Working at Microsoft, the Inside Scoop

bariswheel writes "Responding to the public interest, a long-time Apple and UNIX user/programmer, and a JPL/Caltech veteran, writes an insightful, articulate essay on the good, the bad, and the in-between experiences of working at Microsoft; concentrating on focus, unreality, company leadership, managers, source code, benefits and compensation, free soft drinks, work/life balance, Microsoft's not evil, and influence."

M$ != Evil

[Doc Squidly]

What??? You can't post a story about Microsoft being anything other than the Evil Spawn of Hell, sent to crush all who'd stand between it and the total domination of the world.

Don't they know? This is /.

I don't believe it.

[TooMuchEspressoGuy]

the good, the bad, and the in-between experiences of working at Microsoft; concentrating on focus, unreality, company leadership, managers, source code, benefits and compensation, free soft drinks, work/life balance, Microsoft's not evil, and influence.

Sheyah. They all say that until the chairs start flying.

Obviously an MS employee

[SQLz]

Service Temporarily Unavailable

You almost had me...

[mlheur]

Until I read the "Microsoft's not evil" part. This must be a hoax.

work and microsoft

[SolusSD]

I'm sure working at microsoft is a great career, running microsoft software is a different story.

Re:slashdotted?

[Anonymous Coward]

try copying and pasting the link into a different tab.

I use IE you insensitive clod!

Personal Freedom

[Billosaur]

Microsoft gives software developers a lot of personal freedom over both the work and the work environment. I order my own supplies, customize my office as I see fit, schedule my own trips and meetings, and select my own training courses. I choose when I show up for work and when I leave, and what to wear while I'm there. I can eat on campus or off, reheat something from home in the kitchen or scavenge leftovers from meetings. I can even work remotely from home (within reason).

Out of Office Reply: I'm not currently in my office, which is being rennovated to accomodate a swimming pool and a helipad, but am instead on a business trip to Hawaii, for a training course in pearl diving. Once I return to Redmond, I'll be happy to get in touch with you, after sampling the fine quailty pizza left over from the last meeting about Vista. Take care!

Re:suckup? twit?

[msblack]

Before you attack a person with Ad Hominem charges, check out his CV. The gentleman has more scholarly awards than a roomful of SlashDot readers:

Awards

2003 Microsoft Gold Star Award
2003 US/International Patent (Pending) 304064.1 Common Query Runtime System and API
2003 US/International Patent (Pending) 303845.1 Query Optimizer System and Method
2003 US/International Patent (Pending) 301638.1 Query Intermediate Language (QIL) Method and System
2002 US Patent 1911574.1 XML Views Over Relational Data Using XML Schema
1996 NASA Grant NRA-96-10-OSS-055, A Collaborative Environment for the Space Interferometer Mission
1994 Caltech Hinrichs Leadership Award
1993 Caltech Don Shepard Essay Contest Winner
1992 Caltech Robert Andrews Millikan Scholar (again)
1991 Caltech Robert Andrews Millikan Scholar
1990 National Merit Scholar
1990 Oklahoma Academic All-State
1990 Valedictorian, Midwest City High School
1989 1st in seven-state region, American High School Mathematics Exam
1989 Principal Mallet Percussionist, Oklahoma All-State Band
1988 Principal Mallet Percussionist, Oklahoma All-State Orchestra

Re:suckup? twit?

[Anonymous Coward]

You're right. I would never question the authority of a "Principal Mallet Percussionist", especially one who mentions it on his CV.

Just don't let this guy near a machine room...

Re:embedded in this message (not surprisingly)

[caffeination]

Yeah, except all the Microsoft bashing I see here at +5 is reasoned. The only time there are peasants and pitchforks is in the caricatures painted in comments like this.

Re:embedded in this message (not surprisingly)

[covertbadger]

(My elementary school principal used to tell me, "It takes two to make a fight!" What bullshit.)

The only reasonable response to this sort of nonsense is to punch the idiot in the face. At least you know they can't hit you back without incriminating themselves.

Re:Wow, you *nix blowhards crack me up...

[Anonymous Coward]

"Seriously, who do you folks think you are. Besides being, on the whole, the basement and server closet dwelling *nix geeks wearing sandals and shorts and playing MMPOGs or coding..."

You got that sterotype wrong. I'm sitting in a major corp office space with a red stapler, TPS reports, cubicals and all. And if you are not a POSIX type you must be that "other" blowhard type that cracks us up even more.