tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post7098990120817931017..comments2024-03-18T12:52:48.117-07:00Comments on Mini-Microsoft: Ballmer, Bozos, and Crazy Sweet Facebook YangWho da'Punkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18205453956191063442noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-51928366726626742322007-12-06T17:08:00.000-08:002007-12-06T17:08:00.000-08:00I promise that when I'm rid of these handcuffs Bil...I promise that when I'm rid of these handcuffs Bill has on me next year when he is out of the picture, things will change!<BR/>http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.comSteve Ballmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03700148299332589776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-6135874929235434382007-07-15T10:02:00.000-07:002007-07-15T10:02:00.000-07:00"So for lack of a better term - I called that "fea..."So for lack of a better term - I called that "fear". Call it what you will. Results may vary.<BR/>So is everyone super-excited about the best new OS ever? Obviously not me. But yeah, I was there."<BR/><BR/>I was a CSG tester on Vista and I also have worked on previous OS's since and including Win2000.<BR/><BR/>At my low lab-rat level, I saw no difference from previous OS's in the way Vista bugs were handled or in the willingness to deal with them: if we found them the managers and the devs wanted to fix them and they fixed them any chance they got. <BR/><BR/>The real problem was that there were less bugs found because the work was not done as thoroughly or methodically than before. More than 3/4 of the working time was spent working on or debugging automation tools. My bug count went down dramatically from when I was working on XP and testing "manually". Same for other testers around me. <BR/><BR/>Also, when you're looking for a contract as a CSG tester at MS nowadays, you see in the job specs a lot of emphasis put on writing automation: this used to be the SDET job.<BR/><BR/>It takes time to write code: you're not testing anything while you're doing it: and then you spend a good amount of time testing that code too :-) <BR/><BR/>People are not naive at Microsoft: they had to drink the automation-as-religion Kool-Aid because it came from the top and was not negociable. It was understood that we were somewhat cutting corners but that it would save huge amounts of money. I don't know how it worked out financially but some of the the product difficulties can be traced to QA. I use Vista only because the force me: if it were left to me I'd stay with XP.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-46820788315911584212007-06-27T00:12:00.000-07:002007-06-27T00:12:00.000-07:00"If it's as many as I suspect, then perhaps the pr..."If it's as many as I suspect, then perhaps the problem with all the (IMHO) valid comments I'm reading here is that there isn't enough naming of names going on."<BR/><BR/>-----------<BR/><BR/>actually there has been quite a bit calling out names/groups over the 3 years since i have been reading / contributing to this blog.... mini does a good balance on trade offs when things go really off track ... it has touched nerves..<BR/><BR/>usually its the usual suspects from base + networking (if you work in windows) and some of the O12 leaders ;-) and MSN has had their dues as well...<BR/><BR/>hi jawad :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-1762890966871734662007-06-26T21:40:00.000-07:002007-06-26T21:40:00.000-07:00I was in one of the groups with couple of these H1...<I>I was in one of the groups with couple of these H1B guys who where working like they where in sweat-shops. All cause they were stuck. They'd be given deadlines that no one else would accept. These guys would be working 16 hour days to hit the deadline.</I><BR/><BR/>One does not necessarily follow the other. <BR/><BR/>There is nothing wrong with paying your dues. Although I will grant that this may be compounded by an inability to say no due to cultural factors such as a propensity to trust the elders (managers). When this is coupled with managers who do not reciprocate that trust, you will have the situation described in your post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-55209921951281334272007-06-26T19:54:00.000-07:002007-06-26T19:54:00.000-07:00"Doesn't change the fact that there are more than ...<I>"Doesn't change the fact that there are more than half a dozen VPs of Indian origin today up from zero 10 years ago."</I><BR/>Just cause there are couple of black rockstars and basketball players doesn't mean rest of the brother's are doing great.<BR/>I was in one of the groups with couple of these H1B guys who where working like they where in sweat-shops. All cause they were stuck. They'd be given deadlines that no one else would accept. These guys would be working 16 hour days to hit the deadline. The Manager would use that extra productivity to justify a larger team full of his cronies spending time to fight his political battles.<BR/>These bro's aren't going places. They are funding rewards and promo's of the manager's loyal cronies.