Re: Azure in Australia
Here's a post by Tatham that highlights the cost issue: http://blog.tatham.oddie.com.au/2010/04/05/why-windows-azure-is-not-worth-investing-in I'm not a MS beancounter, and so I'm not sure how they are going to do it... but if they are going to attract devs to their platform, they will need to find a way to open it up for development purposes because all of what Tatham has written in his article is extremely valid. I've been in the same place as Tatham - having to make that decision about where to host my small service - and ultimately at that point I have baulked and turned away from Azure. This is in part, why I've deduced that Azure is an enterprise only product - and why I'm so tough about it lacking certain enterprise features. Kind Regards, Darren Neimke http://twitter.com/digory darren.nei...@live.com mob: 0439 855 046 From: Greg Willis Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2010 2:31 PM To: ozAzure Subject: RE: Azure in Australia Great to see some lively discussion starting up here. If I can see evidence there is more than 3 of us on this list I'll definitely ask a few more folk from the Windows Azure and SQL Azure product teams to sign-up for good measure :-) I think it's fair to say that SQL Azure is still optimized for some scenarios (web, smaller application and ISV workloads) over others right now. I think it's also fair to say they are adding in functionality at a decent rate (50GB size instances coming, spatial etc). There is still also a lot I'd like to see added in to open up more scenarios. I have certainly worked with few product teams that could claim to be more feedback focused and driven than the Windows Azure and SQL Azure teams - so please use this site (and lists like this one) and let them know what you think is lacking: http://www.mygreatsqlazureidea.com Darren - 235 of your closest friends have currently voted for full-text search support. The product planning guys in the teams look straight to these sites as one key pulse of what people want to see next / the most. There is also the same for Windows Azure: http://mygreatwindowsazureidea.com (and Dalllas', Windows Azure platform AppFabric etc) Cheers, Greg Willis From: ozazure-boun...@lists.codify.com [ozazure-boun...@lists.codify.com] on behalf of Darren Neimke [darren.nei...@live.com] Sent: Thursday, 1 April 2010 3:26 PM To: ozazure@lists.codify.com Subject: RE: Azure in Australia My beefs... personally, there are parts of the product that I would like to see improved at a rate that is faster than the current rate. Service Management (inc. monitoring and reporting) is an example of such an area. There should be a recognition that the current maturity level of the product is what it is and that as such, as a consumer of such a service you can, from time to time, experience frustrations in using such a service: http://blogs.msdn.com/sqlazure/archive/2010/03/22/9982979.aspx I understand that, to mature such a product requires an effort in terms of not only software and systems development, but also importantly in marketing, documentation, and support services as well. And to raise the maturity level from where it currently sits will take some time. It is some of these issues - and through concentrated use of the service and its features - that I have experienced some dissatisfaction. Our mileage may vary! :-) Kind Regards, Darren Neimke darren.nei...@live.com http://2010wave.blogspot.com From: steven.n...@readify.net To: ozazure@lists.codify.com Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:14:50 -0700 Subject: RE: Azure in Australia I totally agree! I’m just asking.. what are your beefs? One of mine is that SQL Azure is not so much designed for scale out where the other services are. Its almost like SQL Azure is after a completely different market of consumer, which might be true. Steven Nagy Readify | Senior Developer M: +61 404 044 513 | E: steven.n...@readify.net | B: azure.snagy.name From: ozazure-boun...@lists.codify.com [mailto:ozazure-boun...@lists.codify.com] On Behalf Of Darren Neimke Sent: Thursday, 1 April 2010 2:03 PM To: ozazure@lists.codify.com Subject: RE: Azure in Australia Greg, do you think we can get some involvement from them here? More engagement is always a good thing - especially within AU. And in re-reading your opening couple of sentences there Steve (heck... I thought you were a blue badge for a second there mate! :)) let's keep an open mind about the quality of the system that we are experiencing. Let's not be afraid to make critical assessments as to the state of play. And let's all play together for the betterment of the product. It's in nobody's interest - especially a product evangelist's - for us to be shills and simply pretend
