Microsoft to Staff: Make WP7 Apps On Own Time

[exfileme]

Microsoft's Andy Lees told employees to create Windows Phone 7 apps on their own free time.

Microsoft to Staff: Make WP7 Apps On Own Time : Read more

 

[hellwig]

Knew there had to be a catch. Microsoft needs apps, and considering Windows Phone 7 uses Silverlight and XNA (and not JRE like iPhone and Android), its gonna be hard convincing 3rd-party developers to re-code their apps.

I also like how this is on their own "spare" time. Microsoft is asking its employees to develop apps, without pay, and you know they won't be allowed to charge anything for them either. Sure, some devs would have done this anyway, but it creates a bad precedent when you expect everyone to do it.

 

[adamspc]

There was no indication of what would happen if employees completely ignored the device and cheated with another platform.

http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Gray_%28computer_scientist%29

 

[gogogadgetliver]

MSFT employees already do lots of stuff in their spare time like create troubleshooting tools etc. They have internal spaces similar to sourceforge where thousands of apps live.

This is just a push to get all these "hobby programmers" to devote their attention to one particular focus.

This isn't setting any precedent. The precedent is already set. And yes employees would get paid for apps they develop on their own. There are standard NDA, Noncompete and other agreements in place but it's not exactly a slave labor shop.

 

[IM0001]

It may sound funny but I bet they have incentives for doing it on your own time. Microsoft is smart to get their workforce behind the phone to really iron it out and have all kinds of nifty unique apps out launch day. It is not something you see every day in a corporation which is neat.

 

[gogogadgetliver]

Really what I'm glad to see:

MSFT tapping into this talent pool like this. It's 90,000 people who are 1) Smart 2) heavy into tech 3) Stockholders 4) Fans.

There has been this collective roar of "we told you so" from employees to management for a long time and it appears to be changing.

 

[Guest]

I don't think they do expect everyone to do it. They already have a healthy number of developers developing apps for them. As a web developer I could honestly say that the tools that MS provides for wp7 app makers makes it so that developing apps for wp7 can be done in a fraction of the time that it would take to develop for any other platform. I think people are going to be surprised by the amount of apps the wp7 is going to have to start with. You could already view hundreds of youtube videos of apps developed by people like myself for the platform. Ironically enough Developers are going to be wp7s saving grace.

 

[f-14]

meh..glad i don't work there, i'm pretty sure i already have aland line phone at my desk if i did work there, not to mention the fact i'd be staring right at a giant computer monitor connected to the entire microsoft network.
manager: soooooooo did youget the memo about your new phone yet?
me:uhm about the cellphone?
manager:yaaaaa we need you to work out the bugs for it.
me: i see.
me: and i'm supposed to work on apps for it on my spare time?
manager:yaaaaaa
me: do i get to patent and own all the rights to the app i make?
manager: uhmmmm about that, you see we feel you'd like to get paid for that with a small percentage from the lisc.'ing royalties.
me: oh?
manager: yaaaaa think of it as a 'bonus'.
me: you mean like the deal with activision and infinityward?
manager: uhhhmmmm if you could just get that done before the release date, that'd be greeaaaaaat

 

[bv90andy]

If they are allowed to sell the apps and make a profit I think it's a great thing, otherwise F**K M$, that's just stupid.

 

[bootleghooch]

spare time != time off

 

[Guest]

I hope the Xbox guys do so and get a lot of games up and running.

 

[gogogadgetliver]

Dude, nobody is asking employees to work for free.
Nobody is asking them to fix bugs. They have internal dogfood programs for that and this is for a *released* product.
Nobody is asking them to develop an app on their own time then give up the profits.

People are so jaded.

 

[crom]

Yea do that so we don't have to pay you, mmmkay?

 

[Clintonio]

I'm a programmer. When I go home from my job, it doesn't end. That's life as a programmer. You live your job. For the company I am employed in, we have a huge meeting with a large corperation in the upcoming weeks, and I have a large platform to create for it. I'll be working overtime and weekends, unpaid, to meet it I expect.

I just care about my job.

 

[tntom]

Everyone! They got FREE Phones! Remember? And as it was pointed out, they are free to profit from what they develop.

 

[pirateboy]

[citation][nom]Clintonio[/nom]I'm a programmer. When I go home from my job, it doesn't end. That's life as a programmer. You live your job. For the company I am employed in, we have a huge meeting with a large corperation in the upcoming weeks, and I have a large platform to create for it. I'll be working overtime and weekends, unpaid, to meet it I expect. I just care about my job.[/citation]

I guess you don't have kids. If you do, I feel sorry for them.

 

[martel80]

[citation][nom]Clintonio[/nom]I'm a programmer. When I go home from my job, it doesn't end. That's life as a programmer. You live your job. For the company I am employed in, we have a huge meeting with a large corperation in the upcoming weeks, and I have a large platform to create for it. I'll be working overtime and weekends, unpaid, to meet it I expect. I just care about my job.[/citation]
Please, just don't tell me you're doing it purely for love of your company. Even if it doesn't immediately translate to your paycheck/promotion, you know you will benefit from it in the end... That's why you're doing it, right?
But this does not have anything to do with you being a programmer, I'm a programmer myself and I also think about my work after I leave the place... and so do medics, scientists, managers etc.

 

[eddieroolz]

While a sound initiative, I'm not sure just how much extra time most of the employees have, especially considering their workload and the non-compensated nature of developing for W7P.

 

[xerroz]

Yet another reason why im looking forward to WP7, cant wait!

 

[STravis]

[citation][nom]Clintonio[/nom]I'm a programmer. When I go home from my job, it doesn't end. That's life as a programmer. You live your job. For the company I am employed in, we have a huge meeting with a large corperation in the upcoming weeks, and I have a large platform to create for it. I'll be working overtime and weekends, unpaid, to meet it I expect. I just care about my job.[/citation]

That's cause you're being abused. I used to be a programmer and I can tell you that at NO TIME did I ever break more that 50hrs/week - NEVER. Now that I have engineers working for me, I return the favor - I expect them to work 40-45hrs/week and then go HOME and spend quality time with their families. Will there be occasions that they may have to work longer hours? Sure - but I can tell you that's the rare exception, not the rule.