Welcome back to my sixth Founders' Forum column. Last month, I started telling you about the company called WebTV Networks, and what it's really like on the inside. I'd like to give you a good feel not just for how we provide you with the means to use the Internet on your TV, but also for the people, places, and events within WebTV Networks that have made this possible.

Last month's article focused on the people and places that are behind the WebTV Network itself. We took a tour of the different buildings that contain pieces of the WebTV Network. And we also took a look at the people who operate that service for you.

This month I'd like to tell you more about the people who create the different products that make up WebTV Networks, both by working with Sony and Philips to build the WebTV Internet terminal, and also by developing and qualifying all those great features that we're continuously adding to the service.

We have an incredible development team at WebTV Networks. In fact, I believe -- and often say -- that we have the best team in Silicon Valley. When we were speaking to Microsoft about working more closely together we had a talk with Bill Gates. Bill flew down to Palo Alto to discuss how Microsoft and WebTV Networks currently complemented each other and how (and why) we could work together in the future. One of the points we made to Bill was that WebTV Networks had the best development team in the valley, bar none. His response was "I believe you." We've had the ability (and luck, I suppose) to be able to convince the very best person in every area we targeted to come join us. If you know of someone incredibly talented in Engineering whom we haven't yet hired, drop me a line! We're always looking for talented engineers.

The Engineering team is composed of the Platforms team, the User Software team, the Network Development team, and the Product Engineering team. These groups work in two buildings in Palo Alto just off of University Avenue, the town's main street. They are located halfway between a very elegant restaurant and a convenience store. The restaurant serves wonderful food, but the convenience store is open all night. I'll let you guess which one is more popular with WebTV Networks' engineers. Hint: these folks regularly work all day and all night to develop new products and services for you. I can't remember the last time -- at any time of the day -- that either of these buildings was empty.

At other companies the Platforms team would be known as a hardware development team. However, this group does so much more than a traditional hardware team that we had to give them a different name. They design the ASIC that is the heart of the system and they work with the companies that manufacture that chip. They build a "reference" version of the terminal that WebTV Networks licensees, such as Sony or Philips, will use to manufacture the product that you're using right now to read this. And they spend a great deal of time working with each of our licensees to ensure that they are successful in creating a quality product. The Platform team will even assist licensees in manufacturing the terminal. These folks helped Sony and Philips ship the WebTV Internet terminal in record time last year.

The User Software team is responsible for most of the features that we deliver to you in each upgrade. They work closely with our Customer Care group and with Product Marketing (the folks who send you all those surveys) to learn what features are most requested, most important, and sometimes just the most fun. They spend a lot of time writing the software instructions that tell the terminal what to do. But some of them spend even more time learning how to refine these features so that they work smoothly and are easy to use. They go through countless revisions of every feature that you see, pouring through videotape of people using the feature and reading e-mail from our previewers. The tough part for these folks is that they're never finished; the graphic design can always be better and the user interaction can always be improved. These folks are striving for perfection.

Another component of the User Software group is the Browser team. Last month, I explained how the WebTV Internet terminal has its own browser that is compatible with Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Explorer. Not only that, but it features all kinds of tricks to make web pages look good on your TV. This is no mean feat: before WebTV Networks got started everyone told us that it was literally impossible to do this. Our browser team has delivered miracle after miracle. This team is also driving our PersonalJava effort. You've probably heard a lot about Java, which is a programming language used on some web pages. PersonalJava is a modified version of Java that will work well on the television.

User Software also includes our System Software team. These folks are responsible for the software that tells the Internet terminal exactly how to do the things it does. This includes pieces that are absolutely critical to the operation of the terminal. For example, if the terminal couldn't accept upgrades, we could never send you new upgrades! This team is very ably led by one of the original members of the Apple Macintosh team!

The Network Development team is responsible for all of the software that actually operates the WebTV Network. Most of the current Internet Service Providers are forced to use off-the-shelf software for their systems, much as they use off-the-shelf hardware. This greatly limits their ability to provide new features and higher quality to their customers. In contrast, the WebTV Network has the ability to do whatever we need to deliver you a great experience. The architecture for this service was created by the folks on the Network Development team. At a time where other online services (I won't name names) are having nationwide trouble providing service for their customers, WebTV Networks is continuing to excel at doing so even as we continue to provide new features constantly.

The Network Development team is also responsible for providing the underpinnings for the entire network. They tackle service analysis tools, customer support systems, advertising systems, some of the applications (like mail and AroundTown), security, data storage, and many other areas of the WebTV Network. For example, they developed the system whereby your terminal is provided with many phone numbers it can call to connect to the WebTV Network, so that even if one number is busy you can still get through. But these folks also create the systems behind the scenes (often called "back office" systems) that allow us to monitor and improve the network. An example of this is the program that periodically runs through the WebTV Network and tests each component of each server to ensure that it is working correctly. If there's a problem, the Network Systems team is paged.

Finally, the Product Engineering team is responsible for ensuring that we can release high-quality products and services on time. Many companies have a limited form of this called the QA (Quality Assurance) department, but Product Engineering combines all of the components required to make a strong product, including QA. We have a very skilled release management team that creates all of the "builds" of the software for the terminal and for the network. We have a team that is focused on creating tools that the other developers use to work more productively. There is a group dedicated to working with Customer Care on the issues that need to be addressed in the next upgrade, and there is also an entire team dedicated to running our Usability Testing Operations, so that we can hone the product and service for you. All of this is very ably managed by our Director of Product Engineering.

There are a number of other groups within WebTV Networks that are every bit as important as the operations and the development teams. The Programming group is responsible for delivering the information you see on the home page, Explore, and throughout the WebTV Network pages. The Content Partners and Evangelism groups are responsible for working with other web page publishers, like TV Guide^TM. The Finance team is responsible (among other things) for making sure that we bill you correctly and fairly. Our World-Wide Field Operations team is responsible for all of our consumer electronics and other businesses and technology partners. And our Marketing group is responsible for not only product definition, but also for reaching out to you to best explain the value of the WebTV Network. These groups are all incredible in their own right and are filled with superstars as well. While we're all still jammed into every available nook and cranny in Palo Alto, we've now spread out throughout the town. These days, we're all getting a lot of exercise walking through the town.

All in all we have an incredible team of people, all dedicated to making WebTV Networks work for you. We have some very exciting developments to tell you about over the next many months, and I'll address some of them here as soon as I'm allowed to tell you about them.

Odds and Ends
A lot of people have been sending me mail with suggestions for how we can improve the WebTV Network and Internet terminal. I really appreciate the mail because I'd like as much feedback from you folks as possible. In many cases I share your suggestion with the appropriate employees here at WebTV Networks.

I'd like to extend an offer to you this month. Please send me mail recommending the features you would most like to see on the WebTV Network. In next month's column I'll publish the most popular request and I'll also mention the most innovative one.

Please send mail to me at philgoldman@webtv.net with a subject line of "Feature Suggestion". Also, please let me know if I can use your name in the column. I want to give you credit for your bright ideas.

-- Phil Goldman