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2015-04-30 12:00:00

Microsoft is becoming cool again

Isn't "New Microsoft" awesome?

.NET is going open source? And cross-platform? On Github?!?

The news out of Redmond often seems like a mis-timed April fools joke.

But it's real. This is happening. Microsoft is apparently willing to do "whatever it takes" to get developers to love them again.

How did this company change so much, so quickly?

A lot of folks are giving credit to CEO Satya Nadella. And there could be some truth to that. Maaaaaaybe.

Another popular view: Two of the most visible people in this story are:

I understand why people think maybe these two guys caused this revolution. They both seem to do a decent job I suppose.

But the truth is that New Microsoft started when Microsoft hired Martin Woodward.

What?!? Who the heck is Martin Woodward?

Martin's current position is Executive Director of the .NET Foundation. Prior to that, he worked as a Program Manager on various developer tools.

Nobody knows who Martin is. Either of the Scotts have 2 orders of magnitude more Twitter followers.

But I think if you look closely at Martin's five+ year career at Microsoft, you will see a pattern. Every time a piece of Old Microsoft got destroyed in favor of New Microsoft, Martin was nearby.

Don't believe me? Ask anybody in DevDiv how TFS ended up getting support for Git.

It's all about Martin.

So all the credit should go to Martin Woodward then?

Certainly not.

You see, Martin joined Microsoft in late 2009 as part of their acquisition of Teamprise.

And Teamprise was a division of SourceGear.

I hired Martin Woodward (single-handedly, with no help or input from anybody else) in 2005. Four years later, when Microsoft acquired our Teamprise division (which I made happen, all by myself), Martin became a Microsoft employee.

Bottom line: Are you excited about all of the fantastic news coming out of Build 2015 this week? That stuff would never have happened if it were not for ME.

Eric, how can we ever thank you?

So, now that you know that I am the one behind all the terrific things Microsoft is doing, I'm sure you want to express your appreciation. But that won't be necessary. While I understand the sentiment, in lieu of expensive gifts and extravagant favors, I am asking my adoring fans to do two things:

First, try not to forget all the little people at Microsoft who are directly involved in the implementation of change. People like Martin, or the Scotts, or Satya. Even though these folks are making a relatively minor contribution compared to my own, I would like them to be supported in their efforts. Be positive. Don't second-guess their motives. Lay aside any prejudices you might have from Old Microsoft. Believe.

Second, get involved. Interact with New Microsoft as part of the community. Go to Github and grab the code. Report an issue. Send a pull request.

Embellishments and revisionist history aside...

Enjoy this! It's a GREAT time to be a developer.