Database Develop

A Brief Letter to Microsoft

Hi all. I've decided to try and make some future Microsoft product "my idea", so I've submitted the following letter to them via billg [at] microsoft [dit] com. I just wanted to know if you guys had any input.
Flaming is sure to happen, and while I won't argue with you, I will probably wish your firstborn child is used as a shot put.
Dear Microsoft,
Lately I’ve been bombarded with commercial after commercial showing random people (and their self perceptions) stating that Windows 7 was their idea for one reason or another. I’m not completely disgusted by these or anything, but it started my mind on one of those winding roads a character in a story might have to take to get home, or to the girl, or to the climax, or… well I guess that is kind of repetitious – but the point is, I started thinking about the variety of Microsoft’s operating systems and the history they’ve had – rather, our history together.
I’ve used just about everything Microsoft has created… I started my computer “education” by soldering a few broken parts back together on a Commodore 64 I found in a dump, and then learning BASIC on it (the BASIC on the Commodore 64 was a variant created and licensed by Microsoft). Right now, I’m typing this in Microsoft Word, on a laptop that has Microsoft Windows Vista, being distracted by a cellular phone that runs Microsoft Windows Phone 6.5.
That was a mouthful when I read it aloud.
But the reason for this letter is not so much a history lesson, but a worry of what is to come. It seems the goal over there the past few years is some cross between being different and being more like Macintosh, or Google, or insert company name here, and I’m here to state that I don’t like the transformation the publicists and tech news sites are ranting and raving about.
A few examples?
- Most recently must be the attempt to remove the clipboard features from my phone. I say “attempt”, because I am willing to bet that will be brought back, either by you or some developers out there.
- Office 2007’s menu structure looks like someone tried to “make it better” and ruined it.
- Windows Vista and Windows 7 both look like some kind of cross-dressing Microsoft product who was “supposed to be a Mac”.
What happens when you become so close to the competition that nobody can tell you apart? Developers and IT teams may not like parts of Windows, but they are able adjust most of what they don’t like to work for them. If this path continues, and all of the contenders out there do the exact same thing, you’re really shooting yourselves in the collective foot by taking away your uniqueness.
I guess what I’m really trying to say is “different” does not equal “better”. Get back to your roots and make something that your current audience will buy. Put them above the “new customers” you’re trying to reach. It’s the same error that many companies make nowadays – neglecting the long time customers for some new ones. You end up losing great customers that way.
See, I am a man. There’s an expression stating that men marry women expecting them to be the same, and women marry men expecting that they’ll change. I feel like Microsoft is giving in to the women out there – the ones who complain about it being too hard to use or not pretty enough – and we have enough of that already. I’m not trying to hate on women out there, but maybe the movie Team America explained it best… something about assholes, dicks, and ******* (I won’t go into it, but watch the movie if you need an explanation). What we need is for Microsoft to be a **** again.
Good luck and happy creating,
(Name Removed)
P.S. This email was sent using Microsoft Outlook.
Thanks in advance for any feedback,
Drunk

oooh nice
so did they reply back and what did the email say?
anyway nice letter

no replies yet, but I just sent it last night.

Mad props for Team America reference =P

the whole my idea is just a commercial not a real deal imho
http://gizmodo.com/5477384/windows-7-was-my-idea-but-to-be-fair-i-dont-know-what-im-talking-about

I don't doubt that it is just a big marketing gimick, but I wanted to explain that it looks like they are listening to people's ideas - just the wrong ones.

I'm waiting for them to show the ads on TV which make the claim that W7 has fewer clicks so I can report it to the ASA.
Starting a program like solitaire with the mouse is either the same number (if you don't mind a 2 second wait) or one more click than XP/Vista.
As for getting to the network card properties that's a heck of a lot more clicks than Vista or XP.
W7 has some very well thought out features, but unfortunately it's got more that just aren't.
I hate MS for putting me in a position where I have to say I prefer Vista! Damn them! Damn them to Hades!
WM7 looks awful, and the restrictions they're putting on it make no user or business sense.
Office 2007 is appauling, what were they thinking? Why make an application which users have to refer to google in order to complete simple common tasks?

