Windows Seven: We're Hiring!
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News Commentary. What size are your feet? Microsoft has some big shoes to fill. |
The software giant is looking to hire a technical evangelist for Windows Seven. That sounds like a really good idea to me. But Microsoft had better hire someone who can be more thought leader than mouthpiece—a straight talker who can generate genuine enthusiasm while setting realistic expectations.
Longhorn really hurt Microsoft's credibility. In early 2004, Microsoft started breaking feature promises made in late 2003—and the broken promises continued through 2005, as Microsoft dumped more and more Longhorn (aka Windows Vista) features.
The Windows Seven evangelist needs to sell benefits while not overstating them. In fact, Microsoft needs someone who can sell aspiration around limited benefits so that people can get excited about the product and the company can deliver more than promised later on. People buy things because they want to be happy, to believe their lives will be better from the purchase. Apple sells aspiration so well, and Microsoft needs to, too.
The shoes are mighty big. Maybe Microsoft should call on the Friendly Giant. The job posting is dated Dec. 11, 2007, but Microsoft hasn't yet filled the position. It's a big, big job.
The requirements are daunting. Microsoft wants someone with five to seven years experience with .Net Framework, great communications skills and developer community leadership skills. That's for starters. The company also wants a diplomat, analyst and great public speaker. I'm surprised there's no call for a sociology degree.
In a blog post today, Microsoft evangelist Tim Sneath explains: "This isn't a 9 to 5 job: it's more of a vocation—you'll work hard not because you've got someone breathing down your neck but because you're passionate about making a difference and you see the impact of your work."
Really? Sneath describes the job as a "once-in-a-lifetime open position." The position is "the technical evangelist at this point in time. This is an extremely challenging, high-profile senior role, with tremendous reach and influence across the organization."
Sneath has got the "challenging" part right. I wouldn't envy anyone taking on this role, given Vista's reception, the state of mind IT organization and consumers have about operating systems or the rapid computing market shift to the services-plus-software rich Web 2.0 platform.
Stated differently: Microsoft needs someone who can make developers, enterprise customers, OEMs and technical enthusiasts feel good about Windows again. More importantly: The Windows Seven technical evangelist must sell something bigger than the operating system, something intangible: The Microsoft lifestyle.
All truly successful products—meaning those products that customers really love—imbue a lifestyle. There is an Apple lifestyle associated with Macs or a motorcycle lifestyle associated with Harley-Davidson.
The Microsoft lifestyle is a tough sell, because it is so potentially big. Microsoft products do so much and interconnect with one another in so many ways, their benefits aren't always obvious. They're tough to market. Perhaps the technical evangelist will have to sell many small lifestyles.
For the last month, I've been trying to live the Microsoft lifestyle, which, strange as it may sound, is helping me to better identify what it is. I'm using a Windows Mobile phone and Vista PC. I've got Windows Live Mail on the PC and phone. Then there is Office 2007 and Office Live Workspace... and so on. Different products connect together, creating nuances of different computing lifestyles. But that's for another post, on another day when my head isn't foggy from the flu.
Microsoft Watch readers, what would you want to hear from the Windows Seven technical evangelist? What message should he or she convey? What do you need to hear from him or her to regain confidence—for anyone that has lost it—in Windows?
Comments (25)
It's Time for a Vista Do-Over
"Perception is reality, and the perception is that Vista is a dud."
Happy Anniversary Vista
Posted by n0neXn0ne | January 31, 2008 7:49 PM
nonexnone,
someone should tell the 100million that are using it. they dont seem to agree.
Posted by i | January 31, 2008 9:27 PM
Joe;
I am not sure if Microsoft would want me. I mean, I use Microsoft a lot and just love the Visat x64 and running the latest SP1-RC that I loaded up last night when everyone was sleeping.
However, with the new Windows 7 I think not too many Redmond folks would apreciate me thoughts and hard work. You see, I would create a version called Windows 7 Elite.
Windows 7 Elite would be a native x64 bit operating system. There would be no x86 bit version of this, none. There also would be absolutely no backwards compatible crap. Oh it would certainly run x86 apps. Also, I would not have IE 7.0 or 8.0 integrated into it, I would make it an option to install.
