Restart: Microsoft in the age of Satya Nadella(wired.com)
wired.com
Restart: Microsoft in the age of Satya Nadella
http://www.wired.com/2015/01/microsoft-nadella/
11 comments
I don't know how much of it has been Nadella, but I've been impressed by everything I've heard about Microsoft the last few months - open sourcing .NET, adopting new platforms, this holographic tech and the free Windows 10 upgrade. If this is anything to go by, Nadella is going to do great things at MS.
Most of it sounds like run-of-the-mill new products to me. Might be good, might not. Unlikely to make waves in either case.
The open sourcing of .NET is the real news and as far as I'm concerned, the jury is still out on what that actually means for the world. Don't know about you, but I'll be sticking with JVM langs until I see a CLR for OSX on MS's download page.
The open sourcing of .NET is the real news and as far as I'm concerned, the jury is still out on what that actually means for the world. Don't know about you, but I'll be sticking with JVM langs until I see a CLR for OSX on MS's download page.
If anything, Nadella presents a vastly different attitude from MS than the previous CEOs. For one thing, I haven't seen the incredible arrogance towards other companies and technologies that MS has had in the past. Such as when Ballmer promised to kill linux, and called open source software a cancer. Now MS is open sourcing a lot of software.
Another thing that Nadella is doing is pushing new technologies and ideas which is not usually seen from MS. As the article mentions, MS was usually playing catch up or me too. These are promising changes, but still, because MS has been a fierce competitor who pretty much screwed over a lot of their partners and other companies that they've done business with, they became one of the most feared companies in the tech field. I'm left with the sense of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe one of the reasons for that is the way MS pushed Windows 8 and their tablets. I've seen the corporate speak and boosterism that their people have been spouting when it first came out. Although it was still under Ballmer's reign, they are recent enough to make me wonder how quickly MS people can change under Nadella. Or if they'll even change. Nadella needs to make a huge impression to both the public as well as to MS employees if he's going to really change the culture and business practices of MS. In summary, Nadella seems to be the best person to do this job.
Another thing that Nadella is doing is pushing new technologies and ideas which is not usually seen from MS. As the article mentions, MS was usually playing catch up or me too. These are promising changes, but still, because MS has been a fierce competitor who pretty much screwed over a lot of their partners and other companies that they've done business with, they became one of the most feared companies in the tech field. I'm left with the sense of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe one of the reasons for that is the way MS pushed Windows 8 and their tablets. I've seen the corporate speak and boosterism that their people have been spouting when it first came out. Although it was still under Ballmer's reign, they are recent enough to make me wonder how quickly MS people can change under Nadella. Or if they'll even change. Nadella needs to make a huge impression to both the public as well as to MS employees if he's going to really change the culture and business practices of MS. In summary, Nadella seems to be the best person to do this job.
I'm just glad MS resisted any temptation to go with true and tried leadership in the form of Bill Gates in an attempt to replay Apple's success story. The only thing I would have asked is that they had done this sooner -like after the Vista fiasco or the aborted attempt with the Courier... But retrospect is 20/20. Now to see if eBay can find leadership in the same vein.
None of those things were started under Nadella's leadership.
Everything I hear from friends at MS was positive (atleast until they shuttered the lab in Mountain View). More than anything else the rise in morale among Softies has been almost unbelievable.
Steve Ballmer hurt Microsoft in many insidious ways that may not be visible in the numbers - but hurt Microsoft he did. I once had the opportunity or misfortune to hear him speak about the cloud (~2011) and it was clear to everyone there that he had no-firckin idea what he was mouthing about - it was cringe-worthy. He was the epitome of Hubris & Cluelessness.
Satya seems to be making the right moves embracing open source, making MS office for tablets, Windows 10 for free upgrades, Substantial investments in Azure, A new Device focus - I heard the Microsoft Band team were given a Blank slate and told to go nuts (mostly).
There seem to be a number of other interesting things brewing...
Steve Ballmer hurt Microsoft in many insidious ways that may not be visible in the numbers - but hurt Microsoft he did. I once had the opportunity or misfortune to hear him speak about the cloud (~2011) and it was clear to everyone there that he had no-firckin idea what he was mouthing about - it was cringe-worthy. He was the epitome of Hubris & Cluelessness.