Don't expect a reply, Drunk, at least something that isn't just generically polite and thanking you for your thoughtful input.
You blended good points that resonate with much of their shrinking user base, made up partly by people who have no idea they're running Microsoft and also in part by people who are obsessed with modifying them, with that bit on genitals. They're not interested in us anymore, nor would they want to add a lot of attention to your letter by giving you something from them to paste on and spread around. They want to intercept people from buying the other phones with no regard to who's already buying their own phones, and you can't really blame them considering how fast they're still falling (down 4% last quarter) toward obscurity.
Just to offer myself as an example of others reading what you just posted and what may be on their own minds, considering I made two websites about the damn thing, I'd say I was a bonafide WinMo fanatic, one of the last expected to say adios, but I just did, a Nexus One, and not only will I continue to love and go nuts with it I will attempt to take others with me. It's brewing right here on XDA, the place you'd think would be the haven mainly for people who like to do what can mostly only be done exclusively with WinMo phones.
Actually I read this by mistake, forgot to get rid of all my WinMo rss feeds on Google Reader to which my phone's synced. Good read though, glad you posted it. So thanks.
But no matter how much rabble you rouse here nor what signs you wave in front of their Seattle office you won't stop this train, the general direction of which they've made it clear that they are taking with WP7 being mostly the opposite of what a lot of us want. They can't please everyone and they'd rather please would-otherwise-be customers of their competitors even at the expense of estranging themselves from part of their existing customers. On the bright side, in addition to there being other options (specifically the one I took), they claim they'll keep supporting existing versions of WinMo for at least a while, though not forever on new devices I don't think which will have unique hardware that if I heard correctly won't even have removable storage, not to mention any support for decentralized application distribution. You don't like the sound of what's coming but what's coming is in their opinion good for business and I suppose mine too. When you're already failing at this rate in such a critical time of penetrating a huge market with enormous potential that will be realized further and further every day, it's hard to come up with a dumb idea on how to do things differently. Not to mention I've seen quite a few extremists shrug off each new bit of bad news saying Whatever I'll still try it, and once they do, then Microsoft has got them for at least a long enough period of time to figure out how to keep them hooked while they intercept little bits of business from the others. Right now they're handing business away. It's a joke.
Making sure the likes of you and others on sites like XDA remain happy customers as they implement these drastic changes to their mobile operations is not high up on their to do list.
Just sayin'.
Doug

Can't say I don't agree with you on most of that. I honestly don't expect much of a reply... at most a blanket letter or something like that. I've also been working my way to other vendors. I've got some android variant on my TP2 now and Ubuntu on my laptop (both still dual boots, but it's a step that direction). I just didn't want it all to happen without my 2 cents' worth being thrown at them.
Thanks for stopping by.

I hear you man, I'm all about ranting. This and this in particular. Also this.
Take a look at that and mobilitydigest.com (basically the same with a less weird domain), you'd make a great writer. Perfect style, perfect background (impressive by the way), perfect fire in your belly. We can't yet offer you money but what we can give you is an audience. Let me know.

"but I wanted to explain that it looks like they are listening to people's ideas - just the wrong ones."
yeah with the whole win phone 7 seeming like being a copy of the features of org iphone sure sounds like they are getting bad advice

Anyone here in the I.T Field?

Hey guys, I just had some quick questions for anyone here that may be in the I.T field..
Im 23 years old and ive decided to go back to school.. so currently im working on an Associates Degree in I.T and trying to get my certs out of the way (CCENT, CCNA and CompTIA A+) But im not going to stop here... computers are a HUGE interest of mine.. I plan to continue on for a bachelors degree in I.T and possibly even a masters after that..
Basically for anyone in the field, do you like what you do? Do you find it interesting? How is the starting pay rate? I live near a major U.S City (NYC) And dont mind commuting back and fourth into the city for work... I was HOPING to start out making 50+ a year with just my associates and certs.. is this being unreasonable?? Someone told me that I.T professionals only start at like 30 grand a year which seems pretty scary to me
My ultimate goal is to be a Database Administrator and run / manage a companys servers / network, however I dont expect that with an Associates, most likely a bachelors+ would be needed??
Basically if anyone has any info about the field that theyd like to share with me, im open ears becaue im extremely interested in this career and any insight would be appreciated.. thank you

I would love to give you some advice, but I mainly work in the S.H.I.T fields
Scent phrum mie fone!

I have a Bachelor of Engineering in IT. There's such a vast range of areas in IT, that there's always something different or exciting, depending on what you like.
But regarding salaries...doesn't matter what qualifications you have, it's experience that people want, so yes you'll start pretty low if its your first real job in IT, unless you get lucky.

