Why I push to get every bit answered

[David Thielen]

Hi;

I recently had two questions I posted where I know some people were
wondering why I was being such a pain about getting every little point right.
So here is why.

I worked at Microsoft for 3-1/2 years as a senior developer on the Win 95
team. We constantly had to do things, or not do things, because of 3rd party
programs that would break due to what we considered brain dead code in those
3rd party programs.

I then left Microsoft and found that in many cases, it wasn't that the 3rd
party programmers were stupid, it's that the Microsoft interfaces were
incompletely documented and outside programmers had to guess how to use the
Microsoft API.

And just as 10 programmers seeing the same problem will come up with 10
different good solutions, 10 programmers with incomplete information will
come up with 10 different guesses.

So when it is not clear exactly what to use, what API to call, how to use a
given feature, etc. I try to drill down and get all of the details so my code
will continue to work as Microsoft releases service packs and new versions.
And that I don't make things harder for the developers at Microsoft when they
want to make changes.

And that's why I push to get every last detail right.

 

[John]

Hi, Dave

Thank you for the explanation.

I hope we're getting better rather than worse.

John Eikanger
Microsoft Developer Support

This posting is provided “AS IS” with no warranties, and confers no rights.
--------------------
| From: "=?Utf-8?B?RGF2aWQgVGhpZWxlbg==?=" <[email protected]>
| Subject: Why I push to get every bit answered
| Date: Fri, 5 Nov 2004 08:15:02 -0800
| X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.office.developer.com.add_ins
|
| Hi;
|
| I recently had two questions I posted where I know some people were
| wondering why I was being such a pain about getting every little point
right.
| So here is why.
|
| I worked at Microsoft for 3-1/2 years as a senior developer on the Win 95
| team. We constantly had to do things, or not do things, because of 3rd
party
| programs that would break due to what we considered brain dead code in
those
| 3rd party programs.
|
| I then left Microsoft and found that in many cases, it wasn't that the
3rd
| party programmers were stupid, it's that the Microsoft interfaces were
| incompletely documented and outside programmers had to guess how to use
the
| Microsoft API.
|
| And just as 10 programmers seeing the same problem will come up with 10
| different good solutions, 10 programmers with incomplete information will
| come up with 10 different guesses.
|
| So when it is not clear exactly what to use, what API to call, how to use
a
| given feature, etc. I try to drill down and get all of the details so my
code
| will continue to work as Microsoft releases service packs and new
versions.
| And that I don't make things harder for the developers at Microsoft when
they
| want to make changes.
|
| And that's why I push to get every last detail right.
|
| --
| thanks - dave
|

 

[David Thielen]

Hi;

I think the support group does a good job. And I figure you hit the same
problem at times - you need answers from the developers at MS and don't get
it.

I just wish MS would document this stuff better - and that doesn't seem to
be any better now than 15 years ago. It may just be the nature of the beast.

thanks - dave

 

[John]

Hi, Dave

It feels like we are doing better in the last 10 years, It's a lot easier
to get developer help on issues, and the MSDN Online is a lot more current
than the paper bound Win16 docs we had then. There's always room for
improvement, especially for the lesser used technologies like VSIP.

Keep after us. If one person asks, it usually means there are a half dozen
lurking with the same question.

John Eikanger
Microsoft Developer Support

This posting is provided “AS IS” with no warranties, and confers no rights.

--------------------
| From: "=?Utf-8?B?RGF2aWQgVGhpZWxlbg==?=" <[email protected]>
| Subject: RE: Why I push to get every bit answered
| Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2004 10:40:03 -0800
| X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.office.developer.com.add_ins
|
| Hi;
|
| I think the support group does a good job. And I figure you hit the same
| problem at times - you need answers from the developers at MS and don't
get
| it.
|
| I just wish MS would document this stuff better - and that doesn't seem
to
| be any better now than 15 years ago. It may just be the nature of the
beast.
|
| thanks - dave
|
|
| ""John"" wrote:
|
| > Hi, Dave
| >
| > Thank you for the explanation.
| >
| > I hope we're getting better rather than worse.
| >
| > John Eikanger
| > Microsoft Developer Support
| >
| > This posting is provided “AS IS†with no warranties, and confers no
rights.
| > --------------------
| > | From: "=?Utf-8?B?RGF2aWQgVGhpZWxlbg==?=" <[email protected]>
| > | Subject: Why I push to get every bit answered
| > | Date: Fri, 5 Nov 2004 08:15:02 -0800
| > | X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.office.developer.com.add_ins
| > |
| > | Hi;
| > |
| > | I recently had two questions I posted where I know some people were
| > | wondering why I was being such a pain about getting every little
point
| > right.
| > | So here is why.
| > |
| > | I worked at Microsoft for 3-1/2 years as a senior developer on the
Win 95
| > | team. We constantly had to do things, or not do things, because of
3rd
| > party
| > | programs that would break due to what we considered brain dead code
in
| > those
| > | 3rd party programs.
| > |
| > | I then left Microsoft and found that in many cases, it wasn't that
the
| > 3rd
| > | party programmers were stupid, it's that the Microsoft interfaces
were
| > | incompletely documented and outside programmers had to guess how to
use
| > the
| > | Microsoft API.
| > |
| > | And just as 10 programmers seeing the same problem will come up with
10
| > | different good solutions, 10 programmers with incomplete information
will
| > | come up with 10 different guesses.
| > |
| > | So when it is not clear exactly what to use, what API to call, how to
use
| > a
| > | given feature, etc. I try to drill down and get all of the details so
my
| > code
| > | will continue to work as Microsoft releases service packs and new
| > versions.
| > | And that I don't make things harder for the developers at Microsoft
when
| > they
| > | want to make changes.
| > |
| > | And that's why I push to get every last detail right.
| > |
| > | --
| > | thanks - dave
| > |
| >
| >
|

 

[Mark Durrenberger]

FYI "Software Documentation" is an oxymoron like "Airline Food" and "Jumbo
Shrimp"

Mark

--
_________________________________________________________
Mark Durrenberger, PMP
Principal, Oak Associates, Inc, www.oakinc.com
"Advancing the Theory and Practice of Project Management"
________________________________________________________

The nicest thing about NOT planning is that failure
comes as a complete surprise and is not preceded by
a period of worry and depression.

- Sir John Harvey-Jones