Re: [Info] MVP Summit 2005 News in Microsoft Help http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r14472431 en Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:55:21 EDT Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:55:21 EDT Re: [Info] MVP Summit 2005 News http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14483791 MSeng : Sorry for my absence yesterday...a night cap in the hotel bar last night kept me out a little longer than expected and I was wiped out after returning to my room.

Friday and Saturday were spent on topics more specific to Windows. As you can imagine, the Microsoft Windows Product Group is running at full tilt on Vista, so that was the key subject for me.

Friday morning sessions included an in-depth discussion on Aero, which is the design specification for the new User Experience. Contrary to popular belief, Aero does not perpetuate the "Eye Candy" that exists in XP, but lays out an entirely different guideline for a more pleasant, yet professional look to the OS. Things like navigation buttons consistent across all windows, more efficient use of space and more context relevancy when performing tasks. Icon sets are much more presentable, wizards will definitely be more relevant and the use of thumbnails for easy identification of files are just some of the new things coming with Vista.

Explorer is going to become much more useful, the system relies heavily on meta data when doing searches. All sorts of capabilities are being written that will allow people to create Virtual Folders to tie documents, images, music, etc., together in a manner which is more meaningful to the end user. The Address Bar becomes infinitely more powerful for movement around the system and the Navigation Pane takes on a new life with a mixture of Folder and Group (Task) views that change based on what you're doing and where you are. I left the morning session feeling very good about how Microsoft has listened to what the users want and are taking the time to really do it right on the next system.

The afternoon sessions only strengthened that belief...I was able to spend some time with a member of the Product Group responsible for the Image Acquisition portion of Vista. We were given a preview of the new set, which will include features that previously were only found in stand-alone digital image suites. Afterwards, I spent time with Microsoft employees discussing how we view the Windows Community and what they could do better to leverage the expertise that exists across the web, on forums such as BBR, blogs, wikis, user groups, etc., to provide Help and Assistance when the Support Resources from Microsoft are unable to resolve a problem.

As I mentioned earlier, Microsoft works us hard during the day but puts on a great party afterwards. Our MVP Party was held at EMP / Science Fiction Hall of Fame, located in Seattle. We had the run of the place for the entire evening and took advantage of the cool exhibits, great food and plenty of beverages to go around.

Finally, my Saturday morning sessions were spent with members of the Product Support Group (PSS), where we were given a very detailed description on how Technical Support works, how bugs found based on Tech Support are handled and what can be expected with Vista. Two interesting items I did want to make mention of --

As we all know, Technical Support will (after a certain period) cost you some money....but if the problem is anything Security related, then that support cost is ZERO.

Secondly, the question of why Microsoft wants to control releases of QFE's (or hotfixes) came up. The reason being -- these are generally not tested as thoroughly as others updates\fixes that you get from the Windows Update site, but are VERY specific to a given problem. In the event of a bug in that hotfix, Microsoft will actually contact EVERYONE who has received that patch and will persist until each and every person on that particular update has been resolved.

The trip was definitely worth it...I was able to meet many people that I've admired for some time, meet more online acquaintances from this site and others around the web which I've talked to for years and also make some new friends in many areas of the computing community.

I hope you've enjoyed my ramblings this week as much as I've enjoyed sharing with you.
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M
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A)bort, R)etry, I)nfluence with large hammer.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14483791 Sat, 01 Oct 2005 17:39:55 EDT Re: [Info] MVP Summit 2005 News http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14480703 Steve :
said by MSeng See Profile :

The gentleman pictured with me above is Mr. Brian Boston, who is my lead in the Windows Shell/User group.
Brian is a Windows Shell/User lead? He's also the lead for Printing/Imaging, which is my MVP "minor" (I'm officially a Security MVP) - I've never heard that he ran another program. What a nice guy.

Matt was still at the party when I left a while ago, and he's the snappiest dresser there ;-) But he doesn't have wireless internet during the day like I do, so he's playing catchup about posting the day's sessions. I posted all the Security track notes in more or less real time. I love a laptop with a big battery :-)

MVPs rule!

Steve :-)
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Stephen J. Friedl • Unix Wizard • Microsoft Security MVP • Tustin, California USA • my web site]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14480703 Sat, 01 Oct 2005 02:20:14 EDT Re: [Info] MVP Summit 2005 News http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14473061 MSeng : Today was rather interesting -- we spent the morning hours with keynote addresses by some of the major players in the Microsoft organization.

Steve Ballmer led off the discussions with some interesting commentary, specifically in the area of competition by others who provide search capabilities and this sites pet Internet browser project. He then challenged the MVP's to use the latest technologies and offer constructive feedback to the company on the improvements they (Microsoft) are touting. I have a tremendous amount of respect for this man...he is passionate about the company he represents and is big enough to admit where the weak spots may be. One of our own regulars ( Steve See Profile), actually challenged Ballmer about the user privileges he's currently running on his workstation. Mr. Ballmer didn't hesitate to tell everyone in the room that he was running with Admin privileges but said to stay tuned -- because times are changing.

The same held true with Jim Allchin, Co-President of the Platforms Group. I saw this last year and repeated again today...Microsoft executives are not afraid to take criticism for any weak points in their products. But when they say that they will effect changes, by god, I believe them.

