tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post115116786798863915..comments2024-03-18T12:52:48.117-07:00Comments on Mini-Microsoft: WinFS is Dead, Hiring Stop, Another Missing VP, and Stack Ranking 2006 - CommentsWho da'Punkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comBlogger145125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1155845172068193932006-08-17T13:06:00.000-07:002006-08-17T13:06:00.000-07:00I am so sick of working with absolutely incompetan...I am so sick of working with absolutely incompetant co-workers that should have been let go long ago. MSFT doesn't need a hiring freeze it needs a firing fest. Starting with Windows and Office.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1153753155986232262006-07-24T07:59:00.000-07:002006-07-24T07:59:00.000-07:00Hi MiniHAve you seen the Fortune article about the...Hi Mini<BR/>HAve you seen the Fortune article about the new rules of business. One of them is:<BR/>New rule: Hire passionate people.<BR/>Old rule: Rank your players; go with the A's.<BR/>http://money.cnn.com/2006/07/10/magazines/fortune/rule5.fortune/index.htmAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1153261076749944732006-07-18T15:17:00.000-07:002006-07-18T15:17:00.000-07:00i am an SDET in the sql server org. I am curious r...i am an SDET in the sql server org. I am curious regarding growth curve/speed in the sql server org compared to other groups in MS. I hear the promote way faster in other groups. <BR/><BR/>Quite frankly i am very frustrated. I keep hearing 'you are doing great', 'short term you are doing great' etc. But come review time where are the promotions!?<BR/><BR/>Any thoughts, comments would really help hereAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1152218860135716702006-07-06T13:47:00.000-07:002006-07-06T13:47:00.000-07:00Check the address book...Quentin is now a GM. He'...Check the address book...<BR/><BR/>Quentin is now a GM. He's been promoted. Mini, any predictions on the World Series?<BR/><BR/>How can someone who has led a long string of failing projects continue to get promoted? Isn't Quentin someone who should be held accountable instead? How about a posting on this, Mini?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151821282695083722006-07-01T23:21:00.000-07:002006-07-01T23:21:00.000-07:00"If you maybe have forgotten, the WinFS is not a f..."If you maybe have forgotten, the WinFS is not a first attempt to do a new rich file system. As I can remember in early 90th, the rich file system was advertized as a part of NT5, which was promised to ship about year after NT4. And Object-Oriented-FS was cut when shiping W2K several years later (W2K is the OS with internal name NT5). And again, the same story after 7 years repeats with the same sad result. Something is wrong in the file-system department, isn't it? Is this a reason of MZ's quiet retirement?"<BR/><BR/>As matter of fact, WinFS was developed in the SQL group, not file-system department. MZ probably never liked the idea. Now file-system department reorgs into SQL group. Guess what happened? MZ retires.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151649670793554982006-06-29T23:41:00.000-07:002006-06-29T23:41:00.000-07:00On stack ranking for stock ...How are other groups...On stack ranking for stock ...<BR/><BR/>How are other groups dealing with individuals who are top performers and exceed expectations, but get pegged in Strong. Seems like those folks will be tempted to change groups as it is pretty much telegraphing that their upward mobility will be tempered.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151648592619981102006-06-29T23:23:00.000-07:002006-06-29T23:23:00.000-07:00All I have to say is 2.5, 2.5, freakin' 2.5. No...All I have to say is 2.5, 2.5, freakin' 2.5. Now you know how it feels.<BR/><BR/>The management at Microsoft has no justification to rank anyone has they are so pathetic because they cannot see that their business model is being challenged and that there is no justifiable reason to upgrade to Vista. I'm keeping a much closer watch on ReactOS.<BR/><BR/>The problem with Microsoft is their outright bunker mentality. It is not a software company but a Windows OS company and it done -- stick a fork in it. The leveraging of the O/S has turned it into bloatware. <BR/><BR/>2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151646326403303062006-06-29T22:45:00.000-07:002006-06-29T22:45:00.000-07:00WinFS was one of the "walking dead" or zombie proj...WinFS was one of the "walking dead" or zombie projects. It was a solution in search of a problem. That would be fine for a small research/incubation project but not for taking close to 300 people taken off from doing work on SQL Server and related technologies. It killed good projects like MBF that actually were trying to do something useful.<BR/><BR/>The project's management was more dilbertine (or pointy haired) than mini-msft's description. From Technical Fellow on down, there was complete chaos. A mix of empire building, nonchalnt cluelssness to benevolent neglect of reality.<BR/><BR/>So now some 100 odd folks on WinFS get reorged into some other failed project.