|
I just read that Microsoft is shutting down R&D in a number of departments. The article commented about the short-sightedness of not doing R&D.
About 40 years ago, George Rotsky (at that time editor of the Electronic Engineering Times newspaper) published an editorial titled "Teaching the horse not to eat". I wish that I could find the text of that article, because it was a wonderful statement about the perils of cutting R&D.
In the article, he drew a parallel between cutting R&D and the farmer that taught his horse not to eat to cut down on expenses. Predictably the farmer's costs diminished up to the point when the unfortunate horse died. Such is the fate of companies that abandon R&D.
Perhaps Microsoft could learn something from this editorial.
Fletcher Glenn
|
|
|
|
|
When all you look for is the bottom line you miss all the beautiful verse leading up to it!
New version: WinHeist Version 2.1.0 Beta
Have you ever just looked at someone and knew the wheel was turning but the hamster was dead?
Trying to understand the behavior of some people is like trying to smell the color 9.
I'm not crazy, my reality is just different than yours!
|
|
|
|
|
Is that yours? Can I steal it? +5
PooperPig - Coming Soon
|
|
|
|
|
As far as I know it's mine and you're welcome to it.
New version: WinHeist Version 2.1.0 Beta
Have you ever just looked at someone and knew the wheel was turning but the hamster was dead?
Trying to understand the behavior of some people is like trying to smell the color 9.
I'm not crazy, my reality is just different than yours!
|
|
|
|
|
Not having read the article, I can't comment on Microsoft's reasoning. All I can think of is universities that fund research. Some of it truly has value; some of it is utter balderdash, but, because of tenure and policy, the crap is allowed to ferment further.
Since you said Microsoft is shutting down R&D in a number of departments, not all, that implies some of it was deemed worthy to proceed. Can you reference what was cut, what was left and why? I'd like to read the article myself.
|
|
|
|
|
R&D for the sake of R&D is usually a waste of money. Like any large company, I'm sure Microsoft has several departments which have been unprofitable for years and show no signs of changing. Even if a department has some promising R&D, it may be best to move it elsewhere.
(My father was a research scientist for GE. I recall a few projects which were shut down when they determined that a technology was a dead end for various reasons. In at least one case, the technology was awesome, but no matter how they approached the manufacturing, they couldn't make it remotely cost effective.)
EDIT: The only articles I could find is of Microsoft following through on it's plans to reorganize and consolidate. As part of that, they shut down an R&D lab in San Jose. They still have eleven world wide. Why anyone keeps developers in San Jose is a mystery to me.
Also note that as of July 2014, Microsoft was spending $3.1 billion per quarter on R&D. Reducing that by even 10% isn't much. So beating your horse metaphor to death, it's like the farmer with 10 horses buying enough feed for 50 horses instead of 60.
modified 23-Sep-14 19:49pm.
|
|
|
|
|
Well said, and very true.
|
|
|
|
|
I found only this:
http://itnewscast.com/teaching-horse-not-eat[^]
"Cars are getting better at avoiding collisions"
That brings to mind that if you build cars that don't have collisions, you'll sell fewer and fewer cars. It's the opposite of the Shoe Event Horizon. 
Maybe stopping R&D and sticking with the status quo is a good course of action? ![Badger | [badger,badger,badger,badger...]](https://codeproject.global.ssl.fastly.net/script/Forums/Images/badger.gif)
|
|
|
|
|
Our plans for world supremacy are nearing completion! 
|
|
|
|
|
I propose that all subtle mentions of H2G2 should automatically get 10 up votes!
Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.
|
|
|
|
|
Ah, well implementation is Somebody Else's Problem. 
|
|
|
|
|
I'm sorry - I don't see it!
Life is like a s**t sandwich; the more bread you have, the less s**t you eat.
|
|
|
|
|
That's not the article I was referring, but I found the one you saw in my own searches. Remember that the editorial that I was referencing was written in the 70's. There was not much in the way of stored text in those days, and the Arpanet (in time to become the Internet) was only available to the military and some educational institutions.
