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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
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Hi guys, im looking for a key logger on android, like that for computers or a software that record all pushed letter of my keyboard.. there is an app called KidLogger that does this but sometimes it doesnt work, anyone know an equal application?
No. I'm against spying and password stealing, sorry.
If you are worrying about your spouse cheating (its probably your fault) or kids sexting (take the phone away from them), there is are more proper ways to deal with them.
Brb, there is a pair of crazy cats fighting outside my house.....
Sent from my SGH-T959
Thread Closed, due to it being a privacy issue. You may message me with any questions you have!
Basically the more Windows Phone users there are, the more apps are purchased, the more developers see Windows Phone as a worthwhile OS. It is best for all of us if Windows Phone gets huge.
Where am I going with all this?
On Hot UK Deals website, I searched for the keyword "Lumia" and I was shocked at the search results. Nearly all the entries are severely marked cold. Not too long ago they were naturally hot but all of a sudden all of them cold? Something is not right.
Two possible reasons:
1) Android or iPhone users are voting them all cold. Maybe some forum someone has suggested to make them all cold.
2) Could it be Google or Apple at play? Employing people to down vote anything related to Windows Phone?
I ask all Windows Phone users to please take a moment to visit the site and search for Lumia or Windows Phone and vote hot any of the results. We NEED a huge user base for developers and others to take the OS seriously.
Please!
To be honest, I don't see this as a surprise, nor as a conspiracy theory... Face it, from WP7 to WP8 the biggest changes in OS were the live tile size and multitasking.
Most of the issues that WP7 had, WP8 still has and it seems that MS doesn't even try solving them. And what about apps?
If you take a look at Skype on other mobile OS (iOS or Android), you'll see that it's a premium experience over Skype on Windows Phone,
but whose to blame for that?
Who knows what can we excpect when WP9 comes out... Maybe they will make tiles circle shaped, I bet they think that is what every user craves for!
P.S. No troll, no flame. Just plain simple facts.
with GDR3 comming out soon for better hardware and better screen resolutions, maybe everyone is waiting for the better phones. Windows Phones is slowly, but surely gaining traction. For every day use, you have to admit that Windows Phone is pretty solid.
aclegg2011 said:
For every day use, you have to admit that Windows Phone is pretty solid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I certainly agree with this, but is that enough to get Windows Phone rolling? For everyday user, who doesn't expect nothing advanced,
WP is definetly one of the best solutions on the market but MS has to do a better job to get to Apple and Android users.
What they're doing at this moment leads them nowhere and WP won't be getting anywhere near the top of the market ladder.
And yes, prices of WP handsets are going down and there's a little demand for them. If you don't trust me, try selling your Windows Phone...
Conspirancy? Really??
Maan, there's a reason why most WP fanboys are among the most delusional and plain out retarded.
You see a change in a random electronics website and the first thing you think about is a conspirancy? Really? You think Google would waste time on such a little website with little traffic just to cement his already stable position?
Apple??? Are you serious?? Apple is desperately trying to remain second in the mobile os world, and you think it has time to invest in such an operation?
Windows Phone is not attracting developers because of it's own limitations AND the user base.
If there's anyone to blame it's just Microsoft.
Thanks for your post toza but with all due respect what has your answer got to do with the op?
The op is about phones being voted down based on cost/value/deal and nothing to do with the OS or live tiles or apps. Someone somewhere is voting them cold deliberately in order to avoid new customers purchasing them.
Do you see what I mean?
tboy2000 said:
The op is about phones being voted down based on cost/value/deal and nothing to do with the OS or live tiles or apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes yes, I'm sorry if it sounded off topic. Please let me explain very briefly.
My personal opinion is that OS, app usability, level of customization etc., directly affect the value of product...
Therefore if the product value is low, customer is not satisfied with it and rates it bad.
Those are kinda the basics of marketing. It's the whole package that makes the product
I mean, no hard feelings, didn't mean to sound off topic
Taurenking said:
Conspirancy? Really??
Maan, there's a reason why most WP fanboys are among the most delusional and plain out retarded.
You see a change in a random electronics website and the first thing you think about is a conspirancy? Really? You think Google would waste time on such a little website with little traffic just to cement his already stable position?
Apple??? Are you serious?? Apple is desperately trying to remain second in the mobile os world, and you think it has time to invest in such an operation?
Windows Phone is not attracting developers because of it's own limitations AND the user base.
If there's anyone to blame it's just Microsoft.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The almighty has spoken.
Actually Samsung were guilty of something similar so it can happen. There is no other reason for these good deals to not just be voted cold, but freezing. I am a regular user on that website so i know the patterns the deals get. This is abnormal. Something is up.
Heaven forbid to ask you to vote hot is too much to ask.
The problem with developers is why should they develop for an OS that has less "customers" than Apple or Android? I doubt it is the phone's limitations. Money is where its at. This is my point. Let's make these deals more enticing to a newbie by fixing this petty down voting.
Hi there, I am not trying to troll here or anything like that... I am honestly curious about folks who would -or would not- work for a relatively boring company (in the IT sector) that pays between $45-60k. What I mean by "boring," is: the company does not have a physical office, it has no "culture," and your put to work at any one of its partner companies.
Please also indicate in your answer which category best describes you: (1) a college grad with an IT-related degree; (2) a high school grad with advanced IT skills and abilities; (3) a junior-level IT professional; (4) a senior-level IT professional.
I also expand this question to those who are not in the IT profession as well, so just replace where I say "IT" with the word "administrative."
Personaly I could not.
I'm in a (previously) small company which is growing fast. They are on the market for 10 years and need to build a new software for the next 10 years. I'm in the R&D team making this come true.
I know I could be better paid, but the challenge I'm facing and the trust of my managers is the more important. I'm a developer because I like coding, not because I want to get rich (of course, if I could have both...). The worst thing which could happened to me is getting bored.
So, definitive answer: NO!
---
And for my resume: I discovered coding when I was 14, and I do websites / webapps since 10 years (I don't know if that make me a junior or senior). I'm a lead dev of frontend developers.