I have done quite a bit of studying for the career because I want to get into it myself. But usually the minimum requirement is a bachelors degree in that field. The starting salary for where I live is 80k which is a lot more than 30k if you ask me haha It's a wide career of choice and you'll always be needed somewhere. Just make sure you keep learning.

the_scotsman said:
(snip)
But regarding salaries...doesn't matter what qualifications you have, it's experience that people want, so yes you'll start pretty low if its your first real job in IT, unless you get lucky.
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+1
In my experience, it is better to know that most sysadmins don't document their fixes because IT support is very often undermanned. That's why my boss was very glad that I have some IT background (for some basic troubleshooting at least) and can take quite a load off my company's IT department (combination of cluelessness, lack of cutting edge knowledge AND turnaround time).
Another thing you might find frustrating is that users=stupid. Unless they are smart, then they try to be too smart and you'd get more interesting cases
Last but not least:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/odds/bofh/

As somebody who has been in IT for 13 years. (Holly Crap~!) I would suggest getting a job now. Doesn't matter where who why what and when you need experience. When I hire people I first look at their resume and look for progression. If they are just starting out that isn't as big of an issue. I then look at the descriptions of their jobs, I and most other Managers or Directors are fairly good at detecting BS at least in my experience. I then look at certifications, and this goes back to progression. If you got an A+, and a bunch of other certs in 2000, that isn't nearly as appealing as somebody who shows progression but doesn't have as many certs. Last I look at what if any degree's they have. In the interview I require people to take a simulated test, if it is a basic tech, then its a basic test. For a Network Admin they better be able to console into a switch and find and fix a vlan problem. I don't know how common this is in the industry but it blows me away how many people appear to have the skills required for a position and then fail to do the most basic of tasks for the job they are applying for. This is where experience is KEY! For the most part I don't value a degree, some do but I find that most of the skills required to be successful come from personality and experience.
Also there are TONS of different categories/specialties in IT, Most DBA's don't actually know much about infrastructure, etc.
And then beyond all that different industries have different demands for IT. For instance I worked in the dot com era eCommerce industry for a while, then in the construction (Architectural), and now in healthcare. If you have experience in a particular industry outside of IT I would suggest trying to get into IT in that industry.
I hope all of this helps.
PS For a specialization I recommend virtualization. I had to take my Resume down from careerbuilder because of all the people contacting me based on my VMware / HyperV Experience. I like my job now and don't plan on moving but there seems to be a high demand for that now.

job experience and certs and probably in that order. Degree's in IT are about as useful as coasters, job experience and core competency is what matters and you get almost none of that from a degree

Software developer here with a BENG in Computer Communications - Degree + experience = the big bucks but still depends what area you go into, currently looking at £30k + (UK) with a 2:1 and 3+ years experience for programming but it's only going up from here.
Love what I do gets stressful at times but you just need to find an area you enjoy and stick with it.

sakai4eva said:
+1
Another thing you might find frustrating is that users=stupid. Unless they are smart, then they try to be too smart and you'd get more interesting cases
]
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I'm a sysadmin. This comment is my bread and butter for advice

I'm a software developer in england. Primarily self taught and no real qualifications to speak of.
Experience trumps qualifications in my experience.

App developed

I have what I think is a great idea for an app but no clue what to do with it. I'm by no means a programmer or even that great with computers. I've done some searching and there doesn't seem to be an app like this. Any help is greatly appreciated. From what someone told me on another forum it could be complicated. If your up for a challenge hit me up and I'll tell you the idea.

programmers don't program for free - so you'll need to offer some $$$ if you want to retain the copyright - in an ideal world. and if it's commercially viable, your idea will be taken and sold. simple as.

If a talented programmer wants to message me, we can talk numebers.

I need a developer to tell me what it would run to build this app.

Depending on what it does I might be able to help. PM me with the details and we can talk from there. The main reason I'm asking you to PM me is because, as I said, I might be able to help, I'm not a super-programmer but I do what I can.

you may want to also give a hint about what type of app it is - messaging, phone, map related etc. that way a programmer with those skills would be able to contact you. though really, most of the good ideas will have been done by now! maybe your idea hasn't for a reason

What platform is this app?

Also, are you sure there's not already an app that does what you're thinking?

