>Not every group inside Microsoft listens to MVPs. Remember, Microsoft is not a
>shark, devouring everything in it's path. It's a school of pihranas, each division
>out for itself.

Never met a school of piranhas that didn't consume everything in its way. In fact, everything I've seen on piranhas shows them picking everything clean right down to the bones.

>The Windows division (windiv) is one that keeps it's cards close and doesn't let much
>information out.

That explains how it is so easily politically motivated, and how common sense and human input can be overlooked. It is a top-down directive forced upon the rest of us.

>For example, I know very little about the direction Windows is headed. In fact,
>everything I know is what the press has reported and my extrapolation of that.

Definitely backs up the top-down directive model.

>You say my criticism of MS is mild.

In my observations of your posts, not only has your criticism been mild ("I haven't said whether X is good or bad, but I just try to tell the users to look at it this way..."), but you have been an outright evangelist for everything Microsoft. You might disagree with something, but you go with the flow -- and to such a degree you push their agenda for them, even if you might happen to inwardly, all-but-silently, disagree with it.

>That's only because you've only seen it here, where generally, I take the approach
>of educating how to use the changes. I have told Microsoft directly areas where they
>are wrong. This is mainly due to my belief that it will be more effective to get it changed
>if I discuss it with the team that can make the change than to complain publically in
>places they don't monitor and will not hear about it.

You are educating people to accept the Kool-aid rather than to recognize that it's wrong so that their voices can be added to your own and may have a higher chance of being heard.

>Let's go back to something you don't like.. .removing the start button. I won't argue that
>it has caused problems for users. I also see evidence... the same evidence that's out in the
>public (again, I have NO more information about the direction of Windows than the general
>public) that the direction Microsoft is heading will not bring back the start button and
>eventually, the desktop will go way too.

Exactly. Controlled software ecosystems are not possible with general Win32 applications, but ARE possible for those apps run in something like Metro -- because that's how it was designed (to be controllable).

>So, rather than fight it, I take the approach to learn how to use this new UI now

It's sad. You might even disagree with it, but rather than fight it or do something to rectify it, you are a full-on evangelist of it.

>Many people have complained about the missing start button. Microsoft is aware
>of those complaints. But because this is windiv, there is no way to know if they are
>listening.

They aren't listening. They won't. There is the political agenda being played out. Your next supposition is a side-effect of this movement: Win8 herding of the general population to Metro (controlled software), .NET/Azure herding of the software developer ecosystems to Microsoft's datacenters.

"All your softwares are belong to us" should be Microsoft's motto. Or possibly "We're taking you where we want you to go today."

>We'll have to wait to see what Windows Blue offers. My prediction.. the start button
>will not be back.

Time to switch to Linux and run Windows XP in a VirtualBox VM. All modern Linux distros have something akin to the "Start" button. And it won't be going away anytime soon -- except as by the add-on Win8/Metro-like extension which sits atop the other version for those users who want it (as it should be--an offering, not something forced).

PS - Craig can't read these. He has me twitted. I post them for others to read.