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Microsoft Launches 'Channel 9' Blog
Decaffeinated Jedi writes "As reported by News.com, Microsoft quietly launched Channel 9, a blog/discussion forum aimed at improving communication with outside developers, on Tuesday. Named for the audio channel that many airlines use to let passengers listen in on crew conversations during flight, Channel 9's creators state the following in a welcoming message: 'Five of us in Redmond are crazy enough to think we just might learn something from getting to know each other...Join in, and have a look inside our cockpit and help us fly the plane.'"
Let me preface this by saying that I'm not trying to sound snide or rude. That said, there are several things on the page that don't display properly in browsers other than WinIE, like Opera & Firefox, such as the top bar of the poll on the right. Fix that, and maybe I'll consider going back. Until then, not worth my time.
If you want to reach more folks: Can we instead talk to a developer who wants to talk about the best way of doing things, rather than someone whose job is to come up with problems where MS is the solution?
Maybe you have to be a pilot to fully understand what I mean.
No, I'm willing to bet that being a pilot in this case merely serves to overanalyze throwaway lines to the point of them not meaning anything any more.
Coming soon - pyrogyra
Why am I not surprised that the page you linked to didn't look right in Firefox?
If my answers frighten you, stop asking scary questions.
Did you notice #s 6 and 7 on thier "channel 9 doctrine"?
6. Don't shock the system. Lasting change only happens in baby steps.
7. Know when to turn the mic off. There are some topics which will only result in problems when you discuss them. This has nothing to do with censorship, but with working within the reality of the system that exists in our world today. You will not change anything by taking on legal or financial issues, you will only shock the system, spook the passengers, and create a negative situation.
Seriously, couldn't this have been handled by an additional group in the microsoft.* usenet hierarchy? Including automatic replication to servers all over the world -- for free...
They claim it isn't a marketting ploy, but right here, they paraphrase The Cluetrain Manifesto calling it the Channel 9 Doctrine. What a transparent grab for positive press. If they really wanted to "Learn by listening. When our customers speak, learn from them. Don't get defensive, don't argue for the sake of argument. Listen and take what benefits you to heart." Microsoft would have fixed the glaring security holes that the open source community has been pointing out for years a very long time ago. Instead, they keep opening up new ones.
Which is funny because at the same time they are talking about listening, they are also working on the next service pack for their flagship product, and the whole service pack is focussed on nothing but security. But of course, you won't count that since it would get in the way of your complaining.
I'd rather be lucky than good.
Are they really paid to sing all the day : "Microsoft is good and they are friendly" ?
Yes, that's basically what they do. Plus they try to convince people that their platform is cool and cutting-edge. Basically what every Linux user does for free (although often not very well). But to be fair, Apple's the one that started it as a paid position, and others besides (such as Be) did the same thing, so it isn't like Microsoft is doing something singularly evil in this regard.
How funny that they chose a commercial airliner as an analogy to their new "outreach" program -- I mean, you certainly wouldn't expect the pilots of an aircraft to be taking input from the passengers on how to fly the plane, would you? Exactly. Neither does Microsoft.
you must be a vfr pilot
Questions that arose after a brief visit to Ch.9:
1. Why would I "help them fly the plane?"
2. Why would I contribute *anything* to Microsoft(positive/negative comment, let alone code) - so they could turn around and eihter sell it or maybe even use it against me?
3. How much are Bill Hill and the rest of Microsoft alumni paid for their blog appearances and patronizing comments like "The most important operating system is not Windows"? (coming from a guy on Microsoft's payroll, this comes across as almost hypocritical)
4. What's up with dorky one-size-too small gray golf shirts?
Seriously, what is the point of Channel 9?
Oh yeah, and BeOS called and it wants its color scheme back.
In any case, I didn't go any further in the site. I didn't have the right plugins. For some reason I was expecting a blog, what I got instead was a colorful MTV-wannabe multimedia web site. I guess it's technically a blog, but it's certainly not my idea of a blog.
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Suttree, a weblog about casual games development
Not sure how you got interesting.
1. Bill Gates has been losing money. He is only worth 47 billion. If anybody remembers he was worth almost 90 billion a few years ago. He donates his money to his foundation, which frankly, is one of the best foundations.
2. Microsoft is hiring in the US, and aren't out-sourcing. However, IBM is laying off people left and right in the US to be replaced by Indian developers. But that's okay.
3. Microsoft hires a lot of Indian people and brings them to the US, along with people from Japan and China. A lot of them get their green cards and all of the US works pay taxes to the US government.
3. 70 billion? Actually less than that.
4. If you want to talk to the developers you can send them e-mails. Heck I'll respond =) but I won't be of any use for Windows.