Newsmaker: Gates taking a seat in your den

(continued from previous page)

hardware design--we're being very coy about when and all that, but I'm certainly excited when it comes time to show at how much smarter we are getting to do it a second time with the team that's been built there.

Any interest in handhelds?
We are not in the handheld space. We watch the intense competition of Sony, Nintendo, Nokia--whoever comes along with interest. Our portable gaming will be focused on things like getting onto the phones, getting onto portable PCs, but our Xbox team is focused on the TV-connected console. And the fact that Sony's a little distracted with that may let us do all the better in the next generation.

Other browsers are making market share gains. When does this become a problem or an issue for you guys?
Well, people get confused about browsers. You can have as many browsers as you want on your PC, just like you can have tons of music players and things like that.

As RSS has gotten more sophisticated and value-added search capabilities have come along, this thing is really maturing.

So when people say Firefox is being downloaded onto people's systems, that's true, but IE is also on those systems. Firefox is new, and people are trying it out. There's a certain percentage of people who do that--it's very easy to download.

We need to keep IE the best. We need to innovate in IE, do more add-ons, do improvements. We have some very exciting plans there. Some percentage of users are going to try Firefox and IE side by side, and use the one that's best.

So no big problem; it's not that people have stopped using IE, it's just we've got lots of good ideas that can match and move ahead.

In terms of our agility to do things on the browser, people who underestimated us there in the past lived to regret that.

But some people have left because of security issues.
Well, no one invests more in security of their browser than what we do on IE. The key message we have for people is they should turn on auto update because if you turn on auto update, without you having to think about it and go through a bunch of user interface or know about this or that or the other thing, you can know that there are hundreds of very smart people who are constantly improving your browser and making sure that you're safe. And so with auto update and IE, you're getting the top security team and the quickest response team that there is anywhere.

Now onto the Google question. Why do you want to compete, or does Microsoft want to compete against them? Does Microsoft want to build up MSN to be a general search engine?
Absolutely. We've been in the search business even before Google was around. The commitment we made is to build unique search technology across the board. And if you look at the Microsoft Research things that we've had breakthroughs in--natural language, document analysis, personalization, image analysis, language translation--our research agenda will allow us to take today's search from ourselves and Google, and make what we have today look like a joke. And a lot of that will be built into applications like Office or the Windows shell. I see our desktop search offering--I think every review I've seen has rated it far better than what Google is coming out with.

I've toyed with doing a blog myself, but I don't want to be one of those people who start and then don't finish it, and again I'm thinking maybe I could do one a month or one every six weeks--something like that.

When you get to Longhorn, it will even have deeper integration, and we'll have the same index format. So anybody who wants a smooth transition to Longhorn where you don't have dual indexers and everything--the commitment we're making at our desktop search is that same indexing, same format, and we'll make that very smooth for people.

So we want to compete on the desktop because that's a key innovation area for Windows. We want to compete in the cloud because we think the competition between ourselves and Google and Yahoo will improve things.

If we thought somebody was doing the best possible job that could ever be done in search and there wasn't some big revenue out there, maybe we wouldn't do it, but quite to the contrary. Whether it's understanding maps or virtual worlds or document analysis, today's search is nothing, and we've got the software technology that will drive it to those new levels, as well as being a very significant business.

It sounds like the next step in search might be audio and video.
Oh, sure, everybody is working on those things, but just take the idea of finding your local pizza place and doing that right; search doesn't do that well today. Search is really crummy today--it's just that it used to be really crummy, and now it's better, and there never was anything like this before. So most of the results people get back today are irrelevant results. Deep analysis can take us much further, and that's why we're investing a lot, and you'll see us more very rapidly.

This year, there is a big push to make cheap computers for emerging markets. How is that going to have to evolve? A $300 computer is still going to be too expensive for many, probably, in Russia, India and other places.
Well, that's not really true. The expensive thing is the connectivity. Getting Internet connectivity is expensive. If all they had to do was pay for the computer--$300--and the communications were free, then we'd see that PC usage would be very, very big. Ironically, communications costs tend to be highest in developing countries.

