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How Microsoft Develops Its Software

crem_d_genes writes "David Gristwood has a post on his blog that notes '21 Rules of Thumb - How Microsoft Develops Its Software', on which he will elaborate at TechEd in Amsterdam next week. It was derived from interviews with Jim Mccarthy, also of Microsoft. Gristwood: 'As someone who has been involved with software development for over two decades, the whole area of how you actually bring together a team and get them to successfully deliver a project on time, is one worthy of a lot of attention, if only because it is so hard to do. Even before I joined Microsoft, ten years ago, I was interested in this topic, having been involved myself in a couple of projects that, I shall politely say, were somewhat less than successful.' Tips include such features as 'Don't know what you don't know.'; 'Beware the guy in a room.'; 'Never trade a bad date for an equally bad date.'; and 'Enrapture the customers.'"

10 of 816 comments (clear)

  1. Enrapture the customers by ideonode · · Score: 5, Funny

    Enrapture the customers

    Shouldn't that be shrink-wrapture the customers?!

    1. Re:Enrapture the customers by amightywind · · Score: 4, Funny

      Enrapture the customers

      He means to say "capture the customers."

      --
      an ill wind that blows no good
  2. Re:Microsoft develops software by strictnein · · Score: 4, Funny

    With its eye's closed...

    Come on... you got the correct form of "its" but you screwed up on the plural form of "eyes"?

    You can do better...

  3. Re:My post by tlhIngan · · Score: 5, Funny

    I never thought "too much money on hand" is a problem, at least to me. It usually is the other way around.

  4. The REAL story by revery · · Score: 4, Funny

    All we know for sure that is that when Microsoft needs a new product, Bill Gates goes into his High Tower of Closed Sourcery with 15 sheep, Steve Ballmer, a technology company with an established product, and an Enya CD.

    When he emerges, two months later, the new MS product is ready for market, the sheep have been trained as VP's, and the technology company is dead.

    --
    http://www.livejournal.com/users/gymbrall/

  5. How MS makes software by IWantMoreSpamPlease · · Score: 4, Funny

    is much like how sausages are made:

    Best not to know how.

    --
    So rise up, all ye lost ones, as one, we'll claw the clouds.
  6. Re:Worth considering... by gyratedotorg · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't think anyone would stoop so low as to say they put out the WORST product out in the market.

    well, ill say one thing. microsoft's windows me was definately one of the best operating systems around when it came to drawing white text on top of blue backgrounds.

    --
    Gyrate Dot Org - "Where high-tech meets low-life"
  7. Re:Zero defects my ass by MarkGriz · · Score: 4, Funny

    "NT 4 shipped with 65K defects?"

    There were probably more, but they rounded down to avoid the "integer out of range" error in their bug tracking software.

    --
    Beauty is in the eye of the beerholder.
  8. Re:Professionalism by xanadu-xtroot.com · · Score: 4, Funny


    Humans were not meant to sit in cubicles all day long, Michael.

    --
    I'm not a prophet or a stone-age man,
    I'm just a mortal with potential of a super man.
  9. Re:Portability is for canoes? by FuzzyBad-Mofo · · Score: 4, Funny

    Say, what kind of music do you play at this bar?

    Oh, we have both kinds, Country and Western!