Satya seems to be making the right moves embracing open source, making MS office for tablets, Windows 10 for free upgrades, Substantial investments in Azure, A new Device focus - I heard the Microsoft Band team were given a Blank slate and told to go nuts (mostly).
There seem to be a number of other interesting things brewing...
> Satya seems to be making the right moves embracing open source
Let's not get carried away. You can't say "Embracing" when only very few of their products or libraries are actually Open. They are still a business massively based on DRMs and Proprietary Software and Technologies.
Let's not get carried away. You can't say "Embracing" when only very few of their products or libraries are actually Open. They are still a business massively based on DRMs and Proprietary Software and Technologies.
I don't know why you're being down-voted. I think all their core consumer and enterprise products are proprietary and expensive. Maybe they contribute to open source as PR or something...but they certainly aren't 'Embracing' with their wallet. Not that it's a bad thing.
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There's a pretty common pattern where companies push for openness and standards where they lag, while being closed and proprietary where they lead.
You forgot the Android phone manufacturer extortion.
Using patents to extort money is hardly what I would describe as "embracing Open Source".
We all know how MS approached those manufacturers. With big gun lawyers and strict NDAs for not disclosing the Patents in question. I believe those patents are BS, no matter if Patent system accepts it. On my eyes it makes MS a terrible company because to me it is stealing money form all users pockets.
Satya Nadella will complete his first anniversary as CEO next month. I am sure all these nice things Hololens, Windows 10 , Band etc did not got started and ready-to-be-released within a year.
He's worked there since 1992. Are you saying that he couldn't have possibly had an impact on anything at Microsoft until he became CEO? I mean, he's held VP-level positions for at least a decade.
He was more on the enterprise side
"The release of Microsoft’s Skype Translator, which translates multilingual conversations in real time, is an early success."
Is it just me who has seen loads on the updates to Google Translate but never heard about this?
If not, then that suggests that shifting media perception about Microsoft will be critical, and isn't there yet (this piece will help). Only when the media (bloggers and mainstream) filter Microsoft announcements through a context of 'they do innovative exciting things' will product and feature releases garner the publicity Microsoft needs to change the broader public perception.
Is it just me who has seen loads on the updates to Google Translate but never heard about this?
If not, then that suggests that shifting media perception about Microsoft will be critical, and isn't there yet (this piece will help). Only when the media (bloggers and mainstream) filter Microsoft announcements through a context of 'they do innovative exciting things' will product and feature releases garner the publicity Microsoft needs to change the broader public perception.
Real artists ship. Microsoft obviously has plenty of good ideas but their execution is always lacking. I see nothing different about what Nadella is doing. If anything he seems more inclined towards flashy bs and talk over shipping.
Microsoft:
> "You could be one of the first to experience Skype Translator. All you need to do is sign up to be a preview user and we will keep you posted on what comes next."
http://www.skype.com/en/translator-preview/
Google:
> "What's New in Version 3.1.0 • Word Lens: Just point your camera to a sign or text and the Translate app will instantly translate the text, even without Internet/data connection. • Automatic language detection in speech/conversation mode - start translating with speech input and Translate will recognize which of the two languages is being spoken, allowing you to have a more fluid conversation with another person."
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-translate/id414706506...
Microsoft:
> "You could be one of the first to experience Skype Translator. All you need to do is sign up to be a preview user and we will keep you posted on what comes next."
http://www.skype.com/en/translator-preview/
Google:
> "What's New in Version 3.1.0 • Word Lens: Just point your camera to a sign or text and the Translate app will instantly translate the text, even without Internet/data connection. • Automatic language detection in speech/conversation mode - start translating with speech input and Translate will recognize which of the two languages is being spoken, allowing you to have a more fluid conversation with another person."
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-translate/id414706506...
Agree entirely! The article led me to believe Skype Translator had shipped, which is why I focused there and not on the obviously experimental HoloGoggles.
No bonus points for "one day" - keeping over promising and under delivering and nothing will change.
No bonus points for "one day" - keeping over promising and under delivering and nothing will change.
This has been in Windows Phone 8 since it came out.
Voice to Voice translation for multiple languages? Citation needed.
