Farewell to AskPerf

Happy Friday AskPerf!  I'm sure you've already surmised by the title of the post that today's topic is a somewhat bittersweet one.  XE3E9MT8HW5V

It is said that all good things must come to an end.  In that same vein, the one constant about working at Microsoft is that change is inevitable.  Over the last three (well, almost three!) years, it has been my privilege and honor to administer and write content for the AskPerf blog.  I have had a tremendous amount of fun doing it, and I’ve learned a great deal.  One of the things I have particularly enjoyed is watching the comments section related to some of our posts take on a life of their own and become truly discussion-oriented.  Nothing about AskPerf has been more special than watching the AskPerf community engage in open, honest and respectful debate and also being supportive of one another when requests for assistance are made.  This is a very special group of readers.  However, it is time for me to say farewell to AskPerf.

I have recently accepted a position as a Program Manager within our Product Quality and Online group.  Specifically, I will be working within the Software+Services space.  The oppportunity to step into a new technical arena in this role is exciting for me - both personally and professionally.  And so, it is time to turn the keys to AskPerf over to someone else to keep the blog going strong.  That someone is Tim Newton (of Demystifying /3GB fame among others).  Tim has authored several articles since the launch of AskPerf.  In March 2008, Tim stepped up to take on the responsibility of being a co-owner of the blog.  The transition, therefore, should be virtually seamless.

I will continue to follow AskPerf with great interest, but it’s the time has come for me to turn the reins over to Tim.  I am going to step back from work-related blogging for a little while as I get ramped up in my new role.  I haven't really worked on any blogging for myself over the last few years, so I will also be working on getting my personal blog kicked off over the course of the next few weeks, and also helping my daughter get started on her own blog.

Believe me when I say that the AskPerf blog is a huge group effort!  I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to all of the people on the Performance team who have contributed articles and ideas, spent countless hours doing research and problem reproduction, as well as proofreading and editing post submissions.  Without their tireless efforts we would not have been able to generate the amount of content we have - especially for our two Launch Series on Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7 / Windows Server 2008 R2.  I also would like to extend my deepest thanks to the many folks in other parts of Microsoft Commerical Technical Support, as well as all our friends in the Product Group, Premier Field Engineering, Global Escalation Services, Product Quality and Online and of course the many Technical Account Managers who have been absolutely amazing in terms of offering guidance, feedback and support.

Last, but my no means least in any way I would like to thank YOU – the AskPerf readers.  Your constant support and candid feedback has been invaluable over the last (almost) 3 years. Without you, there’s no way we would be where we are today.  I wish each of you the very best and look forward to our paths crossing again in the future.

THANK YOU!!