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151598788850535792006-06-29T09:33:00.000-07:002006-06-29T09:33:00.000-07:00"This is just a guess, but the better way might be..."This is just a guess, but the better way might be the one that nets you ~90% client market share. "<BR/><BR/>Is that way the one where you link up with a big established company that completely dominates its market and thinks that these PC's are just little pests to be tolerated, so it farms out the OS development to you? And then you sit back and watch while all the brainwashed IT managers dutifully sign requisitions for 1,000's of these boxes, enabling you to drive all your competition out of business?<BR/><BR/>Face it - MS got to where it is because of IBM's market power. That huge advantage has been able to sustain you through all the trials with Windows, Office, etc. (which I admit are now very good products). And, as "Customer" pointed out, most professional IT shops have made huge investments in WinTel systems, and they're not going to dump them just because Apple's machines look better. <BR/><BR/>I own both PCs and a Mac, and in truth, I use which ever one is closer when I want to do something. I don't think there's anything magic about Apple except for one thing: they do try to inject a little more humanity in their machines. I mean, there is no functional benefit at all from having the on/off switch pulsate gently on an iMac, but when I wake up at night and see the glow change, it's as if the machine is breathing, waiting for me to come over. It's cool. And it's not like they advertise this; it's not even mentioned in the documentation. You just wake up one night, maybe months after you bought it, notice it, and feel a small moment of delight. That's what good design does: delights you in unexpected ways. Bad design frustrates you in unexpected ways, as some of the previous comments have noted. <BR/><BR/>And I don't want to give the impression MS never delights me. I was upgraded to Office 2003 a few months ago, and I really love the little window that opens when I get a new email. It allows me to ignore the mundane, and jump on the important stuff, and it does so without opening a big grey dialog box in the middle of whatever app I was working on. If MS can start doing more of that stuff with their UI, I think you'll find a growing cult-like devotion to MS.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151596643289466782006-06-29T08:57:00.000-07:002006-06-29T08:57:00.000-07:00Earlier someone said..."The best inbreds are maste...Earlier someone said...<BR/><BR/><<<<<<BR/>"The best inbreds are masters at this style of communication. You are afraid to admit that you have no freaking idea what they are talking about..."<BR/><BR/>That's a great comment. I went back and reread the WinFS update post with that in mind, and got a good laugh.<BR/>>>>>><BR/><BR/>Hilarious but true. A widely cited WinFS demise mail was penned by one of the most empty-headed phonies to have existed in the company in the 1990s. He was a brilliant master of enhancing his "cross group visibility" and cloaking himself in a hurricane of PM crapspeak, and that's all that mattered in the eyes of those who repeatedly promoted him. They either never saw, or didn't care about, the world class verbal gymnastics he'd engage in to pretend he knew things he didn't, even when it was wasting time and resources far across campus from his office. Interestingly, every project he's been associated with since about 1997 has been a failure and ultimately canceled after years of work... Again, nobody notices, or nobody cares. A vice-presidency surely awaits him.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151593747801491602006-06-29T08:09:00.000-07:002006-06-29T08:09:00.000-07:00"Does MS' IT department get any input on product d..."Does MS' IT department get any input on product design?"<BR/><BR/>Yes, sort of. It is the same input that test usually gets.<BR/><BR/>Before I interviewed at Microsoft, I thought everyone must be idiots to produce such bad software.<BR/><BR/>Now, I know that management just cuts corners everywhere in a futile attempt to meet schedules.<BR/><BR/>If the individual developers, testers, and most of the people doing product design were given the power to make design changes without approval from 15 levels of management, MAYBE things would work well.<BR/><BR/>One team tried four times before giving up when Bill Gates killed the idea by requiring compatibility with a horrid previous design that everyone curses on a daily basis.<BR/><BR/>Why do VPs and the Chairman of the board insist on personally doing last minute design reviews of everything?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151588252080906372006-06-29T06:37:00.000-07:002006-06-29T06:37:00.000-07:00Is such a thing so hard to imagine? Or do you cont...<B><I>Is such a thing so hard to imagine? Or do you contend that all companies are roughly as good as each other? Do you care what kind of car you buy? TV? Digital camera? Then why not software?</I></B><BR/><BR/>Yes, companies are different.<BR/><BR/>Yes, I care what kind of camera I buy. And car. But I choose cameras and cars according to my needs, the features offered, and ultimately, the values I perceive to be important (to me) based on my research and experience.