Ask Dave (A Microsoft Employee)

[Machiventa]

Dave -

are there new features coming to the software?

Will Picks and Related Artists ever get "more accurate" - currently they are pretty inaccurate IMO.

And will Channels get updated on a regular basis and also have more varied Channels? For instance there's a "Top Classic Rock in Zune" channel, any chance of a "DJ hosted Classic Rock" channel? Hope that's a decent example. I just went and checked out the Top Classic Rock In Zune and out of 13 tracks there's only 4 artists with "Chickenfoot" having 10 of those 13 tracks. First of all I've never even heard of Chickenfoot and I'm a classic rock fan, and second it would make sense to have a sort of "best of classic rock" in that selection with 13 different artists and some of their best tracks.

Thanks!

[CrowdAds]

[Moki]

Hi Dave,

I've enjoyed your explanations into the behind the scenes thinking behind the Zune product, so thanks for that. One way I would be interested in potentially using the Zune HD is in watching new release movies and displaying that on a bigger flat screen. Are you hooked into some vendors that will allow access to new releases via a reasonable rental fee? I know you've got a relationship with Netflix, but their instant view movies are restricted in number and generally not available for new releases.

The other thing I find interesting is the whole anti-Microsoft thing that some get possessed by. Its almost like the anger some people have toward God--as if people regularly expect more out of the company than you can realistically provide; or Microsoft gets blamed for everything that goes wrong with someone's computer. And then of course you've made money and are successful--a lot of people resent that. What's your take on all that and is it by necessity "water off a duck's back" for you?

Thanks again!

[DaveMac-MS]

Originally Posted by Moki

The other thing I find interesting is the whole anti-Microsoft thing that some get possessed by. Its almost like the anger some people have toward God--as if people regularly expect more out of the company than you can realistically provide; or Microsoft gets blamed for everything that goes wrong with someone's computer. And then of course you've made money and are successful--a lot of people resent that. What's your take on all that and is it by necessity "water off a duck's back" for you?

So unfortunately this is the only part of the email I'm going to comment on directly - just wanted you to know I wasn't ignoring you.

There is definitely a heightened level of passion when it comes to Microsoft - I've noticed that for years, and that's true of both support and displeasure. There's no question that if you're an MS guy who faces customers or partners, or my case, standards organizations as well, you need to be prepared for it.

There's always the Windows jokes - especially the blue screen of death (which I haven't seen since pre-XPSP1 days myself - and geez, why didn't they make it green or something else once the BSOD moniker took hold???), but most people aren't aware that over 75% of BSOD's were due to failed graphics drivers supplied by partners and over 70% of those came from one particular vendor who had an enormous install base of graphics hardware, but their driver writing skills were less than satisfactory.

Most people also don't know that we actually took the bull by the horns and re-wrote their drivers for them since the customer impression was that Windows had failed, not a sub-par third party driver supplied by some folks in Taiwan or China.

Now, of course most people don't know and don't care. And neither should they. You might argue Microsoft should have done more to sandbox drivers so that any failures would have a limited impact on the system - but hindsight is 20/20 and no other software in the world was obligated to support so many variations and combinations of hardware. After seeing the floors upon floors of test machines running Windows 24/7 with automated test scripts going around the clock, the building(s) full of representatives from motherboard vendors, chip vendors, graphics vendors, printer vendors, etc... all testing - gave me a new appreciation for the size of the job at hand.

Some say Windows is the most complex product on the planet. Others said it was the Boeing 747 - still others the Space Shuttle. Point is, it's a massive operation and the advances made in even the last 5 years with device/accessory stability have been awesome. Windows 7 rocks (been running it now for roughly a year) and I'm convinced this will be a great year for the company (Windows 7, Bing, ZuneHD, other unannounced stuff), so with each "win" in the market, the easier it becomes to represent Microsoft outside the company.

Cheers, Dave.

[Olley]

I second the motion that video drivers are nasty. My Win7 test machine reboots insantly once any program loads that uses considerable system memory. That's with a Chinese ATI based card with HDMI output in it. If I take that card out and use the onboard VGA port it works fine. Vista worked fine on this PC, but that video driver Vista was using doesn't like Win7. My current PC balks at anything that goes full screen for Video it'll freeze the system for a minute or so then reboot. This time it's an Nvidia card. I pity MS for having to take the brunt of blame for this.

I'm looking forward to the Zune, but I think we may have found out about it too soon. That may have been MS's plan, or not, but all the emotions we would have enjoyed on it's release are being burnt out in anticipation. Meanwhile there are other up-and-coming companies out there trying to stake a claim.

@Dave: You may be interested in knowing that bluetooth in the iPod Touch 3.0 update is so far a poor implementation. It sounds decent once you getting it paired, and the quality is suprisingly good to my ears. Yet they don't have track back/fwd working from bluetooth headsets, and many users report choppy connections. My point? If their IS bluetooth in the ZuneHD, make sure it's well implemented. Consider using the lossless compression codecs that are out there too. I can't tell, but there is something "better than usual" about bluetooth audio quality happening with the Touch. They may have gone lossless.

[suffer1989]

Would it be too much to have the zune client run on non-windows systems ?
I dont wanna create a dual-boot setup just to run a pmp client .