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-75634724333151062972007-06-26T17:46:00.000-07:002007-06-26T17:46:00.000-07:00Man, you tinylimps can't do anything original, can...Man, you tinylimps can't do anything original, can you? Fake Steve Ballmer?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-18116408458716554892007-06-25T00:29:00.000-07:002007-06-25T00:29:00.000-07:00To the anonymous Vista IC Dev:"Really? Why do you ...To the anonymous Vista IC Dev:<BR/><BR/>"Really? Why do you say this? Do you have any knowledge of what went on during Vista development?<BR/><BR/>...<BR/><BR/>If you have another *informed* perspective I'd love to hear it."<BR/><BR/>Vista was maybe my 4th OS (not counting service pack work), so I had plenty of experience in the Windows org. I've had my nose in various parts of the code for years. <BR/><BR/>For Vista, what I saw was that people were afraid to communicate impending failure upwards. People were afraid to self-host early. People were afraid to challenge the half-baked hairballs of architecture and code that there was no time to unravel before ship.<BR/><BR/>Of course, some of that goes on in every OS, but for Vista, I saw a cultural shift and a greater rift than usual between what was said and what was done.<BR/><BR/>Probably worse in my org than yours, but wasn't Vista a more screwed up release cycle than usual? Maybe I just had it good for the other OS's?<BR/><BR/>Since the year I started at MSFT there were at least five OS's (if you count WinMe as an OS) shipped by thousands of people - taking all that accumulated experience and leveraging it to make the best new OS ever should have been easier. Why didn't it go better, especially after the reset?<BR/><BR/>The most telltale sign for me was this:<BR/><BR/>In my group, no high-level exec or manager ever came forward and said "we made a mistake" or "our team could use some improvement" about ANYTHING, but there was plenty of crap to flow downhill when the blame game needed to be played. In formal meetings, there was no discussion of the elephant in the middle of the room or the unclothed emperor, but when you listened to the hallway talk it was clear there were unaddressed problems at all levels.<BR/><BR/>How did that happen?<BR/><BR/>If you looked at what was being communicated up, the message was usually "on track".<BR/><BR/>Again, maybe that was just my org, but for me, it manifested globally - in the quality of the builds, the ever-changing processes, the lowered quality bars, the renaming game for betas and RC's, and the lack of enthusiasm from customers.<BR/><BR/>I don't see Vista's shortcomings as a purely engineering problem - the worst effects came from contributing cultural factors that prevented honest assessment of real engineering problems.<BR/><BR/>So for lack of a better term - I called that "fear". Call it what you will. Results may vary.<BR/><BR/>So is everyone super-excited about the best new OS ever? Obviously not me. But yeah, I was there.<BR/><BR/>I know how to solve technical problems, but not cultural or managerial ones. <BR/><BR/>Long live Mini for taking on that problem.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-84304532275536989362007-06-24T23:48:00.000-07:002007-06-24T23:48:00.000-07:00We need to start firing some of the middle manager...We need to start firing some of the middle manager people that made some of the shitty decisions for Vista. I'm not going to highlight any specific area here, and I'm not saying that Vista is bad, just that bad decisions were made in many areas.<BR/><BR/>Let's blow away a few layers of these folks. Most won't be too pissed, since they've already made their millions.<BR/><BR/>I agree with the earlier person that mentioned that Jim was to blame for Vista. He just kept adding features. His feedback on some items bordered on ridiculous, yet because of who he was, the changes had to be made. When the customer feedback AND the product teams tell you it's a bad idea, you should listen to them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-21132795856501253102007-06-24T21:14:00.000-07:002007-06-24T21:14:00.000-07:00"So, if noone wants to step up and say anything ne..."So, if noone wants to step up and say anything negative about their environment, even on their way out the door, then perhaps Mini would consider moderating some proper nouns into the conversation..."<BR/><BR/>Those of us who <I>have</I> spoken up, and not on our way out the door, have been raked over the coals. So while I agree with you, I don't see how anyone is going to get their feet held to the fire by any of us here. Unless we <I>do</I> start airing dirty laundry, by naming names and naming groups. I'm doubtful Mini will let that kind of stuff through en masse but...I could be wrong.<BR/><BR/>Of course, people will also have to be careful that they don't implicate themselves here just as they sometimes have implicated themselves in the MS Poll. Unless you're absolutely sure that no one can figure out it's you, there's no more sense in sharing negative feedback here than there is IRL.