Ahhooech - New comment on Microsoft FY07Q1 Results

"I think our partners should have given a lot this time. Good for them and good for all of us." And Merry Christmas one and all Tiny Tim.

Ahhooech! There, I finally puked. After threatening all these times, I've gone and done it. No...you clean it up. The smell of stomach acid and grape Kool-Aid...makes me...well...want to puke!

You know, it's amazing to me what people will talk about as their company gears up to put coal in everyone's geek-white Xma$ stockings. "Here, let's give uncle Bob that box of 5.25" floppies he's always wanted. Double-density!"

Computer Billy? No can do. Yah see, we're not ready with our OS quite yet. And, we can't figure out which one to give you, if we were. The one called Basic is good only for those 3rd world, wood-burning computers. Ultimate isn't for sale at any price (well, at least you can't buy it with an upgrade coupon).

Acer et. al. thinks we're trying to do a squeeze play on their marketing plan and the rest aren't talking for fear of banishment from the Evil Empire.

I could go on but Mini won't print it, so I stop to let you catch your breath. I'll puke some more later as long as I don't have to clean it up.

("Ahhooech?" Best. Onomatopoeia. Ever. Or at least for this week.)

I Stand in Awe - New comment on Microsoft FY07Q1 Results

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Microsoft FY07Q1 Results":

I stand in awe on the giving campaign posts.

Awe.

The company matches and wants to promote employees to do well in the community? Yeah. Bad MS. Bad bad MS.

Although I am sure more than a few will protest...

Most that work at MS are the well-off. That top X%. The top end.

And if I am actually reading bitching about a company trying to impress on selfish assholes to give something back *and* match at the same time...

I am definately working in the wrong place.

Email? A few talks at group meetings? Some team members waving flags?

Poor fucking you.

You tried living on minimum wage in the US? Have a kid with MS? A parent with alzheimers?

Self centric pricks.

(I put the kibosh on the conversation on the main post.)

Your analogies fail me - New comment on Ba-Da-????

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Ba-Da-????":

NOTE to: "If your business model is parasitical you better live with the fact that it might go away."

Sir, every business model with the exception of the invention of "the wheel" is, to put it in your negative terms -- parasitical.

You might better live with THAT fact!

And so, we are all, in effect, to put it more in your terms, "living off the backs of others"; those "others" of course being the "true innovators".

And so, was Micro-Soft being a parasite when it rigged the Xerox OS to become Windows? You bet, oh parasitic wise one, you bet!

The dish of crow awaits you.

(Rigged Xerox? The first Windows was pretty far from Xerox. The legal chain was more Microsoft sued by Apple who was sued by Xerox.)

You fat, soul-lazy bastard! - New comment on Ba-Da-????

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Ba-Da-????":

"So, we compromise our security because other people make money trying to improve our security?

Like hell.

If your business model is parasitical you better live with the fact that it might go away."

You're kidding, right? You're here to stir things up and get sane people to respond. It worked!

Hope there aren't too many more of you at MSFT...but that would just be wishful thinking.

Reminds me of the two Enron marketeers gloating on the phone over their power to screw Kahl-eee-fornia residents out of billions by rigging the electrical supply. Ahh, where are they now?

And, look at the Lamprey eel calling the parasite a parasite! What could be more parasitical than to suck billions from the wallets of millions because you are the only lame game in town.

You fat, soul-lazy bastard! You don't have a creative, loving bone in your body. Why should you? You've been hanging on to the Devil's Red Hot Cape since time began.

What's really a shame is that you actually do speak for so many at your company. Those who know you and your type should have as a primary mission, the mission of all terrorist fighters, to eradicate you like the fire ants that you are so that all good men and women can be free in the pursuit of happiness!

Only, in this case, you are even more insidious; you work amongst us. Should I recognize you, I will make it my goal to move away from you as I do from the snake or the pit bull. And, I will alert others to your presence and, we will remember your actions and continue to deny you access to our hearts until you are gone from our sight. Such is our loathing for the soul-killer that you are.

