How Microsoft Builds Software

1
How Microsoft Builds Software

• Hack sync stabilize repeat, release before
  finished

2
Max Flex

• Minimal structure
• Relaxed working conditions
• Its not how things are working, its WHO is
  working
• Attracting talent

3
Small smart teams

• Parallel team development
• Freedom to evolve designs (though not free as in
  freedom or beer)
• Autonomy

4
Structure? Or Chaos with deadlines?

• Do what you want but make sure it compiles at the
  end of the day
• Coding Standards
• Standard development tools
• Testers assigned to coders
• Continuous testing
• Metric data for milestone completion, release

5
The Steps

• Vision Statement (helps if you can see a LISA
  close by)
• Milestones
• Release

6
Vision Statement

• Customers provide input
• Prioritize features based on customer input.
• Drop features as necessary to meet deadline

7
Milestones 1..n-1

• Development
• Usability lab
• Private Release Testing
• Daily builds
• Feature Debugging
• Code Stabilization
• Buffer Time

8
Milestone n (the last one)

• All that other jazz
• Feature Integration
• Feature Complete
• Code Complete
• Zero Bug Release (I love that one)
• Release to Manufacturing (dont worry no one
  would leave a Win95 machine on that long)

9
Being first isnt the most important thing. It is
the ONLY Thing

• Zero Defect?.. As far as we know care?
• Creativity, Research, get an idea and get it out
  the door.

10
Always have a version to ship for major
platformshahaha

• Windows for Mac?
• Anything for L/Unix? BSD? Solaris? Vxworks?
• Major platforms that we own or that we have legal
  reasons to support (we never stole the GUI On an
  unrelated note lets invest in Apple)

11
Doesnt Guarantee on time delivery or bug free
software

• I love this quote
• They should really switch to one that does

12
Hacker software organization

• Hacking is just more fun face it
• Its fun to experiment
• Noone careS aboot detils
• Its fun to play pool
• Its fun to go fast
• Its all about attracting the talent
• And shipping a product

13
OpenSource is coming

• Free is fun (with beer and freedom)
• MS can buy the big guns out of college GPL coders
  can start earlier
• Even fewer rules depending on the project
• You own what you build (everyone does)
• But dont worry there is strength in a monopoly

14
Steps to Microsoft software success

• Hire smart people and let them work really fast
  on a product idea
• Do testing as best you can as they go
• Ship the product before the competition to make
  the big bucks
• Once people are hooked ride the monopoly