Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

David & you'll be a great asset for Microsoft and a bit of an eye-opener as well I suspect. Kudos to them for recognizing the passion and vision you have to offer and to you for having the courage to move inside to help change the world as Hugh put it. You join a pretty stellar cast of shakers and movers that are being given a unique opportunity to materially change the ethos and attitude of this company.

In my experiences with Microsoft as a content developer, Search Champ, and MVP I have found the people who work at the company to be committed, passionate, and very enjoyable to work with. I expect your experience will be similar.

I'll see you at Enterprise 2.0 and will gladly buy you a celebratory cocktail of your choosing. And I'll see if I can bring more cowbell with me too. ;^)

Contratulations on your new position! I'm really happy here, and I get to work with a lot of really great people. There are a lot of good things that you can do from the inside.

But just keep in mind that you'll find that your actions will come under far greater scrutiny once you have the @microsoft.com at the end of your email address :)

Congrats! I'm happy for you.

Microsoft is lucky to have ya!

Might see you next week to congratulate you in person at Toronto Tech Week or Interaction Camp, but I might have to cut it short for Microsoft TechEd (hey & shouldn't you be there?!). :-)

You rock.

David .Congrats to you and the others from Toronto joining Microsoft. This provides hope for that company.

I think Mohammad Akif's comment above sums it up well. There are only a few ways to manage technology, and its healthy for advocates from one of them joining another. This cross pollination can only be healthy.

With regard to the patent issue, I agree its shocking, and frankly contradictory when we consider where Microsoft found the ideas for their original graphical interface. But business is business and law (patent) is law. Stupid, but law. The law needs to be changed.

I have no Microsoft products on my laptop, but the reason is not philosophical. The reason is stability, security, and simplicity. If Microsoft developed a better product, I would use that. I want the best, not the 'free-est'. I happen to believe open source makes better products, and that ought to be the focus, rather than worrying about the good vs evil war.

But more importantly on the philosophical side, if there are changes required and expected from Microsoft, whats the point of whining about it & better to get inside and help to change it.

I don't think that open source advocates need to be personal and visceral in their attacks, suggesting character flaws; I think those commenters need to look in the mirror, or run for political office, where we expect such behaviour. Personal attacks are not very 'open-source'.

Congrats David…....this is very cool for you!

saul

David,
You already have my congrats from eariler in person.

But I’d just like to add one thing for everyone reading this thread: Good can be done from the inside.

Everyone needs a job. This one necessarily? I have my doubts.

Still need that Ferrari laptop? I guess it, and the trip to whatever that UI confab was, have paid off. They were both freebies, so it's the new Microsoft redefinition of paying off, I suppose.

Good comment from Mohammad Akif. I would add that if Linux code infringes on Microsoft patents then I find it perfectly reasonable for Microsoft to take action if it so chooses. Microsoft is no 'patent troll', but rather a company which sells (among other things) operating systems that compete with Linux, and is defending its legitimate business interests.

I believe the real culprit here is the existence of software patents. Ideally they would be abolished, but until then the solution is for Linux code to be replaced, and where the code can't be replaced because there's only one reasonable way of doing something then I'd expect that the patent can be challenged on the basis of prior art or obviousness. Let's not blame Microsoft for our bad patent laws, which it did not create; instead let the Linux community respond by addressing areas of infringement. Just because software is open source doesn't exempt it from the laws that all other software is subject to, nor should it. Those of you who treat open source as a religion, please stop.

David, I hope that you cease being conflicted about this patent thing.

Congrats David!

Can't wait to work with you David!

Do your best to resist the radiating blackness of our collective hearts. But also be afraid. Be very afraid.

To Tara and other open source enthusiasts
Let me start by saying that I used to be an open source advocate and very anti-Microsoft but transitioned to becoming an open standard enthusiast instead and decided to join Microsoft when over the period of ten years I saw all the issues that were caused in the Java world by giving out software for free but charging for support and services and understood the business models of various companies. Here are some facts about open source

1. Microsoft, Google, Red Hat, Sun, IBM, Oracle and every other publicly traded company in the world is in the business of providing value to shareholders. Companies invest money in producing a product as open source enthusiast would not work for free and no other service in the world like real-state, office supplies, air plane tickets etc. are 'open source'. They recoup their cost and make a profit by selling the product.