So, consider yourself "Endangered Species" oh wicked ones...your facades are cracking as we become more aware of your souless presence!

(Just a little too much petrol on the flame.)

Censorship + Ban from Troublemaker

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Ba-Da-????": >>"So far it sounds a whoooole lot like Mini, including the periodic "Thank you for doing this, you are fantastic!" Which I guess is good. Lisa can't say that only trolls and external troublemakers post all the comments on Mini." Outsider troublemaker here. Ah, such success at the censorship of thought I applaud Microsoft in its success in the destruction of Mini Microsoft as an public blog. Well done. Certainly the necessity for external criticism to be blunted just had to happen, since Microsoft had become, well a transparent liability to itself through Mini. God knows if I was a partner, I would have created a pattygate situation in Microsoft the likes the world has never seen to track down Mini. But the world beats on and well while my comments don't get posted by Mini any more, I still watch the charade. Here are a couple of useful links for you should you decide to discontinue medication for a schizophrenic state of existence with not one personality, but 70,000. Enjoy: From dictionary.com (so much better than MS Office thesaurus): Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus - Cite This Source Main Entry: censorship Part of Speech: noun Definition: forbiddance Synonyms: ban, blackout*, blue pencil*, control, forbidding, hush up*, iron curtain*, restriction, suppression Antonyms: encouragement Main Entry: ban Part of Speech: noun Definition: forbiddance Synonyms: boycott, censorship, embargo, injunction, interdiction, limitation, no-no*, prohibition, proscription, refusal, restriction, stoppage, suppression, taboo Antonyms: allowance, approval, sanction. All rights reserved. * = informal or slang Link to an paper on thought suppression techniques from Harvard. Just extract individual person and replace with individual corporation and it works. http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~wegner/pdfs/Wegner,%20Eich,%20%26%20Bjork%20Thought%20Suppression.pdf

Good question, bad execution

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Ba-Da-????": I have this lingering question.. Why do people stick around microsoft when they know that things are fucked up... If you are disappointed or not happy with your work at microsoft, there must be a reason why you are still here. What is it? Some of the reasons that I can assume... 1. You are incompetent of getting a job else where. 2. You are a non US citizen and waiting for your immigration status to be solidified ( read green card ). 3. You just are plain stupid thinking that you are the beacon of light that can save the sinking ship... (It's a good question for some people to answer, I just wish it wasn't delivered with such acrimony.)

(pat pat) Is this thing on?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Ba-Da-????": Punk said: "Or I'm getting a restraining order. As defined by an ever narrowing-API documentation pipe. And that's going to be lose-lose for everyone. Adapt and evolve. Man, next thing I know you'll probably be loading worms on iPods or something just to get back at me..." Hmmm. Are you saying Microsoft actually cut the lines on the strategy meeting re Vista security with Symantec and McAffee? and that Apple actually shipped a virus for iPods on purpose? If Mini has this attitude, what does that say about the rest of Microsoft? Its no wonder Microsoft is under such governmental scrutiny in Europe and in the US. It is also no wonder (we) customers are really getting tired of all the managerial attitudes in the tech sector that smack of anything but serving your customers. ([sarcasm] Yes, I'm saying that Apple shipped worms on their iPods on purpose [/sarcasm]. Sheesh.)

Shall we stay broken - New comment on Ba-Da-????

Shachar Shemesh has left a new comment on your post "Ba-Da-????":

1998 - MS is convicted of violating anti-trust laws. One of the charges is preferential treatment for one OEM over another (similar size) by giving late access to APIs and new OSes.

2006 - MS employees (even some you may consider skeptics of company tactics) still think it's ok to withhold APIs from a major ISV merely because they don't like what that ISV is doing.

Progress is great.

Shachar

(Totally different. Shall we stay broken and vulnerable to satisfy companies addicted to our past lapses?)

You Light Up My Life - New comment on Random October Bits

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Random October Bits":

A room with a window auctioned

Don't believe it? Just go to //auction and see for yourselves.

A deep bow to the person who decided to make his room available for one year to one of the many employees working totally in artificial light!

