Posts by Korgonzolla

Ever wondered what it's like working for Microsoft? Leaked survey shines a light on how those at the code coalface feel

That's what I found working for MS. The overall package was decent, but you had the potential to make more working for Google, AirBnB etc. However I noticed way more people joining MS from those companies than leaving to take up roles.

MS felt mature if that makes sense. It felt like a 40 year old company. There was a lot of lifers there. It was also a very tech first sort of company. I've worked for two of the big audit firms who are now trying to pass themselves off as tech consultancies. The only motive there is upselling, and trying to undermine the IT departments of the companies they mole themselves into. In MS you know you are working for a firm that wants to sell technology. It's not always the best technology, but you do feel there's a common goal there.

Not a fanboy I swear.

I worked for MS for a number of years in a cybersecurity role (we did exist!), and to be honest they were a pretty good employer all round. The salary was about average for the time; the hours were pretty much 9-to-5, could work remotely when required, performance bonuses were generous, and the package overall was good. I did work with a few lifers who mentioned the horrors of the late stage Ballmer era, but the early Nadella period was fairly optimistic I must say.

You always feel like you're a small cog in a very big machine there, which is true I suppose.

One of the better places I've worked tbh, which I know won't go down well with the regulars around here.

Browser tracking protections won't stop tracking, warns DuckDuckGo

The whole idea of privacy on the web has started to bother me recently. I know it always should have, but I ignored it as I felt the drawbacks of online advertising and tracking were more than covered by the benefits of free access to web services that would otherwise cost money.

It might be boredom, but in the past few months I have:

Ditched Chrome in favour of Firefox. Firefox is a really good browser, so this wasn't a major headache at all. In fact I prefer it over Chrome.

Finally made use of that Raspberry-Pi and set up a Pi-Hole.

Set up containers for Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Microsoft in Firefox.

Moved to DuckDuckGo for the majority of my searches.

Use DecentralEyes extension so web resources such as fonts and web libraries are delivered locally.

Moved from Gmail and Google services to a small business account in Office365. Yes, I know it's Microsoft, and I'll be downvoted to oblivion by the regulars, but in this instance Microsoft just aren't as evil as Google. I consider 9 euro a month good value for what they offer.

LastPass to limit fans of free password manager to one device type only – computer or mobile – from next month

Got the email from Lastpass yesterday. Signed up for Bitwarden, and 15 minutes later I had imported my password list from Lastpass, installed apps on iOS, Windows and Linux, configured 2FA, and installed the browser extension on Firefox. Trivially easy process.

Subnautica and Below Zero: Nurture your inner MacGyver and Kevin Costner on an ocean-planet holiday

Subnautica is a great game, but, for me, The Long Dark is the very pinnacle of survival games. No zombies, no aliens, just the Canadian winter as your enemy. The sandbox mode can be brutally unforgiving - when you die you're dead. No save files, and back to the start. And you will die eventually. There is no happy ending.

Project Ticino: Microsoft's Erich Gamma on Visual Studio Code past, present, and future

I'm no great fan of MS in general, but I must admit I'm a big fan of VSCode and Windows Terminal.

Oh dear, IBM. Storage isn't looking like a cash cow any more, is it?

I always thought the XIV was a nice piece of kit that the IBM guys didn't know what to do with when it came to selling.