There would be no glitz, let the people download it if they want to. It would look like W2K, nice and clean. I would do away with all the accessories such as games, and the vast array of other things like a firewall, antispyware, antivirus -- Make it an option for people to install their own. If they don't too damned bad, they can pay people like me to fix their system. If people want something like Zune or the Aero theme, they can download it for free -- No biggy.
Make this x64 bit version cost $99.00 and fit on a single CD -- It should after drastically killing the bloat in the kernal.
Yes, eliminate things like the Vista system backup, disk defragmenter, and other useless applications. Just a fine, nimble, and stable operating system. Do away with all the BS wallpaper, music, music player -- People want it, they can downloaded it themselves. Want an archiving feature, heck go and buy WinRar or Winzip, do not facilitate a half-baked solution like in Vista and the antiquated XP.
Do away with the automatic updates through a web browser, I like the feature designed in Vista, keep that.
Posted by Douglas S. Taylor | January 31, 2008 9:44 PM
I agree with the whole backwards compat issue. It's time to start fresh and with that comes the amputation of backwards compat and finally 16bit (which must die). I'm on the edge about lopping off 32 bit entirely so I would say, no 32 bit version but a 64 bit version with support to run 32bit in one of their vm's.
All of those extra's that Doug mentioned should be install on first use like how office does it.
There just comes a time when breaking changes are a necessary evil. People aren't happy about it at first but they'll get over it.
Posted by Jim | January 31, 2008 10:28 PM
How about Eric Traut?
http://www.acm.uiuc.edu/conference/2007/video/UIUC-ACM-RP07-Traut.wmv
Nah! Microsoft would never select a straight-talking engineer!
Posted by Karl | January 31, 2008 10:30 PM
@ i :
"Perception is reality, and the perception is, if you think 100 million folks is using it, then ... go figure.
You must constitute the million ;-)
I know NO one that is using it.
FYI: I'm in the business
Posted by n0neXn0ne | January 31, 2008 11:22 PM
@ i :
Has Microsoft Disavowed Vista?
"I know, how can I say this when there are tens of millions of copies of it out there? Easily. It's one thing to drop copies of Vista Home Basic and Premium on Best Buy customers who don't know any better. It's another thing entirely to get CIOs and IT managers to spend or should I say waste billions on Vista."
Posted by n0neXn0ne | January 31, 2008 11:37 PM
Microsoft needs a straight talker...
...somebody that won't be a bull$#!@er. Somebody that won't lie to the industry, lie to the market, lie to developers, lie to partners... In case some of you don't know what that means, it means somebody that will tell the truth.
Gee. I wonder what that will sound like coming from Microsoft?
Posted by I-Man | February 1, 2008 2:48 AM
The word evangelist is used too often for me.
MS, go to the Seattle mosque ah hire all the imams !!
I became nervous where some evangelist try to wash my brain.
Posted by Aurelio | February 1, 2008 5:47 AM
******** NEWS FLASH ************
Microsoft bids $45 billion for Yahoo
Software giant makes cash and stock offer of $31 a share, a 62% premium from Yahoo's closing price on Thursday.
Posted by Tom Berber | February 1, 2008 8:22 AM
@Douglas S. Taylor
Good God man! You're radical!
But with this Windows Live thing, your ideas are totally reasonable and definitely doable. You could buy, at the store or through download, the very basic Windows OS. Heck MS could even have a Windows Live applet you could startup to customize your OS. It could look a lot like Vista's manual update, with descriptions of the add-ons and links to see more in-depth what the add-ons do and look like.
Geez, let people decide for themselves. What a concept! Wait a minute, don't Linux and Firefox kind of do that?
