Comments for Powers Unfiltered http://powersunfiltered.com An entrepreneur's journey into grid computing and partnering with Microsoft, by John Powers Fri, 16 Jul 2010 02:26:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Comment on Five Suggested Technical Improvements for the Microsoft Partner Web Site by Rick Edwards http://powersunfiltered.com/2008/01/29/five-suggested-technical-improvements-for-the-microsoft-partner-web-site/comment-page-1/#comment-93477 Rick Edwards Fri, 16 Jul 2010 02:26:46 +0000 http://powersunfiltered.com/2008/01/29/five-suggested-technical-improvements-for-the-microsoft-partner-web-site/#comment-93477 Renewed partnership 3 months ago. Got physical media (but no 64 bit OS's in the media package). Tried to download Win7 64. It tells me I need to upgrade to IE8 (my version shows v8.0.6001.18928 ). So I will use the download manager. I let it install. Now click download. NADA. No download. No prompt. Just in red letters: *The web browser you are currently using is unable to support this download. Please use the download manager (recommended) option. <<I>> So maybe they are only discriminating against those that use ANY browser. Renewed partnership 3 months ago. Got physical media (but no 64 bit OS’s in the media package).

Tried to download Win7 64. It tells me I need to upgrade to IE8 (my version shows v8.0.6001.18928 ). So I will use the download manager. I let it install. Now click download.

NADA. No download. No prompt. Just in red letters: *The web browser you are currently using is unable to support this download. Please use the download manager (recommended) option. <>

So maybe they are only discriminating against those that use ANY browser.

]]> Comment on Off Topic — One year on solar power by Bill Harrer http://powersunfiltered.com/2009/08/26/off-topic-one-year-on-solar-power/comment-page-1/#comment-93225 Bill Harrer Fri, 09 Jul 2010 22:36:08 +0000 http://powersunfiltered.com/?p=192#comment-93225 It was really good to see how someone put real information into an easy to understand analysis. Have you thought about comparing how your system did compared to what your solar company estimated? Also, there are several good companies out there that have web monitoring so you don't have to look at the LED screen. SMA America has a demo on their site. Good luck and look forward to your further analysis. Bill It was really good to see how someone put real information into an easy to understand analysis. Have you thought about comparing how your system did compared to what your solar company estimated? Also, there are several good companies out there that have web monitoring so you don’t have to look at the LED screen. SMA America has a demo on their site.

Good luck and look forward to your further analysis.

Bill

]]> Comment on Digipede Network 2.4 — Beyond the Press Release by rwandering.net » Digipede 2.4 http://powersunfiltered.com/2010/07/02/digipede-network-2-4-beyond-the-press-release/comment-page-1/#comment-93112 rwandering.net » Digipede 2.4 Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:33:28 +0000 http://powersunfiltered.com/?p=226#comment-93112 [...] The intrepid John Powers dives into it more in his post, Digipede Network 2.4 — Beyond the Press Release. [...] [...] The intrepid John Powers dives into it more in his post, Digipede Network 2.4 — Beyond the Press Release. [...]

]]> Comment on Gold No More by john http://powersunfiltered.com/2010/02/02/gold-no-more/comment-page-1/#comment-87085 john Wed, 03 Feb 2010 01:20:57 +0000 http://powersunfiltered.com/?p=215#comment-87085 Deborah - Good to hear from you again, although I'm sorry to hear about your experience with the CSAT results. That's worse than "Catch-22 double-speak;" it's plain ignorant. I mean that literally -- ignorant of any widely-accepted industry practices for addressing poor reviews (deliberate or accidental) that have been around for many years. Ebay has decent procedures, as do many hotel and restaurant review sites. Yet Microsoft continues to re-invent processes (badly) that others have already invented and improved for years. The Microsoft Partner Program's tenacious unwillingness to learn from the successes and mistakes of others dooms it to slow improvement and frequent backsliding. And I totally agree -- VSIP rocks, and it's even more ironic that MSPP has a fantastic example of how a partner program can and should work, right on the same campus. Deborah – Good to hear from you again, although I’m sorry to hear about your experience with the CSAT results. That’s worse than “Catch-22 double-speak;” it’s plain ignorant. I mean that literally — ignorant of any widely-accepted industry practices for addressing poor reviews (deliberate or accidental) that have been around for many years. Ebay has decent procedures, as do many hotel and restaurant review sites. Yet Microsoft continues to re-invent processes (badly) that others have already invented and improved for years. The Microsoft Partner Program’s tenacious unwillingness to learn from the successes and mistakes of others dooms it to slow improvement and frequent backsliding.
And I totally agree — VSIP rocks, and it’s even more ironic that MSPP has a fantastic example of how a partner program can and should work, right on the same campus.

]]> Comment on Gold No More by Deborah http://powersunfiltered.com/2010/02/02/gold-no-more/comment-page-1/#comment-87081 Deborah Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:18:49 +0000 http://powersunfiltered.com/?p=215#comment-87081 John, I couldn't agree more. I'm seriously thinking about taking it a step further and bidding MSPP goodbye. The partner program has never really figured out where ISVs fit. We get tons better value from VSIP. The final straw was trying to jump through the new customer satisfaction survey hoop. The points awarded are based solely on the answer to one question: the customer's overall satisfaction, on a 1 to 4 scale. Those results are weighted in some bizarre way that doesn't resemble anything I remember from my statistics classes. One bad response-- entered in error! -- threw the entire result off, and cost us the few points we need for Gold. I tried to get that entry corrected. MSPP's response? "Once a customer has completed the survey, responses cannot be altered under any circumstances. This ensures data integrity of the CSAT results for all Partners." What a fine piece of Catch-22 double-speak that is! Glad to see you're blogging again. John,

I couldn’t agree more. I’m seriously thinking about taking it a step further and bidding MSPP goodbye. The partner program has never really figured out where ISVs fit. We get tons better value from VSIP.

