The legend of the garage is part of the reason so many people are Apple fans. Google has a similar policy, touting the release time it allows Goolgeoids to work on their own projects.
How to respond if you are stodgy Microsoft? Five years ago, Microsoft created its own Garage. Not a physical place but a an internal community Microsofties allowed (paid to) work on pet projects.
Like a lot of Microsoft stuff, the Garage has been lost in a lot of corporate haze .. mimicking the IBM 
culture of the last century. Maybe this is changing? The Seattle Times reports that “The Garage” (sighhh) is becoming a marketing tool, a label to sell employee developed apps. Best yet, ta apps are not just for Windows! There are even apps for Android! You can see this new MS Garage on the web.
READMORE at the Seattle Times
About 15 Garage apps launched Wednesday at www.microsoft.com/garage.