<BR/><BR/>Specifically, I would *not* buy a car or a camera based on the praise of zealots or fanatical followers of a cult. In fact, I'd tend to shy away from such products. <BR/><BR/>For example: some time ago, I rejected the cult of the BMW motorcycle 'enthusiasts' when selecting my most recent motorcycle. Why? Because, for all the praise of the BMW bike crowd, I just couldn't see how I was going to get 75% more performance and enjoyment out of the 75% higher priced BMW over the Honda I ultimately chose. (BTW, I test-drove the BMW for an extended period [overnight!] - the Honda I chose flat-out smokes the BMW I was considering in every metric I considered important, except resale value, and I'm willing to live with that.)<BR/><BR/>I choose to buy, use, and develop for PC/Windows combo over the Mac, as I have for a long, long time, for the simple reason that I get more value for my money with that platform. Note that my choice may not apply to others. YMMV. Etc. When that is no longer the case, I may switch over to the Mac or some other platform.<BR/><BR/>If I was starting out fresh, today, I'd probably have to look at the Mac a little harder than I did, say, in 1984. But the Mac, as pretty as it is, is just a computer with just another OS running on it, designed and made by just another company made up of just another crowd of engineers and marketing types, etc. and ultimately, my choice has nothing to do with anyone's perceptions of social values, "who's better", "Microsoft is evil", etc. As if Apple isn't capable (and desiring) of being in Microsoft's enviable position. Apple is fully capable of "being evil" as is Google, etc. <BR/><BR/>My point comes down to this: Apple (computers and corporation) are not imbued with mystical qualities. I've used Macs recently, and you know what? There's nothing special about them, or their users. <BR/><BR/>Cheers!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151564689481889972006-06-29T00:04:00.000-07:002006-06-29T00:04:00.000-07:00"The line-of-business people will be utterly confu..."The line-of-business people will be utterly confused by the new interfaces of Vista and Office 2007."<BR/><BR/>I think you will be surprised by how quickly endusers will be able to use Office 2007 more efficiently than they have ever used previous versions of office before.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151563539686618972006-06-28T23:45:00.000-07:002006-06-28T23:45:00.000-07:00Or, do you really think that Apple, OS/X, and Stev...<I>Or, do you really think that Apple, OS/X, and Steve Jobs possess special qualities that make them 'better' than Microsoft? Step right up, have another dixie cup of kool-aid!</I><BR/><BR/>Yes, actually, I do.<BR/><BR/>Is such a thing so hard to imagine? Or do you contend that all companies are roughly as good as each other? Do you care what kind of car you buy? TV? Digital camera? Then why not software?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151563172674368752006-06-28T23:39:00.000-07:002006-06-28T23:39:00.000-07:00ok Mini, you're getting your wish. My org announce...<I>ok Mini, you're getting your wish. My org announced today a roughly 50% RIF. One group of 65 in the org is being cut to 36. My group of 12 is being reduced to 3. Management is being cut from 21 to 8 people.<BR/>Good for Microsoft? Nearly everyone in my group has a family at home they provide for. One just moved his expecting wife and daughter here from the midwest, and now he's hunting for a job again.<BR/>What do you tell them Mini?</I><BR/><BR/>Wake up Mini! Who da Punk!! This is not a time to sleep on the dump machine. The RIF party has started and now we are being reminded of those with families, incurable diseases and paraplegic parents. The venom quotient on this blog will climb geometrically in the coming months. Mini it is time to closely monitor the "I used to work for MS but..." rhetoric. If you think the guy who was riffed from NDT was bitter (he is still chasing the HR person that helped seal his fate), just wait for the oncoming onslaught.<BR/><BR/>I don't care if you are supporting all the orphans in Sudan, if you are RIF'd go find another job. Don't blame it on the review system, bad managers, Ballmer etc. Just goAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151561632644116862006-06-28T23:13:00.000-07:002006-06-28T23:13:00.000-07:00Vic Gundotra is leaving, long before Office/Vista/...<A HREF="http://www.vicgundotra.com" REL="nofollow">Vic Gundotra</A> is leaving, long before Office/Vista/Longhorn ship. <A HREF="http://money.cnn.com/2006/06/28/technology/msft_brain_drain/index.htm?section=money_latest" REL="nofollow">Here's the article.</A><BR/><BR/>Guess now we know why he took the time to tell his team in their last all-hands all about how much he deserves the big bonus he's getting this summer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151560144031391712006-06-28T22:49:00.000-07:002006-06-28T22:49:00.000-07:00you mean iceberg besides this oneyou mean iceberg besides <A HREF="http://money.cnn.com/2006/06/28/technology/msft_brain_drain/index.htm" REL="nofollow">this one</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151559986488210732006-06-28T22:46:00.000-07:002006-06-28T22:46:00.000-07:00ok Mini, you're getting your wish. My org announc...ok Mini, you're getting your wish. My org announced today a roughly 50% RIF. One group of 65 in the org is being cut to 36. My group of 12 is being reduced to 3. Management is being cut from 21 to 8 people.<BR/>Good for Microsoft? Nearly everyone in my group has a family at home they provide for. One just moved his expecting wife and daughter here from the midwest, and now he's hunting for a job again.