The final straw was trying to jump through the new customer satisfaction survey hoop. The points awarded are based solely on the answer to one question: the customer’s overall satisfaction, on a 1 to 4 scale. Those results are weighted in some bizarre way that doesn’t resemble anything I remember from my statistics classes. One bad response– entered in error! — threw the entire result off, and cost us the few points we need for Gold. I tried to get that entry corrected. MSPP’s response? “Once a customer has completed the survey, responses cannot be altered under any circumstances. This ensures data integrity of the CSAT results for all Partners.” What a fine piece of Catch-22 double-speak that is!

Glad to see you’re blogging again.

]]> Comment on Off Topic — One year on solar power by Vikram Janardhan http://powersunfiltered.com/2009/08/26/off-topic-one-year-on-solar-power/comment-page-1/#comment-86609 Vikram Janardhan Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:32:57 +0000 http://powersunfiltered.com/?p=192#comment-86609 John, Terrific post! This post is one of the best articles I have read on PV payoff's. - Vikram John,

Terrific post! This post is one of the best articles I have read on PV payoff’s.

- Vikram

]]> Comment on Five Suggested Technical Improvements for the Microsoft Partner Web Site by Duncan Bayne http://powersunfiltered.com/2008/01/29/five-suggested-technical-improvements-for-the-microsoft-partner-web-site/comment-page-1/#comment-85571 Duncan Bayne Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:56:51 +0000 http://powersunfiltered.com/2008/01/29/five-suggested-technical-improvements-for-the-microsoft-partner-web-site/#comment-85571 It's still broken on browsers other than IE, nearly two years later ... http://www.fluidscape.co.nz/node/194 It’s still broken on browsers other than IE, nearly two years later … http://www.fluidscape.co.nz/node/194

]]> Comment on Off Topic — One year on solar power by john http://powersunfiltered.com/2009/08/26/off-topic-one-year-on-solar-power/comment-page-1/#comment-82408 john Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:44:56 +0000 http://powersunfiltered.com/?p=192#comment-82408 Thanks for the comment, Mark -- I held off on replying until today, because I am in the process of refinancing my house, and I knew an appraisal would be part of that process. The appraiser came to my house today, so I pointed out the PV system to him and asked specifically how he treated them. As I thought, he said they do indeed give credit for PV systems in the value of the home; they have a "blue book" calculation they use, based on size and age of the system. So at least some local appraisers have moved beyond the "caveman" mentality. Thanks for the comment, Mark — I held off on replying until today, because I am in the process of refinancing my house, and I knew an appraisal would be part of that process. The appraiser came to my house today, so I pointed out the PV system to him and asked specifically how he treated them. As I thought, he said they do indeed give credit for PV systems in the value of the home; they have a “blue book” calculation they use, based on size and age of the system. So at least some local appraisers have moved beyond the “caveman” mentality.

]]> Comment on Off Topic — One year on solar power by Mark Schwab http://powersunfiltered.com/2009/08/26/off-topic-one-year-on-solar-power/comment-page-1/#comment-82198 Mark Schwab Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:45:12 +0000 http://powersunfiltered.com/?p=192#comment-82198 Lots of great information on a "real life" solar project. There really isn't all that much actual case study info regarding PV solar, so it is especially helpful. One comment on appraised value though-I have noticed that all the companies cite the same study by the Journal of Appraisers, where they claim a 20 to 1 increased home value for every energy dollar saved . After some research, I have yet to find an appraiser who puts much,if any value on a solar system.Speaking of a "caveman mentality", they are stuck in the "comparable value" mode-if your neighbor doesn't have it (solar) than yours isn't worth much-nothing to compare it to.This hopefully will change over time, but I wouldn't recommend installing a system if you are not staying in your home for at least 10 years. Lots of great information on a “real life” solar project. There really isn’t all that much actual case study info regarding PV solar, so it is especially helpful. One comment on appraised value though-I have noticed that all the companies cite the same study by the Journal of Appraisers, where they claim a 20 to 1 increased home value for every energy dollar saved . After some research, I have yet to find an appraiser who puts much,if any value on a solar system.Speaking of a “caveman mentality”, they are stuck in the “comparable value” mode-if your neighbor doesn’t have it (solar) than yours isn’t worth much-nothing to compare it to.This hopefully will change over time, but I wouldn’t recommend installing a system if you are not staying in your home for at least 10 years.

]]> Comment on Off Topic — One year on solar power by john http://powersunfiltered.com/2009/08/26/off-topic-one-year-on-solar-power/comment-page-1/#comment-79640 john Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:08:13 +0000 http://powersunfiltered.com/?p=192#comment-79640 Thanks Craig. I looked at the lifecycle cost calculation page you suggested, and yeah, I could put in guesses for all those figures, then put in comparable guesses for a scenario where I just keep buying all my electricity from PG&E -- but the uncertainty of many of these variables is quite high, so I don't know how much I'd believe the results. Might try it for grins though -- stay tuned. Thanks Craig.
I looked at the lifecycle cost calculation page you suggested, and yeah, I could put in guesses for all those figures, then put in comparable guesses for a scenario where I just keep buying all my electricity from PG&E — but the uncertainty of many of these variables is quite high, so I don’t know how much I’d believe the results. Might try it for grins though — stay tuned.

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