Ok so what the hell. Here's the idea.
Everyone dreams of winning the lottery so how about an app where you've won the lottery. However you win doesn't matter because the fun starts after your "numbers" come up. Let's say you win 100 million. Now you get to start spending it. You could also invest. It either grows or dwindles. You could also have all kinds of marketing involved from Ferrari to Neiman Marcus anywhere people spend money. There should be options to buy houses in all kinds of locations. Maybe the background that shows your money status could be animated while the items you shop for are real. Like got to Realtor.com and buy a dream house. You can buy cars or give money to relatives. Anything you might do with your winnings.
I think it'd cool to see what people would do if they won the lottery. Maybe there is an option to take friends on vacation and buy them cars. It'd be interesting to see how fast the money goes. Say you bought a house and cars. Then a certain percentage of the purchase price would determine the upkeep of said houses or cars. So every month a percentage gets deducted from the winnings. Of courses taxes too since we all enjoy that. What do you think?
So there it is. Please don't steal my idea! Honor system people.

Its quite simple to program, really. Like most videogames, content is where it gets complicated. You have absolutely no game yet. You need to really pin down the design, how the game is ACTUALLY going to work; beyond your basic idea there. Then you'll have to design the interface, gather/generate the audiovisual content, adapt it, figure out licensing issues, etc. It goes on and on.

CptAJ said:
Its quite simple to program, really. Like most videogames, content is where it gets complicated. You have absolutely no game yet. You need to really pin down the design, how the game is ACTUALLY going to work; beyond your basic idea there. Then you'll have to design the interface, gather/generate the audiovisual content, adapt it, figure out licensing issues, etc. It goes on and on.
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I'd actually like to learn

You can try freelancing portals like freelancer.com, elance or odesk...

CptAJ said:
Its quite simple to program, really. Like most videogames, content is where it gets complicated. You have absolutely no game yet. You need to really pin down the design, how the game is ACTUALLY going to work; beyond your basic idea there. Then you'll have to design the interface, gather/generate the audiovisual content, adapt it, figure out licensing issues, etc. It goes on and on.
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I tend to agree the idea is only a fraction of the battle... there are numerous ways you could put that idea into practice. Problem with a game is that if you want to mix it with the big boys and make mega bucks it is going to take forever to code and even more money to produce.
If you want to make it simple then you face the problem of people not being interested because of its simplicity. Games generally work best on a PC platform due to the extra screen space / processing power to deliver the graphics and deliver the rich content experience.
If you want to deliver it on a mobile device you will need to scale your expectations accordingly. Can you still get a decent game with limited screen space and HDD space? Hard to say, but it will take a talented programmer...

If you wanted to port a copy of that old classic “Street Rod” across to a mobile device I would be interested in a copy

The tutorial within android sdk page would be a good start point.

I figured it was way beyond my skill level. And you're right, the idea was the simple part it seems.

Advice needed: starting an IT career

Hi Folks,
Going through a time in my life when I want to change directions. With all the brilliant folks on XDA who are honest and experienced and most importantly not going to get kickbacks from doling out good advice, I wanted to ask what you think is the best way to begin an IT career.
Some background about me: I am, for worse or better, in my late 30s which is well older than the average for this kind of thing I'm sure.
My jobs background is mostly in office admin but the emphasis has shifted more and more to the technological. That is I have found myself in the e-business world over the past decade almost exclusively, so I have been in the middle of working with other types of IT employee who are more like I want to become: the architects of apps and systems.
I'm very intelligent, a quick and open-minded learner. The strange thing is when I was young I programmed BASIC with great ability on Apple IIe's and Atari PCs, but "grew away" from that and now of course want it back.
I find myself with definite ideas of apps I want to develop and knowledge I want to absorb but need the know-how and a chance to prove myself. Particular strengths I think I have that others don't is a strong sense of design, better "people skills" than the average geek and maturity (a nice way of saying "I'm freaking old, dude," heheh).
Anyway, narrowing it down the career paths that sound good to me they include Computer Applications Software Engineering and/or Computer Systems Analyst. At least for now.
What I'm trying to avoid is the often scummy education industry from soaking up thousands or tens of thousands of dollars from me to learn what's mostly unnecessary. I've been through that once. While some certifications, degrees etc. are good and necessary I know I also know that nothing beats real-world experience.
So please, any ideas from the people who have lived it and been "in the trenches" about how to begin the path would be much appreciated. Maybe this thread could even be helpful for others who are going through the same process.

