Comments on: The next person who says Microsoft doesn’t innovate gets slapped

By: 164 – Playing games while recording : Dogear Nation » Podcast

164 – Playing games while recording : Dogear Nation » Podcast — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 14:50:47 +0000

[...] by Bejeweled Blitz and Michael Jackson Zombie removed from PvZ Andy — MS Street Slide and Microsoft can still Innovate Michael R — THOR! – we hope the link still [...]

By: Paul S

Paul S — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:35:53 +0000

No probs you caught me in a sarcastic mood.

I think we’re just using different definitions of “innovate”.

By: Steven Hodson

Steven Hodson — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:24:44 +0000

I remember Plan 9 .. was a rather interesting idea, and I apologize for my last comment about myopia that wasn’t fair as you wrote a fair opinion and now an equally fair response, so please accept my apologies for the uncalled for comment.

By: Paul S

Paul S — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:03:41 +0000

Myopia? My eyesight is 20:20 (however I’m deaf as a post)

Having said that:
• Singularity and Midori are Microsoft’s experimentations of a microkernel architecture, predecessors include Plan 9 & Inferno, JNode, and a multitude of others. All of them have their differences and similarities.
• My understanding of MinWin is that it takes the complicated structure of windows and simplifies/reorganizes it into layers. It’s not a completely new kernel, it’s a redesign. Sounds like a very nice improvement that is well overdue — not sure I would call it “innovation”.
• Apparently Photosynth was based on a project by University of Washington student Noah Snavely — again very nice.
• Worldwide telescope is quite cool – but the Google Sky feature of Google Earth came first — I do like the MS version better, but wouldn’t pretend that MS thought of it first.

Anyway, I’ll get my eyes checked.

By: Steven Hodson

Steven Hodson — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:43:01 +0000

Really .. hmm .. so someone came up with Singularity and Midori and MinWin before Microsoft Research did .. wow.

You mind pointing me to who came up with Photosythn or Worldwide Telescope before Microsoft Research did?

I can see myopia rules.

By: Steven Hodson

Steven Hodson — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:40:13 +0000

I tend to agree with you on the stealth part .. one just has to look at the breadth and depth of the Windows Live Network and how they have gotten the privacy settings right compared to the other more “famous” names.

Bing’s image search is all that I use and have for some time – they’ve done a hellva job with it. Next up I think will be the Bing Maps given all the app overlays you can add to it.

As much as I want a Windows Phone 7 when they launch I am stuck in a position where it will be at least a year or two before I can upgrade to it from the LG feature phone that I just got locked into another 3 year contract with. So for me it will probably be the 2nd gen WP7 I get to play with *sigh*

By: Paul S

Paul S — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:37:53 +0000

Steve: all the things mentioned in your article are examples of MS taking something that someone else has thought of — yes, they often even improve on what they are copying. So I guess it’s up to your definition of “innovate” — I don’t consider taking Google Street View and making it better (which it does seem to be) to be innovation.

And @karoli’s example is just another example.

By: Steven Hodson

Steven Hodson — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:35:43 +0000

S L A P ! !