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-88417569115645051732007-06-24T18:18:00.000-07:002007-06-24T18:18:00.000-07:00I wonder - how many senior management-level MS peo...I wonder - how many senior management-level MS people read this blog?<BR/><BR/>If it's as many as I suspect, then perhaps the problem with all the (IMHO) valid comments I'm reading here is that there isn't enough naming of names going on.<BR/><BR/>I'm not advocating the airing of dirty internal laundry, or the calling out of specific managers as a way of exercising an ill-placed vendetta; of course, that would be counter-productive at the least, defamatory at the most.<BR/><BR/>But until some peoples' feet are held more aggressively to the fire, what's to prevent them from reading this blog and thinking, "Well, they can't mean me - I'm a GREAT manager"?<BR/><BR/>So, if noone wants to step up and say anything negative about their environment, even on their way out the door, then perhaps Mini would consider moderating some proper nouns into the conversation...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-90197571667283691092007-06-24T01:23:00.000-07:002007-06-24T01:23:00.000-07:00How messed up is this? All this talk about hiring ...How messed up is this? All this talk about hiring new people and it looks like hr hasn't engaged with these people to redeploy them to open positions where the company would retain valuable experience and save on relocation and training costs. Some days you've just got to be lost for words .. <BR/>-----<BR/>because they are going to trade you in for cheaper and "alledgedly" current to new world technology people (think RCG or 3d world visa folsk)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-42232605677239023092007-06-23T19:10:00.000-07:002007-06-23T19:10:00.000-07:00"For the person getting RIF'ed" Have you thought ..."For the person getting RIF'ed" <BR/><BR/>Have you thought of looking for gigs in the field? Last year when the HQS team got RIF'ed they were tagged and moved to the front of the list for open roles. A few of them were slotted into very nice roles regardless of their qualifications. Not sure what your current role or background is but with your proven ability to use a keyboard and fog a mirror you are more than qualified for a STU Manager role. Good Luck!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-49607163671869635892007-06-23T18:13:00.000-07:002007-06-23T18:13:00.000-07:00Wow. For the person who thinks that Jim was respo...Wow. For the person who thinks that Jim was responsible for fixing things, you surely must have been out of the loop. Jim was the reason we were on the crazy train in the first place, and it took a lot of people to turn that around. Once this started to happen, Jim reversed polarity and took his managed code love extremes to managed code hate extremes.<BR/><BR/>He was a worthless and loud person to have at the helm and always was that way. I don't understand why he survived within the company and how he was allowed more projects after mistakes like Cairo.<BR/><BR/>Vista shipped too soon. We did damned well on it, given the restart and ship timing. Windows 7 will be talked about by ignorant press as so much better than Vista, simply because we are shipping so few new features and working on the polish we didn't get in the last time around.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-63920226830981324772007-06-23T17:22:00.000-07:002007-06-23T17:22:00.000-07:00>"If you mean that people can change things from t...>"If you mean that people can change things from the bottom by leading by example; it would be nice to see that happen but it won't because around here that's taken as a sign of weakness or not being a "team-player" and you should know from the comments here what happens to those people."<BR/><BR/>What I mean is what I said, referring to everyone at Microsoft and their general attitudes toward the company and everybody else.<BR/><BR/>There are different corporate cultures each with unique markers. Some that behave like Shakespearean tragedies, others are suicidal, others are altruistic, and still others are 'enlightened' with a proclivity toward growth of the individual. Microsoft is a lot of things, but I think it fits best in the Shakespearean or Greek tragedy category in many ways. Especially when you look at the vitriol that has evolved over the years to form a kind of semi-dysfunctional zone of tragic proportions both inside and outside. That in turn affects the world's customers, stock price, thousands of investment funds and of course the ability of the individual to obtain desired and expected performance from the products. Which, in turn, affects tens of thousands of other businesses and products that has a negative doubling and tripling effect on your end use customer's ability to get work done efficiently and effectively.