It also does voice to voice. I speak into my phone, it types it out, translates it to whatever language then speaks it in that language. It's a travelling app that they don't seem to advertise. It also does the augmented reality translation someone else posted about.
He is saying that real time text translation has been there. Microsoft has the translator app that will display the translated text as an "augmented" overlay when you hold the camera up.
One thing that surprised me is, how common it is having secret, confidential, access-restricted rooms/facilities at American technology companies, where new technology/products are developed. We read in the tech press, how much secretive Apple is. Even this article, mentions confidential room related thing in the beginning of the article itself. It seems, tech industry implicitly consider the presence of secret/confidential rooms/facilities/projects as a badge of honour.It is more surprising, given American political leaders speak of free or open society unlike closed ones like North Korea (perception-wise).
I get the impression that, as a society, you want to be open but in the industry, you want to be closed/highly secretive and in personal life, privacy is preferred. (i.e. not open/sharing all aspects). This appears contradicting each other and it suggests that, guiding principle is not openness/freedom itself but selecting profitable/suitable style and spreading forcibly across the globe.
Many countries/cultures cannot really comprehend these sharp edges/changes and this partly explains the tensions/conflicts in the world.
I get the impression that, as a society, you want to be open but in the industry, you want to be closed/highly secretive and in personal life, privacy is preferred. (i.e. not open/sharing all aspects). This appears contradicting each other and it suggests that, guiding principle is not openness/freedom itself but selecting profitable/suitable style and spreading forcibly across the globe.
Many countries/cultures cannot really comprehend these sharp edges/changes and this partly explains the tensions/conflicts in the world.
The distinction isn't open vs. closed so much as voluntary vs. involuntary. The point of a free society is that if I want to share my secrets, I'm allowed to do so, and if I don't want to share those secrets, I'm also allowed to do so. It's my choice.
In contrast, in a place like North Korea, there isn't quite the same level of choice. Censorship prohibits me from saying certain things and surveillance makes it difficult to hide other things, regardless of whether I want to or not.
That said, you could certainly argue (and many have argued) that a company placing onerous restrictions on what its employees can say or do is contrary to the principles of an open society, the implication being that the power dynamics in a employment relationship make restrictions on employees less than voluntary.
In contrast, in a place like North Korea, there isn't quite the same level of choice. Censorship prohibits me from saying certain things and surveillance makes it difficult to hide other things, regardless of whether I want to or not.
That said, you could certainly argue (and many have argued) that a company placing onerous restrictions on what its employees can say or do is contrary to the principles of an open society, the implication being that the power dynamics in a employment relationship make restrictions on employees less than voluntary.
In what part of the world do companies openly tell everyone the products in their pipeline? Wouldn't their competitors just copy any features/products they plan on releasing?
This all seems to be a result of Satya and the restructuring of Microsoft.
This statement had me thinking a bit:
>it’s the first major test of whether Microsoft’s new CEO, Satya Nadella, can restore the company’s long-dormant reputation for innovation and creativity.
>it’s the first major test of whether Microsoft’s new CEO, Satya Nadella, can restore the company’s long-dormant reputation for innovation and creativity.
A little off topic, but after that puff piece about the new Microsoft headset/aug reality I'm not sure if I really trust wired :s
Although I do agree Microsoft is going a much better direction than with balmer.
Although I do agree Microsoft is going a much better direction than with balmer.
Don't be confused, Win10 will be sold as a service: "free in the first year" will make it very difficult to re-win-d back to win7 or win8 once uncle Nadella starts threatening to brick your pc lest you start paying.
New vision: Two paid subscriptions (O365 + Win10), accessed from every desk and every home...and (unfortunately) 1 of every 10M phones
New vision: Two paid subscriptions (O365 + Win10), accessed from every desk and every home...and (unfortunately) 1 of every 10M phones
If MS threatens something like that, you'll probably see a large scale migration to desktop linux.
This "Microsoft Missed Mobile" meme should die in a fire. They didn't so much miss it as fail to deliver anything anyone wanted in the space, except for their most extreme fanboys, for about 15 years. Bill Gates famously went absolutely nuts about Symbian and considered them a giant threat to the company. It really didn't help.
