MVP Insider Archive: August 2004Tetsuya Yokoyama - Tokyo, Japan
Most Valuable Professional, Windows Server |  | Tetsuya Yokoyama works at Global Knowledge Network, Japan, Ltd. and has been a MVP since August 2003. He has recently published his fourth book, Windows Server 2003-Complete Book, and has co-authored Windows Trouble Measures-Complete Edition 2004. In addition, Tetsuya has contributed several articles to magazines such as Network Magazine, Nikkei Windows Pro, and Windows Server World. Tetsuya’s community interaction includes participating on the Microsoft® Windows ServerTM 2003 Mailing List, Windows® 2000 Mailing List, and Windows XP Mailing List. He also has been invited to present at the Windows Server World Conference both last year and this year. |
What does MVP mean to you?My title as MVP is an indicator of the pride that I have as someone who is involved in Microsoft technology. Being an MVP also serves to increase the level of confidence that my customers have in me and my ability to assist them. However, I feel that there is a lot of opportunity to educate others in Japan regarding the significance of the MVP program. I plan to contribute my efforts toward the publicity of the MVP program by using the title "MVP" on all of the articles that I write and at the lectures that I present.If you could ask Steve Ballmer one question about Microsoft, what would it be?I would like to ask his opinion about the technology that is needed to reduce Total Cost of Operations (TCO-purchase price, maintenance, hardware, etc.). It seems to me that it minimizes the degree of freedom that a PC can offer, and it becomes a more compli-cated system like the old mainframes. PC was born as antithesis for fully controlled computer systems, and I have been excited about uncontrolled systems.What do you think the best software ever written was?I first encountered LISP (LISt Processor) 1.5 Program-ming Language, developed by John McCarthy, when I was a 20-year-old student and still feel that it is most impressive programming language ever written. I still can recall the instant when I fully understood the recursive call in which a function calls itself-it was a feeling that can only be described as "Eureka!" Also, I was very impressed by the concept of the function object by Lambda Expression and its ability of self-description.I still reference the LISP 1.5 Programmer’s Manual published by MIT Press. However, I am not very interested in Common LISP, which has evolved as a practical language, because I don’t consider it to be as elegant as LISP 1.5, which is based in the mathe-matical theory of Lambda Expression.If you were the manager of Windows Server, what would you change?Error message standardization-I would assign a unique ID to ALL messages, whether they are error messages or just information, including a dialog box. Then the messages would always display with their source facility. Finally, I would publish Windows Message Reference Manual. My image is a VAX/VMS operating system. | If you were given unlimited data bandwidth, what would you do with it?I would develop Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially Machine Translation and Discourse Understanding. I know that other elements are needed beyond amplified data bandwidth in order to realize this; however, I think I would be able to take a different approach with enough data bandwidth. So far, the breakthroughs of AI technology have coincided with computer technology breakthroughs. AI was first developed around the same time that the computer was invented in the 1950s. Then game theory and knowledge frames were initiated when discoursed interactive computer environment systems were introduced in the 1970s. In the 1980s, expert systems were developed once usable memory size got larger. I anticipate that the next computer breakthrough will occur soon.What was the last book you read?Currently, I am reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which is the fourth book of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. All of the Harry Potter books have been translated to Japanese, but I am reading them in English as part of my English study, so it takes me a bit longer to read each book. So far, I like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire better than I have liked the earlier books because it seems to have a more speedy storyline, whereas, the other books tend to delve into more detailed characterization.The last technical book that I read was Inside Windows 2000, Third Edition. It is not a recent release, but it impressed me a lot because of the way in which it described the architecture, which is rather abstract, by using many experiments.What music CD do you recommend?I would suggest "Pant" by Yuki Saito, which was released in 1988. Yuki Saito was a predominant Japanese TV drama star in the 1980s, and she is still a famous actress and singer in Japan. I’ve had the good fortune to see her twice in concert.What makes you a great MVP?I think that I have become a more proficient MVP through the process of writing my book Windows Server 2003-Complete Book, for which I served as both author and supervising editor. Through the exercise of writing, editing, and consulting with my co-authors, I have honed both my technical abilities and my writing and communication skills. | What’s in your computer bag?Beyond an assortment of cables (USB cable, LAN cable, etc.), I always carry my digital camera, which is a FinePix 710 made by Fuji Film and currently sold only in Japan. In truth, I prefer my film camera. However, my favorite SLR camera, the Alpha 7 (a.k.a. Maxxum 7 in the United States or Dynax 7 in Europe), is too large and bulky to carry in my computer bag, so I carry my digital camera instead.What is the best thing that has happened since you have become an MVP?I really appreciate the opportunity to participate in the MVP Global Summit. Also, I enjoy knowing that I can meet face-to-face with the engineering teams who work at Microsoft headquarters.What is your motto?My motto is "Mix up the private and business matters." I do not think we can effectively separate our professional and private lives completely, nor do I think that it is healthy to do so. It seems that many people will go to extraordinary efforts to keep their business and private lives separate. However, I think that this practice evolved during the Industrial Revolution and I do not believe that this habit is an innate feature of human nature.Who is your hero?While I do not exactly consider him as my hero, I would describe David Solomon as my role model. I am specifically intrigued by his accomplishments as they pertain to both seminar and publishing management (http://www.solsem.com). I think that he has superior abilities in both of these areas. Though I intend to pursue my career at our company, I also want to continue writing articles and books and managing seminars to benefit other professionals. I feel that by observing and modeling David Solomon’s techniques, I will continue to have success in accomplishing my goals.What does success mean to you?I think that success can best be realized by becoming a role model for others. If one only tries to achieve success without sharing the knowledge that led to it, other people will be more likely to resign themselves to thinking, "That is great, but we cannot copy what he does anyway." Rather, I aspire to be the type of person about whom others will remark, "I want to do the same thing that he does!" |
| |