RE: Azure in Australia
Full-text search is not currently supported in SQL Azure. It is planned in future releases. One of the first places to watch for confirm of new functionality in the SQL Azure releases is the team blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/ssds/ They are also recruiting Darren so you can go and help them finish the job ☺ Cheers, Greg Willis Email: gwil...@microsoft.com From: ozazure-boun...@lists.codify.com [mailto:ozazure-boun...@lists.codify.com] On Behalf Of Darren Neimke Sent: Thursday, 1 April 2010 10:58 AM To: ozazure@lists.codify.com Subject: RE: Azure in Australia Thanks Greg, it's good to see that you guys are taking the time to present the information in a more understandable format. It would have been nice if you'd finished building it before you started charging for it though. Also, if I click on the Products tab I get some nice marketing information about each product, but it's not easy to see what specific features I am or am not getting. If I look at the SQL Azure product sheet it's not clear as to what functionality is included. For example is Full Text Search included yet - the Wikipedia page talks about search being included but it wasn't there when I last used the product back in December. Kind Regards, Darren Neimke darren.nei...@live.com http://2010wave.blogspot.com From: gwil...@microsoft.com To: ozazure@lists.codify.com Subject: Azure in Australia Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:39:32 + As we’re apparently lacking Azure content for this list (☺) you might be interested to know Azure will be available for Australia just after Easter. You can see all of the ways you can get access after release here: http://www.windowsazure.com/offers and local AUD pricing. Greg Willis Windows Azure Evangelism Lead, Microsoft Australia Email: gwil...@microsoft.com Twitter: @gwillis Blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/gwillis LinkedIn: http://au.linkedin.com/in/gwillis ___ ozazure mailing list ozazure@lists.codify.com http://prdlxvm0001.codify.net/mailman/listinfo/ozazure Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft’s powerful SPAM protection. Sign up now. ___ ozazure mailing list ozazure@lists.codify.com http://prdlxvm0001.codify.net/mailman/listinfo/ozazure
RE: Azure in Australia
Oh I don't want to actually *do* any work... I just want to express my right to complain about the work of others :-) Kind Regards, Darren neimkedarren.nei...@live.com http://2010wave.blogspot.com From: gwil...@microsoft.com To: ozazure@lists.codify.com Subject: RE: Azure in Australia Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 02:20:30 + Full-text search is not currently supported in SQL Azure. It is planned in future releases. One of the first places to watch for confirm of new functionality in the SQL Azure releases is the team blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/ssds/ They are also recruiting Darren so you can go and help them finish the job ☺ Cheers, Greg Willis Email: gwil...@microsoft.com From: ozazure-boun...@lists.codify.com [mailto:ozazure-boun...@lists.codify.com] On Behalf Of Darren Neimke Sent: Thursday, 1 April 2010 10:58 AM To: ozazure@lists.codify.com Subject: RE: Azure in Australia Thanks Greg, it's good to see that you guys are taking the time to present the information in a more understandable format. It would have been nice if you'd finished building it before you started charging for it though. Also, if I click on the Products tab I get some nice marketing information about each product, but it's not easy to see what specific features I am or am not getting. If I look at the SQL Azure product sheet it's not clear as to what functionality is included. For example is Full Text Search included yet - the Wikipedia page talks about search being included but it wasn't there when I last used the product back in December. Kind Regards, Darren Neimke darren.nei...@live.com http://2010wave.blogspot.com From: gwil...@microsoft.com To: ozazure@lists.codify.com Subject: Azure in Australia Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:39:32 + As we’re apparently lacking Azure content for this list (☺) you might be interested to know Azure will be available for Australia just after Easter. You can see all of the ways you can get access after release here: http://www.windowsazure.com/offers and local AUD pricing. Greg Willis Windows Azure Evangelism Lead, Microsoft Australia Email: gwil...@microsoft.com Twitter: @gwillis Blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/gwillis LinkedIn: http://au.linkedin.com/in/gwillis ___ ozazure mailing list ozazure@lists.codify.com http://prdlxvm0001.codify.net/mailman/listinfo/ozazure Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft’s powerful SPAM protection. Sign up now. ___ ozazure mailing list ozazure@lists.codify.com http://prdlxvm0001.codify.net/mailman/listinfo/ozazure _ Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/210850553/direct/01/___ ozazure mailing list ozazure@lists.codify.com http://prdlxvm0001.codify.net/mailman/listinfo/ozazure
