Those of you caught with the Windows 7 SP1 bug that rendered your development computer useless for Access 2007, (including yours truly), can read up on the official Microsoft response to the issue here:
Kudos to the team for owning up to the issue, but I would have loved to see a faster response.
DRASTICALLY UNDERESTIMATING…
This statement really caught my eye:
"Unfortunately, we drastically underestimated the number of customers who were recompiling ADO applications on Windows 7 SP1. Even worse, when I say drastically, I really mean DRASTICALLY."
Why was the large amount of calls a surprise for Microsoft’s support arm?
Are we few or are we many?
It goes to the heart of the issue with Microsoft’s outreach to the Access developer community, and therefore their lack of understanding on how big it is. I know they have a Microsoft Access development page and they have a Developer’s forum too but I believe they can do more, but am not sure on the return on investment. When I see the reaction above it gives me hope that we are many, but are we growing as a group, or diminishing?
What can Microsoft do to encourage Access development
You may wonder if they do want to encourage development in the first place…and I think they do, otherwise, why develop a great macro tool for Access 2010? The fact is all professional Access developers use mostly VBA, but at least it’s a commitment to programming in the platform. I would love to see a worldwide development conference just for Access developers, dedicated resources to the community and a path to partnership via Access development.
My personal mission: Grow more Access developers
I decided to make Access my focus and not .Net for reasons I’ve explained before, and now I’m adding a new mission, “helping others become great Access developers”. The more the merrier, there is so much work for Access out there, enough for all of us and then some. We need to reach a critical mass so that we can come together and become a force. The PAUG conference is a great start and I hope you can join us next year.
If you wish to join me in this effort then I encourage you to share your code, techniques and passion with us online, providing resources for those who wish to pursue Access development as a career choice.