Thread by @stevesi

In the most recent Hardcore Software substack post, I shared the "turning point" for learning how to ship software. It was a memo/presentation based on the work of Excel 5 that shipped 11 days late. Let's look at the first "massive" project to ship on exactly time, Office XP. 1/

2/ First a quick excerpt from hardcoresoftware.substack.com. This is the memo from 1990 on Shipping Software, written by the development manager for Excel (Microsoft legend Chris Peters). Cool Stuff.

3/ The key lesson is the most obvious which is actually having a ship date. It is amazing how many projects have dates that are "1st quarter" or "1st half". That's 90 or 180 dates. Second lesson, shipping is everything. It's all that matters.

4/ This all seems so obvious especially in hindsight. But even to this day, software projects always seem to be late or "behind schedule".

Then along came Office XP (codename Office11). We picked the poetic ship date of March 2, 2001 or 3-2-1. Rockets adorned the whole project.

5/ Today talking about these projects is sort of surreal. The scale and complexity of building such a "bare metal" project is unfamiliar. It was a team of about 25 million lines of code (not all new, but all written by us) and about 300 engineers, 500 total. For 20 months.

6/ Office XP was the release that retired Clippy. It was very sad. We did a press release and he went on a retirement tour, stopping in SF.

7/ When we finished it was called "RTM" release to manufacturing, because it was, well released to a manufacturing plant to make DVDs and boxes. We had a "golden master" disc sent to Japan for duplication. There was a bill of materials that we ceremonially signed off on.

8/ There was a big party. In Hardcore Software I mentioned the fountains. Many took turns being thrown in the fountain. Each year the waterproof protection I wore increased. Prior to that party each componnent of the 25M lines signed off and we filmed it.

(that video is really embarrassing) 9/ We did a launch when the product was actually available (when it was done being put in boxes). Bill Gates hosted that party. A special guest joined Bill on stage—a guy who ran an online book store in Seattle. 20 years ago this week. // END

PS/ There's a history to the name Office XP. Windows wanted it to be unique to Windows. Microsoft wanted a Windows and Office that "matched". Also we didn't know what the next one would be called, XP²? Also Windows XP in 8/2001 was mostly on time too! A first (!)

TYPO, not Excel 5, but Excel 3. Excel 5 was late because of the Mac :-)

PPS/ Office “10” not Office “11”. I have this all in a giant spreadsheet. You’d think I could read it.