tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post114352263699856094..comments2024-03-18T12:52:48.117-07:00Comments on Mini-Microsoft: Passionate MicrosoftiesWho da'Punkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comBlogger128125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1160176857826955692006-10-06T16:20:00.000-07:002006-10-06T16:20:00.000-07:00I'm a 'softie and I love it here. I've never work...I'm a 'softie and I love it here. I've never worked anywhere with so many plusses and no visible minuses. Excellent work environment, free food, leaders who lead, supervisors who are bigger code geeks than I am, and the list just keeps growing to my continued amazement.<BR/><BR/>As a corporation, it will change, and it will try to make money. People gripe about the Evil Empire but I see that as a side effect of being a MegaCorporation. A lot of that "Evil" is lawyer-based. I don't see it on the job. Everyone here is sweet as pie.<BR/><BR/>America has some problems and any corporation is going to have to deal with that exactly in the same ways that they deal with doing business in China or Japan.<BR/><BR/>Is there a monopoly? That shouldn't be possible in a real free market economy. Unfortunately, America is a captive market economy. Not the same.<BR/><BR/>I see the people around me working hard, loving what they do, and putting every effort into good code. I understand the haters, but they are wrong to hate the company when it's our Congress that makes the laws. It's not too late to run out and buy your very own Senator... if Linux was incorporated I'm sure it would own as many Senators as any other huge company.<BR/><BR/>I've found my career path here, doubled my income, and I'm actually happy at work. You can't beat me up no matter what you say because I'm still smiling.<BR/><BR/>Thanks Bill.NWREG LLChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00236837666177150428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1149024862631966102006-05-30T14:34:00.000-07:002006-05-30T14:34:00.000-07:00Damn true!!Hey guys, just wanted to tell you that ...<B>Damn true!!</B><BR/><BR/>Hey guys, <BR/><BR/>just wanted to tell you that I have seen my life in Microsoft like in a flashback by reading your comments.<BR/><BR/>In EMEA the situation is not that different, women are if possible even in a worst situation, and in spite of the "Women at MS" initiative, I saw all girls in my team leaving one by one because not able to perform like men, with "pregnancy" issues :-) or not able to perform at the proper level in comparison with men.<BR/><BR/>Oh yes, nobody will told me that in face, but... rumors from the cafeteria and friends, they did, and mobbing.... is that something you can think of if you get costantly 3.0 in review and they tell you you have to thank because your manager fought against the 2.5?!<BR/><BR/>SAD, SAD, SAD<BR/><BR/>Manager's feedback, MS POLL, never worked out, my manager is still there even though all of us had written almost in agreement that he had nothing to do with the Microsoft values and Microsoft vision, or simply put the Microsoft company interests.<BR/><BR/>I have seen talented people quitting because mortified, coming in Microsoft with an explosive passion, and leaving after realizing nothing is so different, just the managers' friend see the light :-S<BR/><BR/>Increasing utilisation to their friends and cutting on the other numbers... what a shame.<BR/><BR/>Another sad point is we had to write anonymously here, because our MS POLLs did not work, and seemed to be another mechanism for managers to show up as brilliant and successful they are.<BR/><BR/>They are not!<BR/><BR/>A virtual leader, one of my managers, during an off-site harassed me gently asking if he could come in my room with a bottle of wine, and it happened in public, but... obviously he was joking, and nobody cared at him, just me.<BR/><BR/>He shutted down his mouth when I replied I had spoken with my manager if he did not stop, my manager turned to be his wife... Conflicts, oh yes, try to imagine you have a wife as your manager.<BR/><BR/>FINAL POINT:<BR/><BR/>I HAD BEEN REALLY PROUD TO BE PART OF IT, AS FRUSTRATED I HAD BEEN WHEN I DECIDED TO QUIT.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for giving me a chance to let somebody know, Microsoft is a big company but there is a lot of work to do, <BR/><BR/><I> PLEASE FIRE THOSE MANAGERS, PLEASE VERIFY THEIR TALENTS, PLEASE MAKE THEM KNOW THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING A BIG COMPANY OR A BIG DAMAGE, PLEASE DONT LET THEM PUT DOWN ON TALENTED PEOPLE. </I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1148528274023674152006-05-24T20:37:00.000-07:002006-05-24T20:37:00.000-07:00Hi Mini, Been following for a long time and decide...Hi Mini, <BR/>Been following for a long time and decided to share. I spent 8 years (half in the field, half in Redmond) before finally leaving. Didn't really have much of a choice after having fought my VP, GM, and 2 directors for over 2 years and refusing to do their bidding (ok, that last part was partly stupidity, partly ego, but mostly principle).