This afternoon, we broke up into our areas of expertise for what I deem "Marketing Day". This is where the groups take the opportunity to tout upcoming changes to their products. Because Vista and IE7 are such high profile items, many of the things demonstrated in the morning sessions were repeated in our group later in the afternoon. As mentioned last night, we are bound by NDA on many things, but I do want to mention some things that were exciting to me in the area of Operating Systems and Internet browsing.

First off, Vista is going to be the BIGGEST single change in Operating Systems since Windows 95. The UI is top notch, with translucence and visual fade that is second to none. For those who've had the opportunity to play with the beta, I think everyone would agree the changes being made are exciting and I can't wait for it to come out.

Even more important is some of the things that are coming in the background. Everyone focused on the fact Microsoft has backed off of releasing their new file system (WinFS) with Vista...but the features included for Search and Virtual folders will absolutely knock your socks off. The other BIG change is the introduction of Limited User Access (LUA) and User Account Protection. Although the product is still in early beta stages, the ability to truly run applications on a Limited User account is something that has been needed for a long time and Microsoft (IMO) will finally deliver on their promise to secure the OS and allow privilege lock-down, even in the Home versions.

Next up in my afternoon session was demonstration on IE7, due to come out later this year. Once again, Microsoft is continuing the focus started with IE6 (SP2) on security with the advent of Protected access. Simply stated, when running the browser in this mode, the Operating System is protected from malware that wants to make changes to your system by running in a virtual space (Temporary Internet Files), that will discourage changes to Start Pages, addition of unwanted ActiveX, etc. They are listening to the feedback being provided with respect to ease of use (particularly in the are of tabbed browsing, those who are testing the product should give the Quick Tour a try) and the added bonus of easily hooking into RSS feeds is pretty damn cool.

Finally, we ended up this evening with a demonstration of the latest Media Center technologies. I myself do not own an MCE box but after todays session I would seriously consider purchasing one in the future. Integration with their latest gaming console (the XBox 360) is fantastic, the feature sets included for Video and Audio recording\authoring in the upcoming Rollup package is a dramatic step forward and some upcoming partnerships (soon to be announced) make this an incredibly powerful consumer device which has already surpassed TIVO as the device of choice.

Tomorrow, we are going to delve into the OS in a much more elaborate fashion. I'm excited...my breakout session includes meeting with a Windows Developer and a discussion on building the Windows community. Stay tuned for the next installment.
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A)bort, R)etry, I)nfluence with large hammer.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14473061 Fri, 30 Sep 2005 01:22:07 EDT Re: [Info] MVP Summit 2005 News http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14472431 Keizer : Thanks for the thread Mseng!

By the way, how are you enjoying our rainy weather here in the Pacific Northwest?

This is the first time it has rained in months.

Keizer]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14472431 Thu, 29 Sep 2005 23:26:54 EDT Re: [Info] MVP Summit 2005 News http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14471432 jabarnut : Yes! Thank you MSeng See Profile !

I hadn't seen this thread yet...just got through commenting in one of Steve See Profile 's threads.

I find all of this very interesting and appreciate hearing what's going on out there very much......enjoy!
(I know we are). :)
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I had a life once.....now I have a Computer and a Modem.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14471432 Thu, 29 Sep 2005 20:57:03 EDT Re: [Info] MVP Summit 2005 News http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14471147 CalamityJane : Thank you! Will look forward to further reports from your Track :)

This is MUCH appreciated!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14471147 Thu, 29 Sep 2005 20:10:38 EDT Re: [Info] MVP Summit 2005 News http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14468963 Cudni : Between »Off to Microsoft MVP Summit and this thread it should be a compulsive reading for next few days :)

did they run out of funny hats for you or you managed to avoid it

Cudni
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What is now proved was once only imagined.
Help yourself so God can help you]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14468963 Thu, 29 Sep 2005 14:48:16 EDT [Info] MVP Summit 2005 News http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,14466037 MSeng : Once a year, Microsoft hosts a Global Summit for their MVP's, which the year includes over 2800 members from 63 countries around the world. This week, I have the pleasure of attending my second conference and meeting people whom I have a tremendous amount of respect for (guys like Gary Woodruff, Jim Eshelmen and others too numerous to mention here).

Anyway, I thought it would be a good idea to post a daily update of what occurs at the Summit, particularly in my area of interest, which is in the Windows User/Shell area. Over the next three days, I will be reporting what transpires in our various meetings on Windows technologies, which this year will focus on Windows Vista.

[att=1]

Today was devoted to reacquainting ourselves with the other members of our group. The gentleman pictured with me above is Mr. Brian Boston, who is my lead in the Windows Shell/User group. Brian has worked for Microsoft for many years and amongst his many duties is responsible for overseeing the activities of the MVPs under his area of expertise.

I must admit,Microsoft knows how to put on a good show for their MVPs. Tonight, we enjoyed dinner and other festivities at the Wells Fargo Club located at Qwest Field in Seattle (home of the Seattle Seahawks). Tomorrow morning will be Keynote speeches by Steve Balmer (CEO), Lori Moore (VP, Customer Service and Support), Jim Allchin (Group VP, Platforms Group) and Kevin Johnson (VP, Worldwide Sales, Marketing and Services), followed by afternoon sessions on Windows Vista, IE7 and the latest version of Media Center Edition.

I will be posting as much information as allowed (due to NDA constraints) over the next couple days so all of you can get an idea of the direction Microsoft is taking in the coming months with their various Operating Systems and hope that this information is useful to all.
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A)bort, R)etry, I)nfluence with large hammer.
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