Ask HN: Why is Microsoft Teams still so bad?

#1

Post by TurkishPoptart » Wed, Sep 21, 2022, 10:01 PM UTC

It's buggy, and it crashes more often than any other app I use. God forbid you try to change the audio device from speakers to headphones in the middle of a call. And then if you try to just call back on your phone, and they want to share their screen, and you go back to your PC and try to join the call from your PC so you can see the screenshare (it's not going to work).

Seriously, with all the money and resources thrown at this company and this app, you'd think it'd be a little more stable, faster, and reliable. I am literally forced to use this app at work...

Re: Ask HN: Why is Microsoft Teams still so bad?

#2

Post by metadat » Wed, Sep 21, 2022, 10:04 PM UTC

Pretty simple root cause: Bureaucracy combined with lack of shared vision.

I support your need to vent, it's undisputably a magnificently huge pile of stinky garbage. Given the amount of resources poured in, it'd be hard to do worse.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Microsoft Teams still so bad?

#3

Post by anm89 » Wed, Sep 21, 2022, 10:06 PM UTC

Simply put, Microsoft has existed for 30 years with nothing but disdain for their customers and it has never once hurt them. So why stop now? Microsoft exists because of weak minded people who choose it because it's the front runner and are scared that choosing anything else may make them responsible for a choice they have made(same vein as no one ever got fired for choosing IBM, until that wasn't true anymore).

In this sense I think there is almost a stockholm syndrome element where the worse it is, the more people trapped in it feel that that's what makes it good and enterprisey. If it wasn't the only choice why would any put up with it otherwise?

I'm sure in 2043 they'll finally muster up the engineering resources to get copy/paste working in Teams though, for the last 10 customers on Trillion dollar a year enterprise maintenance contracts.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Microsoft Teams still so bad?

#4

Post by gardenhedge » Wed, Sep 21, 2022, 10:15 PM UTC

Large companies don't seem to be able to produce good software consistently.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Microsoft Teams still so bad?

#5

Post by metadat » Wed, Sep 21, 2022, 10:18 PM UTC

gardenhedge wrote: post #4

Large companies don't seem to be able to produce good software consistently.

What are the exceptions to this proposed rule? I can't think of any off the top of my head.

JPL isn't a large company.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Microsoft Teams still so bad?

#6

Post by Spooky23 » Wed, Sep 21, 2022, 10:25 PM UTC

It’s good enough.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Microsoft Teams still so bad?

#7

Post by rotifer » Wed, Sep 21, 2022, 10:25 PM UTC

metadat wrote: post #5

gardenhedge wrote: post #4

Large companies don't seem to be able to produce good software consistently.

What are the exceptions to this proposed rule? I can't think of any off the top of my head. JPL isn't a large company.

Java and the JVM from Sun/Oracle. People may not like the language (or the company), but it's good, well-engineered software.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Microsoft Teams still so bad?

#8

Post by metadat » Wed, Sep 21, 2022, 10:27 PM UTC

rotifer wrote: post #7

metadat wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are the exceptions to this proposed rule? I can't think of any off the top of my head. JPL isn't a large company.

Java and the JVM from Sun/Oracle. People may not like the language (or the company), but it's good, well-engineered software.

Yeah, the JVM is good. But unfortunately Oracle can't consistently produce good software.

Java remains a fluke, successful in spite of Oracle.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Microsoft Teams still so bad?

#9

Post by guidedlight » Wed, Sep 21, 2022, 10:28 PM UTC

metadat wrote: post #5

gardenhedge wrote: post #4

Large companies don't seem to be able to produce good software consistently.

What are the exceptions to this proposed rule? I can't think of any off the top of my head. JPL isn't a large company.

Oracle database is rock solid.

Re: Ask HN: Why is Microsoft Teams still so bad?

#10

Post by tails4e » Wed, Sep 21, 2022, 10:29 PM UTC

We use zoom but are switching to teams. As an engineer my absoutley must have feature is screen sharing with collaborative annotation. I waited with bated breath for the 'active annotation' feature that was on the teams roadmap for months to be released. And then it was. To my horror it was the epitome of bloat. It essentially takes a screenshot of the presenters desktop and then starts a whiteboard session. It takes a good 30 seconds to enable, and as it's a screenshot the screen being presented can no longer be interacted with until annotation is stopped. The 'active' part of the name active annotation is just adding insult to injury. It's static annotation at best. I couldnt have imagined a more poorly conceived feature, but here it is. Microsoft, please for the love of engineers fix it!