Microsoft disses Google on code quality

Okay, I just ran into this article on Google which gave me a couple of laughs. The first was this quote: "...companies should question the actual number of users Google has 'within the enterprise'". Well, I *think* Microsoft was suggesting that there might not be many Google users within an enterprise, and if so, someone must be seriously deluded! I don't know numbers or anything (although I'm sure they are out there) but I bet there are close to as many "Google users" in an enterprise as there are Microsoft users. Of course, many are probably using primarily the search capabilities, but this question could backfire on them if they aren't careful. The other funny point was to beware of 'Google's history of releasing "incomplete products, calling them beta software"'. Well, Duh, wake up and smell the coffee! There is a new trend of people who, for non-business critical apps, are more than willing to use some classes of software before they are "done" - and, in most of those cases, people have the benefit of requesting features and bug fixes which actually get applied in a timely fashion, rather than in a product to be released in three years.

Now, I'm not saying evolutionary development of software with rapid deployment, a la an Agile or Lean development method is right for all software or all business uses, but Hey - the waterfall model is dead, and getting user input during the design and development phase of a product, with rapid responses to that input leads to better products, sooner! Being offended because the world is moving on to something more dynamic is not going to win the heart and soul of businesses that are driven to quickly provide the best services to their employees and customers.

The real issue here is that an old product development method is being challenged by a new development model. And, while I expect that both models will coexist for a long time, anyone burying their head in the sand and dissing the new model because the old is "better" needs to wakeup. Now.