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MS-Innovation
time to read 2 min | 250 words
From Wikipedia:
Innovation is the introduction of new ideas, goods, services, and practices which are intended to be useful (though a number of unsuccessful innovations can be found throughout history). The main driver for innovation is often the courage and energy to better the world.
It may be because I am not a native English speaker, but to me the word innovation also carry the idea that the new thing that was created was novel, something beyond a mere evolutionary improvement of the existing.
Given that definition, it drives me crazy to hear Microsoft talk about innovation. The main issue that I have with that is that they seem to equate innovation with work:
A lot of innovation went into this...
Yes, they do some really cool stuff, but do they really need to use the word innovation for everything? Microsoft is doing a lot of things that I would consider as hard-code innovation, the problem is that they apply this word to anything from spell checking to a new icon to rounded corner on a grid.
</rant>
Comments
Well, thats how they create hype for their products and services and generate a following. They make everything that they do, seem like it is the best thing since sliced bread and everyone should be doing the same. If not, then they are not innovative.
IMO, it is a very good tactic. By saying that every little thing they think of is innovative, it forces people to look at it to figure out "why" it is innovative. A good majority of the people realize that it is no different than anything else and move on, a few people don't bother to investigate and just take MS's word for it, turn around and sell their products for them. Very innovative indeed! =)
"It’s a chronic dilemma: investors demand growth—yet the older a company gets, the harder it is to deliver the kind of innovations that younger startups are known for"
Source? Microsoft Research :-)
http://www.researchchannel.org/prog/displayevent.aspx?rID=4725&fID=345
I agree...
take for example all the docs they created about dlinq/linq to sql etc. ... its like they invented O/R mapping with dlinq... all the innovation!
suuurree..
Linq seems like an innovation to me. Believe me when I say I'm not the biggest fan of Microsoft, but from my point of view, they had copied a lot of thing from Java and others, but now they are making new stuff.
Also, making an old idea work should carry some innovation :)
I'm a big fan of ORM, and NHibernate in particular, but if ADO.NET entity framework brings ORM to my daily work, I'll be very happy of using it
Like I said, they are making innovative things. The problem is that they are calling Everything innovation!
I would totally agree with Ayende. Microsoft did a few good innovative things. But most of their so called innovations are really just work, either by copying others ideas/work or by incorporating newly bought companies and their employees in the existing structures and products.
Innovation is an oft used and abused word that hardly has any meaning these days. Not just Microsoft, but many other companies spill this word througout their press releases and other marketing documents. It's almost to the point where I cringe everytime I hear it. Not as bad as...ecch..."synergy", but it's getting there.
Real innovation generally happens without much fanfare...and many times faces a lot of opposition by the "old guard" and the traditional ways of doing things.
Case in point: File sharing of music/movies. A LOT of innovation happened to get it to the point it is today, and the multimedia companies are fighting it tooth and nail.
Innovation is an oft used and abused word that hardly has any meaning these days. Not just Microsoft, but many other companies spill this word througout their press releases and other marketing documents. It's almost to the point where I cringe everytime I hear it. Not as bad as...ecch..."synergy", but it's getting there.
Real innovation generally happens without much fanfare...and many times faces a lot of opposition by the "old guard" and the traditional ways of doing things.
Case in point: File sharing of music/movies. A LOT of innovation happened to get it to the point it is today, and the multimedia companies are fighting it tooth and nail.
Oh, and speaking of that...
There seems to be a bug for the comment posting in your blog. If you enter the CAPTCHA wrong (I keep forgetting it's case sensitive, why I don't know because it never uses small letters), the page notifies you and allows you to re-enter. Well, if you do re-enter it correctly, it takes it and does a double post.
I am using Opera, btw.
Oh, and speaking of that...
There seems to be a bug for the comment posting in your blog. If you enter the CAPTCHA wrong (I keep forgetting it's case sensitive, why I don't know because it never uses small letters), the page notifies you and allows you to re-enter. Well, if you do re-enter it correctly, it takes it and does a double post.
I am using Opera, btw.
Oh good grief. Nevermind. It always happens anyway whether you enter it correctly the first time or not. I'm posting THIS one in IE just to see if that makes a difference.
You must have just read "Getting Started with Silverlight" - the whole article made me cringe...
According to Microsoft, the evolution of web technologies has gone like this:
"...technology evolved through CGI, Java, ASP, and then ASP.NET..."
HAHAHAHAAH!!! CGI, then Java(!), then... ASP! :)
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