<BR/><BR/>And then you add to that the structural difficulties of executive's inability to separate the various businesses which in turn looks like monopoly practice which in turn activates all kinds of legal entities to look closely at what is going on. A well managed company such as GE or IBM would not suffer the same problems (these days) because they have learned how to separate businesses which have a multiplier-monopoly effect which would rouse the ilk of various world governing bodies.<BR/><BR/>While one can understand Judge Kotelli's decisions because the original monopoly case was only against a small quill in a generally full grown cactus, it would have hardly been justified to break the company up for the original IE case. However as new acquisitions begin to build into the existing corporation, there may now be finally grounds developing for a full forced breakup, assuming Microsoft continues on its tragic mismanaged course and finds itself unable to break off the parts which would constitute a monopoly.<BR/><BR/>But to be clear, my original point was primarily aimed at suggesting that the decks be cleared and that the problem in the end is in the hands of individuals, both partners and IC’s. Your point about team players is interesting in that I had responded earlier with a team player point that Mini somehow has 'lost'. The point being that team player is a label and tool for HR (in pretty much any corporation) to use to enforce behavior and to justify RIFs and IC firings. It is nothing more than a herding tool Microsoft suffers from a failure to realize it needs individuals who are not team players but who can think rationally and make correct decisions outside the so called team player box. Team players will only amplify stupid partner decisions and therefore continue the problem.<BR/><BR/>I recommend looking up MacBeth on Wikipedia and scroll down to the parts where mention of individual and group character as one of the themes of the tragedy. Dang, there really was value in all them thar liberal arts requirements you had to take in college, unless you have a degree from a nation that does not teach western values. But one has to carefully consider how many Kings and Macbeths have found safe refuge in the confusion that is Microsoft where they can comfortably exist in the vacuum caused by a house full of team players spewing into the big empty. A culture within a company is more important than the products themselves because if the culture is self-destructive, it’s over before it starts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-34499224167466004182007-06-23T15:24:00.000-07:002007-06-23T15:24:00.000-07:00To the poster who quoted 3 months to look for a jo...<I>To the poster who quoted 3 months to look for a job and 8 weeks severance I'm suspecting a troll; but since you say you were not close to the situation I will give you the benefit of the doubt this time...</I><BR/><BR/>I'm an idiot, not a troll :)<BR/><BR/>Sorry for the bad info. I thought the job search process was a lot longer. I never thought they'd let it be your FT job for 6 weeks to do nothing other than look for a new gig.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-45653041378319060892007-06-23T12:17:00.000-07:002007-06-23T12:17:00.000-07:00>> "Not if the company is getting the same work do...>> "Not if the company is getting the same work done for less money."<BR/><BR/>not if the original guys full time position is filled as well (which it will be just to keep the headcount).<BR/>And to be honest it's hilarious to see business arguments for dumb decisions that are solely politically motivated.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-63078614442718411212007-06-23T12:10:00.000-07:002007-06-23T12:10:00.000-07:00"dude, after 15 at ms you should be loaded even wi..."dude, after 15 at ms you should be loaded even without trying..."<BR/><BR/>'92 was a year or two too late in order to really make out unless you came in really senior and cashed out at the peak in '99. If you started out in PSS, you were hosed too.<BR/><BR/>"how did you manage to be in a fragile financial state when you started working at ms in ~92????"<BR/><BR/>Wanting to have a steady income and good benefits is different than having a fragile financial state. Continuing to build retirement funds is also preferable to having to pull out principle early.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-89893701021942900802007-06-23T12:02:00.000-07:002007-06-23T12:02:00.000-07:00Anonymous said: It was my observation that Vista w...Anonymous said: It was my observation that Vista was built by frightened people. Or at least people afraid to kick the kool-aid.<BR/><BR/>Really? Why do you say this? Do you have any knowledge of what went on during Vista development?<BR/><BR/>My iside view is that alpha Longhorn was a debacle stemming from the highest level, with plenty of not-afraid people (up to and incuding Jim) trying to fix what was happening in 2003-2004.<BR/><BR/>Then, after the mid-2004 reset, the team did a pretty decent job of getting out a mostly high quality OS with plenty of good new features in just over 2 years.