When Software Leaks (and What Really Goes Down)

Bryant writes "The Windows community is somewhat notorious for leaks from upcoming versions of Windows (obligatory link to this guy since that's most of what he does), and while the official PR word from Microsoft and many other companies with regards to leaks is a simple 'no comment,' no one has really gotten a candid, inside look at the various things that go down when word, screenshots, or builds of upcoming software leak. I managed to get some time with a senior Microsoft employee for the sake of discussing leaks, and the conclusions reached (leaks heavily affect communication, not so much the product schedule) as well as what these guys actually have to deal with whenever someone leaks a build, breaks an embargo, etc. may actually be a surprise given what most companies try to instill in the public mind."

You know

[Turzyx]

It's suprising how many times one person can, you know, say "you know" in one interview. For the record, it was 22 times, don't you know...

Re:I always had the impression

[Foredecker]

I'm a relatively senior development manager in Windows and no, they are not calculated or deliberate. There is no super secrete leak committee. Leaks are a big hassle.

Re:You know

[dj_tla]

It's common practice for a journalist to strip those nonsense syllables from an audio interview transcribed to text. Just sayin'.

Re:I don't believe the article.

[Sir_Lewk]

I don't doubt it, I was simply pointing out the absurdity in his reasoning.

Re:I always had the impression

[Nefarious Wheel]

That's what PowerPoint is for. You have to speak to them in their own language (i.e. pictures and text so simple as to be inaccurate) ;)p>

That's what PowerPoint is used badly for.

The best use is as a sort of wallpaper you use to give people a fixed visual link for the things you are saying. Think of it as an index to the stuff you want them to remember, a key phrase that your audience can use as an association for the stuff you want them to remember - you do the actual talking, the communicating. Use pictures a lot.

And if you really want people to remember, have popcorn popping or some other good smell happening, because the olfactory sense seems to be hardwired into wetware memory logic. (People buy more when they're hungry, too).

The worst use of PowerPoint is to use it as a way to present detailed information. Crowd the slides and you lose. A PP slide is something to talk about. It's no good trying to make it carry the whole message.

Oh, and use whitespace. Short messages are easier to read.

Re:I always had the impression

[dbIII]

It's not just the early 1990s - remember all the things that Longhorn was supposed to do and how it was going to be an OS X killer? What we actually got was Vista with it's main redeeming feature being eyecandy no better than we saw in the Enlightenment window manager back before Slashdot even existed, let alone what OS X was by the time Vista came out.

Re:I always had the impression

[cerberusss]

To be able to kick the competitor's asses without actually having a product is pretty damned impressive in my book

In my book, this is cold and calculated, and doing business in the cut-throat way. I hate it, because it can kill fledgling entrepreneurs with good ideas but no steady cashflow.

I think it's totally unethical. But then again, I probably won't get rich.