14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Omerta is translucent... Codename translucent that is... Just because codenames are not Sinofsky's thing. He would rather deal with product numbers. And in fact Sinofsky has shifted Microsoft away from the tradition of associating products in development with codenames to implementing product numbers with the new software being built. And just in case you don't know who Sinofsky is, here is his official title: Steven Sinofsky is the senior vice president for the Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group - the user experience of Microsoft Windows and Windows Live services.
In translation, Sinofsky managed to gag all the efforts made by Jim Allchin, (Former) Co-President, Platforms & Services Division toward transparency under Windows Omerta. Unlike Allchin, who was leading the Windows project for Longhorn and then Vista, Sinofsky is incubating Windows 7 (Seven) and Office 14. And unlike Allchin who was "transparent," Sinofsky is nothing short of "translucent." At least on his internal blog.
"I know many folks think that this type of corporate 'clamp down' on disclosure is 'old school' and that in the age of corporate transparency we should be open all the time. Corporations are not really transparent. Corporations are translucent. All organizations have things that are visible and things that are not. Saying we want to be transparent overstates what we should or can do practically-we will share our plans in a thoughtful and constructive manner," reads a fragment from Sinofsky's internal blog posting, as cited by Mary Jo Foley.
Right... All corporations have visible and invisible things. But all that Microsoft has with Sinofsky at the lead, is a black whole where Windows used to be. And sharing plans in a thoughtful and constructive manner is saying absolutely nothing at all. Or at least generalizing the issue to the point where the only success of the strategy is to create user frustration. The bottom line is that Sinofsky is the adept of a practical and a pragmatic model, he is a translucent and mute builder rather than a transparent sweet talker. And Windows Vista SP1, Windows XP SP3 and Windows 7 will all be delivered on time, Sinofsky's time that is.