DroidApprentice said:
Hi Folks,
Going through a time in my life when I want to change directions. With all the brilliant folks on XDA who are honest and experienced and most importantly not going to get kickbacks from doling out good advice, I wanted to ask what you think is the best way to begin an IT career.
Some background about me: I am, for worse or better, in my late 30s which is well older than the average for this kind of thing I'm sure.
My jobs background is mostly in office admin but the emphasis has shifted more and more to the technological. That is I have found myself in the e-business world over the past decade almost exclusively, so I have been in the middle of working with other types of IT employee who are more like I want to become: the architects of apps and systems.
I'm very intelligent, a quick and open-minded learner. The strange thing is when I was young I programmed BASIC with great ability on Apple IIe's and Atari PCs, but "grew away" from that and now of course want it back.
I find myself with definite ideas of apps I want to develop and knowledge I want to absorb but need the know-how and a chance to prove myself. Particular strengths I think I have that others don't is a strong sense of design, better "people skills" than the average geek and maturity (a nice way of saying "I'm freaking old, dude," heheh).
Anyway, narrowing it down the career paths that sound good to me they include Computer Applications Software Engineering and/or Computer Systems Analyst. At least for now.
What I'm trying to avoid is the often scummy education industry from soaking up thousands or tens of thousands of dollars from me to learn what's mostly unnecessary. I've been through that once. While some certifications, degrees etc. are good and necessary I know I also know that nothing beats real-world experience.
So please, any ideas from the people who have lived it and been "in the trenches" about how to begin the path would be much appreciated. Maybe this thread could even be helpful for others who are going through the same process.
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The way I see it, you have 2 major options.
1. Get a degree and learn to code
2. Learn to code on your own, and screw the degree
If you're more interested in the 2nd option. Check out this link. The prof is great, it's basically a Java class for beginners. But at AcademicEarth, you'll also find other more advanced courses. It really is a terrific resource.
http://www.academicearth.org/courses/programming-methodology
Best of luck!

Thanks! I know many people are self-taught and some of the best may even come from that background. I'll check out that resource and try to absorb as much as I can. It might help me clarify for myself what help I need.

Don't forget good old fashioned Mathematics.
If you think you left all that behind in High School, think again, and brushing some of the rust off it will never go amiss. In fact, stuffing as much of it into your brain as it will stand, is not such a bad thing.
Sometimes it lets you see a much better/faster way of doing something.
Books out of the library, or even articles on Wikipedia are a start, and gratis, and you can go at your own pace until it sinks in.
Good Luck!

stephj said:
Don't forget good old fashioned Maths.
If you think you left all that behind in High School, think again, and brushing some of the rust off it will never go amiss. Stuffing as much of it into your brain as it will stand, is not such a bad thing.
Sometimes it lets you see a much better/faster way of doing something.
Books out of the library, or even wikipedia are a start, and gratis, and you can go at your own pace until it sinks in.
Good Luck!
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Excellent point! Binary/Octal number systems. Matrix math. Boolean logic and decision trees...all built on basic concepts that too many have long forgotten.

I think of myself as a predominantly "right brained" person (and am a southpaw to boot) but math and me get along OK and in some ways better than we used to. Higher math is actually in some ways better than lower since I can tend to the abstract. Thanks again.

Hey!

Just recently started using this website to get to know how to root, twrp, all that good stuff for the first time and the support I have had has been amazing and the community seems really active like I litterally got a reply to my comment in under 10 mins after posting it don't even remember the last time that happened all in all happy to be here

Welcome to xda.
Good to hear you are enjoying xda.
It is a very active site and normally someone can give you an answer or help find one.
Glad to have you part of the xda family.
Cheers.

Yes it was quite the learning experience, I had to use the knowledge I had learned through the years to actually conceptualize how to deploy a defense and anoffense. DESPITE HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT NOW: I would never put anyone else hrougu that though. These days we've become, as a society, very dependent on our technologies, I'm some cases if you don't have access or knowlefhe of the most basic components, it could cost a meal, or where you lay your head at night. Let's see, I lost 4 smartphones, 2 tablets, half my hair went grey, the other half just gave up and fell out, and it cost me 2 job opportunites that will not be around in my near future. Having the knowledge of technology is great, having the wisdom, the experience in wether to deploy it, or make it what it's for are two different beast, I think people initially don't feel that there hurting anyone by using technology to get back at them, but if they put themselves in the shoes the person is about to walk in, is the punishment balancing what it will cost them in real life because of the lost communication, job, or relationship? Just because it's not a knock out drag out fight doesn't mean it won't sting

So essentially what I am saying is that it has become the right hook, body slam, forrgose that can't actually do that to someone, but there is a degree of social responsibility, that needs to be assessed. If I deploy a hijacker virus on someone because they said something I didn't like, and that person supported their family with Uber, depending on how long I kept the hijack up I might just help that dude get an eviction, no technology, no phone, no way or getting fares, etc, etc.....