RE: Azure in Australia
In all seriousness though Greg, I think that some more transparency about some of this stuff could have helped, and not hindered the perception of how certain things have gone by people such as myself. At the end of the day, is there discussion about these things within the realm of the social media - yes; but is that *the* appropriate medium for communicating to your target audience about the state of the product... probably not. And on the topic of help, if there are genuine areas in which you guys need any help or feedback *and* you are prepared to deal with the feedback in a transparent and honest manner... then I'm always available. As I always say... my supply of opinions is nearly limitless! Kind Regards, Darren neimkedarren.nei...@live.com http://2010wave.blogspot.com From: darren.nei...@live.com To: ozazure@lists.codify.com Subject: RE: Azure in Australia Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:56:10 -0700 Oh I don't want to actually *do* any work... I just want to express my right to complain about the work of others :-) Kind Regards, Darren neimkedarren.nei...@live.com http://2010wave.blogspot.com From: gwil...@microsoft.com To: ozazure@lists.codify.com Subject: RE: Azure in Australia Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2010 02:20:30 + Full-text search is not currently supported in SQL Azure. It is planned in future releases. One of the first places to watch for confirm of new functionality in the SQL Azure releases is the team blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/ssds/ They are also recruiting Darren so you can go and help them finish the job ☺ Cheers, Greg Willis Email: gwil...@microsoft.com From: ozazure-boun...@lists.codify.com [mailto:ozazure-boun...@lists.codify.com] On Behalf Of Darren Neimke Sent: Thursday, 1 April 2010 10:58 AM To: ozazure@lists.codify.com Subject: RE: Azure in Australia Thanks Greg, it's good to see that you guys are taking the time to present the information in a more understandable format. It would have been nice if you'd finished building it before you started charging for it though. Also, if I click on the Products tab I get some nice marketing information about each product, but it's not easy to see what specific features I am or am not getting. If I look at the SQL Azure product sheet it's not clear as to what functionality is included. For example is Full Text Search included yet - the Wikipedia page talks about search being included but it wasn't there when I last used the product back in December. Kind Regards, Darren Neimke darren.nei...@live.com http://2010wave.blogspot.com From: gwil...@microsoft.com To: ozazure@lists.codify.com Subject: Azure in Australia Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 23:39:32 + As we’re apparently lacking Azure content for this list (☺) you might be interested to know Azure will be available for Australia just after Easter. You can see all of the ways you can get access after release here: http://www.windowsazure.com/offers and local AUD pricing. Greg Willis Windows Azure Evangelism Lead, Microsoft Australia Email: gwil...@microsoft.com Twitter: @gwillis Blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/gwillis LinkedIn: http://au.linkedin.com/in/gwillis ___ ozazure mailing list ozazure@lists.codify.com http://prdlxvm0001.codify.net/mailman/listinfo/ozazure Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft’s powerful SPAM protection. Sign up now. ___ ozazure mailing list ozazure@lists.codify.com http://prdlxvm0001.codify.net/mailman/listinfo/ozazure Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. Sign up now. _ Hotmail has tools for the New Busy. Search, chat and e-mail from your inbox. http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID27925::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:032010_1___ ozazure mailing list ozazure@lists.codify.com http://prdlxvm0001.codify.net/mailman/listinfo/ozazure
RE: Azure in Australia
