Need someone to lead product management at your software company? I create software for people that create software and I'm looking for my next opportunity. Check out my resume and get in touch.

Microsoft FUD

Freshness Warning
This blog post is over 22 years old. It's possible that the information you read below isn't current and the links no longer work.

Richard M Stallman has an editorial over at NewsForge that encourages people to ignore MS Word attachments and ask for the file in an open format like HTML or PDF. Since the basis for this is Stallman’s belief that all software should be free, I can understand his point of view, but his editorial resorts to fearmongering.

Stallman says, "And because Microsoft changes the Word file format with each release, its users are locked into a system that compels them to buy each upgrade whether they want a change or not." That’s simply not true. There have been times when Word’s DOC file format has changed to accept new features, but I can save a copy of a document with Word XP and open it in Word 97 (two versions back) without problems.

Stallman also says, "Someone I know was unable to apply for a job because resumes had to be Word files." A company is going to hire the most qualified candidate for the position. If the candidate can’t figure out how to go to Kinko’s or the library and make a Word copy of his resume, then perhaps his problem solving abilities aren’t up to the company’s standards.

And finally, Stalman says, "There is free software now that can read some subset of Word documents. The format is secret... We can’t expect these programs to be perfect." What utter nonsense. I create some pretty complex Word documents, and so far, I’ve never had a problem opening them with StarOffice. Sometimes the formatting isn’t exactly what I intended, but it’s close enough.

Recently Written

Mastery doesn’t come from perfect planning (Dec 21)
In a ceramics class, one group focused on a single perfect dish, while another made many with no quality focus. The result? A lesson in the value of practice over perfection.
The Dark Side of Input Metrics (Nov 27)
Using input metrics in the wrong way can cause unexpected behaviors, stifled creativity, and micromanagement.
Reframe How You Think About Users of your Internal Platform (Nov 13)
Changing from "Customers" to "Partners" will give you a better perspective on internal product development.
Measuring Feature success (Oct 17)
You're building features to solve problems. If you don't know what success looks like, how did you decide on that feature at all?
How I use OKRs (Oct 13)
A description of how I use OKRs to guide a team, written so I can send to future teams.
Build the whole product (Oct 6)
Your code is only part of the product
Input metrics lead to outcomes (Sep 1)
An easy to understand example of using input metrics to track progress toward an outcome.
Lagging Outcomes (Aug 22)
Long-term things often end up off a team's goals because they can't see how to define measurable outcomes for them. Here's how to solve that.

Older...

What I'm Reading

Contact

Adam Kalsey

+1 916 600 2497

Resume

Public Key

© 1999-2024 Adam Kalsey.