<BR/>What do you tell them Mini?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151559438506632832006-06-28T22:37:00.000-07:002006-06-28T22:37:00.000-07:00name one Apple app that 1 in 100 people on the str...<I>name one Apple app that 1 in 100 people on the street use or even know about.</I><BR/><BR/>Itunes. <BR/><BR/>No, not the music download service, but the cd ripping to your ipod functionality.<BR/><BR/>Now, before you start saying "yabbut..", consider this: Itunes drives ipod sales. People are actually buying hardware 'cause of the app that lets them enjoy their music collection. And some of us end up fondling a shiny new ibook when we buy our ipods, and thinking: "maybe the next laptop will be a shiny one..."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151557622362883592006-06-28T22:07:00.000-07:002006-06-28T22:07:00.000-07:00Big reorg being announced tomorrow in DMD. Looks l...Big reorg being announced tomorrow in DMD. Looks like it is happening elsewhere in the company as well...<BR/><BR/><B>Microsoft shuffles more executives</B><BR/>http://news.com.com/Microsoft+shuffles+more+executives/2100-1022_3-6089338.html?tag=nefd.topAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151557275770752372006-06-28T22:01:00.000-07:002006-06-28T22:01:00.000-07:00What's going on is that Mini-Microsoft is a self-s...<I>What's going on is that Mini-Microsoft is a self-selected group of MSers who are (rightly or wrongly) dissatified enough to post here, i.e. the unhappiest of the unhappy. Satisfied MSers rarely post here.<BR/></I><BR/><BR/>That is true but how many people are truly satisfied. Not very many I imagine. How many people would be satisfied if the ratings, stock awards, hikes, levels etc of all their co-workers are revealed? There are very few of us who can remain unaffected by all this. There is no perfect answer to all out work problems - Minimsft is just an attempt to better our work conditions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151556965248464742006-06-28T21:56:00.000-07:002006-06-28T21:56:00.000-07:00As an IT guy, I can say that Vista will arrive in ...As an IT guy, I can say that Vista will arrive in our company with a huge plop.<BR/><BR/>The technical staff will, as they did with XP, disable Avalon (its overhead) and work in "classic" 2K mode. There will be no WinFS. Technical people do not (generally) care whether they can run DirectX 10. What benefit is left to Vista?<BR/><BR/>The line-of-business people will be utterly confused by the new interfaces of Vista and Office 2007. We (as a company) will lose countless manhours of labor between struggling employees and an overloaded internal helpdesk. Our LOB 3rd-party apps will likely have UAC issues -- everything will be messy for months.<BR/><BR/>The executives will gawk at the pretty chrome and then ask why the hardware budget is up 30% YOY.<BR/><BR/>Indigo will usher in a whole new world of viruses, exploits, trojans, and triple the workload on our firewalls. Sweet.<BR/><BR/>Please make Server better somehow. At this point, I don't think anyone in IT really cares exactly how you do it, just do something meaningful. Improve SNMP and PerfMon. Broadly expose WMI. Make DNS more standards-based. Expose more of the AD API so that apps outside of Microsoft can actually leverage it. Improve AD so that it doesn't take 8 CLI apps to manage.<BR/><BR/>Does MS' IT department get any input on product design?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151554975490954052006-06-28T21:22:00.000-07:002006-06-28T21:22:00.000-07:00Some shuffling of the executive deck chairs today,...Some shuffling of the executive deck chairs today, but the iceberg hits tomorrow.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151553990572969922006-06-28T21:06:00.000-07:002006-06-28T21:06:00.000-07:00...and the Apple way, which results in users who a...<I>...and the Apple way, which results in users who are so delighted they're often compared to cult members.</I><BR/><BR/>I have always jumped on these Mac apologists who make the mistake of comparing grapes (Apple) to watermelons (MS). Sometimes I use harsh language. Sorry about that and thanks Mini for obliging me.<BR/><BR/>The fact is compared to MS, Apple is a non-starter. OS aside name one Apple app that 1 in 100 people on the street use or even know about. All these cult love and still the Mac has not made a whole number increase in market share over the PC in a dozen years. 4% of market share? Give me a freaking break.<BR/><BR/>What is the presence of Macs in businesses in the US? Less than 1%. And Steve Jobs is a genius? Aaaaarghhhh!!!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1151553239790595932006-06-28T20:53:00.000-07:002006-06-28T20:53:00.000-07:00Look, for example, at the IE7 blog. About hundred ...<I>Look, for example, at the IE7 blog. About hundred of replies asking turn off Clear Type by default or, at least, ask during setup. No! IE PM loves it!</I><BR/><BR/>Live with it. You have an easy method of changing the default. We love the customer but the know-it-all who bitches and moans over little things that they can easily change while cursing out hardworking MS engineers don't get my pity.<BR/><BR/>This is why there are alternative browsers. Sorry to put it bluntly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com