Moving over to Blogger Beta

Heh... I may have just started using Blogger.com but a week ago, but I have already shifted over to using the Blogger Beta. Yes, I may not like being on the bleeding edge, but when the software has the features I want, AND I see active and fresh feedback loops between the users and its product development team, I am far more inclined to give it a try.

Why? Well, having participated in all parts of the product development cycle, I see something very healthy, refreshing, and encouraging with the Blogger team's active interaction with its users, which helps mitigate the sorts of risks of being on the bleeding edge. Issues get reported and promptly acknowledged and usually resolved. Kudos to the Blogger team on the transparency!

One of the big motivating factors for me to move to Blogger Beta is Tagging - a process I had gotten accustomed to on Community Server and distinctly missed on Blogger.com. I am a big fan of simplicity through organization (remember, things naturally tend toward Chaos), and Tagging allows me to better categorize and organize my information to the querying audience. I mean, the Internet has enough Noise... ;-)

Now, some of you may point out that I do own and use Mac OS X on a Mac Mini... the self-proclaimed computer "for the rest of us" (i.e. those who willingly pony up the 50% Apple premium ;-) ) which promotes ease of use through dumping things to iPhoto, iTunes, iDrive, and the "Macintosh HD". I honestly do not know where my data hides on a Mac; I only know what the applications show me. It reminds me of the feeling of "ignorance is bliss".

For me, it is a very tenuous sort of "trust" because I do not feel in control of my own information. I do not believe in haphazardly "dumping" data into some limitless-sized bin and relying on a search engine to come along and rescue me from myself. Yes, "everyone is doing it" and "it's easy", and I have no aversion towards using tools to simplify my life, but I firmly believe in fundamentally being able to help myself and others instead of relying on someone/something else for help.

In other words, I have no problems using trigonometric functions on a calculator AFTER I know where they came from and HOW to apply them; I will never view them as an unnecessary detail of life because a calculator can do the work for me. It may seem like an unnecessary burden to some, but it is one I am willing to carry. I believe that Life is not about doing what's easiest but rather what is best for all.

I mean, the Internet slowly tends towards lethargy - with over half its daily traffic consisting of useless spam and even greater percentage of persistent content as broken links and aged cruft. I think that this is what happens when people decide to just "dump" everything into a bin... because it then requires dumping even more stuff just to get one's attention and a search engine to find the needle in the haystack of increasing stuff... and the vicious cycle continues.

Anyways... enough divergence for now. :-) I will be poking along the Blogger Beta like anything else - with a fair but critical eye - because I feel that the Blogger team appreciates it.

//David

Comments, Comments, Read all about it...

Hmm... unlike other blog software that I have used, this blog does not give you the ability to send anonymous email via a form from the blog to me.

So, I will try to simulate such functionality by dedicating this blog entry's comment section towards allowing you to send anonymous email to me. I hope that the CAPTCHA requirement on comments will limit anonymous blog comment spam that I have seen in the past.

Yes... yours and my email addresses remain private, but the comment contents are no longer private. That should be ok for the most part because my answers to your questions will be publicly posted anyway...

Plus, you get to see all of what have been asked before... and maybe find that you no longer need to comment...

But, if you truly need to send a private email to me, that can be separately arranged. :-)

Cheers!

//David

Second Inauguration

After a two month hiatus, I have decided to resume blogging.

This time, I am hosting my blog with an independent blogger so that I better retain control of my rights to Free Speech. My old blog can be found here, but I am no longer able to post, answer, nor maintain that blog...

I have no problems leaving the IIS team. Ever since the reorg in 2004 and installation of new management in 2005, I have been unable to align myself with management's views and lowly treatment of me. But foolishly I stayed, partially because of my love for the product, its users, and the people with whom I worked. I know better now - whenever I find signs that I am not aligned with my management, I must leave to find better alignment because I will simply feel used. There is little chance that management will ever change unless they are very, very talented and have their hubris in check.

Thus, I have no problems having myself and my blog unassociated as a member of the IIS team. However, I am weary of the virtual gag-order imposed upon me - to lose control of my blog, my voice in cyberspace - and for them to attempt to strike from memory the wealth of IIS-releated material that I have already produced over the years... that is just not cool.

I may have issues with team management, but I never blogged for Microsoft; I blogged for the users. Now it happens that Microsoft and users benefitted, and I am happy to donate my time and acquired knowledge for the advancement of others - it is who I am. But, to have one set of disagreements unnecessarily affect the other... that's not cool nor fair.

Anyways, here is to my return! :-) My motivations remain mostly the same as before, restated here. Now, let me get back to getting started with answering questions again...

//David

Why do I Blog?

If you have ever posted in an environment like Microsoft's public news server, one subtle detail that irks me is its data retention policy. It regularly purges posts from everyone, losing many outstanding answers until someone Googles for them.

Or, have you ever dawned on a great idea, revelation, or answer that may or may not be useful to you, but you do not want the thought to disappear into oblivion?

Or, do you happen to be skilled in particular trade(s) and just want that "non-documented" domain knowledge to be persisted through time and retain an identity?

Well, these are some of the motivating factors behind why I am blogging. I want to capture as many useful and insightful thoughts that I come across, both personally and otherwise, give it context/identity, and persist it in a publicly searchable fashion such that others may benefit from it.

Anyways, on to the blog!

//David