Last year, I was jazzed about the Microsoft Professional Developer Conference.  I was going to move mountains to attend.  Then Microsoft cancelled it.

This year, I am really, really jazzed about the 2008 Microsoft Professional Developer Conference.  At this point it is hard to focus on simple coding tasks, the damn thing is so exciting.  And it is nearly started!

But there is no way, no how, I am going to spend $5,000 or more to attend.  First, I could sure use that money for groceries or updating the roof on our home before all the shingles fall off.  Second, I’m not even slightly connected with The Borg.  So the face-to-face aspect of this ginormous conference has no value.  That was proved when I attended the VSX Conference a few weeks ago.  Sorry, you guys aren’t really very social, even at parties on your own campus.  I would have thought you would focus on those paying VSX partners during their time the rest of the week, but I can understand why you might engage full time with the high rollers and ignore the bums like me.  It’s just business, right?  No hard feelings.

I think a lot of developers are staying home this time for similar reasons.  The PDC usually sells out months in advance.  Today the website warns “This is your last chance.  We’re getting close to selling out, so register now!”  With luck, we developers and Microsoft can have another chance in three years or so.

Microsoft has previously done an excellent job of getting their conference material out to their customers, even if they can’t attend the conference.  This is a really great service.  I can go to the Microsoft Event DVD Store and get recordings of presentations plus demo material from the big Microsoft conferences.  I’m still going through the Tech*Ed 2008 DVDs.  Great stuff.

I have been told that every effort will be made to put similar content out on the Web (possibly linked from Channel 9).  I was assured that the turnaround would be fast, so there wouldn’t be the three to six month delay associated with the DVD distribution.  Certainly the keynotes will be carried live.  Considering that the pre-con starts in two days (Sunday), I am a little frustrated that there is no central listing of online sessions, keynote or other, especially on the PDC website itself.  How can they devote pages to “social networking”, various open sessions, places where Microsofties hang out in the evening, and other crap for a few thousand developers, when the millions of developers out on the real network just want to learn how to use their products ASAP?  Throw us a bone, guys!  We’d like to know how to get the info and how to schedule our time to see it.

I almost feel like I’m going to put as much time into discovering PDC content on the Web as I would spend flying from Knoxville to LA.

Assuming that Microsoft gets the online distribution done (and I know that is a huge job), what about later?  It is really essential to have easy access to the session recordings and the bits without downloading gigabytes of stuff from all over the Internet.  Comcast might shut down my connection.  I am also a bit concerned because  Microsoft has foregone the DVD distribution at the conference in favor of providing content on 160 GB USB hard drives.  That’s a super idea for the conference.  But does that mean that the event DVD store will have to distribute 32 DVDs?  Will they sell conference material on 160 GB USB hard drives?  I’m voting for the hard drive.  Make it a 320 GB drive, the space will be needed for the session recordings!

--- Walter Lounsbery, 10-24-2008

I really, really enjoy my Zune.  I have to put that up front in this short expose of Zune idiocy.  It’s just too bad that the product team seems to have a hard time getting their product to work at a fundamental level.  Here are some cases that really make the point.

One of the things I enjoy about the Zune is the relatively new podcast support.  I subscribe to 16 podcasts out of the Zune Marketplace, some in audio and some in video.  While I find that the synching experience is terrible by design (it is assumed that your Zune only synchs on one computer, though you are allowed to install on up to three computers with your account), I have been beaten down by the Zune system so that I hardly notice the pain of manually refreshing the content of my Zune, including deleting podcasts that I’ve listened to one by one on my computer console (instead of deleting on the Zune right after I play the podcast).

Since I have a home computer network, with Windows Home Server, it is very natural to keep my Zune collection on that central Windows Home Server.  Of course, this totally messes up Media Player on each computer as it can’t detect changes to the library.  I’ve whined before about having to manually synch each computer to the central collection if there are any changes.

Similarly, the Zune client software on my three computers is unable to detect changes to the library of podcasts.  Now, podcasts can be very transitory.  Generally, only the last 3 podcasts in any series is kept (unless you set every client setting for a particular podcast to a different retention number….ugh!).  That’s right, one client computer might delete a few from the collection as time goes on, then the client on a different computer shows that more podcasts are available in the collection.  Even when that client gets an error because a particular podcast in not in the collection anymore, it still shows the podcast in your collection.  Now Microsoft regularly harasses me to verify this or that action in numerous programs, but in return their programs can’t even figure out that a file has been deleted, or work properly in Microsoft’s Networked Home of the Future (it’s in the Future because they haven’t provided it Today).

