Eric Wilfrid, Microsoft
After 14 years at Microsoft, Eric Wilfrid has succeeded Craig Eisler as head of the MacBU in charge of all Microsoft’s Mac software. The unit has recently grown to utilise the skills of 230 employees.
I interviewed him by email thanks to the offices of Auckland’s Pead PR.
mac.nz Did you start using computers before your computer-related studies started? What were they and what did you use them for?
Eric Wilfrid Yes, starting when I was 8 years old and took a BASIC programming course on a DEC PDP-11. The machine had some CRTs, some hard copy terminals (no punch cards), and you could even use the machine from across the hall by dialing in using a modem with an audio!
The first computer I owned at home was a VIC-20, and my enthusiasm for software really took off when I moved up to a C-64 and built my own baseball simulation. My first Mac was (and is) a beautiful SE/30 that I took with me to college. It still boots, still runs Word 3, and still has the 5MB of RAM I needed in order to use it for my first Computer Science class.
mac.nz When you first began working at Microsoft, were you already involved with Macs? (At work and/or otherwise)
Eric Wilfrid Yes, as mentioned, I’ve been a huge Mac user for as long as I can remember. Although I started out in 1994 working on the Windows Office PowerPoint presentation graphics program, I’ve always had an affinity for Mac computing. I joined the MacBU when it was founded in 1997 and have spent the last 11 years developing for the Mac platform.
mac.nz The MacBU is a renowned Apple developer. In your opinion, will Microsoft continue to develop cutting edge technologies for the Mac platform?
Eric Wilfrid Definitely. The MacBU is continuing to develop new features and enhancements to our core products and we are always trying to find new and creative ways to meet Mac customers’ productivity needs. Microsoft has been developing for the Mac for nearly 25 years and will continue to do so.
mac.nz It's not just Apple that seems keen to keep Microsoft applications for Macs, there is also a huge constituency of dedicated Mac users who couldn't function without Word, Entourage, Excel etc. Do you think this will expand more into portable device, plus into the online and 'cloud' realms as those systems develop?
Eric Wilfrid There are certainly a lot of exciting possibilities out there, and you will just have to stay tuned to see where we help take Mac users.
mac.nz The MacBU has managed to leverage some Mac-only features in Office for Mac. It occurs to me that it wouldn't be too hard to cross-pollinate some of these ideas back into Windows 7/Office for PC. Do discussions like this take place at Microsoft with members of the MacBU?
Eric Wilfrid The MacBU is proud to deliver Mac-first, Mac-only features aimed at providing our customers with a unique, engaging and definitely Mac experience. And we do collaborate and talk with other Microsoft teams on a regular basis.
mac.nz It must have been a fascinating place to work over the last 11 years (and before that) – is there a healthy rivalry between software teams at Microsoft or is it more an atmosphere of collaboration? Or does it vary?
Eric Wilfrid As a charter member of the MacBU, I have had the pleasure of contributing to five Office for Mac releases, and watch our award-winning software evolve over the years.
As far as rivalry goes, we’ll take a playful jab from time to time but Microsoft is a very collaborative place, and I, as well as the entire MacBU, work with a number of other teams to meet Mac customer needs. In all honesty, bringing my Mac to a meeting can sometimes catch people off guard but reactions are never negative, Microsoft has been developing for the Mac for nearly 25 years, it’s nothing new.
