When Software Leaks (and What Really Goes Down)

Bryant writes "The Windows community is somewhat notorious for leaks from upcoming versions of Windows (obligatory link to this guy since that's most of what he does), and while the official PR word from Microsoft and many other companies with regards to leaks is a simple 'no comment,' no one has really gotten a candid, inside look at the various things that go down when word, screenshots, or builds of upcoming software leak. I managed to get some time with a senior Microsoft employee for the sake of discussing leaks, and the conclusions reached (leaks heavily affect communication, not so much the product schedule) as well as what these guys actually have to deal with whenever someone leaks a build, breaks an embargo, etc. may actually be a surprise given what most companies try to instill in the public mind."

Comments

I always had the impression

[Presto Vivace]

the Microsoft leaks were a calculated way to build public interest in new products. But what do I know.

Re:I always had the impression

[Anonymous Coward]

I think they still are, this guy was talking about unplanned leaks, which would mean that there are also planned leaks.

Re:I always had the impression

[Foredecker]

I'm a relatively senior development manager in Windows and no, they are not calculated or deliberate. There is no super secrete leak committee. Leaks are a big hassle.

Re:I always had the impression

[SEWilco]

secrete leak

Heh.

Re:I always had the impression

[lukas84]

That's above your paygrade.

Re:I always had the impression

[Sir_Lewk]

There is no super secrete leak committee.

See, this statement is logically flawed.

If you knew about it, and told us it existed, then it would not in fact be "secrete" and thus not exist. Your absense of knowledge of this "super secrete" committee is similarly in no way prove of it's nonexistance. Furthermore, if the the committee does in fact exist and you are aware of it, then you denying its existance would be expected.

Re:I always had the impression

[larkost]

Never show a child or a fool a thing half-finished.

Then how exactly are we supposed to show management that we are actually getting something done?

Re:I always had the impression

[Anonymous Coward]

That's what PowerPoint is for. You have to speak to them in their own language (i.e. pictures and text so simple as to be inaccurate) ;)

Re:I always had the impression

[6ULDV8]

That's exactly what I'd expect the Secret Leak Committee to say.

Re:I always had the impression

[hairyfeet]

Or to bullshit the press and the competition when your product doesn't cut the mustard, see The yellow road to Cairo as an example. No matter what you think of MSFT you really have to give them credit, because their early 90s products compared to the competition (NextSTEP, OS2, even System 7) were really pretty shitty, but by throwing enough BS and a few well placed leaks with the press they made everyone think they had a super OS waiting in the wings just getting the finishing touches put on it.

To be able to kick the competitor's asses without actually having a product is pretty damned impressive in my book, and proves that in the right hands with careful planning leaks can be a powerful tool. What was it old Jack Trammell said? Business is war? Well it is pretty impressive to me to kick your competition off the battlefield by just the illusion of having the bigger gun.

Re:I always had the impression

[Nefarious Wheel]

That's what PowerPoint is for. You have to speak to them in their own language (i.e. pictures and text so simple as to be inaccurate) ;)p>

That's what PowerPoint is used badly for.

The best use is as a sort of wallpaper you use to give people a fixed visual link for the things you are saying. Think of it as an index to the stuff you want them to remember, a key phrase that your audience can use as an association for the stuff you want them to remember - you do the actual talking, the communicating. Use pictures a lot.

And if you really want people to remember, have popcorn popping or some other good smell happening, because the olfactory sense seems to be hardwired into wetware memory logic. (People buy more when they're hungry, too).

The worst use of PowerPoint is to use it as a way to present detailed information. Crowd the slides and you lose. A PP slide is something to talk about. It's no good trying to make it carry the whole message.

Oh, and use whitespace. Short messages are easier to read.

Re:I always had the impression

[dbIII]

It's not just the early 1990s - remember all the things that Longhorn was supposed to do and how it was going to be an OS X killer? What we actually got was Vista with it's main redeeming feature being eyecandy no better than we saw in the Enlightenment window manager back before Slashdot even existed, let alone what OS X was by the time Vista came out.

Re:I always had the impression

[cerberusss]

To be able to kick the competitor's asses without actually having a product is pretty damned impressive in my book

In my book, this is cold and calculated, and doing business in the cut-throat way. I hate it, because it can kill fledgling entrepreneurs with good ideas but no steady cashflow.

I think it's totally unethical. But then again, I probably won't get rich.

'Surprise'

[fridaynightsmoke]

Was the surprise the lack of surprises?

I would summarise that interview as "When builds leak they might be incomplete or old, and people may get a wrong impression of what the product will be like. This causes my phone to ring which is a pain in the ass"

No real surprises there.

Re:'Surprise'

[SilverHatHacker]

This causes my phone to ring which is a pain in the ass

I suggest you don't sit on it when it's set on "Power-vibrate".

You know

[Turzyx]

It's suprising how many times one person can, you know, say "you know" in one interview. For the record, it was 22 times, don't you know...

