Even Microsoft wants G5s

by
This entry was published at least two years ago (originally posted on October 23, 2003). Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint). A fuller disclaimer is available.

UPDATE: Please take the time to read my followup post, Fifteen Minutes of Fame, for my thoughts on what happened after I posted this picture, why it happened — and most importantly, why I don’t blame Microsoft for their actions. Thanks!

It looks like somebody over in Microsoft land is getting some new toys…

Microsoft's shipment of G5s come in

I took this shot on the way into work on the loading dock (MSCopy, the print shop I work in, is in the same building as MS’s shipping and receiving). Three palettes of Dual 2.0Ghz G5’s on their way in to somewhere deep in the bowels of Redmond. Hopefully they’re all in good condition when they arrive — the boxes are slick enough that a few of them took a bit of a tumble (you can see them back in the truck)!

443 thoughts on “Even Microsoft wants G5s”

  1. Wow, everyone wants what they don’t have. So sad. Wow, big news, certainly worth losing your job over… Microsoft orders in some G5s to experiment on perhaps? Sheesh, they must not trust their own system becuz tehy r yoozing macs!!1! M4Ks 4 evr!!111!

  2. well, as you know the word eclectism, you should know one another: totalitarism. may be MS corp. workers should read something about adolf hitler, joseph stalin and about modern history of middle and eastern europe ;-) there you can find something about fighting with censorship and a regime at all.
    other hand. as i can remember, constitution of US gives to citiziens many rights. read it carefully, and then go to the lawer. there is a big sack of money to win in that game.

  5. Dude, I share your sadness. I got booted from Orance PCS (Formaly Hutchinson Communications) for using their logo on my site. They stated it was a potential security risk as they didn’t want my site to affiliate with Orange, so I got booted, Just after they mention that I was an excellent employee and it would be a sad loss to the team to let me go.

    The point is, that corporate companies are as ruthless as they come, they only want good press and don’t want splinter’s in their eye’s, even by good employee’s Ok we both made a mistake, but See it this way, its their loss. We can only move on and better ourself’s from these experiences.

    I wish you luck in what ever venture may come your way.

    Michael Knight

  6. Dear Michael,

     When you work for a company you owe them a duty of loyalty.

    It is also incumbent upon you to exercise discretion with
    regard to knowledge that comes into your possession as a
    consequence of your employment which could be in any way
    considered confidential.

     You exercised incredibly poor judgment in publishing

    the picture that you placed on this site.

     Perhaps you could have corrected your mistake by

    privately acknowledging to Microsoft this mistake
    along with an appeal for another chance. I, personally,
    think you would have had a good chance of prevailing.
    However, instead of pursuing a constructive course of
    action, you chose to exacerbate your indiscretion by
    publicizing the situation aggressively.

     At this juncture there is little you can do except

    try to learn from your mistakes.

    Regards and good luck,

    Raison d’etre

  7. Microsoft probably just wanted the machines for R&D of the stuff put on “Mactopia”. You need Macs to test your Mac software on; right? Our Bloggin’ friend neglected to mention that he was fired for sniffin’ the blanket wash used to clean the printing presses…;)

  8. and why wouldn’t MS be able to use G5’s:
    they need some hardware to test their MS Office’s for MAC eh don’t they ?

    instead of taking a picture: why did’nt he rip off the above G5 for himself
    as a payment to stay quiet :)

  9. Retardado del culo, como se te ocurre sacar una foto en un sitio de Microsoft siendo un puto esclavo de Microsoft. es que sos retardado o te chifla el culo como a mi novio Gerry.
    Te quiero.
    Te ofrezco la cola. My ass is yours.
    Sincerely
    Omar “the black boy” Gomez

  14. Well I will throw my 2 cents in. I think taking a camera to work especially as a contractor is usally a bad idea no matter what you intend on photographing. Yes its a pretty lame thing to most people that this pic would get anyone fired but to the execs over at Microsoft its obviously a clear violation of the non-discolsure agreement.

    What I REALLY want to know is, how the hell did they find this Blog and picture?!?!?! Were they monitoring your blog site? They must have been, very strange. If they were monitoring it, how did they find it and how many other employee personal websites do they monitor? Talk about paranoid! Plus, why did they manager ask if the blog was hosted on a microsoft computer? Dosent anyone over there at Microsoft know how to use trace route? Haha. Oh well Good luck on the job search.

    -Geoff

  16. Whadda crock. Nothing wrong with what you did. If anything, they warn you not to do it again. ‘IF’ this was not the greatest judgment on your part, it certainly didn’t warrant termination. Says a lot about MS, doesn’t it? Very sad. Hopefully someone will recognize your enterprising skills (MS should have) and hire you pronto. Best o’ luck.

  17. Get real. Mickey Dumb–you got what you deserved. Nothing is owed to you–idiot. Do you realize how many Americans are unemployed and would not have jeopardized the chance you we given, if it were given to them? Boo-hoo…no tears are crying from my face.