<BR/><BR/>The VP shut me up because I showed him in gory detail how we were gonna have our lunches eaten. My GM told me "you need to tone this down" when I built a presentation with specific data about how we're getting our butts kicked. My director told me "you're too honest, you can't be like that here". My second director tells me I can't present "important information" to other managers without going through him. After about 2 years of fighting and refusing to do their bidding, no other option. Of course, everything I told them came true but none of that matters. The rest of the team's gone too (at least the ones that did real work).<BR/><BR/>I wonder if Bill & Steve know they're being fed stories at reviews and meetings. <BR/><BR/>I wonder if they know how much time is spent preparing for each and every meeting with them to ensure everyone is singing to the same tune. <BR/><BR/>I wonder if they know that managers place 80% importance in presenting up the chain and waving self declared victories than doing what's right for the field/customers/partners and actually executing rather than just talking.<BR/><BR/>I wonder if they know about conversations that go "him? that's ok, he's har***d MBA, we'll take care of him. The other guy? Soon as we get rid of him, we'll be fine"<BR/><BR/>I wonder if they know of leads, GPMs, Directors, GMs and VPs that move from one group/subsidiary to another after "stuffing" them just enough to create a strong appearance then bailing before sh** hits the fan.<BR/><BR/>I wonder if they only care about who talks the most and loudest rather than who really knows and prefers to get work done than gab.<BR/><BR/>I wonder if honesty, accountability, self critical, openess and just plain integrity are still part of the MS vocabulary.<BR/><BR/>All the fresh towels in the world won't mean a thing if the ones who are fanatical about making MS great are losing faith in the company's core. What good is a pretty facade if you've got root rot?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1148341517369039722006-05-22T16:45:00.000-07:002006-05-22T16:45:00.000-07:00Not knowing anything about MS, may I suggest reall...Not knowing anything about MS, may I suggest really cheap travel packages as a perk? Like take off on Friday at noon and get back Sunday night. Travel to and from the airport, airfare, lodging, food and tips all included. Like the MS Cabo weekend. You get picked up at MS at noon, get a flight out, stay in a hotel with an all-you-can-eat buffet for each meal, etc., and then get dropped off at home by Shuttle Express Sunday night, and the whole thing is say $200. MS could have a whole bunch of adventures available like seeing the running of the bulls, or a shuttle launch, or a solar eclipse somewhere, or a World Cup match, all sorts of stuff you can do without really taking your vacation time, and super cheap, and with an itinerary and all-inclusive package that would let even the most stay-at-home type get out and live a bit. Heck, you could throw in the use of some gadget that works like OnStar, so the timid could have 24/7 support from a sort of personal concierge.<BR/>Superbowl trips. World Series trips. A famous opera guy at some Roman ruins, one night only. MSofties becoming jet-setting scene makers. For cheap.<BR/>Is this a good idea?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1145067778632031272006-04-14T19:22:00.000-07:002006-04-14T19:22:00.000-07:00Mini - Any thoughts on the Microsoft recruiter who...<I> Mini - Any thoughts on the Microsoft recruiter who is leaving? What's your take on that? </I><BR/><BR/>I think it's too bad for Microsoft that <A HREF="http://blogs.msdn.com/jobsblog/archive/2006/04/11/573455.aspx" REL="nofollow">Gretchen's leaving Microsoft</A>. I loved her post about having it up to here (<I>hand next to the top of my neck</I>) with petulant hiring managers. And she was always cool about the conversation here at Mini-Microsoft.<BR/><BR/>She's okay in my book. And I wish her all the success. And I'd love to hear any insight she has about issues and problems that Microsoft has to overcome to be a success.<BR/><BR/>On a non-personal-sticking-to-the-message-kind-of-level: great, one less Microsoftie, and it was a super recruiter bringing in new Microsofties!Who da'Punkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1145044224431896822006-04-14T12:50:00.000-07:002006-04-14T12:50:00.000-07:00Slashdot pointed out this article on CNN Money abo...Slashdot pointed out this article on CNN Money about the management rating system at HCL in India.<BR/><BR/>http://money.cnn.com/2006/04/13/magazines/fortune/fastforward_fortune/index.htm<BR/><BR/>Here's a relevant quote:<BR/><BR/>Every employee rates their boss, their boss' boss, and any three other company managers they choose, on 18 questions using a 1-5 scale. Such 360-degree evaluations are not uncommon, but at HCL all results are posted online for every employee to see. That's un-heard-of!