What, exactly, is the purpose of this site?

The purpose of the site is twofold; firstly, it's a forum for me to showcase my writing style, build up a journalistic portfolio in order to make an eventual transition into print based work, and also just generally fill the spare time in my life! Secondly, thebetaguy.com allows me to release unpublished information regarding Microsoft products and other related technologies; thus providing the tech community with a much needed source of free and uncensored information (unlike the majority of news sites; generally restricted by NDAs and media industry co-operation agreements).

Why does xxxxxx article not contain any sources?

The Exclusives won't. Period. This isn't a blog site; I'm not required - or expected - to provide links to other peoples' websites as a "source" of information. The articles posted on this site contain information gathered largely from internal, and therefore confidential, sources inside Microsoft and/or its partners.

Entries posted in the Musings section, however, may contain sources; especially if the entry in question references a blog site, press release, or news article.

Why don't you have a comments system in place?

Because this isn't a blog site. It's a source of original content; you wouldn't expect to see a comments system on a company's Press Release section, would you? I do, however, accept comments and queries regarding content via e-mail, see the Contact Me section for further information.

Who are you? What is your background? What exactly qualifies you to provide us with this information?

For answers to the first question, see the About Me section. A common question I've received via e-mail is whether or not I'm a developer, or have a development background. I do not; I'm primarily a graphic designer, although my background is a "general purpose tech" background; support, system/network administration, some high-level development (VB6, .NET, scripting), deployment, etc. I'm not the right person to ask about low level architecture, direct hardware access, or anything on a similar level. The technical information provided in my articles is included by the original source, who is usually someone in a technical/development position on that particular product team.

Can I write an article for thebetaguy?

No. Well yes actually, but the chances of it getting posted are slim. If it's good journalism, contains independently verifiable information (or you're willing to provide access to your sources), and you don't mind it being made abundantly clear in a disclaimer that I didn't write the article, then feel free to submit something. Worst case scenario is that I just say, "nice try, better luck next time", so you don't really have anything to lose. Submissions via e-mail, of course. See the Contact Me page for more information.

But wait... isn't this site a blog?

No!