http://www.blogrant.co.uk/ the rantings and musings of James Collett en-us Matthew1471's BlogX / BlogX.co.uk Content © 2005 - 2014 James Collett http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.blogrant.co.uk/RSS/Image.jpg http://www.blogrant.co.uk/ 100 100 Tue, 4 Dec 2018 12:10 -0000 Tue, 20 Nov 2018 11:20 -0000 Miscellany http://www.blogrant.co.uk/ViewItem.asp?Entry=358 http://www.blogrant.co.uk/Comments.asp?Entry=358 Microsoft wanted me to fill in a survey on what I thought of them. I gave them a "mildly okay" answer to one of their repetitive questions about how much I like the company, and they wanted to know my reasons.<br><br>I answered:-<br><br><!-- Quote Snippit 1.0 (Edit the TEXT to what your quoting) --><br><div style="background:white; color:blue;"><br>1. Visual Studio is a terrific IDE and the .NET framework enables some powerful software to be written relatively straightforwardly.<br><br>2. The .NET tooling to handle WSDL and XSD is woefully shite when it comes to dealing with the output of Java toolsets.<br><br>3. The .NET libraries are cluttered with history and thus too many alternative ways to achieve the same things without guidance on best practices. An example is how best to make an HTTP web request. I can think of three options, each subtly different.<br><br>4. Instead of consolidating the toolsets and libraries developed, Microsoft instead has historically chosen to dump technologies an invent something new, without explain the roadmap to the user base.<br><br>5. Microsoft royally shat on the goodwill of their loyal user base of Windows Phone users. The extended corporate silence on the plan for Windows 10 Mobile was excruciating for those of us who had been sold on and bought into the Windows ecosystem. When the users were finally dumped, and indeed before that, Microsoft barely acknowledged it and it was as if Windows Phone had never happened. This was a betrayal of loyalty and Microsoft deserve no more goodwill from their user base.<br><br>6. The recent changes to Microsoft licensing for SQL Server are a disgrace to any relationship they might claim to want with SMEs.<br><br>You asked.<br><br></div>... <a href="http://www.blogrant.co.uk/ViewItem.asp?Entry=358">Read More (31 Characters)</a> Tue, 7 Feb 2017 09:55 -0000 Miscellany http://www.blogrant.co.uk/ViewItem.asp?Entry=335 http://www.blogrant.co.uk/Comments.asp?Entry=335 I know we're not really unsung heroes of software engineering, but sometimes it feels like I am one.<br><br><img src="http://www.blogrant.co.uk//Images/Articles/Entry335_7038.jpg" style="border:none"><br> Thu, 14 Jan 2016 11:43 -0000 Miscellany http://www.blogrant.co.uk/ViewItem.asp?Entry=314 http://www.blogrant.co.uk/Comments.asp?Entry=314 Disappointed to find out this morning - not because I was contacted but because *I called* - that my order form 9 days ago has not shipped and that the prices will not be honoured as quoted in my order after I entered a voucher code for a discount. Is this... <a href="http://www.blogrant.co.uk/ViewItem.asp?Entry=314">Read More (723 Characters)</a> Tue, 5 Jan 2016 21:11 -0000 Miscellany http://www.blogrant.co.uk/ViewItem.asp?Entry=313 http://www.blogrant.co.uk/Comments.asp?Entry=313 I expect this is what I will feel like on my first day back at work after the Christmas holiday tomorrow.<br><br><img src="http://www.blogrant.co.uk//Images/Articles/Entry313_1868.gif" style="border:none"> Fri, 6 Nov 2015 13:27 -0000 Miscellany http://www.blogrant.co.uk/ViewItem.asp?Entry=302 http://www.blogrant.co.uk/Comments.asp?Entry=302 Found this thought lying somewhere. Thought 'd pick it up.<br><br><img src="http://www.blogrant.co.uk//Images/Articles/Entry302_3207.jpg" style="border:none"><br>