<BR/><BR/><BR/>Imagine how refreshing it would be to be able to do that at Microsoft!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1145030848871019672006-04-14T09:07:00.000-07:002006-04-14T09:07:00.000-07:00How is it that everyone knows their level? I just ...<I>How is it that everyone knows their level? I just started and my recruiter told me that my level was a "guarded secret" known only by my manager and HR.</I><BR/><BR/>Mmmmm, transparency. :-) Your level isn't a secret, guarded or otherwise. Go ask your manager. I'm not at MSFT anymore, but I'd bet if you poked around http://hrweb long enough, your level would pop up on one of those pages.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144985428594731092006-04-13T20:30:00.000-07:002006-04-13T20:30:00.000-07:00"I just started and my recruiter told me that my l..."I just started and my recruiter told me that my level was a "guarded secret" known only by my manager and HR."<BR/><BR/>go to hrwebAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144985290037597282006-04-13T20:28:00.000-07:002006-04-13T20:28:00.000-07:00Mini - Any thoughts on the Microsoft recruiter who...Mini - Any thoughts on the Microsoft recruiter who is leaving? What's your take on that? <BR/><BR/>http://blogs.msdn.com/jobsblog/archive/2006/04/11/573455.aspxAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144979576321848972006-04-13T18:52:00.000-07:002006-04-13T18:52:00.000-07:00All Chris Jones does last eight years is he takes ...All Chris Jones does last eight years is he takes responsibility and explains.<BR/><BR/>I wish he would also deliver something useful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144967251028438252006-04-13T15:27:00.000-07:002006-04-13T15:27:00.000-07:00How is it that everyone knows their level? I just ...How is it that everyone knows their level? I just started and my recruiter told me that my level was a "guarded secret" known only by my manager and HR. Looking at the leaked chart, I can narrow my level down to one of 3. But everyone here seems to know their level.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144914650713727022006-04-13T00:50:00.000-07:002006-04-13T00:50:00.000-07:00He also handled some very tough questions quite we...<I>He also handled some very tough questions quite well, and commented that he reads this blog often and that a "lot of what Mini says is true" but that the comment section is mostly "ranting."</I><BR/><BR/>Executive comments about this blog are mostly ranting too.<BR/><BR/>Instead of just fake "listening", they should try fake "comprehension" and, if that doesn't work, try the real thing - treating people with respect.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144890215565849522006-04-12T18:03:00.000-07:002006-04-12T18:03:00.000-07:00I can not imagine my real estate agents being able...<I>I can not imagine my real estate agents being able to build an automated process to wipe their hard drives and reinstall the OS. Can you? What about your barber, gardener, pre-school teachers, etc.<BR/><BR/>Is Vista going to one and for all end this madness? If not, I wonder what can justify all the billions MS spent on its development.</I><BR/><BR/>You can use Virtual PC. It is still not easy enough for your mom but it is easier than having to flip through all the CDs and reinstall everything once a week.<BR/><BR/>Save the clean install of Windows, Office, etc. in a Virtual PC on a USB hard drive and restore it when needed. You will still need to backup your application files and restore them onto the clean Virtual PC.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144875633769585182006-04-12T14:00:00.000-07:002006-04-12T14:00:00.000-07:00Just got back from a presentation given by Chris J...Just got back from a presentation given by Chris Jones.<BR/><BR/>Frankly I was impressed both with the work on Vista and by Jones himself -> he was very open about the missteps in the Longhorn/Vista project and took personal responsibility for them. He also handled some very tough questions quite well, and commented that he reads this blog often and that a "lot of what Mini says is true" but that the comment section is mostly "ranting."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144851312313907502006-04-12T07:15:00.000-07:002006-04-12T07:15:00.000-07:00Cool blogCool blogG. Petrovichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08458189343362635350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144827059123795242006-04-12T00:30:00.000-07:002006-04-12T00:30:00.000-07:00This is an interesting site indeed. Years ago, whe...This is an interesting site indeed. <BR/><BR/>Years ago, when I was doing my MBA in Singapore - Microsoft was the subject of our study and it mentioned in a few journals that Microsoft was the company for creativity, innovation and the fact that they allowed employees to dress casually, bring pets like dogs to work; kinda showed that Microsoft is the company of the future...Sleekblackmercedeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04730062798611898332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144745968402443622006-04-11T01:59:00.000-07:002006-04-11T01:59:00.000-07:00Once Windows is loaded on a Mac, and the system is...