On the strength of today Nadella hasn't reined in the Windows group anything like enough. Clearly too much of the same management as presided over Windows 8 remains. They would have been better off producing Windows 7.5 than this. A good start would be to accept that the Live Tiles might have been a nice design project, but have completely failed in the wild. The same goes for the ludicrous swipe on sidebars.
So I'm calling it now: Windows 10 is another turkey. Not as bad as 8, but Windows 7 has got a new lease of life.
This is a shame because the world could do with Windows 10 actually being good, and Azure and the Microsoft services are close to best in class (Office 365 has stopped Google in it's tracks) but today they demonstrated they still have that inability to score from an open goal.
On the strength of today Nadella hasn't reined in the Windows group anything like enough. Clearly too much of the same management as presided over Windows 8 remains. They would have been better off producing Windows 7.5 than this. A good start would be to accept that the Live Tiles might have been a nice design project, but have completely failed in the wild. The same goes for the ludicrous swipe on sidebars.
So I'm calling it now: Windows 10 is another turkey. Not as bad as 8, but Windows 7 has got a new lease of life.
This is a shame because the world could do with Windows 10 actually being good, and Azure and the Microsoft services are close to best in class (Office 365 has stopped Google in it's tracks) but today they demonstrated they still have that inability to score from an open goal.
Aren't we massively premature in our estimation of Windows 10?
Maybe, but it wouldn't take much to improve on Windows 8.
Microsoft Missed Mobile in that they didn't make anything compelling enough that people wanted to buy. Google and Apple did.
Windows 8(.1) is great and I've used it since it was released. Going back to Windows 7 is seriously slows down my productivity in almost every way and I find it fairly inhibiting. I can see how from an administration standpoint it becomes difficult, but as an independent user there is absolutely very little wrong with it and it is miles ahead of Windows 7.
Talking specifically about live tiles: I love that I am able to hit the Super/Windows key and immediately see an overview of all of the information I care about. This includes notes, emails, weather, calender and stocks. I don't see how it failed at all-- it's wonderful.
I think this "Windows 8 sucks" meme should die in a fire, because it's grossly inaccurate at best. And this is coming from someone who primarily uses an OS X-inspired GNU/Linux distro (Elementary OS) as a daily operating system.
Talking specifically about live tiles: I love that I am able to hit the Super/Windows key and immediately see an overview of all of the information I care about. This includes notes, emails, weather, calender and stocks. I don't see how it failed at all-- it's wonderful.
I think this "Windows 8 sucks" meme should die in a fire, because it's grossly inaccurate at best. And this is coming from someone who primarily uses an OS X-inspired GNU/Linux distro (Elementary OS) as a daily operating system.
This custom homepage idea has been around since Google Home and probably any number of internet portals before that.
MS's version just ropes you into the MS App Store ecosystem. Found anything you want to download there recently?
MS's version just ropes you into the MS App Store ecosystem. Found anything you want to download there recently?
It does nothing of the sort. I use the start screen all the time and none of the apps on it are MS App Store apps.
Strange, but most people I know really can't stand windows 8(.1). Some have been beaten into submission by being forced to use it, but if anything, they'd prefer to go back to windows 7 or xp.
I may be a linux user, but that's only because windows sucks so bad. Lots of people will tell me that it's really my fault that windows is behaving badly on my machine. But when I explain to them that I don't have the same problems using linux on the very same machine as windows, they can understand my point.
I may be a linux user, but that's only because windows sucks so bad. Lots of people will tell me that it's really my fault that windows is behaving badly on my machine. But when I explain to them that I don't have the same problems using linux on the very same machine as windows, they can understand my point.
It's sad because there's a lot of nice developments with modern operating systems like containerization, transactioned updates with rollbacks, etc. and as far as I can tell Windows 10 has none of it. They've just been spinning their wheels trying to unify everything, while the rest of the world (Android, iOS, CoreOS, Ubuntu Core, etc.) is moving ahead.
(yes I know MS is looking at container support for Windows, but the fact that there has been no information or technical details is troubling)
(yes I know MS is looking at container support for Windows, but the fact that there has been no information or technical details is troubling)
There's been plenty of information on container support, matter of fact it's being developed out in the open on GitHub - Project K.
https://github.com/aspnet/XRE
Then just use docker to run your code on EITHER windows or linux.
https://github.com/aspnet/XRE
Then just use docker to run your code on EITHER windows or linux.