Microsoft Dog Food

Microsoft has produced the rich Bill Gates. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Microsoft Company, which produced the program and OS currently and is used throughout most of the world, changed the history of mankind and has caused a huge change in the civilization countless people are enjoying today. Those who are reading this writing of mine might wonder what the relationship between this company of gigantic influence and dog food is.

Even though it will be the same in Korea, the word or abbreviation often used by a famous person or in an influential company in the States instantly spreads and becomes a buzzword. Microsoft is the best in the world, not only in terms of its asset value and the cash it reserves, but also in terms of the number of people who use the company’s products. That’s why the company easily made many buzzwords. Among the many buzzwords, there is a jargon used among computer maniacs, especially among software engineers. It’s ‘dogfooding,’ which means ‘eating the dog food,’ and it is a meaningful word.

There is one secret I have learned, knowingly and unknowingly, as I have been in the software business for the last twenty-five years. The best way to promote and test the products that I make and sell, and give the surest confidence to the customers, is to use them in my company every day. Those who have some experience in developing software can readily understand this. Something is always missing no matter how much attention you paid in making a product. Finding the missing component is as hard as finding a piece of sand on the sandy beach. Customers find such a problem the fastest when using the products, while the companies that fix the problem fast can survive. However, in some cases it might be too late when the problem is found. There are times when the solution is too formidable to deal with because the damage is just too great. Testing is then done in various ways to prevent the problem, but it’s not easy. In such a case, even though it runs a risk for the developer and the marking company to use their own program in an environment in which the customers use, it shows their confidence to the customers, and in the case problems arise, they can troubleshoot them quickly without watching the problems going from bad to worse, while sitting down. Such a process is called ‘dogfooding’ in the Microsoft Company, and the verb is ‘dogfood.’ This word originally appeared in an email sent by the Microsoft LAN manager in the form of “eating our own dogfood,” and one sentence of the email was reused in a dog food advertisement which was popular back then.

Such a buzzword is used in the form of “walk the talk” by people who are outside of the field of software. In other words, it means putting the theory into practice. No matter how much one talks about a theory, unless it is put into practice, it doesn’t have any practical value.

I reflect on myself. I think I know something about theories. Particularly, when I see other people making mistakes, I think I can see their problems very clearly like helping people move when they are playing go (Baduk). However, when I play go myself, not only do I fail to see the simple moves, but I also lose huge points I almost gained by paying attention to a wrong spot. Or since I am not directly related, I fail to understand the situation a person is facing. I only see things from my own perspective, and the advice I dare to give ends up becoming an irrelevant talk or useless theory.

Before I give others advice or attempt to help them, I should apply everything to myself. When I put myself in the shoes of others and face the situation they are facing, I should be able to give truly useful advice and my theory would be verified. I can never be sure that the fact that I verified my theory once through my experience doesn’t mean my theory is correct. That’s why a theory can become a way of life; I can recommend to others when it becomes part of my life and later becomes the daily way of my life, not just a few tests. When this is shared with one or two people around me, applied and established well, and shared with still more people around them, a culture and a tradition are made.

I think the same thing can be said of church and society. How many good teachings there are written in the Bible and proverbs we inherited from our ancestors! However, we recommend them to others without ever applying them to our own lives and testing them. In fact, pathetic people go around talking about the sermon they heard from their pastors in the pulpit without putting them to the test in the name of evangelism. To use a sentence used today, it would be like “Actions speak louder than words.”

We will have to live it out, whether it’s evangelism or children education. It’s a matter of time for others to follow suit when we test and apply the numerous good teachings of the Bible daily so that they become our lifestyle. Before I as a member of the well-mannered country of the East teach our second generation children to become proud Koreans, I myself must put the good customs of Korea to use first, fulfill my filial duty for my parents, and show respect to the elderly.

While writing this piece, I looked at my own life which is so imperfect. As a good father and husband, a citizen who is loyal to his own country, and also a useful follower of Jesus, I myself must do “dogfooding” first before I recommend anything to others.