2. There are different business models for how a company makes money i.e. a) By selling expensive software to high-end/niche customers b) by selling software to the masses c) By giving out software for free but charging for support and services which the bulk of customers who deploy in production need to pay d) by providing a service like search for free but charging an advertiser for the ad that they display e) A hybrid of the a,b, c and d. All of these models are viable business models, there is absolutely nothing EVIL or DIVINE about charging for software upfront or charging for support and services or charging an advertiser to pay for the cost. Organizations like Apache and many of the universities and public sector groups are truly open source setups but NO ONE who is listed on the NASDAQ is running a charity.

As someone who really like Java I am saddened to see how Sun's strategy of giving out application and portal server to open source (as no one would buy it) has put price pressure on other Java companies and is bringing down the pace of innovation in the area (checkout my JavaOne 2007 report at http://blogs.msdn.com/mohammadakif ) as they must reduce investments or subsidize it through other parts of their business (like hardware sales). I think that technologist must realize that we serve the business users and must provide value to them or risk getting replaced by those that do.
Best regards,
Mohammad

Gonna be seriously missing those Balzac's chats of ours! You'd better not drop off the radar :)

I don’t feel evil. Heck, I’m not evil. None of the awesome people that work for me is evil. I cannot begin to comprehend that anyone would compare us to the KKK.

I’ve never lied to a customer.  I think we have some of the most amazing people working in technology here at Microsoft Canada.  I am proud of the work we do both in the Canadian marketplace, in the community and with some of the heroes around us.

We may not have earned respect from all of you, but know that want to get there and we are trying.

I can’t wait for David to help us take it to the next level.

Congrats David,

MSFT is lucky to have you but more importantly the community is lucky that you will be sticking around. I am sure you will stick to your values and not assimilate.

To the haters, grow up. Don’t you realize that supporting another product/technology/platform just means you are doing the same thing David is? At least he is getting paid to do it!

Michael (not Bodalski), just what I always wanted, a non job offer from an anonymous web commenter.

And the comparison to the KKK, it's nice to see a variant of Godwin's Law being used. Wonderful.

Let's try this again: the link to Steve Ballmer saying this exact same thing in 2004 is Ballmer in 2004 .

Unfortunately, the latest reporter from Fortune magazine was too clueless to ask Ballmer, 'Since you made this claim in 2004, you've taken no action to enforce these alleged patents and produced no evidence to back up your claims. Why should we believe you when you make this same claim in 2007?'

Nice to have you aboard David!

Not to be rude, David, but Microsoft has been doing this for years. Here's Steve Ballmer in November 2004 talking how Linux violates 228 patents. Microsoft employs several hundred lawyers. I suspect that they could probably manage to file a lawsuit in the 2.5 years between then and now if they actually had any evidence, if their claim was actually in any way true.

So you're working for a company which out-and-out lies in order to damage the Open Source software community. Has a history of doing it, and continues to do it today, and will continue to do it tomorrow. Microsoft also funded the long-running SCO patent lawsuit & funding another company's lawsuit where it essentially claimed ownership of Linux and sued IBM baselessly. So Microsoft used a proxy to push a nuisance lawsuit designed to create FUD around Linux.

You need to think of your reputation. Personally, I would never hire an ex-Microsoft employee, just as I would never hire, say, someone who had worked for the KKK. I'm afraid that when you work for a company being fully aware of their proclivities, you have to take some ownership for their actions. I hope they're paying you well.

Off topic, but can I just say how much I love Tara Hunt! That has got to be the worst congratulations in history, but maybe the most real.

The patent announcement hadn't happened when I made my decision. It has brought me back to the deep internal fight about good and evil. The fight about open and closed. I don't think that Microsoft is evil. I think they are unabashed about making money. Their decisions are often disagreeable, but there is a lot of good that can come from them. This is the first time I've had to think about my employer and their local, national and international track record with respect to human rights and intellectual property. Ultimately, my goals are altruistic. And as walkah has told me, 'we'll have to wait and see, only time will tell'.

Congrats David! I hope your position at Microsoft brings you lots of happiness. MSFT is a force in our industry and in Canada; I am glad to see they are hiring some visionaries!

I certainly congratulate you on finding new work.

At the same time, your choice of employer is unfortunate. Or rather, I should say, the actions of your new employer are leading me to consider banning future contributions from Microsoft to the BarCamp community-at least while these kind of actions are still their preferred modus operandi. Funny how one act by Chairman Dickhead Balmer can undo much of the good and generous work that his community ambassadors have done over the last year.

