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User:Ryan Norton/MS

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Microsoft Developer Network homepage logo in 1999. What began as a simple CD-ROM spawned an award-winning software development magazine and a series of websites with over a thousand blogs increasing corporate transparency in Microsoft.[1][2][3]
A Microsoft Research building (99) in Redmond, WA, USA. Compared to AT&T Bell Laboratories, in addition to performing research for new technologies thousands of academic papers can be attributed to its researchers since it began in 1991.[4]

Culture

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Technical reference for developers and articles for various Microsoft magazines such as Microsoft Systems Journal (or MSJ) are available through the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN). MSDN also offers subscriptions for companies and individuals, and the more expensive subscriptions usually offer access to pre-release beta versions of Microsoft software.[5][6] On April 6, 2004 Microsoft launched Channel9, a community website providing a wiki and an Internet forum.[7] Another community site that provides daily videocasts and other services, On10.net, launched on March 3, 2006.[8] Free technical support is traditionally provided through online Usenet newsgroups, and CompuServe in the past, monitored by Microsoft employees; there can be several newsgroups for a single product. Helpful people can be elected by peers or Microsoft employees for Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) status, which entitles them to a sort of special social status and possibilities for awards and other benefits.[9]

Noted for its internal lexicon, the expression "eating our own dog food" is used to describe the policy of using prerelease and beta versions of products inside Microsoft in an effort to test them in "real-world" situations.[10] This is usually shortened to just "dog food" and is used as noun, verb, and adjective. Another bit of jargon, FYIFV or FYIV ("Fuck You, I'm [Fully] Vested"), is used by an employee to indicate they are financially independent and can avoid work anytime they wish.[11] The company is also known for its hiring process, mimicked in other organizations and dubbed the "Microsoft interview", which is notorious for off-the-wall questions such as "Why is a manhole cover round?".[12]

Microsoft is an outspoken opponent of the cap on H1B visas, which allow companies in the U.S. to employ certain foreign workers. Bill Gates claims the cap on H1B visas make it difficult to hire employees for the company, stating "I'd certainly get rid of the H1B cap" in 2005.[13] Critics of H1B visas argue that increasing (or eliminating) the cap only takes jobs away from U.S. citizens due to H1B workers working for lower salaries.[14] The Human Rights Campaign gave Microsoft a 100% rating from 2005 to 2010 in the Corporate Equality Index, a report of how progressive the organization deems company policies towards LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual) employees.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Johnston, Stuart J. (1992-08-03). "Microsoft initiates Developer Network service". InfoWorld. p. 8. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
  2. ^ "MSDN Magazine Receives Honors From the Society of Technical Communication". United Business Media. 2006-01-24. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
  3. ^ Foley, Mary Jo (2007-03-28). "The real question: How to keep Microsoft on the transparency track". ZDNet. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
  4. ^ Romano, Benjamin J. (2006-09-27). "Microsoft Research: 15 years of ideas". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
  5. ^ "MSDN Subscription FAQ". Microsoft. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
  6. ^ "Microsoft Systems Journal Homepage". Microsoft. 2004-04-15. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  7. ^ Hobson, Neville (2005-04-11). "Microsoft's Channel 9 And Cultural Rules". WebProNews. iEntry Inc. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
  8. ^ "On10.net homepage". Microsoft. Retrieved 2006-05-04.
  9. ^ Bray, Hiawatha (2005-06-13). "Somehow, Usenet lumbers on". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
    * "Microsoft MVP Frequently Asked Questions". Microsoft. Retrieved 2006-07-01.
  10. ^ CNET News.com Staff (2003-07-21). "Microsoft tests its own dog food". ZDNet. CNET Networks, Inc. Archived from the original on 2007-01-08. Retrieved 2005-10-09.
  11. ^ Heileman, John (November 2000). "The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing But The Truth". Wired. Retrieved 2007-09-30.
  12. ^ Poundstone, William (2003-05-21). "Square Manhole Covers and Crazy Questions". G4TV.com. Retrieved 2006-07-01.
  13. ^ Mark, Roy (2005-04-27). "Gates Rakes Congress on H1B Visa Cap". internetnews.com. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  14. ^ "Bill Gates Targets Visa Rules for Tech Workers". NPR. 2008-03-12. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
  15. ^ "Corporate Equality Index Archive". Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Retrieved 2010-07-17.
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