble request? What do you th...Mini could I make a humble request? What do you think of having one post solely dedicated to discussing the things we love about this company? No sarcastic comments, no bashing - just talking about the good stuff (as long as its not confidential)? I've been a longtime reader, even contributed quite a bit in the past year and yes I know theres a lot of things I'd like to see changed around here but theres a lot about the company which is still fab. Maybe some of the things have nothing to do with software (<B>how many companies do you know of that will match $17 for the hours volunteered by their employees?</B>) but some of the things definitely make this place a great company to work for...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1139675006486789322006-02-11T08:23:00.000-08:002006-02-11T08:23:00.000-08:00"...can't we overpopulate someplace other than Was...<I>"...can't we overpopulate someplace other than Washington?"<BR/><BR/>...you'd think that we'd try to stimulate some other areas like the midwest and benefit MSFT through cheaper salaries... we don't believe in the collaborative nature of our software.</I><BR/><BR/>Don't forget the Fargo campus. Fargo now have all of the low paying finance clerk jobs that used to be in Redmond. At least the jobs stayed in the US.<BR/><BR/>The Fargo campus could be considered IC headquarters. There is a glass ceiling for high level positions unless you're actually in Redmond. Never-mind the fact the fact that most people in Redmond never leave their offices and actually communicate with others.<BR/><BR/>Generally speaking it is fairly hard to recruit development staff to Fargo because of the weather, and college graduates in the area don't want to work for MS. <BR/><BR/>Regarding the collaborative nature of our software... Has anyone actually tried to use Live Meeting? How about Groove? You would never actually build a business using these products... They're something you sell to customers as innovations.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com