How Infighting Hampers Innovation At Microsoft 450
Garabito writes "Dick Brass, former vice-president at Microsoft, published an op-ed in The New York Times, where he states that 'Microsoft has become a clumsy, uncompetitive innovator' and how 'it has lost share in Web browsers, high-end laptops and smartphones.' He attributes this situation to the lack of a true system for innovation at Microsoft. Some former employees argue that Microsoft has a system to thwart innovation. He tells how promising and innovative technologies like ClearType and the original TabletPC concept become crippled and sabotaged internally, by groups and divisions that felt threatened by them."
Clippy! (Score:5, Funny)
'nuf said
Re:news flash (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Why innovate? (Score:5, Funny)
Actually, it's more like this...
1. Profit!
2. Try to exterminate competition
3. Realize it doesn't work against Google
4. Throw chairs
5. Litigate
6. Realize other products like Firefox are eating your market share, DESPITES your efforts to monopolize the market
7. Patent troll
8. Realize people aren't buying your FUD
9. Realize you have to GPL some of your products because they found out you plagiarized some code
10. Throw more chairs
11. Realize how the media are turning against you
12. Get back in the bandwagon
13. Fire Ballmer
14. Buy chairproof shields for your buildings
15. Innovate
or...
13b. Invest more in the XBOX dept.
16. Profit!
Re:So, competition is killing competitiveness? (Score:5, Funny)
It sort of worked out for her though, as she is now the Queen of Blades, leading an almighty Zerg armada across Terran space.
Re:I would guess... (Score:4, Funny)
Programmer: "Oh Hi, Mr. Balmer! Hey, I thought you might like this cool innovation we're working on for the next Windows!"
It's not "programmer", it's "developer" (the man likes that word).
Re:When has Microsoft brought us the future? (Score:0, Funny)
Well, let's see, considering the fact that practically every crash or problem I have in any one of my Windows virtual machines (you didn't think I'd run that trash on the bare metal did you?) can be traced to one .net program or another, I'd say calling C# (language design), VC# (the actual compiler), or CLR even mediocre is a monumental compliment.
Dotnet is pure shit. I wouldn't program a smiley icon pack in it. Sheesh, get off of your fucking high horse.
Walmart (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, my God, WalMart is hugely innovative! Its employees are always seeking new ways of wearing jeans badly so their ass cheeks hangs out or mangling the English language to a degree that I preferred Japanese! I had no idea that these innovations were driven by top down inspiration by the yellow smiley face...I thought he just whistled and hip-checked price tags. Wait a moment! His whistle IS hypnotizing!
Re:news flash (Score:1, Funny)
There isn't a "Steve Jobs" at the highest level to say, "We're all going to go along with this and, if you don't agree, there's a door over there with your name on it."
Man, how many people called "Exit" do work at Microsoft anyway?
Re:news flash (Score:5, Funny)
"there's a door over there with your name on it."
Ooooo! A private office!