So you need to do shared PCs through cafes or community centers. We're doing a lot of so-called mesh networking research that could use wireless spectrum to try to bring those connectivity costs way,

More Newsmakers

[jltnol]

sounds familiar

Hmmmmm

Just because someone says something, be it Bush or Gates,
doesn't make it true.

"Iraq has weapons of mass destruction"

"Well, no one invests more in security of their browser than what
we do on IE"

agreed!

profrauds, not prophets

What if it is true?

What if they really do spend more on security for IE then any other browser developer? What does that say about MS and their supposed world class programmers?

[Prndll]

Do you have any clue?

You are assuming that ESPN or CSPAN would actually tell you if the weapons were found. You have no idea yourself one way or the other. You rely on a portion of the news media that has proven all too many times to lie, distort, and omit.

As for Gates....
Well, you have no idea how much time and money Microsoft sends on IE. The plain truth is that spending time and money just does not mean a quality product. If IE were done correctly, 6 would have fewer problems than 5.5 instead of having more and XP would less than 98se instead of more. MS probably does spend more on IE, but that really doesn't mean anything.

[Not Bugged]

You don't understand

Of course nobody invests more but because MS put so much more into their browser and made it so much more capable the obvious corollary is that it's got a lot more places it can be compromised and therefore will require a larger investment. In short he just stated the obvious and made it sound like he was bragging.

[Gayle Edwards]

The Personal Computer is DYING

You know, several years ago numerous industry-people, and consumer-watchdogs started pointing to Microsoft's "Trusted Computing initiative" (and the "X-Box", ...the first true iteration of that "trusted" ideal), and stated that Microsoft's eventual goal was clearly the virtual death of the "Personal Computer", ...as it was known.
These people stated that Microsoft's final-goal was to fundamentally redesign the PC to be nothing more than an, entirely Microsoft-controlled, delivery-system for "rented content", -where even the hardware obeyed Microsoft, not consumers.
These people also predicted that, eventually, all consumer-choice would eliminated, by this fundamental redesign, because it would leave no room for any product or service not sanctioned, and licensed, by "...the holder of all the keys", ...Microsoft.
These people were, at best, ...ignored, or made fun of. At worst, these forward-looking critics of Microsoft's actions, were actively attacked and demonized.
Now, Bill Gates freely admits that the "X-Box", in Microsoft's vision, is the computer of the future. Furthermore, he bluntly states that Microsoft's goal is, in fact, for the entire electronics-industry to finally, exclusively, adopt Microsoft's concept of,

...Microsoft Hardware (the locked-down "Trusted Computer"),

...Running Microsoft software (a Microsoft OS and Microsoft-allowed applications),

...which Microsoft can change or disable at any time ("Automatic-Updates" without choice)

...using Microsoft DRM (which cannot, under any circumstance, be controlled by consumers),

...to deliver Microsoft-chosen content (thanks to MS-DRM and mandatory MS-Licensing),

...over Microsoft-controlled networks (since Microsoft's "Trusted Computing" is already being implemented by network-hardware companies, in order to, "...protect the Internet, and other important networks"),

...all of which, by the way, would have to be 'perpetually' paid-for by the consumer (remember Microsoft has been claiming for years that consumers don't actually own the products they have bought).

And, thanks to the recent extensions of "Intellectual Property Rights" (which most people are finally realizing is little more than an underhanded-charade), ...the imposition of such anti-consumer concepts as "computer-use as a Service" (not a 'tangible' product-sale) is now steadily moving within Microsoft's grasp.

I don't think so

While most MS users are stupid and/or blind enough to allow this. The computing industry would not. Too many competing products are too strong and permenant of a foothold, not too mention hardware companies would balk at this sort of thing.

I could almost hope that they try to do this, as it would completely burn off this unsightly and large anal wart on the arse of computing.

Netcraft Confirms it: The PC is dying

Yet another crippling bombshell hit the
beleaguered PC community today when recently IDC
confirmed that the PC accounts for less than a
fraction of 1 percent of all computers. Coming
on the heels of the latest Netcraft survey which
plainly states that the PC has lost even more
market share, this news serves to reinforce what
we've known all along. The PC market is
collapsing in complete disarray, as fittingly
exemplified by falling dead the other day at
CES.