[a gnarly hogie]

Hey Dave, have you ever been to an Apple forum just to try and see if you can clear up misconceptions?

[Jacob]

Originally Posted by a gnarly hogie

Hey Dave, have you ever been to an Apple forum just to try and see if you can clear up misconceptions?

A lot of Mac users are too proud to actually accept these facts, or they just like to joke about it in the same way windows users may make jokes at them. In a WWDC meeting, Steve Jobs was showing a new wireless networking feature. It had icons of the computers. All the windows ones had ugly CRT monitors with a BSOD showing.

Edit:
Here's a screenshot of what the network section of finder looks like:

[The DarkSide]

Originally Posted by Jacob

A lot of Mac users are too proud to actually accept these facts, or they just like to joke about it in the same way windows users may make jokes at them. In a WWDC meeting, Steve Jobs was showing a new wireless networking feature. It had icons of the computers. All the windows ones had ugly CRT monitors with a BSOD showing.

And people wonder why there's so much animosity between the 2 camps, especially when it's fueled by the heads of Apple themselves. Both sides can be real FanBoi idiots. I wish him well in his recovery, I just hope there's a newfound compassion that comes with it. And I hope we can be so open minded in the future as well.

[a gnarly hogie]

Originally Posted by The DarkSide

And people wonder why there's so much animosity between the 2 camps, especially when it's fueled by the heads of Apple themselves. Both sides can be real FanBoi idiots. I wish him well in his recovery, I just hope there's a newfound compassion that comes with it. And I hope we can be so open minded in the future as well.

True but you have to agree that there are a lot more fanboys for apple then ms and when there is something about microsoft they hoard it with insults like dingos on a baby. Very few people defend the company.

[DaveMac-MS]

Originally Posted by a gnarly hogie

Hey Dave, have you ever been to an Apple forum just to try and see if you can clear up misconceptions?

So I never have actually. I have no problem doing it, but I'm pretty busy as it is without actively participating in another forum - and I bet there'd be a LOT of traffic on my comments if I just started posting right in there.

Some facts though:

1) The biggest software vendor for Mac is ... Microsoft (Office suite of products)

2) Microsoft's Mac team all runs Macs (obviously), they use Mac OS X on the MS corporate network and theyr'e actually a very successful team.

3) I have an iPhone. Haven't gotten fired for it yet, don't expect to anytime soon.

4) I personally have a MacBook Pro in addition to my Windows PCs/laptops, and my manager has a MBP as his main machine (running Windows 7).

There is a LOT less animosity on this side of the fence than most people believe.

Cheers, Dave.

[The DarkSide]

I've used mac's, first comp I'd owned ('94 maybe, or '95 I think). I actually prefer windows. So sue me, it's just my personal preference.

[copeys]

Originally Posted by DaveMac-MS

2) Microsoft's Mac team all runs Macs (obviously), they use Mac OS X on the MS corporate network and theyr'e actually a very successful team.

What does this team do??. Would they involve networking with mac's and stuff, as well as compatibility of (obviously) software??

[DaveMac-MS]

Originally Posted by copeys

What does this team do??. Would they involve networking with mac's and stuff, as well as compatibility of (obviously) software??

What do they do?

1) Microsoft Office for Mac
2) Messenger for Mac
3) Remote Desktop for Mac
4) Microsoft Expression for Mac
5) Flip4Mac/WMP for Mac
6) Silverlight for Mac
7) Live Mesh for Mac
8) Mac drivers for Microsoft keyboards, mice, gaming products.

They're not an insignificant team at all.

Cheers, Dave.

[Olley]

Thanks for that list, Dave! Now can you list what Balmer does? (just kidding).
Speaking of Balmer, Google news had him stating the ZuneHD might show up within a month. I'd love that! Any chance you'll confirm that given the big Boss himself said it already? I need something to keep me busy this summer.

[Cruleworld]

Originally Posted by Olley

Thanks for that list, Dave! Now can you list what Balmer does? (just kidding).
Speaking of Balmer, Google news had him stating the ZuneHD might show up within a month. I'd love that! Any chance you'll confirm that given the big Boss himself said it already? I need something to keep me busy this summer.

Are you referring to this post from Engadget?

[Olley]

Originally Posted by Cruleworld

Are you referring to this post from Engadget?

I was referring to a google news item that was probably referring to that Engadget link. There it was though. Thanks.

[DaveMac-MS]

I've not seen any articles where Ballmer says the device might show up in a month. However, even if he'd said exactly that - the key word is "might" - which means I'm not going to comment further.

Cheers, Dave.

[Cruleworld]

Dave I linked to the article, check it out...

[DaveMac-MS]

Originally Posted by Cruleworld

Dave I linked to the article, check it out...

You mean the part where "shipping in a month" is crossed out by Engadget?

Like I said - no comment from over here boys'n'girls.

Cheers, Dave.

[Cruleworld]

Originally Posted by DaveMac-MS

You mean the part where "shipping in a month" is crossed out by Engadget?

Like I said - no comment from over here boys'n'girls.

Cheers, Dave.

That'd be the one and I knew that was the answer just making sure you saw it.