My sympathy to those that not only work in artificial light but also share that not too big room with others!

A deep bow to Mini for critisizing the megalomania that rules Microsoft.

I cannot but compare the working conditions of those Microsoft employees with that of slaves. Seem too similar...

I cannot but compare the efficiency achieved during slavery and that of Microsoft. Seem too similar...

There's no clause in one's contract stating that they'd be required to work in a windowless room.

It is a wellknown scientific fact that living a significant portion of one's life deprived of natural light leads to sickness and depression.

Let's sue the people who decided to put half of their employees in these conditions.

(Let your resume set you free!)

Ballmer Butt Bandits - New comment on Random October Bits

"Forget about fixing Microsoft. You can't do it. Only the shareholders can do it, and that will require a major bloodbath in your top six layers of management. (Like, say, chopping it down to three layers of management, tops, and handing that screaming, chair-tossing cretin his walking papers, even if he is your biggest shareholder's only friend. Ballmer was never capable of running a taco stand, let alone a multi-billion dollar organization. He is the ultimate proof of the Peter principle.)" Is this the part where LisaB sends a disguised email sticking up for the guy who finally got her to take the HR job after her 1st three no's? (Shoulda hadda 4th one, Lisa!) Not sure why there would be many more "Ballmer Butt Bandits" out there; He really doesn't have a clue about the Live marketplace and that's where the company is going. Dropped ball on MySpace; never even picked it up on YouTube. Whaday gonna buy now, Steve? How about a bus ticket to Allentown. First class, of course. Time to let discretion be the better part of valor, Stevie Wonder-man, and get out of the way. Why not...you ain't leadin'; you ain't followin'. Now, git! Shoo! (I'm a fan of alliteration and all, but, geez. And SteveB, one-on-one, is pretty awesome to talk with. He gets it. It's just as you put more and more people into the audience your "gets it meter" starts reading lower and lower based on his performance.)

Who? New comment on Random October Bits

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Random October Bits":

"Why not find out who owns find.com or search.com and back up a dumptruck full of money? That's what it's going to take to get people to switch."

Why? I'll tell you why. Because the same nazis who make you type in "hotmail.com"... EVERY TIME... after your sign in name...are the ones who want you to -- make that ORDER YOU TO -- type in search.live.com or live.com.

What's amazing is that there is NO SINGLE PERSON spotting this crap at Microsoft. It's a culture of copying, much like the Japanese after WWII. Took them years to get a "soul". What's it going to take at Microsoft? Oh, that's right. They went and sold it, didn't they!

(eh, who?)

Tik Tok - New comment on Random October Bits

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Random October Bits":

"I can't wait to see the look on the faces of all those who bailed out of Microsoft when the going got rough, but who will now want a piece of the action once things take off. It will be poetic justice for those of us who toughed it out through the dark hours."

Dark hours! What dark hours? Your stock fell a bit? They took away your parking space, your towel? Yeah, you Softies really toughed it out! Nice job. You deserve more. like a piece of the action.

A piece of what action? There hasn't been any action at MFST in years. And, it remains to be seen if there's action to come! Zune? Hah! Live Whatever? Hah, Hah! Vista and Office, increasing at a decreasing rate.

You can only fiddle for so long and then...the flames will lick at your denial. Underneath all this, I'll bet you're petrified. Wish I could see the look on your faces. Burning through that $35 billion will keep the fire at bay, for awhile. Tick, tock.

To Sir With... New comment on Microsoft Internal Transfers Just Got a Whole Lot Easier

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Microsoft Internal Transfers Just Got a Whole Lot Easier":

Anonymous Answers “Sir”

Softies, are you see through this latest not nice posting of the Sir? I know experience with clever writers and here is one. Sir fools with my mind and truth. Is like twisting a babushka into knots. Her lies only make Mini better in our hearts. I explain more:

Sir gave first lie when I say, "If I were his/her manager, I'd either be pissed or figuring out ways to punish that person" (and leaving out what immediately followed that which was, “that's if I were the non-nurturing, political, back stabbing, the team is everything, knuckle dragging mouth breather, 93% of the manager ranks-type of manager”).

