Proudly Serving My Corporate Masters: What I Learned in Ten Years as a Microsoft Programmer

by Adam Barr

Why has Microsoft really been successful? Forget what you have read elsewhere. In Proudly Serving My Corporate Masters, a ten-year veteran of the front lines of the software development wars gives the real story on why the company has succeeded, what it does well and what it does badly, and what it needs to do in the future. The book has first-hand information on how Microsoft works the relationships between programming teams and the rest of the company; how Microsoft recruits and interviews people; the sacrifices that are made to get software done; the lure of stock options; and what it is like to be sued by your own government. The insights are relevant for anyone interested in Microsoft, the software industry, or business in general.

360 pages, Paperback

Published December 26, 2000

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really really liked Find the Bug by the same author. Unfortunately I was really really disappointed by this book.

First, the author never seemed to have an idea of what audience he was writing for. There were passages only of interest to programmers, and then passages that would be baby food to any programmer. There were parts that seemed aimed at the "man on the street". There were parts that seemed aimed at MBA programs. There were parts that were the author's biography. There were parts that were chronological, and then there were sudden jumps to different time periods. No consistent point of view or structure ever gelled.

Second, whenever a subject came up that was not complimentary to Microsoft, the author suddenly got very defensive and started telling half-truths. That was both jarring and discouraging.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a great book, but provides an interesting peek into the software processes at Microsoft.