Posted by Tom Berber | February 1, 2008 8:36 AM
I have an item to request of the new spritual head... From a Security standpoint I would like to see a disposable browser session. Most casual users do not need the browser session to interact with the PC; they want it to display content and accept their input. The time has come to separate the Internet from the PC for those who wish that to happen. If your Browser session starts to act funny because you are truly the 1 gazillionth customer to win a free laptop....and you clicked on the claim prize button...just close the browser and start over; nothing on the PC to infect it or slow it down. I clear my cache after every session on my 2002 P4 running on a cable modem and I am happy with the browsing speed. I don't see the need for a lasting cache with the speeds of most cables modems and DSL lines.
Posted by Kevin Kilgore, CISSP | February 1, 2008 9:46 AM
I know one very experienced .Net developer who purchased a Vista Home laptop for personal use. From a user experience she said it was horrible getting it setup with her ISP. I am glad that I don't know the joy of that experience on top of spending hundreds of dollars to get Vista in the first place.
Vista, the best OS of all time! I can't wait for the next wonderful iteration of Windows. I am sure it will need 4 Gb of RAM, 4 CPU cores, and 512GB of video memory. It will change my life completely! I will be so happy to give MS $300 for the experience. I am sure I won't be let down.
Posted by JM | February 1, 2008 11:21 AM
Email scheme a failure? Buy! Yahoo!
Marketing terribly weak? Buy! Steve! Jobs!
Posted by mgo | February 1, 2008 11:40 AM
Every time a company tries to do everything for everyone, if fails miserably.
This is what Microsoft is doing right now. I belive there's lack of vision at MS on how the internet is changing their core business. They are buying up everything, coming up with new services trying to adapt but it's all a mess. As an example, Live Maps. I'm currios and want to check out MS version of google maps. Try doing it yourself, and see if you can find it! (http://intl.local.live.com/ - what is this?)
Here's a couple of things i would do right away (similar thoughts as above):
1. create a core os, that is uncrashable by ANY 3rd party software, at a decent price
2. get rid of the stupid eye candy, leave that to apple, meanwhile keep it clean and usable and let 3rd parties to create visual themes
3. create a BIG switch button on install, that will configure Windows to run in Advanced User Mode, or Home User Mode. in the first scenario i can tweak almost any aspect of my operating system.
4. FOCUS on writing optimized code, so you don't need the latest hardware to run a software that ran fine on a 286
5. Quit the browser business if that department is not capable of producing a browser like Opera/FF.
The list could go on, but i'm running out of time. I'm sure someone can continue. There are so many obvious things, but MS doesn't care right now.
Posted by Jan | February 1, 2008 12:47 PM
Joe, the first sentence of your article; "The software giant is looking to hire a technical evangelist for Windows Seven," spells out exactly what is wrong at Microsoft. Honesty.
MS does not need a propagandist, or if you would rather, an evangelist. What it needs, is a good product. Vista isn't making it for a host of reasons, and those folks that bought it, did so on new machines. While a few might be happy with it, there are probably quite a few, that are also mad for being stuck with Vista, if they cannot move to another OS on their new machines.
The fact that MS things its need an evangelist (propagandist is the better word here), tells us that MS is first about Marketing. Second, MS is about legality, as they break so many, and therefore need their army of lawyers. Third, MS is about greed, which is why you have excessive DRM in the OS. The Greed factor is a way for MS to control the media and perhaps more on your computer. It ties in with MS allied companies, like the Hollywood Media companies, and there must be a lot of money changing hands there.
Its only in fourth place, that MS might be actually concerned about the quality of its product, the Operating System. So any evangelist, will be just another MS PR lier, and everyone with any reason will know that. Heck, the Mac commercials tell it like it is about Vista. While I am not a Mac fan or user, I have mostly figured out that Mac's work well, unlike MS products anymore. Even Leopard will get fixed soon if not already, but Vista will be like Windows ME2 forever. People who are into technology actually have some limited trust in Apple computers and Operating Systems. There is absolutely no reason to trust anything that MS does with regards to its Windows Operating Systems anymore.
The fact that almost everyone who worked on Vista has been marginalized, should tell something about its future. Its simple, bring out the next OS fast and replace it before everyone knows had bad things are. But, the Vista problems, can only be the fault of those at the very top, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, both hands were at the helm.