Lie was not including all that I said. In America, you call that “half truth”, I belief.

Sir then added to half truth when said, “All you are saying it that you want to take a personal revenge from an employee who is thinking of ditching your group. People do this quite rarely even in their personal life. If a girlfriend/boyfriend ditch, people simply move on.”

At this time, I say is hard to add a whole truth to a half truth and get all truth. Eh?

Then Sir looks to pile on what is now maybe to others quite truly and suddenly an evil writer me, with, “I can confidentally say you have no idea about the people in Microsoft. They are as good a people as you find anywhere else. Just look at the giving campaign this month.” Sir by some magic thinking, decides Microsoft people not good people in my mind. Now I look really bad and all starting from big half truth lie in beginning. I now asking Jesus for help. He say, “keep writing, Bubby.”

Finally, Sir, in the name of trying to build one whole truth, go one giant step more and say about me, “By reading your revenge feeling, may be Microsoft ditched you in the past or did not offer you a job. That could be a reason you are trying to malign good people here.”

I say, “Sir, what flavor Kool Aid do you drink? Microsoft be is last on my list because treats worker like me as, how you say, steerage on boat while so called partners eat well with captain. And…everybody in middle wait patiently for good captain to call them up for scraps from table. During all this, every person have sinking feeling for more than a day or two. Eh?

No, really Softies, only good reason to work for Microsoft, today, is taking ride on gravy train, or perhaps work for Mr. Ozzie, or maybe be partner with rake and millions in. Until that changes, I drive tractor in my field. Eh?

(Eh?)

Shill or Not IV - New comment on Microsoft Internal Transfers Just Got a Whole Lot Easier

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Microsoft Internal Transfers Just Got a Whole Lot Easier":

"Tsk, tsk... Unfortunate that dissenting positive voices are automatically labelled paid shills...

Mini, sir, what type of crowd do you really have here?"

Umm...that would be one that is FREE. One that speaks with the voice of MANY. One that can create an entire paragraph without using the word "sir", thus blowing their shaky cover.

Really sir, you should get rally some more "sir" troops to do your bidding. Your whining is starting to take on that of a shrew.

(For the sake of avoiding a wild tangent in the discussion here.)

Shill or Not III - New comment on Microsoft Internal Transfers Just Got a Whole Lot Easier

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Microsoft Internal Transfers Just Got a Whole Lot Easier":

"To Sir with Love"

Softies, do a "Find" on the word "sir", within this blog, skipping the first find which is "desire" and, using the Firefox browser -- of course -- you will discover something quite interesting: Tone, tenor and degree of language sophistication and insightful musings really, to me, indicate that the writer is...one and the same...throughout!

My point? Paid Shill. And, dear hearts, a very highly paid shill. And, one that shills that they are not a shill after they...well...shill (Cutting Room Floor)!

And, every shill response aims at the heart and soul and integrity of this blog and bloggers. Dr. Scott Peck in "People of the Lie" calls that...abject fear; fear of discovery because after all, it's hard treading water all the time to protect the lies.

Oh, and another thing, Softies. Do some internal sleuthing and do a "find" on the word "sir" in internal MSFT documents. Also, listen to those managers around you and above who use the formal "sir" in their conversations or writings. Indicates someone from a military family or, more likely, an uppper-middle to lower-upper class background.

Softies: "The truth shall set you free!"

(For the sake of avoiding a wild tangent in the discussion here.)

Shill or Not II - New comment on Microsoft Internal Transfers Just Got a Whole Lot Easier

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Microsoft Internal Transfers Just Got a Whole Lot Easier":

>> By Anonymous, at Sunday, October 08, 2006 1:21:49 PM

Jesus freaking Christ, anonymous. I'm not a native speaker either, but for the love of god take some lessons or something. "I'm not a native speaker" is just not a good excuse after 7 years at MS, particularly for a L65 employee. I could understand and forgive accent (I have one myself), but I immediately lose all respect to anyone who can't spell worth a damn, whether he's a native speaker or not.

