Microsoft to Staff: Make WP7 Apps On Own Time

[rbarone69]

MSFT has adopted the "We eat our own dog food". Give the phones to the employees, let them iron out the kinks. There's few better ways to do this and I'd challenge a more cost effective way of doing it.

Google is doing the same thing... Having everyone to adopt Google apps and OS will spur the need to innovate and ultimatly compete.

I remember back in the DOS days, I had to learn programming to do certain tasks because there were no apps. Either it be batch file processing or full C programs, it incentivized me to learn and innovate.

 

[Guest]

Will everyone please just take a deep breath?!

Microsoft is *not* saying with this memo that employees have to develop apps for Microsoft during their spare time. Rather, Microsoft is saying that developers who develop apps in their spare time get to *own* those apps, and make the money from them.
The previous employee development program -- in conjunction with its moonlighting policy -- made it so that Microsoft owned what its developers made, unless they could prove that they hadn't done it with MS-owned/subsidized tools or on MS time (hard to do on salary)... with the unintended consequence being that developers were disinclined to develop apps on their own time.

This updated policy is intended to *encourage* developers to develop their own apps. Microsoft will still reap benefits -- even if not directly from the apps themselves -- because its new platform needs an ecosystem.

...and yes, I do know whereof I speak, because I work there. No evil to see here; please move along.

 

[ksampanna]

Like being creative ...

 

[matt87_50]

[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]

communist.

ok seriously, I'm a programmer, I love programming, do it often in my free time despite doing it at work all day. but I like the FREEDOM to CHOOSE for MYSELF. I don't even want some subtle obligation. I would consider what you are describing as a POOR work ethic, just leads to people taking advantage of you, undue stress and everything else. YOU DESERVE TO BE PAID!, now, if I happen to be genuinely INTERESTED in what I'm doing at work, then sure I'll happily do it in my free time! but I want the complete freedom to choose for my self! (p.s. you can't just be 'interested in programming' hence, love every aspect of the job equally. there are some parts I love doing more than anything else, and there are other parts where I would rather be down a coal mine!)

one of the parts I hate is MINDLESSLY CONVERTING AN ENTIRE CODE BASE just because some LAME company decided to force everyone to code in a different language just for their platform! FU MS! I agree with hellwig! devs aren't gonna like porting to your platform!

 

[jecastej]

I know very little about this MS internal politic. But my question is for a huge or the biggest software company wouldn't be a most to have a 24/7 talented team working on this app development. Or is it implied and the news is MS just wants to push or open the door to their willing workforce?.

 

[Guest]

MAJOR OMISSION
Msft changed the moonlighting policy, so if we develop Apps on our own time, we get paid for it.
Not exactly free.

Half of us will probably be developing apps at work and getting rich doing it.

 

[wotan31]

Windows Mobile 7 = Kin version 2. No thanks, Microsoft, keep your garbage to yourself.

 

[gogogadgetliver]

[citation][nom]wotan31[/nom]Windows Mobile 7 = Kin version 2. No thanks, Microsoft, keep your garbage to yourself.[/citation]

Windows Mobile 7 = Kin version 2. Awesome Microsoft lets have em!

 

[grieve]

[citation][nom]adamspc[/nom]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_G [...] ientist%29[/citation]
I laughed... then i felt bad for jim lost @ sea.