You don't need to be a Gates to predict the PC's
future. The handwriting is on the wall: the PC
faces a bleak future. In fact, there won't be
any future at all for the PC because the PC is
dying. Things are looking very bad for the PC.
As many of us are already aware, the PC
continues to lose market share. Red ink flows
like a river of blood. IBM is the most
beleaguered of them all, having recently sold
off its PC business to China.

[okay, my limited creativity is at an end, so
I'll skip to the end]

Fact: The PC is dead.

Well, well, well

Bill Gates needs to stop saying "Well" at the beginning of his answer to almost every dang question.

Keep on dreaming Bill

Bill you have lost your touch. Firefox is simply the best browser. It is for keepers. Not for trying out.
No More Microsoft!

Daily Mozilla News

[Prndll]

Really?!?!?!?

Gates is not worried because NO ONE that uses a Windows based pc can "un-install" IE. Firefox is no threat to Microsoft because you cannot get rid of IE.

[simcity1976]

Very Nice

interview.

To me it seems Mr. Gates is more in touch with the world today then I thought before. Be interesting to see what microsoft will do for the industry in the next 10 - 20 years.

[David Arbogast]

Agreed

I thought the interview was very well done. It is a shame that so many anti-MS people have to botch it up with biased and unfounded insults and remarks. It is disappointing that the people who are content often keep quiet while the over-zealous minority of squeaky-wheels never stop their incessant whining about all things trivial.

Irony

Gates is equating those who want to reform IP and patent rights as communists? What a joke. This coming from someone who want to be the central system of everything.

How he can say that people who want all business to operate and compete on a level playing field are communistic is a sad statement. Of course Gates doesn't want a level playing field, MS would be shoved out or at least severely marginalized out of nearly every market they are in.

The only good thing that MS constantly produces is comedy.

[aabcdefghij987654321]

nice comment

A really nice comment by Ben Goodger (one of the lead guys working on Firefox) over at his blog regarding Bills' reply to question about other browsers http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/ben/archives/007237.html#trackbacks

And to Bill: sure Bill, you have many great ideas in mind regarding IE and that should be the reason why you kept them for more than 4 years and security updates was the only area innovations have occured on.

/Donny

[Prndll]

lol

Gates did leave himself open to that one.

Did this lead engineer of Firefox write this to a blog or was it and html document the same as what your reading right now? I would say that it was a html document stored on a server called weblogs. You can't advertise "blogging" to me as I understand that a blog is the same thing as any other form of browser viewable web document. Just as this document is also a blog.

[Scott W]

innovations?

there are no innovations in ie security. it is simply patched to protect old threats, not future threats.

[Llib Setag]

MS Media Center Blue Screen Of Death at CES 2005

What really happened during Citizen Gates CES Media Blitzkreig:
SF Gate News article / Associated Press AP:

Bill Gates touts 'digital lifestyle,' despite technical bugs

RACHEL KONRAD, AP Technology Writer
Wednesday, January 5, 2005
(01-05) 21:19 PST LAS VEGAS (AP) --

Despite suffering technical glitches that prompted jokes and
guffaws, Bill Gates promised Wednesday that Microsoft Corp.
would help millions of consumers stay seamlessly plugged into a
world of digital music, movies, video games and television
shows.

But while promoting what he calls the "digital lifestyle," Gates
showed how vulnerable all consumers -- even the world's
richest man -- are to hardware and software bugs.

During a demonstration of digital photography with a Nikon
camera, a Windows Media Center PC froze and wouldn't respond
to Gates' pushing of the remote control.

Later in the 90-minute presentation, a product manager
demonstrated the ostensible user-friendliness of a video game
expected to hit retail stores in April, Forza Motor Sport. But
instead of configuring a custom-designed race car, the
computer monitor displayed the dreaded "blue screen of death"
and warned, "out of system memory."