To top it off, as I was verifying this very stupid behavior, I discovered that Zune places podcasts into a Podcast folder that is in the Music folder.  This is another Stupid design.  Somebody has to code their applications to ignore the Podcast folder when listing the artists contained in the Music folder.  I guess that’s somewhere in the Windows SDK.  Also, the video and audio podcasts are not categorized by folder.  This is odd, since the Zune forces you to choose different podcast lists based on audio or video.  Experienced Microsoft Media experts will probably say that the Playlists are also kept in the Music folder, so they require special handling.  Yep, it is so special that the machines in my house have “lost” playlists many times over various silent operating system upgrades, requiring manual search and copy so that Media Center can find them again.

As I wrap up this short litany of dumb moments in Zune design, I have to wonder how the other 93% of the media market lives?  If Microsoft is providing good competition to Apple, for example, I ought to get at least 20 returns on a search for “dumb ipod design” for each Zune hit.  I actually got about 1.2 million hits for ipod vs. 250 thousand for Zune, which is barely OK until you learn that most of the ipod hits are for ipod accessories and the decision to build in the battery.  I guess you could also argue that most of the dumb Zune hits are written by rabid ipod fanboys and girls.  Se la vie.

-- Walter Lounsbery, 10-22-2008

On October 16, 2008, the EAA B-17 “Aluminum Overcast” flew to Lawrenceville, Georgia from McGhee Tyson Airport near Knoxville, Tennessee.   I took some video on the flight that shows some of the experience on this repositioning flight during the 2008 tour of the EAA “Aluminum Overcast” B-17.  The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) does a great service to aviation by maintaining a flying B-17 Flying Fortress and sending it around the United States each year.  This program allows people to see a key aircraft from World War II.  The B-17 is an impressive aircraft.  Even on the ground, the roar of four 1200 horsepower engines is totally impressive.

Here is my video:

It was fascinating to see all the sections of the aircraft (except for the ball turret and the tail gunner position).  The B-17 is of extremely light weight construction in order to achieve a very high altitude cruise.  I don’t know how the WWII crews made it through an entire mission, dealing with the noise, cold at high altitudes, lack of air pressure, the cramped quarters, and breathing dry oxygen.  Not to mention getting bombarded by flak from anti-aircraft guns and attacks by German fighter aircraft. 

I learned several things from one of the veteran B-17 bomber pilots that were given a ride on Monday.   They flew tight formations of hundreds of bombers over Europe.  The main reason for the tight formations (other than delivering bombs to the target) was to discourage enemy fighter from shooting down bombers as they flew through the bombers.

If you are interested in learning more about the Eighth Air Force in WWII, I highly recommend the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Savannah, Georgia.  The displays really bring to life an important chapter in our history.  They also have a nice B-47 on a pedestal in front of the museum, which is just off of I-95.

And if you are interested in vintage aircraft or just about any segment of general aviation, I strongly encourage you to look into the Experimental Aircraft Association.  The central group provides many services for pilots and enthusiasts.  I’ve greatly enjoyed my membership in various local chapters.  You can meet some truly interesting and wonderful people at the local level.  The central office also supports the Air Venture fly in, an amazing annual event for aviation enthusiasts (check out the video here).

-- Walter Lounsbery, 10-17-2008

I don’t have a lot of time to spend on this post, since I’m heading out to the airport to help with the EAA operations for their “Aluminum Overcast” B-17 today.  I can say that the arrival of the B-17 yesterday at Tyson-McGhee Airport was an inspiration for a lot of people.  Yesterday the EAA pilots flew veteran WWII bomber pilots and the media.  Today and tomorrow they will be giving rides in the morning and ground tours in the afternoon.  The cost of the ground tours is nominal (about $5 as I recall).  If you are interested in riding in the B-17, check out the EAA B-17 Website.  This has all the details about the flights.  You can also go directly to the operations at McGhee-Tyson in the morning (9 AM or after), pay for the flight there, and enjoy a wonderful experience that same day.  The operations are just South of the TacAir center, exit #1 to the airport (just before the exit to the passenger terminal as you head South on the highway past the airport).