While I hate to agree somewhat with Douglas S. Taylor 64bit OS idea, I would say that MS needs to make better. They need to fix or at least make as secure as the Mac OSX, or possibly Linux, their next OS. I see no possibility of MS doing this, because MS wants to sell antivirus products to Windows users. The malware problem could actually be what takes down MS Windows in the near future, as so many new malware is being written now that targets MS products that security companies no longer can keep up.
What I would suggest to MS, is they make their own version of BSD/Darwin like Apple did. A secure products, resistant or immune to malware, with a layer of compatibility on it to run some windows apps, similar to Wine in Linux. And then, they sell this new OS with the new Seven, the continuation of Vista, as a dual boot system. Better, they go back to XP/SP3 and dual boot to that. This way MS could come out with a safer internet OS, and maintain an app compatible OS that would run legacy programs as well.
Posted by chips | February 1, 2008 1:28 PM
Chips says;
Better, they go back to XP/SP3 and dual boot to that. This way MS could come out with a safer internet OS, and maintain an app compatible OS that would run legacy programs as well.
People can already do this by dual booting Linux and XP off the same drive, and they don't have to pay for a new system to do this.
Posted by sam | February 1, 2008 2:32 PM
As I have mentioned before, several times, although I have had a terrific experience with Vista on my desktop, I cannot find anything Vista does that my XP did not, short of some search improvements. And you know what? Now that I think of it, I didn't need those search enhancements in XP because it was easier to find stuff in the first place.
I cannot find anything that a home user would want or need in Vista that isn't in XP. If you get Vista pre-installed on a new computer, great. But there is no reason to upgrade a current computer to Vista, and many reasons not to upgrade.
Yes, MS needs a really good Windows product more than an evangelist. Evangelist! Hey how about Jimmy Swaggart!?!?! Seriously though, if they have a really good product, a lot of people could be an evangelist. I guess you truly need an "evangelist " when your product is mediocre at best.
The next Windows needs to have something you need and that your current system can run well. Otherwise, PC users may be staying with XP again, skipping Windows 7 as well as Vista.
I found out that this next version of Windows, v.7, is really building on the Vista code, and that it will be out, probably RTM, by the end of 2009. Oh goody! We will get Windows Vista SP2 v.6.1 and we will call it Windows 7! Can't wait to cough up $500 for Super Ultimate Edition with all those Super Ultimate Extras not available on the cheaper versions.
Posted by Tom Berber | February 1, 2008 3:12 PM
A computer shop's sales pitch: 'We remove Vista'
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/130626.asp
Quotes from the link; "What was the demand for the service? "We had a lot of people coming in and asking about it," Kaplan said. "Of all the signs we put up there the last two years, at least, we probably got the most response out of that one. A lot of people coming in."
--------------------------------------------------This is the reason that MS will be forced to release Vista sooner than later. The train wreck that is MS Vi$ta.
Posted by chips | February 1, 2008 6:16 PM
@chips:
You keep saying that Vista is a train wreck. Tell me now, what on earth do you have against train wrecks to cause you to insult them so?
;-)
Posted by Philosopher | February 1, 2008 8:14 PM
What Will Dimdows 7 Achieve?
What exactly will be so much better in Dimdows 7? Will it have less bloat? But that "bloat" in Vista is because of all the features in it. How will they take out the bloat without removing the features? And if they took out the features, would the punters pay good money for a new system that had less features than its predecessor?
Will Dimdows 7 improve the backward-compatibility situation? But that would mean adding even more shims and redirection layers on top of the already-creaky and complicated edifice. Which means more bloat.
Make more features optional? That means even more proliferation of different versions that customers might be running, on top of the already-confusing situation with all the different versions of Vista.
So what else is there left to do? Vista was Microsoft's best shot at satisfying a bunch of contradictory goals. You can't pull the constraints any tighter; something's got to give.
Posted by Lawrence D'Oliveiro | February 2, 2008 12:50 AM
MS better go back to the drawing board. They need to get the DRM out of Windows 7 . They need a leaner and meaner and better performing OS . If they do not succeed, Linux will overtake them in five to ten years.