In any case, I still hold a great deal of respect for you, but I cannot say the same thing for Microsoft. I wish you the best of luck-and intend to keep a close eye on you-because ultimately you're still one of us, even if you've decided to play patsy with the Dark Side of the Force.

You know that I think you are grand.but.

I can&#39;t imagine what you are thinking. Is this a money decision? I mean, with the most recent Microsoft taking on Open Source announcement (&lt;a hreaf=&quot;<a href="http://test.denverpo...), " target="_blank"><a href="http://test.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_5897663&q...)," target="_blank">http://test.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_5897663&q...), doesn&#39;t the world know that they are totally effing evil? There may be good people that work there, but they aren&#39;t the powers that be. That company is still run by pure, awful greed. They keep hiring amazing people like yourself to try and trick the rest of the world into thinking that they aren&#39;t pure evil. In fact, that&#39;s what they think. Money can buy them anything, right?

That&#39;s really a bummer. Radiant Core is so damned awesome. A small giant.

I&#39;m sorry to hear this. Really. It&#39;s your life and your decision, but I hope you discover soon that you are 1000x better than this.

Well done, David! Well done!

a w e s o m e!

Hope to see you around the halls.. again!

Congrats on the new job, Locutus! Seriously, though, it sounds like a great opportunity and great venue for making great changes.

well, well, well. congratulations young man! i am looking forward to a celebration before you get started at microsoft. keep your cool.

Congrats, David, on landing at a company that can fund your good works. Microsoft has already been a frequent sponsor of TorCamp events and I&#39;m happy to see this big step forward.

Some people will now consider everything you say as biased in favour of a large monopolistic corporation. If so, it&#39;s about time that someone around here was biased in favour of Microsoft rather than Apple.

And when you switch to a Windows laptop, may I recommend one that has a pointing stick (e.g. ThinkPads, some Toshibas) &#38; there&#39;s my Senior User Experience Advice!

I expect that we get you under some sort of timeshare agreement. TorCamp calls evenings and weekends!

Congrats, Look forward to working with you!

Congrats on another good move David.

Congrats, Dave! :)

We finally managed to pawn you off on someone else. Phew.

David &#38; welcome aboard! I also joined MSFT just over a month ago for similar reasons you stated. Microsoft is taking some exciting new directions and continues to build on innovation and technology leadership.

Looking forward to working with you!

Rini Gahir
Senior Product Manager &#38; DevTools

Congrats Dave &#38; they&#39;re lucky to have you!

WHOOO HOO &#38; I can submit that dinner at Caesars now :-)

You know I&#39;m going to bug you even more now ;-)

If you hear any bad things about us only half of them are true. I hope we can shake some stuff up.

Congratulations Dave, this is an exciting and huge move. As far as I&#39;m concerned, you&#39;re now my most trusted voice at Microsoft (and I bet many would say the same).

Kudos to Microsoft for pulling you on board in a such a community oriented fashion.

Congrats and good luck!

Hello David,

Congratulations! We are excited to have you onboard and look forward to working with you

Best regards,
Mohammad Akif

Senior Architect
Microsoft
<a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/mohammadakif

Ouch

I love how you quote Bowie, Udell then finally Crow.

Good luck and I will see you in Redmond when you visit.

Let them eat Crow. Or not, as the case may be! Congrats and good for you.

Mix is all starting to make sense now.

Congratulations, Mr. Crow-and your right: Microsoft is trying to change and how better to do it than from the inside.

Microsoft needs more David Crow. Congratulations!

Microsoft has been adding some quality people to their team that have a strong presence in the blogosphere and community. This could be both very positive for the community and Microsoft. Congrats!

Shit man, and I thought you were actually cool before.

We&#39;re sorry to see you go, but this is an amazing opportunity for you, the community, and your new employer. I look forward to working with you at Microsoft when you get back from a well-deserved rest!

yes, the borg are lucky to have you. it is kinda bittersweet that nobody in Canada could fund you to do the community stewardship thang that you are so great at :-( ! good on microsoft for realizing and funding your greatness! i hope this means we will see you more in Vancouver when you come to Redmond to visit the mother ship :-) !

OMG, where does this leave HOT Industries?!

Welcome to the team! I&#39;m looking forward to working with you.

sell out.

Congrats Dave! Microsoft is lucky to have you.