Another Belated Microsoft Memo

fiannaFailMan writes "Bill Gates has sent out another memo heralding the latest big development in the industry, as he sees it. This time it's web-based software using technology such as AJAX (that MS 'invented but failed to exploit'). The Economist says 'As in previous cases, what is new is not the idea itself, but the fact that Microsoft is taking it seriously.' Zach Nelson of NetSuite decided against writing a memo. 'Writing memos is cheap,' he says, whereas 'writing software is a whole lot harder.'"

Comments

AJAX and Comet

[bigman2003]

Personally, the whole AJAX thing is cool, and at the same time scary.

I'm a web developer, and right now I am really getting into the stride of making very good apps, very quickly.

With AJAX, the expectations will rise considerably. The development effort will go way up...all to do the same things we are doing now.

I know that this sounds stupid to a lot of you...but think about games. Better graphics increase development time and effort, but don't necessarily make a better game.

Soon, EVERY web app will need to be an AJAX app...even if it doesn't need to be.

The age of simple software is once again coming to a close.

Re:AJAX and Comet

[Skreems]

speaking as someone who has done (and enjoyed) both game development in c++/python and web work with php and javascript, let me be the first to say:

fuck you, buddy :-)


Really, it's not about making some gigantic labyrinthine application... it's about accomplishing the end goal for the user as quickly, efficiently, and correctly as possible. The web happens to provide some tools that enable massive return on very little code, but that doesn't mean that ALL those who work with it are unable to program larger systems, given a reason to do so.

Late to the race doesn't make Microsoft a loser.

[no_pets]

This isn't the first time Microsoft has been late to the race. They are the masters of catch up and making the most of what someone else pioneered.

Slashdotters are quick to laugh at Micro$oft, but Microsoft is the one laughing all the way to the bank.

Re:Memo

[tomhudson]

Writing memos is cheap,' he says, whereas 'writing software is a whole lot harder.'"

It's not cheap - its easy. He's writing memos now because, like a LOT of people who used to code, he can't write software any more.

This has happened to a lot of former coders - they hit a certain age, and they just can't see themselves writing code any more. They don't want to learn yet another language or 5. This doesn't happen to everyone (hey, I just pulled a 9-5 ... that's 9 AM to 5AM, and I'll be hitting the half-centry mark next year), but it does seem that a lot of coders are gone well before they hit 40.

You could probably divide coders into 2 groups - those who code because they can, and those who code because they're curious. The ones who code because they can, eventually, they can't.

But curiosity never stops. When you've been coding for 16 hours, and you figure you're all done, but it would be neat to "write a quick little program to write a program" (because programs that write programs are the happiest programs in the world), and you go and do it because you WANT to and you're curious as to how well its going to work out and you know you won't be able to sleep until you "scratch that itch" . . . if you're still doing that a couple of decades later, you aren't the memo-writing type.

This phenomenum (people peaking in their 30s and then they drop out) isn't limited to just IT. Look at how many "management types" simply can no longer do the grunt work in their own problem domains. They've lost their edge. Sure, they make up for it with experience, in a lot of cases, but there's no replacement for a sharp edge AND experience.