  21. Hey. What? I have been unemployed for the last year, and I say…welcome! It seems to me that you were making poor choices the minute you came onto campus with a camera. So, now my friend, live with it! remember: He who knows why is master of he who knows how…We know how you got fired, now do you know why?…..C`mon, be the master!

  22. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Please dont turn into an egocentric prick because you are getting some hot press from this………..oh, wait, what am I saying………you are already an egocentric prick just by thinking you had important things to say, and that people were actually drooling over your daily mind numbingly unimportant blogging. But, hey, who am I, but a lowly unemployed geek who is stupidly responding to comments when I should be posting resume`s…Life really is important, employment is not obligitory. I might be drunk!

  25. well, a short one to say don’t mind pricks like Big Daddy, who’s obviously too egoist to think about other people’s misfortunes, and have faith in the future : it’s probably a hard time right now, and a disappointment, but it’ll turn into an opportunity and you’ll find another job way better than the one at Microsoft. Good luck and keep it up!

    Cheers – 147

  29. Read about it in a Mac Magazin…sorry for you but was it real? I mean, they ordered so many good Computers to invent their shit?

  30. Quit your sniveling and whining, you big pussy. Go shove a Mac up your ass if you don’t like it. It’s no wonder you were a temp worker, no one in their right mind would want to hire an ungrateful hack like you. Here’s an employment idea, why don’t you go get a job as an AOL tech support represenative? It’s about all you are good for.

  31. Looks like a Fake. If I ain’t looking at the Redmond Campus, I wont believe this Apples go into Microsoft. Okay, someone may compose it with Photoshop, but I can tell a truckload of DELL PCs enters the Apple campus just by photoing one of Michael Dell’s trucks offloading computers, without even the slightiest clue of Apple’s campus on the picture. Come on, don’t be such eekdiots!

  32. i signed an NDA when i started work at my company, and was told specifically by the technical director that any photos taken in the office would violate that…so i don’t, except for events like birthdays which seems to be okay (read: i’m still employed). sorry to hear about your situation, hope that everything goes well for you

  35. The exact same thing happened to me when I was working for Wells Fargo Bank as their systems administrator. My manager called me into a room and said they did not like what I wrote about in my Live Journal. They never said exactly what it was they had a problem with only that I was fired because of the journal. I never mentioned names of anyone that I wrote about.

    I have been unemployed for over a year.

  39. Hi Michael,
    I’ve been reading some of these comment posts. It’s interesting, isn’t it, when a little part of your life gets exposed in a public forum? Some people feel they have a right to call you names, and rant on like angry idiots. And some remind us that eloquence has a happy home in the blogosphere.

    I’m sorry about what happened. Companies can be pretty edgy when it comes to security. It’s also a reminder that if you are an employee, blogging, unless for reasons pertaining to your job, belongs outside of the workplace. Same goes for personal emails, websurfing. People do it of course, but it can get them to trouble. Good luck to you. You’re a good writer, keep it up!

  41. Apache Servers, Mac computers…..who said that microsoft isnt expanding its limits??

    Uncle Bil, … , bad, bad dog.

  43. So much for freedom of fucking speech. I’d have never seen this if it wasn’t for those asses firing this guy for this. Nobody would have seen it. But now the world has. They write software for Crapintosh at Microlimp land. Why couldn’t they giggle and ask nicely to have it removed. Hell that dock could be any place in the world. But hry, fuck us all and our freedom of speech. Someone will eventually sue their company for this shit and win.

  44. “”Do stupid stuff and get fired. Such a sad commentary on the world we live in””

    I feel sorry for the dude, but it’s called responsibility for your own actions. Not enough of it nowadays… Assuming that he signed some confidentiality clauses in taking the employment –

    NDA + LEAK = SACK

    Fair enough

  45. No, I mean it…I LOVE Windows.

    XP Pro is such a wonderful environment and the Office XP suite is awesome.

    I love my PC more because of Bill Gates.

  46. America ! Country of free
    speach ! hahaha, let me laugh.Your country seems to be the worst in term of liberty, an tolerance.
    How could you let these sort of thing append ?
    Will you accept to be traeted like slaves anylong ?

    sorry for my english :)

    I like you Michael, I’m really sorry about what appened to you.

    PS : elise : don’t talk about security. If Micro$soft show trucks in front of redmond, people can take pictures. You can’t arrest or fire a reporter or a professionnal photographer because he took a embarassing picture.
    It’s only a deny of liberty.

  48. Freedom of speech? How is freedom of speech related to taking photos which would violate his non-disclosure agreement. You’re starting to show your lack of intelligence.

    And this isn’t really news to me, this kind of thing happens every day and what a dumb ass he is for even thinking that he would only get a slapped wrist for posting this material. You need to be slightly more intelligent and learn from other people’s mistakes, rather than your own.

    In this day and age, every company has some sort of non-disclosure agreement put in place. And to all you people who think Microsoft are the only people who don’t tollerate this kind of activity, I can name two dozen big technology companies who have banned cameras (even camera phones) on site.

  50. Hello Michael, you are news here in Brazil because of your picture…
    congratulations, you demoralized the Microsoft…

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