Mailbag: Want To Work for Microsoft?, When 'Cheap' Isn't Cheap, More
Last
week, Doug asked readers if they want to work at Microsoft, despite the
Microsoft Security Reponse Center's appearance in
Popular Science's list
of the
worst
science jobs. Looks like these readers haven't been put off:
Would I like to work for Microsoft? In a word: Yes! If it is anything
like I have imagined, just doing a few years there (if that is all I might
be able to hack) would probably lay the groundwork for the rest of my career.
I see being a part of Redmond as a big challenge, but also a rewarding
one. It will have its ups and downs just like all jobs, but for the most part,
the Microsoft family is pretty close and the reward for being a member is
pretty nice, indeed.
So that is where I am striving to be, to meet the challenges and obtain
enough personal satisfaction that I can say it was worth it to have made being
a technologist my career choice. I'll have to let you know how it all works
out.
-Calais
Quick answer: Absolutely!
Long answer: Absolutely! Why? Microsoft is among the largest organizations
in the world. Microsoft didn't get where it is today by having a bunch of
slackers staffing its positions. Microsoft got where it is by carefully recruiting
high-performing and creative employees who stretch their minds more than a
runner stretches his/her legs. High-performance individuals with a thirst
for knowledge and a knack for problem solving should definitely consider Microsoft
as a potential employer.
-Adrian
I hear the politics at Microsoft are awful, that it is nearly impossible
to put new features in. The flip side is that you have the potential to work
with some of the brightest minds ever over there. Every time I go to conferences,
I am just amazed at some of the people that I meet from Microsoft. I think
that Hugh MacLeod is helping Microsoft understand what its mission needs to
be: Microsoft, change the world or go home. I would work for Microsoft in
a heartbeat if I could.
-Deanna
Why is Microsoft bragging about a $500
PC for India, when some Vista laptops can be had for cheaper here in the
States? Here's what some of you had to say:
I forwarded your article about the $500 PC to Cathy, a missionary I know
in the northeastern part of India. This is her response:
"You have to realize there is a luxury tax on everything here,
including toilet paper! So it is reasonable if you get a legal Windows in
it. Such is life here!"
There is so much counterfeiting done there.
-Len
The only thing that keeps us from having a good cheap computer is the
quest for speed and power. Twenty-eight years ago, I owned my first disk operating
system computer. It had 64K of RAM. (Yep, that's a K). It had NO hard drive
and I ran a word processor, a spreadsheet and a whole lot of truly neat games.
Where is it written that a computer today needs a gig of RAM and 80 gigs on
a hard drive? I think the answer to that is at Microsoft. There are days when
I wish for my H-DOS machine, or even the CP/M machine I bought after that.
Yes, I built those machines myself, but I bet you could make one with the
same capabilities for less than $100. OK, so today's calculator has more power,
but it doesn't have the flexibility.
The world will not have a cheap computer as long as Microsoft is building
the operating system.
-John
So, is it "U.K." or "Great Britain"? Doug asked, and readers
from across the pond answered:
Yes, you can say "Great Britain." The offical name is "the
United Kingdom of Great Britian and Northern Ireland." That's a bit of
a mouthful for most people so either "U.K.," "United Kingdom"
or "Great Britian" is still correct.
-Mitch
You can say "Great Britain" if you wish for everyone to know
what you mean, but it's not accurate. Great Britain is the name of the island;
the nation is called "the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland" and is made up of the big island of Great Britain, a bit of
the island of Ireland and a handful of smaller islands dotted around the area.
-Alec
Got something to add? Let us have it! Leave a comment below or send an e-mail
to [email protected].
Posted by Doug Barney on July 09, 2007