Lazycoder

Shut up or we’ll yank your MVP status

Petitions and other Silliness

When I visited the speaker’s lounge I felt like a caged bear with kids poking me with sharp sticks. It seems that the Microsoft folks in attendance took exception to the Visual Basic 6.0 petition that I signed along with a number of other MVPs. A couple implied that I would be lucky to keep my MVP status because I chose to speak up. Sadly, I think these Microsoft folks just don’t get it.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

First of all, I’m not one of those people that holds all Microsoft employees in awe. They are people, some of them are very smart or very talented. Some are even both. But they aren’t always necessarily right all the time JUST because they work at Microsoft. I know several non-MS employees that could program RINGS around a few SDEs at MS. That being said, Bill is an alumni of MS. He’s proved he’s smart and talented many times over during lectures and in his books. Hell, a couple of his books have made me a better programmer (hmmm, I might not want to lay that kind of blame on him). One is helping me understand SQL Reporting services right now. My guess is that if he were to apply for whatever position the Softie that implied they would yank his MVP status for supporting the VB petition currently holds, Bill would probably be told that he is overqualified. I may disagree with the petition, I may mock the petition and the people who sign it. But I’m not a Microsoft employee.

Is this how Microsoft employees are going to respond to criticism from their customers? I don’t know if arrogance is included in the training at MS now or what. But it seems to be spreading. Hopefully the marketplace can humble some of these problem children.