youlost_thegame

Why are people so reluctant to change? Ubuntu, Apple and Microsoft are changing their UIs to add a new layer of usability, which can always be disabled. This is clearly a transition release, like Unity or Mountain Lion, which will set the foundations for the future of PC operating systems.

The author is free to switch to linux whenever he wants, but using Windows 8 as scapegoat is a quite poor excuse.

Thanks! Just remember to keep us posted

Yes, I guess you're right. Motivation is very dependent on the teamwork variable, and my argument was following the "startup" point of view, which is common here. Wasn't expecting down votes, however.

Hi Walter. As some are saying here, I don't think this is much news-worthy. However, I think it could be quite interesting and illustrative to write an article explaining the whole process from start to end. Why don't you share with us the whole story once it finishes, with your hassles and maybe some tips for other readers?

A two-paragraph rant is not quite what we would expect from a HN link

Well, I'm sorry to say that I believe exactly the opposite. Public committing means a high level of responsibility and scrutiny, and it is the best motivator for any task.

In our weelky meetings we write down each task that needs to be done and the name of the person in charge, then send it by email. Even if there is no follow-up the next week, we observed that stopping to send the emails leads to less work done (or, at least, not the work that is expected to be done by the managers)

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what's up with the letter Q?

And also I agree to work overtime near deadlines because my employer lets me super flexible work time when there's not much work. So it's a tradeoff.

Of course, if your employer doesn't compensate with something, you're getting screwed. But that's true for developers, waiters, clerks, everybody, it's not something specific of our kind.

If I remember well, last year we stumbled upon a similar case. We'll know after the announcement. As far as I know there have not been any iOS 6.0 rumors, so this is a high bet.

If 6.0 is unvelied next week, then Apple is doing that on purpose, as they know Ars checks their logs for that kind of content. However, if they stick to 5.1, then we'll know it's some kind of prank, and Ars will probably think twice before publishing the same article next year

Yes, and there's one more thing. Instead of making the other person responsible for your lack of understanding, which we all have done at some point, it's better to let them know that you don't understand their approach and let them explain better. Actually about half of the times their idea might be good, but they don't know how to explain it or maybe you can't grasp the whole thing because of a lack of context.

You know, explaining an idea to somebody, from scratch, it's the better way to develop it. If it's stupid they will realize. If it's good they'll get enthusiastic.

In a previous comment I mentioned that this is the tactic that my manager uses, and it works wonderfully: let people talk from the beginning and ask questions later.

Of course, if you end up disagreeing, even though if their idea is good, they'll like that you let them explain and took time to consider

I feel you, I also have this little voice that shouts "NO!" inside my head during meetings. But I've learned to say "I don't see it that way, but it's a good idea, let me think on that, please", which has won me a lot of respect.

Even if my final answer is negative, the fact that I took some time to consider it is perceived as very positive by coworkers and managers.

I absolutely agree with you. I try to avoid fighting about some stuff, especially if I have the feeling that the responsible to implement some feature is going to do whatever he wants anyway.

I've observed that engineer-driven conversations are very, very fast and dynamic, whereas business and managing conversations are quite slow.

My guess is that the key here is empaty. Engineers discuss ideas, where managers usually evaluate people. Of course, ideas belong to people (at least when they're conceived), but that quickly dilutes.

In order to evaluate people, you need a lot of empaty and some time. My manager is an excellent evaluator, and his tactic is quite simple: he lets people talk. They talk, talk and talk, until they have to shut up because they said something stupid and realize that themselves. He has the ability to make people self-conscious about their own mistakes with the least effort, as he does nothing but listen.

However, when it's time for him to talk, he talks little and observes the reactions. This gives him an aura of being very, very wise, which is absolutely correct (I work in research and he's a big fish)

Sorry, I'm moving away from the article's point, let's get back to the track. Splurting and dismissing ideas is good for brainstorms, but not for regular meetings. As an engineer, this is hard to percieve, but it's true. About a year ago I started copying my manager's tactics and it has worked very well; people percieve me less of an asshole and more of a smart guy who thinks before talking.

It all comes down to the Family Guy conversation between Brian and Peter: "Peter, do you think before you talk?"

Oh man, I'm like having a dejà vu.

This realization occured to me about a year ago, and when it came to me, everything was so clear. I had been an asshole in too many meetings because of wanting to speak first. My manager, on the other hand, was a very quiet, enigmatic guy, and he seemed wise.

While the engineers discussed some ideas, he listened. By listening, he was able to detect who was full of B.S. and who was has the best ideas. In the end, when he finally broke his silence, he was usually right.

Silence is very, very powerful, and it's never too late to learn to shut up

Yes, dying from success is never the desired outcome, but at least they managed to send a first batch, which will be reviewed, will increase the hype, and hopefully give them a second chance to do things right and stock some more units

Only that Amazon doesn't ship electronics to outside the US, and thus international customers wouldn't be able to get them. Since the Foundation is from the UK, they probably know that.

Maybe they didn't go for the best option, but I always like to remind the US customers (who usually just don't honestly know about Amazon's restrictions) that buying electronics from them is a bad idea for the international market