Archive for the ‘Microsoft’ Category
Microsoft proposes piracy amnesty
According to Zdnet Microsoft is running a pilot program that allows people running pirated copies of XP to get a legit copy as long as their copy came pre-installed and they can show proof of purchase. This is a very clever strategy to go after the root of piracy rather than the end users. However, it is going to be much more difficult to make this work in India since the so called neighborhood “assemblers” who assemble computers rarely hand out receipts (to avoid taxes).
Google opening office in Microsoft backyard
Google will open an office in Kirkland
“Google said yesterday it will open an office in Kirkland next month, giving rise to speculation that it may be stepping up efforts to poach talent from Microsoft.”
Looks like the Microsoft v/s Google battle is going to be an epic one. Too bad I am no longer inside Microsoft to be able to participate 
But the view from the sidelines won’t be bad too!
No Longer a Microsoftie!
Yesterday was my last day at Microsoft. It was a mixed feeling. I felt truly sad leaving a great work place but excited too to face a new future. Each Microsoft full time employee (FTEs as they are called) gets a blue ID badge. That blue badge is your identity in Microsoft. When it was time to return the blue badge yesterday, I finally realized that things are really changing. My team mates and myself climbed over one of the famous Microsoft signs on the campus and took a pic.
Apart from the “why are you coming back” questions, I have also been asked the “how can you leave Microsoft” question a lot. It is a testament to Microsoft’s reputation as an employer here and especially in India that people find it hard to believe I am leaving. No matter how much ridicule the geeks lays onto Microsoft, for the average computer user Microsoft is the mecca of software engineering. Inspite of all the jokes about blue screens, hangs and bugs, it is still a company greatly admired across the world. Microsoft was my dream company fresh out of college and it mostly lived upto my expectations. The work culture, people, benefits all are a topic in themselves. But for now, it suffices to say, I will miss Microsoft!