<BR/><BR/>Sure, there are some low points: Laptop battery life, memory requirements, bad bang for the buck on the visual effects (results not worth required GPU horsepower), crappy slideshow, bad tradeoffs on UAC.<BR/><BR/>But all in all the team really pulled together after the 2004 reset and executed in a distinctly non-scared way, from Jim's leadership (once he was freed to reset the project), on down.<BR/><BR/>If you have another *informed* perspective I'd love to hear it.<BR/><BR/>thanks,<BR/>Vista IC Dev.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-2207217818161585722007-06-23T11:36:00.000-07:002007-06-23T11:36:00.000-07:00Oh, and by the way, I cannot seek outside of MS be...<I>Oh, and by the way, I cannot seek outside of MS because of the visa situation... </I><BR/>They love to have people like you in the ranks.No wonder why they are lobbying so hard to increase the H1B visa numbers. You're stuck in the same job for years and years due to visa and green card process, working on the same stuff with a lower than average salary ,low increases and crappy bonuses. They are well aware you foreigners have absolutely everything to loose if you decide to speak up or take action. This is the real world. Live with it or leave.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-59069911768817674412007-06-23T11:23:00.000-07:002007-06-23T11:23:00.000-07:00I am wondering how best to use the exit interview....<I>I am wondering how best to use the exit interview. Should I let them have the dirty truth or just sit back and give the standard safe line of "I found a better opportunity?" What do the others here think of this? </I><BR/>Leave the door open. Been there done that. Tell them what they want to hear - basically return the kool-aid. You will feel great. No better way to show discontent than to "walk away".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-20509034616002041972007-06-23T09:35:00.000-07:002007-06-23T09:35:00.000-07:00It seems pretty dumb that people have to leave and...<I>It seems pretty dumb that people have to leave and then come as a contractor to do their job.</I><BR/><BR/>Not if the company is getting the same work done for less money.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-73188876375964575062007-06-23T09:01:00.000-07:002007-06-23T09:01:00.000-07:00- who precisely is us?The poster singled out India...<I>- who precisely is us?</I><BR/><BR/>The poster singled out Indians.<BR/><BR/><I>- To be honest I think your talk of rising through the ranks is exaggerated, the company is pretty stagnant right now.</I><BR/><BR/>This depends on your definition of stagnant. Doesn't change the fact that there are more than half a dozen VPs of Indian origin today up from zero 10 years ago.<BR/><BR/><I>Finally, you chided the guy for not having more assertive traits <BR/>(read aggressive). ...</I><BR/><BR/>This is the nature of the beast. You have two options here -<BR/><BR/>1. Learn it, love it, use it. <BR/>2. Move on.<BR/><BR/>Pick one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-889139496448475312007-06-23T07:30:00.000-07:002007-06-23T07:30:00.000-07:00Back to this thread:"microsoft is a game, and the ...Back to this thread:<BR/>"microsoft is a game, and the game is "make the people above you love you" -- everything else is secondary. "<BR/>Did anyone else find the performance tool's training humorous? When it stated something to the effect of: One of our principles here at Microsoft is to make those around us great. Riiiight. Just not people in your same level/role. (Or make sure they don't get as "great" as you!)<BR/>What a load of BS! And I was really hoping insidems might address some of this...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-40140000905605031472007-06-23T02:13:00.000-07:002007-06-23T02:13:00.000-07:00"not long after that I returned as a contractor. W..."not long after that I returned as a contractor. What a relief! the politics were gone! The review BS was history! Every single item that made work a drag before had vanished!"<BR/><BR/>When I left my GM asked me to consider staying in the company or staying in the group as a contractor (I was leaving because of the politics and I told him so. He understood exactly what I was talking about).<BR/><BR/>It's obviously known that people leave because of the politics and that people can be more productive without it so why can't something be done about it internally? It seems pretty dumb that people have to leave and then come as a contractor to do their job.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7555958.post-80345245598635876782007-06-22T23:47:00.000-07:002007-06-22T23:47:00.000-07:00Just consider our fearless leader, when he delight...<I>Just consider our fearless leader, when he delights in insulting the original 28 employees who are gone and of course this same intellectual superstar is a reliable reference as he contributed so much to code quality in the early days and since, right?</I><BR/><BR/>One of original 10 (from well known picture) currently works for Microsoft (he left and came back when his then-current company got acquired by MS).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com