The errors -- which came during what's usually an ode to
Microsoft's dominance of the software industry and its
increasing control of consumer electronics -- prompted the
celebrity host, NBC comedian Conan O'Brien, to quip, "Who's in
charge of Microsoft, anyway?"

Gates, who was sitting next to O'Brien on a set staged to look
like NBC's Late Night set, smiled dryly and continued with his
discussion.

Gates also announced several partnerships with
telecommunication companies such as SBC Communications Inc.
and television networks.

Microsoft and music network MTV last month inked a deal that
will eventually allow people to send cable programs from rock,
pop and country music channels and Comedy Central to their
laptops, hand-held computers and other devices.

Although he accepted guffaws from audience members in the
theater, the technical hiccups didn't prompt Gates to engage in a
hard-hitting analysis of computer reliability and security.

It will likely take Microsoft years to understand the consumer
electronics market and produce simple, glitch-free products for
consumers' living rooms, analysts say.

"Microsoft was founded by programmers and is still run by
programmers, and the bias of programmers is that software can
do anything," said Paul DeGroot, an analyst at Kirkland, Wash.-
based Directions on Microsoft. "While Microsoft's goal is to turn
the PC into a superhub that does everything -- plays music,
works as a cell phone, stores your photos -- they're running up
against the fact that most people buy discreet components that
do particular things."

This was also announced on Channel 4 KOMO News - ABC in
Seattle, WA. as well...

Redmond, we have a problem...

classic

nt

[kakman1]

Taking potshots at the wrong guy

We all know how easy it is for us to pick apart Bill Gates when he gives these interviews to CNET. How is it the reporter doing the interview did such a lousy job? Bad job Mr Kanellos, your readers shouldn't have to do your job for you. And I'mnot saying you should attack Gates and treat him like "the enemy" like most of the responders to this article have done, but you should act tougher, don't allow yourself to be charmed and don't let him off the hook with softball questions and allow him to use you. They maybe the biggest company but don't allow yourself to treated like a shill.

Patents and communism?

"I'd say that of the world's economies, there's more that believe in intellectual property today than ever. There are fewer communists in the world today than there were."

Excuse me? Is this an implication that communists are the main people against government-granted monopolies that disrupt the free market economy? Yes, such as (software) patents?

And how does this compare with the fact that the EU commission is trying to jump through hoops currently to please Microsoft, among others, and disregard the will of the democratically elected parliament in the software patent issue?

I don't like to underestimate Bill's intelligence, therefore I must conclude that he's simply talking PR bull. And, in the spirit of respecting his intelligence, I must also assume that we both know that him resorting to reality-challenged communist rhetoric is rather desperate.

First they ignore you. Then they fight you.

[David Arbogast]

Loaded Terms - don't fall into the trap

"Excuse me? Is this an implication that communists are the main people against government-granted monopolies that disrupt the free market economy? Yes, such as (software) patents?"

No. It is an acknowledgemet of the similarity between anti-patent arguments, and the communist belief that people may not retain the right of ownership for products they invent and build.

As far as your "disrupting the free market economy" goes, I think you have it completely backwards. Anybody is free to disrupt the market economy. Release an amazing new product, and you will potentially introduce tremendous disruptions. Or how about this... introduce a large collection of products that people don't pay for... that is far more disruptive to the market economy. Communistic governments try to retain tight control over a market economy. Free markets allow market players much more freedom.

I think Bill's analogy was correct. Unfortunately the term "communism" is a loaded term that most people don't interpret correctly because they have an emotional response. "Ignorant" is another good example. Call somebody ignorant, and they are insulted because they do not adhere to the true meaning of the word.

[cooklaw]

If MS Media Center had TIVO built-in, I'd buy it

One of the best features of Media Center could be its DVR functionality. However, with the cable and Sat companies providing free DVRs then it negates the benefit. However, the frustrating thing about all the DVRs except Tivo is that they don't record your programs when the programs change times. IF MS Media Center could integrate true Tivo set and forget technology then I think it would be a clear differentiator.

[David Arbogast]

Incorrect

Um.. MediaCenter does record programs when their schedules change. Being a user of both TiVo and MediaCenter, I can honestly say that MediaCenter has far more features, although usually at a higher cost. However, just recently, TiVo licensed Microsoft technology so that their products will be able to employ similar features.

