Bill Gates : Microsoft Created PC industry

"We do software for watches, for TV sets, for cars"


By Jock McFrock the bekilted Engineer: Thursday 17 February 2005, 18:46

WHILE THE STORY of burning cords on Xboxes is grabbing the headlines today, it's worth looking at an interview ABC News conducted with Microsoft CEO Bill Gates yesterday.
The transcript of the internetview is here.

Bill admits that Microsoft had to step up to the ockey on security - because people won't use their credit cards if they don't feel safe on their PCs.

He also touches on Firefox, Google, Apple and free software, and says Microsoft wakes up every day thinking about DEC or Compaq or Wang. He admits that a few years ago, people were being tough on Microsoft and it deserved that bit of a thrashing. He didn't use the word thrashing.

After all, says Gates, according to the transcript, "We're responsible for the creation of the PC industry".

That one is worth debating. We thought it was IBM. Intel had something to do with it as well. 'Course, there was DOS. But then there was OS/2 too, and as this 1987 mug reminds us, at one time everything was about "mission criticality" and "interoperability". Even Micrografx thought so...

And then there was Windows and Excel for Windows.

But that was all a very long time ago, when both Bill Gates and myself were much, much younger. Although I was always better looking... µ

Source : The inquirer