Re:You know

[poofmeisterp]

It's suprising how many times one person can, you know, say "you know" in one interview.

For the record, it was 22 times, don't you know...

Don't you know is from Minnesota, don't you know? :>

Re:You know

[poofmeisterp]

Try listening to people in casual unprepared (speech, not text) conversation. You'll be surprised how many nonsense syllables people use because their thought can't keep up with their speaking.

You know, sometimes things just make sense. You know? I mean, there are some things that I don't, you know, think a lot about, until, you know, I see a good comment on, you know, the issue I, well, you know, missed.

Good one, selven! :)

I have the opposite issue. Mind races, mouth tries to keep up. Words get dropped from the middle of sentences. ;)

Re:You know

[dubbayu_d_40]

As someone who often speaks publicly, I have trained myself to replace "ummm" with "you know." It works very well in verbal communication because it buys the speaker time and doesn't make either party uncomfortable or appear dumb. I guess it doesn't translate well to print, I'll have to remember that should I be interviewed.

Re:You know

[dj_tla]

It's common practice for a journalist to strip those nonsense syllables from an audio interview transcribed to text. Just sayin'.

Re:You know

[sixteenbitsamurai]

Minnesotans will vehemently disagree and tell you Canadians speak like that, then Canadians will turn around and cuss you out in French. Really though, nobody talks like that except old folks of Scandinavian descent and no one else in Minnesota does unless you are an asshole tourist looking to get your ass kicked. As a matter of fact, the actual "accent" or "dialect" we possess, or rather the lack of an accent or dialect, is often emulated by television and movie actors because the quality of our spoken English is the most clear and easily understood in the United States.

If you really want to make fun of Minnesotan speech, try slurring like a drunk. The town I grew up in, population not exceeding 2,000, has about a dozen bars. The town I live in now has about twenty, with over a dozen of those on main street, as well as three liquor stores on main as well, with a population of about 8,500 people. Drinking and driving isn't an issue around here, it's a competitive sport. So basically if you talk like you've had about a case of beer in one sitting, you'll sound like a Minnesotan, or rather, an Iron Ranger. Beyond that, we really don't have any obvious speech deficiencies, permanent effects of prolonged alcohol abuse notwithstanding.

Either way, I'm not so much proud of where I live (I'm really not) as much as I can't stand the ridiculous idea that everyone in Minnesota "speak like dat stupid woman from dat Fargo movie, oh ya doncha know. Uff da!"

Re:You know

[turing_m]

As a matter of fact, the actual "accent" or "dialect" we possess, or rather the lack of an accent or dialect

Yes, after all those thousands of years English has been evolving and mutating, it finally finds perfect expression without accent or dialect in, of all places, Minnesota, USA. Coincidentally, where you were born and raised. What are the chances? How lucky you are!

p.s. when your bridge gets fixed, consider a road trip.

Oh, THOSE leaks

[domulys]

It took me a few minutes to realize that we were't talking about memory leaks.

I've been spending too much time with Valgrind lately...

Leak concern?

[cpattersonv1]

It's odd that they would be concerned with the perception of quality in leaked software... Microsoft customers have come to expect the final release to be buggy anyhow. The only people who are going to install the leaked software probably wouldn't buy the final build anyhow.

weird tag line

[cliffiecee]

The header says "Aeroexperience Blog: The forums are over there."

That's not very catchy, it seems like some sort of advisory note, as if Windows enthusiasts were so clueless that-

<smug>Ah, I get it now.</smug>

Re:I don't believe the article.

[Foredecker]

I'm a relatively senior development manager in Windows. Your right, this sounds made up. If the anonymous person is a real MSFT employee, then it doesn't sound like someone from the core product group (COSD or WEX).

Windows 7’s biggest threat: journalists

[David Gerard]

As Microsoft's launch of Windows 7 continues to attract small amounts of attention, it today issued a plea through its network of objective opinion-shapers: Don’t let the journalists near it.

“We understand that many journalists use Macs,” said CNet marketing marketer Don Reisinger. “This means they necessarily suckle at the Satanic rear passage of Steve Jobs. We cannot countenance their bias and 'reality' leaks. Journalists are responsible for all those signs outside computer shops offering to replace Vista with XP. When was the last time you saw the entire technology field stop and wait for an announcement from any other company besides Apple? It’s so unfair!”

Smears and slanders also come from obsessive overweight nerdy Mac-using Linux geek troublemakers who run “benchmarks” and “tests.” “It’s horrifying leaks and bias from the ‘reality’-based community,” said ZDNet marketing marketer Mary Jo Enderle. “We understand that, just because Vista was 40% slower than XP and Windows 7 is the same speed as Vista, the nattering nabobs of negativism are already writing press releases condemning it as ‘not enough of an improvement’ - based entirely on unauthorised leaks of the official beta and RC. It’s so unfair!”