Already the French police has dumped Windows and have begun installing Linux Ubuntu on many of their machines with total conversion to be completed in a few years. Witness the XO laptop, Eee PC, plus computers by Everex, Dell, Lenovo and others and sold by famous retailers such as Sears and Walmart are all Linux computers. Lean and mean are in...slow and bloated are out.
I have no plans for Vista or even Windows 7. If I need a Windows app, I'll just use XP. Otherwise I will be using my Linux computers for the majority of my computing needs. I belive the days of $200 and $400 operating systems are about over as is the overkill of the eight versions of the same OS.
If MS wants Windows 7 to succeed they need to make Win 7 faster than XP, lean ( 512 MB RAM or under) as XP or nearly so, have two versions, basic and professional. And get that damned DRM out of the operating system. Then maybe we can start getting excited about Windows 7.
If MS was a savy as they claim to be, they should release that Windows for legacy PC OS, otherwise known as Windows FLP or Windows XP Lite. (It runs on as little as 64 MB and only needs a One Gig harddrive).
Sell it for $49 full install rename it Windows Classic and it will help keep MS in the growing "less is better" tiny PC and laptop camp without losing out to Linux.
Posted by Ralph | February 2, 2008 4:23 AM
@Chips
Hey, yeah, seems I have been doing a boat-load of business removing Vista, though I love the Vista x64 version that trumps XP x86 older version. Also I've been spending time creating my Ubuntu x64 OEM and sold four brand new machines with this operating system.
@ All the Mac/Apple Fans:
Just an update on my experience with Leopard on my brand new Mac Pro Quad-Core. Finally I got it back up and running after nearly threatening support on sending the whole nine-yards back to them and got a good Apple Tech to go over it with me in Rapid City. The system, though new had some hardware glitches and Apple stood good on it. It runs smoothly and I still like Ubuntu better!
@ Everyone else that commented about my previous post.
Thanks, you know I am always thinking, some positive, some usefull and some not worth mentioning.
I was thinking and is thinking as a User and as productive as I can be -- Thanks again!
Posted by Douglas S. Taylor | February 2, 2008 3:43 PM
@Douglas S. Taylor
Thanks for the posts on Mac Leopard. I was curious about it, as not a Mac user or owner myself. As Mac is the only machine that is able to run legally XP, Vi$ta, Linux, and Mac OSX. That is its advantage. Interesting that you preferr Ubuntu. My experience with Ubuntu was positive, but I would actually preferr Mint to Ubuntu, as its Ubuntu with all the bells and whistles already installed. Myself, I like KDE versions of GNU/Linux distros, which seem to look and feel more like the XP I was used to before, but thats just me. Thanks again for the Mac information.
Mac and Linux seems to be gaining market share these days, and that can only be good for competition. Competition should force M$ into releasing a better product sometime.
Posted by chips | February 3, 2008 12:19 AM
Linux is going to overtake Windows in 5 to 10 years? How about never. Linux lacks a really good driver development and without QUALITY manufacturer supported driver support linux is as good as it gets. Back in 1999 I heard oh by 2004 Linux will compete directly with Windows. Nope. Its now 2008 and they still have a long way to go.
I think what made Vista not as adaptable is because the horrific bugs with the file system. That has been fixed in SP1. Vista TRUELY needed an extra year of development. Furthermore, I dont care about an OS that is still 3 years away. Lets hope Microsoft delivers Exchange 2003 SP3, Windows 2003 SP3 before I hear about a new OS. If XP SP3 wasnt delayed for 4 years because people wouldnt just shut up about having a new windows OS we would still be running Windows XP with SP3. With VISTA SP1 preceeding XP SP3 there really is not reason unless your hardware cant support it to be running XP anymore.
Vista is bloated and should have had the ability without using vlite to install optional components. What if I dont want UAC or the memory sucking Windows Defender? I agree. Two install modes: Home User or Advanced User. I dont like useless features to be shoved down my throat causing the minimum requirements of the OS to skyrocket. /endrant
Posted by The Engineer | February 5, 2008 11:49 PM