I took some video yesterday that shows what the experience is like from the outside of the B-17.  Here it is:

Walter Lounsbery, 10-14-2008

in October 2005 I wrote about the Mythical Rock Star Programmer.  This is a fad that will always carry weight and coverage in IT management publications.  What could be more macho for a competitive manager than “I hired more better rock star programmers than your department ever had!”  It is such an upbeat, proactive golden bullet for any staff issue or challenge.

Unfortunately, there is a huge gap between management theory and reality.  Even the popular fads like hiring rock stars may be news to most IT managers.  The vast majority of IT organizations promote internal cultures that are rarely documented and often interfere with the smooth working of development or support teams.  Lets inspect one attractive approach to staffing that few will admit to, yet most managers find extremely attractive. 

This is an inverse of the Rock Star staffing approach I like to call the Witch Doctor office.  Rather than hire an all-star team, get one Witch Doctor and several programmers that do not aspire to master the deployed technology or the business processes.  In fact, it is possible to hire people that are trainable for programming, yet don’t understand the principles or frameworks.  That’s why I call it the Witch Doctor office.  The Witch Doctor knows the secret spells of programming and getting things done in the organization.

At this point, you have a choice.  If you find the Witch Doctor office revolting and repulsive, go read some other blog post.  IT isn’t known for elegance, great customer service, or technical creativity.  That’s just how it is.  A lot of people go to work every day in those environments, not the Web startups, computer game companies, or research labs of big software companies.  If you know this reality, please post your ideas in the comments.

Why would anyone want a Witch Doctor office?  Basically it is cheaper thanks to lower rates or salaries for most of the staff, with the added bonus that the regular grunts will stay put.  Stability is enhanced so long as the Witch Doctor rules the roost.  The Witch Doctor does have incentives to stay.  They are continually mentoring the other staff and those relationships are socially valuable.  They enjoy protection against layoff or petty actions by management.  They generally get the better travel assignments and participation in fun technical conferences.  They can get away with things the rest of the staff would never dream of attempting.  Life is sweet.

This stable and cheap organization has serious drawbacks.  First, it is too stable.  Management becomes satisfied with lower output or ineffective delivery as the price of stability.  Management will become disengaged with delivery and regular staff.  Hiring will be controlled by the Alpha Programmer (the Witch Doctor) as is true in any staff, allowing the Witch Doctor to control competition.  Any quality control or improvement would destroy the status quo, which becomes more important than anything else.  Even if management gets a wild hair to do better, their bosses won’t understand what the budget increases are supposed to accomplish (why are you wasting our money?).

Perhaps some of you know of cases where the Witch Doctor office gets a meaningful makeover.  I can’t imagine anything short of a major catastrophe changing the situation.  Given the lack of ALM process in such an office, any makeover would create major pain for those that get to pick up the pieces.  Obviously, management gets an opportunity to improve the staff mix any time staff levels go up or down.  But what compelling arguments would make that happen?

-- Walter Lounsbery, 10-10-2008

I was an early enthusiast of Windows Home Server.  In fact, I was on the beta program.  It is important to realize that this beta program provided free software, but I got to buy a machine to run that beta software.  So this is a bit higher level of enthusiasm for a beta than usual.  Microsoft didn’t even cut any slack for the beta evaluators as we got to pay for the full release when it came out.

But I’m not bitter about any of that.  I am very glad that Microsoft followed through on this product.  Although the server has a lot of key benefits beyond backup, I can report that, once again, it has come through on the promise of an easy workstation restore.

Oddly, my latest episode began when my main workstation (the Blue Monster) failed to back up to Windows Home Server one night.  Manual backups also failed.  Some software installation or update destroyed a key COM component or setting in the Registry.  I was unable to resolve the problem, so I did the simple fix: a restore from Windows Home Server from that latest good backup.  Of course, I also spent a few hours backing up the workstation to a large USB hard drive before the restore.  WHS did a faster job on the restore and now my main workstation is humming along just fine.

My only concern about Windows Home Server is this: Microsoft has a track record of fouling up perfectly good products.  I think you can come up with your own list here.  WHS is darn near perfect and stable as it is.  It is perfectly fine on its particular operating system release.  There are certainly things to be added, tweaks to be done.  Just make sure that it gets easier, more stable, and cheaper.  I think $300 is a great price point.

-- Walter Lounsbery, 10-8-2008