<I>Once Windows is loaded on a Mac, and the system is rebooted and brought up under OSX, does OSX get to take advantage of the drivers that shipped with Windows?</I><BR/><BR/>Why would Apple use Windows drivers? Device drivers and software is a big part of the Windows problem. Apple only has an extremely limited subset of hardware to optimise their code against, anyway: that's their big advantage.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144735355162913762006-04-10T23:02:00.000-07:002006-04-10T23:02:00.000-07:00Drew,To answer your question about the hierarchy a...Drew,<BR/><BR/>To answer your question about the hierarchy at Apple, let's consider a typical group of developers, like the guys who work on Safari.<BR/><BR/>They have a first-line manager who's responsible for Safari and WebKit as well as Apple's efforts on KHTML. He reports to a director. The director is responsible for Safari, and (IIRC) three other projects of a similar scope.<BR/><BR/>The director reports to a VP named Scott Forstal who is responsible for what they call the "platform experience" group. Cocoa, Carbon, WebKit, Speech, Accessibility, Mail all belong to Forstal. His peers are the VPs who handle CoreOS, DevTools, and Graphics & Media (that is, GL, Quartz, and Quicktime).<BR/><BR/>Those VPs report to the Senior VP, Bertrand Serlet. Bertrand is responsible for OS X in its entirety. He is not responsible for the apps like Final Cut or the iTunes Music store.<BR/><BR/>All of the senior VPs nominally report to Oppenheimer (the CFO,) only because Steve Jobs doesn't like to do reviews.<BR/><BR/>So for your average coder on the WebKit, there are four levels of managers before Steve Jobs. Over in the hardware world you tend to have more people per manager and fewer management layers. Most of the people on iPod, for example, are only two levels away from Tony Fadell.<BR/><BR/>All in all, for a Fortune-100 company, I'd have to say that Apple's got the tightest management organization I've ever seen. There isn't a lot of dead wood there, and what little there is doesn't last long in Engineering.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144734924073297182006-04-10T22:55:00.000-07:002006-04-10T22:55:00.000-07:00No company, MS or elsewhere cares about "fair" bey...<I>No company, MS or elsewhere cares about "fair" beyond the level needed for public relations (Life/Work balance), or to attract new hires (health plan).</I><BR/><BR/>Just go to http://minimsft.blogspot.com/2005/12/confidential-mercurial-comments.html#c113479706721642227<BR/><BR/>You'll see MarkL comment gloriously on how Google engineers work about 18 hrs a day. Quality of life here at MS is way better than at Google.<BR/><BR/>How many of those engineers are really passionate vs. appearingn to be "lazy" if they work only 8 hrs a day?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144651726648306152006-04-09T23:48:00.000-07:002006-04-09T23:48:00.000-07:00I still haven't figured out the Windows / Mac conn...I still haven't figured out the Windows / Mac connection. I know that we spend a lot of time collecting and testing drivers that go boxed-set into Windows. Once Windows is loaded on a Mac, and the system is rebooted and brought up under OSX, does OSX get to take advantage of the drivers that shipped with Windows? Is so, having Windows on board might be adding a great deal of functionality to OSX while saving Apple a lot of cycles (test) and money into the deal. Hope not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144607370364054632006-04-09T11:29:00.000-07:002006-04-09T11:29:00.000-07:00PMs tend to get patents just for putting the name ...<I>PMs tend to get patents just for putting the name on the spec that a dev told them to write after working out all the problems. Under our system, the people who spend the most time figuring out a solution often get the least recognition.</I><BR/><BR/>WTF, they obviously suck then, and you should listen to what I said in my first post, and report them. You're allowing them to step all over you, and that, I would say, is your fault. In my team everyone gets the credit they deserve, and every position contributes more than enough to be justified "under our system." It seems like you're in the wrong team, and you should do something about it, but please stop generalizing. I'm a dev and I have many patents under my belt as well, some shared with PM's, some not, but I reckon some of the most important work my team's done, including some industry-wide adopted standard technologies, have been developed solely by some of our PM's, involving years of work and thousands of pages of standard drafts and technical publications.