Fletcher Glenn
|
|
|
|
|
PIEBALDconsult wrote: That brings to mind that if you build cars that don't have collisions
The article didn't say that, it said people wouldn't die or have injuries. We've substantially changed the car design to significantly reduce both, while only slightly reducing the wrecks. They also seem to be designing to reduce fender-benders instead of significant wreck reduction.
It's interesting how times change. Looking at old movies, I cringe at the cigs being pulled out left and right and jumping into the car's boxed cabin with no seatbelts.
|
|
|
|
|
fglenn wrote: I just read that Microsoft is shutting down R&D in a number of departments
The Robotics group got cut...shame really, that is an area that is just taking off....
Ken
|
|
|
|
|
Link or it didn't happen.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ah. I've got a couple of Insiders to catch up on, so I hadn't seen it.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
|
|
|
|
|
Where can anyone point to the fantastic results of Microsoft's R&D? Where are the wonderful new technologies, solutions, and products that have come from Microsoft that last several years?
.......
Why the new XYZ language that Microsoft R&D spearheaded is just fantastic! It puts all other programming languages to shame! And it's taking the programming world by storm! And their new operating system, Windows That Work, is a whole new generation and wonderful paradigm that sets the standard for the new generation of operating systems! And their new tablet! It's wonderful! It redefines computer use for the 21st century! They just can't make enough of them! And the BrowserX project! It replaced old fashioned HTML and CSS with their new XYZ language blows away the old web browsers and replaces it with a stunning and intuitive new application experience that is seamless across their new OS and the Internet! What a tour de force!
.......
Oops! Wrong part of the multiverse! Here Microsoft failed and was quickly forgotten. The discontinuance of R&D was just one of the milestones on its way to its inglorious end.
- Grant
|
|
|
|
|
A few months ago, our horse learned not to eat on her own. My wife spent months at the vet helping her to relearn and in the mean time tubing her so she wouldn't starve to death. Not a pleasant situation. Sorry, I can't appreciate the comparison at this time, but I do understand it and would normally appreciate the irony of making self-destructive choices.
In case you are wondering, the ear and mouth paralysis are pretty much gone. She injured herself by fooling around with a feed-door, getting it open, when she pulled back, the door went with her, she tried harder to get away and put a 3 inch deep hole in her head right behind the ear, causing nerve damage.
The good news is that my wife could bring her back to the same place she was injured at and placed third. (We prefer first, and get more than our fair share of those, but considering the situation we're glad she was healthy enough to compete.) Wish I could have been there.
|
|
|
|
|
I just got the latest email regarding price changes.
Are they really now just taking the p... £16.99 a month.
Don't know how this compares to other countries, but there has been a steady rise in the line rental price and struggle to see the justification. More like they keep ramping this element up as a revenue stream to make up for the 'broadband' loss of business to other companies (as they still have to fork out a line rental fee back to bt in the majority of cases).
|
|
|
|
|
Depends what you get for your 16.99. Does that include phone line / just naked broadband or just to have a bit of copper connected to your house and no services?
|
|
|
|
|
That is the base line rental, i.e. the two copper wires back to the cabinet......no services.
|
|
|
|
|
A bit hard to compare. but in NZ we can get
- Naked Unlimited copper Broadband (no Phone) for $NZ79 Month
- Fibre unlimited broadband with phone $NZ89 Month.
There are cheaper plans based on capped data and fibre is not everywhere (being rolled out now in cities and larger towns) and for the likes of me out in the country air, just copper singing birds and the sweet smell of cow pads  .
|
|
|
|
|
Doesn't seem that bad then.
76/19mb unlimited broadband including weekend calls including line rental = 87NZD
|
|
|
|
General 
News 
Suggestion 
Question 
Bug 
Answer 
Joke 
Praise 
Rant 
Admin 
Submit an article or tip