[Prndll]

What does any of that have to do with anything?

The whole point in DVR's is to produce a digital recording of a broadcast onto a harddrive. Half of what the Tivo device is has nothing to do with that function. "In the beginning" I might would have concidered buying into a Tivo DVR. It was the idea of Tivo selling user's information to advertising agencies that initially changed my mind. But, as I noticed more DVR's and now these full blown pc's for doing this, there is so much over kill and chances for problems. There are plenty of devices for connection to a pc that will record television to a harddrive. Those devices do not require the internet or any of the other risky software that comes with a media pc.

I am still left asking why any dvr would need an internet connection for simply recording a movie. My vcr never needed it and a dvr is in that regard, the same thing.

Surprising given Microsoft history

Microsoft could not be where they are today would the current IP laws have applied when they first sold a license to MS-DOS (Q-DOS) to IBM.

In fact, would the IP laws have been the same as they are today, some of us would today be running Wordstar and Visicalc on Altair computers, but most of us would still only be able to dream about using a computer.

The IP laws have been reformed since and are still in the process of becoming more and more restrictive. The so-called communists that Gates refers to are only trying to reverse this in order to bring back the balance that allowed the whole industry to exist in the first place.

[Jonathan]

Sounds like Brown Nosing to the RI/MPAA to Me

"There are fewer communists in the world today than there were. There are some new modern-day sort of communists who want to get rid of the incentive for musicians and moviemakers and software makers under various guises. They don't think that those incentives should exist."

Hmm sounds like Billy boy is brown nosing to the RIAA and MPAA. I mean instead of talking about fair rights he basically called anyone who wants to restructure IP rules communists. Lovely. It also suggests the mindset of where Microsoft will prob take DRM in Windows in the future. e.g. Favor the big corp's agenda rather then fair use to the end user.

Don't you see what's happening here?

Gates is setting everyone up to take another microsoft beating. They don't want to be the movie studio, they don't want to be the record producer, they don't want to be your telephone company. What they do want is to insert some DRM'd freedom sucking licensed technology between you and every transaction you make (and to take a percentage every time you do/see/get ANYTHING).

Look at the "get your pictures printed" wizard in Windows XP - it's the way that MS wants everything working in the future. XP sees that you've plugged in your digital camera and offers to get prints of your pictures ordered. The software grabs the photos, and ships them off to one of 3 photo developing labs, you enter your credit card number and *poof* you get your pictures delivered in about a week - and Microsoft gets a nice kickback for every picture developed (that's why the MS photo developing partners are so much more expensive than other online photo labs).

Right now you have a choice about who does your photo developing, but with each revision of Windows it will become more and more difficult to make your own choices.

I predict that in future products MS will allow you to buy DVD movies from some on-line retailer at a discount much deeper than the going rate, but you'll have to pay a $2 "viewing fee" every time you play the movie back (and you'll only be able to play it in MS DRM'd machines). It'll all be very slick, and you'll hardly notice as your cerdit card bill gets bigger and bigger every month and more and more "services" are added to your PC/Media Center/Game console.

There'll be people that might think it's just great - and that's fine for them, but I think that myself and a lot of other people see which way things are headed and have already chosen to abandon MS's vision of the future. We've chosen to secure our own freedom of choice. We'll use Linux, BSD, and Macintosh systems that are all free of Bill's "vision".

[Not Bugged]

communism???

So anyone who thinks that information should be free is a communist? if i dont want to use WMP and IE and then pay microsoft to 'fix' the problems that are inherent in these flawed pieces of software then i want to destroy america? bill gates just wants more money. nobody wants 'targeted ads' on their xbox. with all the free open source alternatives that exist why would anyone want to use a propritary ad filled program that only exists to sell them crap they dont need? if i want to buy something then i will. i dont want some company trying to trick me into thinking that i need something that they want to sell. does that make me a communist? do i torture ploitical prisoners in my basement if i listen to a song without giving some record company more money that they use to bribe one of the 5 companies that owns most of the media in this country to play their songs? there is a whole system set up to keep you stupid and afraid so that you are easier to control and they can get you to buy their crap that they sell. anyone who doesnt like it becomes a "communist" or "unamerican" or an "evil dooer". it sickens me that people are stupid enough to fall for this.