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144515424856843022006-04-08T09:57:00.000-07:002006-04-08T09:57:00.000-07:00Mini,Take all the time you need to relax and recha...Mini,<BR/>Take all the time you need to relax and recharge. <BR/><BR/>I for one really appreciate all that you are doing here. As a person who posted positive, constructive information about Microsoft on Slashdot in the past, I know what type of fanatical and bizzare submissions you have been dealing with. It is wise to take a break.<BR/><BR/>Keep up the good work.<BR/>Microsoft needs more people like you.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Sincerely,<BR/>AnonymousAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144509306510421812006-04-08T08:15:00.000-07:002006-04-08T08:15:00.000-07:00What about the MS Poll?The MS Poll affects Microso...<I>What about the MS Poll?</I><BR/><BR/>The MS Poll affects Microsoft executives' OHI numbers. You won't get anything except relatively softball questions in the MS Poll.<BR/><BR/>There's no way to verify what executives say are the results.<BR/><BR/>Given how 'anonymous' a survey that you fill out while logged into your account is, it is difficult to say whether the results reflect the actual attitude of Microsoft employees or if many look at it as another opportunity to show what a loyal employee they are by filling out the answers the management wants to hear.<BR/><BR/>A good way to improve your OHI score is to get rid of people who are unhappy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144424149122509342006-04-07T08:35:00.000-07:002006-04-07T08:35:00.000-07:00As so much passion seems to be sapped by the highl...As so much passion seems to be sapped by the highly subjective review process, I thought I'd throw the following in.<BR/>Many professions require candidates for promotion to pass tests, and/or publish papers that enhance the body of knowledge within their profession, or both. <BR/><BR/>For our managers in particular, far more rigorous vetting is needed to weed out the inappropriate ("no-one else wanted to do it"), the opportunistic, and the plain incompetent.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps this sounds radical, but considering how utterly arbitrary are the conditions by which one is currently deemed ready for promotion - particularly to a management role - I don't see how it could be worse.<BR/><BR/>Benefits:<BR/><BR/>1. Taking a chunk of the barrier to promotion away from the highly subjective auspices of an individual manager<BR/>2. Leveling the playing field across the company by NOT relying on locally-administered quality gates for promotion (and CSPs are still this...)<BR/>3. Providing ongoing incentive to learn and grow - weed out the "rest and vest"<BR/>4. Providing incentive for individuals to submit their thoughts and ideas in the form of papers (peer reviewed at the macro level, perhaps)<BR/>5. Provide a higher quality of manager, whose effectiveness has been probed BEFORE they are given the role. The current requirement for training, and the depth of the training itself is a joke - managers can be in the role for a year or more before they get any formal training, for what that few days is worth <BR/><BR/>Drawbacks:<BR/><BR/>1. Administration of the above<BR/>2. Lack of flexibility. (That said, particularly for manager candidates the current barriers to entry are plainly insufficient, so we have numerous inappropriate managers squandering the talent pool)<BR/><BR/>Not everyone favors formal tests, and not everyone has the same facility with communication skills. To both points: I say tough. <BR/><BR/>First, if you're ready for promotion (IC or manager), you'll have know problem demonstrating it. Secondly, if you can't communicate effectively, then you're definitely not a candidate for promotion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1144420815008473812006-04-07T07:40:00.000-07:002006-04-07T07:40:00.000-07:00To the responder that said we should be able to ke...To the responder that said we should be able to keep our machines clean and malware free ourselves, that its not that hard, that any "moron" should be able to do this.<BR/><BR/>Please explain:<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1945782,00.asp" REL="nofollow">Microsoft Says Recovery from Malware Becoming Impossible</A><BR/><I>LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.—In a rare discussion about the severity of the Windows malware scourge, a Microsoft security official said businesses should consider investing in an automated process to wipe hard drives and reinstall operating systems as a practical way to recover from malware infestation.</I><BR/><BR/>Windows is a dangerous and destructive environment for virtually all home users and small businesses. I can not imagine my real estate agents being able to build an automated process to wipe their hard drives and reinstall the OS. Can you? What about your barber, gardener, pre-school teachers, etc.<BR/><BR/>Is Vista going to one and for all end this madness? If not, I wonder what can justify all the billions MS spent on its development.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com