Actually this isn't about what it's like to work for Bill Gates, it's about Joel Spolsky and reflected glory.
I find that Joel's essays are always a lot of fun to read. But complaints about his writing, not so much.
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How Hard Could it Be? Joel Spolsky recalls what it was like to work for Bill Gates
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Re: How Hard Could it Be? Joel Spolsky recalls what it was like to work for Bill Gates
#32Actually this isn't about what it's like to work for Bill Gates, it's about Joel Spolsky and reflected glory.
I find that Joel's essays are always a lot of fun to read. But complaints about his writing, not so much.
Joel's essays are just that. Essays. He continues to ignore any and all research in the area and pretends to know what he's doing. If I wanted a bunch of misinformed opinions I could just ask non-programmers.
Re: How Hard Could it Be? Joel Spolsky recalls what it was like to work for Bill Gates
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
I find that Joel's essays are always a lot of fun to read. But complaints about his writing, not so much.
Quoted post unavailable.
Hey, I finally got to use the "flag" button!
(In case the post above is deleted; it's about 1000 lines of "-" characters and nothing else.)
Re: How Hard Could it Be? Joel Spolsky recalls what it was like to work for Bill Gates
#34Re: How Hard Could it Be? Joel Spolsky recalls what it was like to work for Bill Gates
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, but it has one great takeaway quote that isn't self-serving: > Watching nonprogrammers trying to run software companies is like watching someone who doesn't know how to surf trying to surf. Even if he has great advisers standing on the shore telling him what to do, he still falls off the board again and again. The cult of the M.B.A. likes to believe that you can run organizations that do things that you don't un…
This is true for any industry and it's a basic common sense for anyone but a recent MBA graduate without any real-world experience. There's nothing particularly great or insightful about this quote.
Not to veer off into politics, but the Bush administration would seem to be an existence proof that at least some part of your statement is incorrect. (Yes, I realize Bush has an MBA.) I've run into this attitude fairly often, and not just among MBAs.
Re: How Hard Could it Be? Joel Spolsky recalls what it was like to work for Bill Gates
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, but it has one great takeaway quote that isn't self-serving: > Watching nonprogrammers trying to run software companies is like watching someone who doesn't know how to surf trying to surf. Even if he has great advisers standing on the shore telling him what to do, he still falls off the board again and again. The cult of the M.B.A. likes to believe that you can run organizations that do things that you don't un…
This is true for any industry and it's a basic common sense for anyone but a recent MBA graduate without any real-world experience. There's nothing particularly great or insightful about this quote.
Not really: the practice of installing CEOs without a lot of industry experience is quite common (see Terry Semel). It might be obvious to you, but not to everyone.
Re: How Hard Could it Be? Joel Spolsky recalls what it was like to work for Bill Gates
#37So this is supposed to be an example of good management? Looks more like an example of why Microsoft succeeded in spite of its management. I guess when you're milking a monopolistic cash cow with crappy products, you really don't need good management. Think about it. The CEO comes into a meeting with 6 levels of management and proceeds to treat his people like children by acting like a child himself and "teaching the…
I have a copy of the first edition of The Road Ahead. Here is the index entry for Internet: Internet, 3-4, 91-100, 91 activities on, 93-97 addresses on, 94 cost of use of, 97-99, 125 e-mail on, 96-97, 124-25 expectations for, 125 foundation of, 97 growth and evolution of, 91, 95-96 and information highway, 3-4, 89, 95, 100, 230, 246 and publication, 95, 123-25 real-time content on, 99 regulation of, 161-63, 204 reven…
Per Wikipedia:
After the book was written, but before it hit bookstores, Gates recognized that the Internet was gaining the critical mass needed to drive it to dominance, and on December 7, 1995 — just weeks after the release of the book — he redirected Microsoft to become an Internet-focused company. Then he and coauthor Rinearson spent several months revising the book, making it 20,000 words longer and focused on the Internet. The revised edition was published in October 1996 as a trade paperback.
Re: How Hard Could it Be? Joel Spolsky recalls what it was like to work for Bill Gates
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hey, I finally got to use the "flag" button! (In case the post above is deleted; it's about 1000 lines of "-" characters and nothing else.)
How much karma do you need to be able to flag?
It only appears for me next to the post when I click "link" and view a comment individually. I assume this is to prevent knee-jerk flagging. Not sure what the karma limit is.
Re: How Hard Could it Be? Joel Spolsky recalls what it was like to work for Bill Gates
#39Re: How Hard Could it Be? Joel Spolsky recalls what it was like to work for Bill Gates
#40Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have a copy of the first edition of The Road Ahead. Here is the index entry for Internet: Internet, 3-4, 91-100, 91 activities on, 93-97 addresses on, 94 cost of use of, 97-99, 125 e-mail on, 96-97, 124-25 expectations for, 125 foundation of, 97 growth and evolution of, 91, 95-96 and information highway, 3-4, 89, 95, 100, 230, 246 and publication, 95, 123-25 real-time content on, 99 regulation of, 161-63, 204 reven…
Per Wikipedia: After the book was written, but before it hit bookstores, Gates recognized that the Internet was gaining the critical mass needed to drive it to dominance, and on December 7, 1995 — just weeks after the release of the book — he redirected Microsoft to become an Internet-focused company. Then he and coauthor Rinearson spent several months revising the book, making it 20,000 words longer and focused on t…
Thank you! For a minute there, I thought I was losing what's left of my mind.