“Mactards are like concentration camp guards,” said Guardian marketing marketer Jack Schofield, “brutalising ‘I’m A PC’ users and” [This comment has been removed by a Guardian moderator. Replies may also be deleted.]

“The only reason Vista failed was because Microsoft planned for it to fail,” said Reisinger in an earlier ad-banner troll post. “It was a fantastically subtle double-bluff! They did the honorable thing in the face of the vile calumnies spread by Apple. It’s so unfair!”

Microsoft debuted Windows 7 on a new 17 Asus Eee Ultra-Portable Mini-Netbook with 8GB memory and a 2GHz quad-core processor. Battery life is up to twenty minutes in preliminary tests.

Real security slows things down too much.

[Kenja]

Real security slows things down too much, so companies get by with "good enough" and then get litigious if things go wrong.

Re:I don't believe the article.

[GigsVT]

I'm a relatively senior development manager in Windows.

Not any more!

Re:I don't believe the article.

[Sir_Lewk]

I think that the misuse of "your" shows that this post was entirely made up. If this slashdotter is a real MSFT employee, then it doesn't sound like someone from client performance team of the core product group.

Sorry, I just fail to see how overuse of the phrase "you know" signifies much of anything. You know?

Old news - leaking Windows since 1983

[linebackn]

It's not like Microsoft's "leaks" are anything new. I have even found references on old archived newsgroups to people discussing pre-release Windows 1.0 as early as late 1983 (although perhaps not "leaked" if they were meant to have it). Late 1983 was when Microsoft was promoting this vapor-ware product in magazines such as Byte in order to upstage the now forgotten VisiCorp Visi On and this little product about to be announced from Apple called the Macintosh. Of course it was not officially release until 1985. There is even a late 1984 pre-release still floating around.

Microsoft wants people to get their hands on their software. They make it available to developers, testers, and reviewers. And if they wave their hand to others and say "ah-ah-ah you aren't allowed to have that" then people start drooling over this tempting forbidden software rather than seeing it as just another pile of bits. It is an inexpensive way to produce publicity.

Re:I don't believe the article.

[Sir_Lewk]

I don't doubt it, I was simply pointing out the absurdity in his reasoning.

So what do we take away vis a vis open source?

[PCM2]

Compare to Linux, for example, where "leaking an unfinished build" is a total non-issue. Even expected, in fact. So whether the leaks are intentional or not, if they are a problem, then it sounds like they're a problem of Microsoft's own making.

My software doesn't leak

[noidentity]

I use Java, so my software doesn't have memory leaks.

gcc 2.96 - Re:So what do we take away vis a vis...

[sowth]

Sometimes it is a problem for Open Source. gcc "2.96" for example. A distro took an experimental version of gcc, called it "2.96" (the previous version was 2.95.x) and released it in their distribution. This version of gcc had a number of serious problems and incompatibilities with other versions of gcc.

This caused quite a few headaches. If you ever see a version of gcc marked 2.96, DO NOT use it. It is screwed up.

This is partly why I don't like to use distros who modify projects. Yeah, they may improve the crap script kiddie ones, or the ones written by universities where they are based on sound concepts, but were programmed by non-programmers--scientists and the like.

But, many of the very popular core projects are written by programming experts who are the best in their field. For example OpenSSL and Debian: did the maintainer really think he was more of a cryptography programming expert than the OpenBSD guys? No frakking way!

reasonable comments

[Slashed Dot]

you know, i really found this article to be educational also, because i've seen it before where someone will post a leak of some sort, a leaked build, or leaked screen shots, something leaked, and they will say 'wow look it's so rough man this will be the worst most horrible experience ever' or 'look they cut this essential feature out it will be horrible' or 'look how sloppy everything is!'. from what i read of this dev's statements, he sounds like me when i'm working on anything, from my car to my computer. if an outsider peeked in and looked at it all while i'm in the middle it may look really sloppy. dirt all over, parts strew right and left, half of it doesn't even work, and i myself am just sloppy and dirty. dust on my nose, smudges on my glasses, grease on my hands. it really presents the idea that i am just a slob and also that the finished product will be horribly broken.

of course, that is the not the case. i just need to get dirty and make a mess to get anywhere sometimes. i may wind up taking whole sections of my computer or car out and botching something together just to test something. it doesn't look good at all, but it's just part of the process. when i'm done, it will be functional. it will work. it will in fact even look nice, but i have my process to work in and if you step into that while i'm busy and you don't know what is going on in my head, you won't be impressed.

so please, save the hating on this dev for someone else. i'm glad he said something. it helps put these negative reviews of various Windows leaked builds (or WIP builds of anything really) in perspective. important things to realise i figure.

thanks, anonymous dev.

MS Leaks Disambiguation

[speardane]

I misunderstood....

I thought you were talking about "leaks" in products like Word (and other non-MS products) and XP "going down" - I find even with Word 2003 it was still safer to reboot every other weekend. Has this been fixed yet?

for the me the rest is all variations in marketing technique...