Yeah...

I'm not Microsoft software user! Reason I don't have the money to buy the OS, so I use linux. So do this make me communist?

[Scott W]

terrorists

if anyone who doesn't want to use Microsoft Products is a communists, does that make anyone who makes competitive products a muslim terrorist?

[Llib Setag]

What happens in MSVegas, stays in MSVegas...

Fun times at the CES 2005 with Citizen Gates & Conan...

http://vnuuk.typepad.com/ces/2005/01/gates_keynote_t.html

http://www.vnunet.com/news/1160317

I'll wait for Shorthorn 2006

[Llib Setag]

Gates MS-Media PC Crashes & burns at CES 2005

As per slashdot web page & CES / MS video presentation of Citizen Gates CES Keynote....
(entire keynote unedited by C/NET)

http://games.slashdot.org/games/05/01/06/1337228.shtml?tid=109&tid=211

If Bill wants to sit in my den...

he'll need to move at least one of our three iPods, step over the
power cord to my iBook, call my husband away from our 21"
screen iMac, and pull the children away from their Flower Power
iMac...

People ask me all the time who I call for home networking and
the blue screen of death...I tell them to call Steve Jobs in
Cupertino, CA. He's the best "computer guy" that I know...

[rdean]

communists?!?!?

Bill seems like a bright enough guy, but occasionally he says things that are just so wrong-headed it's baffling (ala "640k ought to be enough for anybody"). However, knowing that Bill is a militant capitalist (indicated by statements to the effect of "the only incentive to create is money") at least makes it possible to understand where the statement comes from.

If Bill really believes that the proponents of Intellectual Property Reform are communists, he's stupid. I don't believe he's stupid. I think he wants to protect the revenue stream from Windows Media DRM, so he's going to disparage anyone who would undermine the need for draconian DRM schemes.

Just because someone believes in Intellectual Property Reform does not make them a communist. Intellectual Property Reform is overdue.

- It was designed to protect small inventors from larger companies who would copy inventions and undercut the small inventor's selling price, thus eliminating any hope of them being able to profit from their invention. What we have today is a bunch of big companies (Microsoft and IBM being the two gorillas) being granted patents on "Method for converting oxygen to carbon dioxide" that they then turn around and use as a bludgeon against small inventors. Furthermore, some patents are written without the claimed invention having been realized (thus it wasn't invented so much as imagined). These problems undermine the value of patents as protections of new and useful *inventions*.

Beyond that, there is the fact that the patent system is not just about enriching the inventor. The other side of the coin is that it is also about advancing the state of the art. At least in the realm of new technology, the USPTO is woefully understaffed to be able to make the kinds of assessments to reliably determine what inventions constitute an advance in the state of the art and are therefore worthy of patent. James Gleick once wrote an article "Patently Absurd," which I remember mainly because it included a description of a patent that a gentleman had received on entertaining a cat with a laser pointer. I don't think I need to say more than that.

- Copyrights seem to me to be less problematic than patents, but they still need some work. The framers guaranteed copyright protection in exchange for the release of the work to extend the sciences and useful arts. The recent enactments affecting copyrights, DMCA and copyright term extension, both create new problems (including prohibitions on getting into things to see how they work and the possibility for interminable copyrights) while trying to solve valid concerns.

The intellectual property system in the U.S. needs more than tweaks, and I'm not a communist for believing that.

Very telling indeed...

"Bill seems like a bright enough guy, but occasionally he says things that are just so wrong-headed it's baffling (ala "640k ought to be enough for anybody"). However, knowing that Bill is a militant capitalist (indicated by statements to the effect of "the only incentive to create is money") at least makes it possible to understand where the statement comes from."

Gates never said that. That is an Urban Legend.

And last time I checked, being a "militant capitalist" was what America was founded on...and the last time I saw that term was from a tirade out of North Korea...