Great to see some lively discussion starting up here. If I can see evidence there is more than 3 of us on this list I'll definitely ask a few more folk from the Windows Azure and SQL Azure product teams to sign-up for good measure :-) I think it's fair to say that SQL Azure is still optimized for some scenarios (web, smaller application and ISV workloads) over others right now. I think it's also fair to say they are adding in functionality at a decent rate (50GB size instances coming, spatial etc). There is still also a lot I'd like to see added in to open up more scenarios. I have certainly worked with few product teams that could claim to be more feedback focused and driven than the Windows Azure and SQL Azure teams - so please use this site (and lists like this one) and let them know what you think is lacking: http://www.mygreatsqlazureidea.com Darren - 235 of your closest friends have currently voted for full-text search support. The product planning guys in the teams look straight to these sites as one key pulse of what people want to see next / the most. There is also the same for Windows Azure: http://mygreatwindowsazureidea.com (and Dalllas', Windows Azure platform AppFabric etc) Cheers, Greg Willis From: ozazure-boun...@lists.codify.com [ozazure-boun...@lists.codify.com] on behalf of Darren Neimke [darren.nei...@live.com] Sent: Thursday, 1 April 2010 3:26 PM To: ozazure@lists.codify.com Subject: RE: Azure in Australia My beefs... personally, there are parts of the product that I would like to see improved at a rate that is faster than the current rate. Service Management (inc. monitoring and reporting) is an example of such an area. There should be a recognition that the current maturity level of the product is what it is and that as such, as a consumer of such a service you can, from time to time, experience frustrations in using such a service: http://blogs.msdn.com/sqlazure/archive/2010/03/22/9982979.aspx http://blogs.msdn.com/sqlazure/archive/2010/03/22/9982979.aspxI understand that, to mature such a product requires an effort in terms of not only software and systems development, but also importantly in marketing, documentation, and support services as well. And to raise the maturity level from where it currently sits will take some time. It is some of these issues - and through concentrated use of the service and its features - that I have experienced some dissatisfaction. Our mileage may vary! :-) Kind Regards, Darren Neimke darren.nei...@live.commailto:darren.nei...@live.com http://2010wave.blogspot.com From: steven.n...@readify.net To: ozazure@lists.codify.com Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 21:14:50 -0700 Subject: RE: Azure in Australia I totally agree! I’m just asking.. what are your beefs? One of mine is that SQL Azure is not so much designed for scale out where the other services are. Its almost like SQL Azure is after a completely different market of consumer, which might be true. Steven Nagy Readify | Senior Developer M: +61 404 044 513 | E: steven.n...@readify.net | B: azure.snagy.namehttp://azure.snagy.name/ From: ozazure-boun...@lists.codify.com [mailto:ozazure-boun...@lists.codify.com] On Behalf Of Darren Neimke Sent: Thursday, 1 April 2010 2:03 PM To: ozazure@lists.codify.com Subject: RE: Azure in Australia Greg, do you think we can get some involvement from them here? More engagement is always a good thing - especially within AU. And in re-reading your opening couple of sentences there Steve (heck... I thought you were a blue badge for a second there mate! :)) let's keep an open mind about the quality of the system that we are experiencing. Let's not be afraid to make critical assessments as to the state of play. And let's all play together for the betterment of the product. It's in nobody's interest - especially a product evangelist's - for us to be shills and simply pretend that everything is fine. At the end of the day I'd ask myself this... how much of my own money (mine or my businesses) am I likely to put on the table for Azure. And what needs to improve before that amount might be increased. Kind Regards, Darren Neimke darren.nei...@live.commailto:darren.nei...@live.com http://2010wave.blogspot.com From: steven.n...@readify.net To: ozazure@lists.codify.com Date: Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:40:21 -0700 Subject: RE: Azure in Australia Hi Darren, There are many ways in which to supply feedback to the team. Currently you can ‘request features’ and the team also has had online open chat sessions before. I’ve found these sessions to be very telling because a lot of cloud enthusiasts have really pushed hard on certain issues. I’m not sure if anyone from the development teams are actually on this list (like Jim, Steve, etc) but would be nice if they were. Greg, do you think we can get