(For the sake of avoiding a wild tangent in the discussion here.)

Shill or not I - New comment on Microsoft Internal Transfers Just Got a Whole Lot Easier

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Microsoft Internal Transfers Just Got a Whole Lot Easier":

>> You sir are a biased HR person. Give credit where it is due to mini. Mini raised the issues first when Dipetro was sleeping with his team of HR managers.

I am not affiliated with HR, sir, but I am admittedly biased. I am biased towards giving credit where it is due irrespective of the popular belief here. Microsoft HR has turned a corner, has made a good-faith effort to listen, and is acting to strengthen the organization. If you prefer to leave your head in the sand of conformity, that is totally your prerogative.

(For the sake of avoiding a wild tangent in the discussion here.)

Something a little like this - New comment on Microsoft Internal Transfers Just Got a Whole Lot Easier

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Microsoft Internal Transfers Just Got a Whole Lot Easier":

>> The paid shills are back. This posting is cloaked in "eastern european speak" type sentence structure, implying limited usage of the English language

Tsk, tsk... Unfortunate that dissenting positive voices are automatically labelled paid shills...

Mini, sir, what type of crowd do you really have here?

(You should really choose a moniker to go by. I know I asked people to be polite but this "sir" stuff is starting to creep  me out.)

Shill pill - New comment on Microsoft Internal Transfers Just Got a Whole Lot Easier

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Microsoft Internal Transfers Just Got a Whole Lot Easier":

> Paid Shill Part II

Sorry, sir, but you are mistaken. I love this company and act accordingly. You obviously do not.

Are you even an employee?

(A polite non-shill, at least. But this just isn't going in a good direction.)

Who, not if - New comment on Microsoft Internal Transfers Just Got a Whole Lot Easier

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Microsoft Internal Transfers Just Got a Whole Lot Easier":

Unbelievable. Is ANYONE running the ship there?

MSFT gives MVP award to Adware creator

(Offtopic. Yes, there is someone [well, several someones] running the ship here. The question is the course they are taking.)

Steve Jobs vs Ballmer + Gates - New comment on Rebuilding Microsoft in Wired Magazine

Arnold Ziffel has left a new comment on your post "Rebuilding Microsoft in Wired Magazine":

OK, Microsoftie Borg, you want Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates? No one's going to fight you for them.

For those posters who think Bill Gates is the next best thing to an Egg McMuffin...well, he probably is, but that just says something about the sad state of American fast food.

History is full of people who have made mounds and mounds of money, and I'm glad Mr. Gates is finally going to give some of his away. Perhaps he ought to reimburse the millions of people on earth who have suffered through BSODs, malware out the porthole, and other maladies foisted upon people by his "creations."

From what I gather, Steve Jobs, Jonathan Ives, et al., are motivated at least in part by the challenge to produce exquisite products, not to see who can make the grossest profit on products, which often resemble the debris field left after an F5 tornado.

Airbus has been taking huge hits in the aerospace world recently, due to the fact its latest product, the A380 Whalejet, is (gasp) more than one year late with further delays soon to be announced. And MS has spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $8,000 million to produce an operating system (Longhorn/Vista) that is YEARS late. That's roughly half of what Airbus has spent in developing what is to be the largest passenger aircraft yet produced. Holy schmoly!

And then there's the fact that Apple has had OS X out now for over 5 years, and it makes Windows look like it was made in the Paleozoic Era. I have to use Windows 2000 NT at work, and honestly, I'd rather be running Mac OS 7 on my old Mac SE than running the rubbish that is installed on my Dell.

I am grateful for the likes of Steve Jobs and the others at Apple, who strive for (and often achieve) greatness. Thanks to their efforts, I've not once lost any data, projects, etc. to malware on our Macs, and I get to work with computers that are stable, reliable, unobtrusive, and fun.

Granted, Mr. Jobs is not perfect--he just seems so when compared to Ballmer, Gates, and their minions.

(If I had a time machine, I'd go forward 25 years just to see what the post-Apple / post-Microsoft world is like.)