tommy.blog

Opera released a new version of their desktop browser today. Besides some bug fixes and the default inclusion of Browser JavaScript, the biggest change is the new price: it's 100% free! No more registrations, no more license codes, no more advertisement banners.
I've been using Opera since version 7, and I've always used the free version with advertisement banners. The textual GoogleAds never really bothered me, but now that they're gone, the browser feels different. It feels and looks a lot lighter.

2 things impressed me on Channel 9 today:

• Robert Scoble's interview with Bill Gates.
• An internal e-mail from Lisa Brummel, Microsoft's director of HR.

The interview with Bill Gates shows how down-to-earth he is. He really likes his work, and his words are very inspiring. He reminded me why I started in software, and takes away my doubts about the meaning of my job. I may not be a doctor or a fireman, I just sit in front of a computer and write code. But Bill talks about the value of software, and why he still believes in software.
The second post (and also partially the interview) demonstrates that Microsoft is not the dark company with evil minions some people say it is.
I think the videos at Channel 9 also clearly demonstrate that the people at Microsoft really like their jobs, and are passionate about it.