📧 Internal Tech Emails: The Movie Maker Saga

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📉 The "Systematic Degradation" Flame

From: Bill Gates
Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2003, 10:05 AM
To: Jim Allchin
Cc: Chris Jones; Bharat Shah; Joe Peterson; Will Poole; Brian Valentine; Anoop Gupta
Subject: Windows Usability Systematic degradation flame

Bill Gates expressed profound disappointment regarding the regression of Windows usability, noting that program management groups are failing to address these critical issues. To illustrate his point, he detailed his attempt to acquire Movie Maker and the Digital Plus pack via Microsoft.com.

The User Experience Nightmare

The process was a cascade of failures:

1. Website Instability: The site timed out five consecutive times before finally loading the download page after an 8-second lag. Gates described the site as unusable.
2. Confusing Navigation: He noted that file paths like C:\Documents and Settings\billg\My Documents\My Pictures are clear, but the site's naming conventions were not.
3. Search Failure: After emailing Amir for help, he was told that the download page wasn't the intended path. He was instructed to use the search bar and type movie maker (specifically noting that moviemaker—one word—did not work).
4. The Windows Update Loop: Instead of a direct download, he was redirected to Windows Update to perform various "incantations."

The Technical Toll

Gates was frustrated by the inefficiency of the update process:

• Delta patches $\rightarrow$ He was forced to download 17MB of data.
• Time Cost: The download took 6 minutes, during which the machine was completely unresponsive.
• Data Loss: The system instability resulted in the total loss of his Outlook state.

$\text{Total Download Size} = 17 \text{ MB} \approx 17.8 \times 10^6 \text{ bytes}$

The "Add/Remove Programs" Disaster

After installing the Windows Media Series 9 (which took 7 minutes), Gates checked his installed programs list and found it cluttered with "test packages":

He further noted the inconsistency in patch labeling:

• Good: Windows XP Hotfix see Q329048 for more information
• Bad: Q810655 (with no explanatory text)

The Final Straw: Registration

When attempting to buy the Digital Plus Package, the registration form repeatedly failed. Every time a typo was detected, the system cleared almost all the entered data, forcing him to restart the process five times.

The Result: After over an hour of effort, he had no software and a corrupted programs list. He compared this to the "lows" of Windows Network settings and the dreaded 802.11 root certificate warnings.

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🛠️ The Internal Response

The following email chain shows the scramble to assign accountability for this failure.

Will Poole (1:27 PM): Suggested creating a comprehensive list of bugs for the websites, Windows Update, and the OS, then assigning owners to each.

Amir Majidimehr (3:55 PM): Noted that while Bill's experience was extreme, it highlighted a systemic issue. He demanded that usability become a "sign off item" for every release and asked who would be the BOL (Business Owner/Lead).

Dave Fester (3:58 PM): Claimed ownership of the website issues and suggested Mike Beckerman handle the rest.

Mike Beckerman (4:28 PM): Expressed confusion and hesitation:

"I don't know what it means to own website issues, nor am I yet sure the best way to handle the complex mess of coordinating between product teams, WU, and MS.COM."

Dave Fester (4:31 PM): Confirmed he is working directly with MS.com to fix the discoverability and download process.

📋 Action Items

• Create a master list of usability failures.
• Identify owners for Windows Update (WU) issues.
• Identify owners for MS.COM issues.
• Establish a usability "sign off" protocol for future releases.

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Associated Assets: