Vista Views: Windows in the post-Gates era

Bill Gates' decision to gradually step out of his role comes as Microsoft grapples with issues such as delivering the much-delayed Vista update to Windows on schedule.

There's a lot of work ahead for Ray Ozzie, who replaces Gates as chief software architect, and for Craig Mundie, who will take over research and incubation duties.

To find out what people on the street make of it, we asked our Vista Views panel--made up of ordinary readers--this question: What do you think Bill Gates' lesser role at Microsoft means for the future of Windows?

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I don't think it's going to mean much, really. His role as chief software architect is wishy-washy and nondescript enough to mean anything they want it to, and to this point has primarily meant "not running the company, but setting overall direction." He can still do exactly that in his remaining chairman of the board position.

I am pleased, however to see Ray Ozzie move into the architect position--not because the title suddenly means more than it did, but because it serves as recognition that the move into online services and a tighter integration between the desktop applications and the online services, which Ozzie has spearheaded, will continue. And that is a very good thing.
Perry Reed works by day in software QA for a large home shopping television network, and in his spare time, he hosts The Tablet PC Show podcast.

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Bill G. doesn't write code. Nor does he brainstorm how new features work. I think Ray Ozzie will handle the roll of chief software architect with ease. Microsoft is filled with smart people who will continue to improve Windows in the years and decades ahead. These smart Program Managers are the ones that lead the way to new technologies and new features.
Barb Bowman is a product development manager for Comcast high-speed Internet who also writes about technology for the Microsoft Windows XP Expert Zone and the Microsoft Vista community.

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Bill's role in the development of Windows hasn't been crucial since Windows 95. It's not like he's in there writing features anymore. He'll still review it and what not, but there are thousands of people in the Windows division...he's just one man.

Bill Gates' new role as "chief advisor" means he can do pretty much whatever he wants. It's basically the same role that John Lasseter got when Apple bought Disney...oops, I mean when Disney bought Pixar. If he wants to get involved in Windows, he will. But I don't think the code OS is what Gates is into anymore. I think he's into how devices work together to create a digital lifestyle.
Robert McLaws is an IT consultant, community leader and Vista enthusiast. He has been running Vista enthusiast site Longhornblogs.com since 2002.

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Ideally, it would mean that Microsoft will focus less on adding new junk and instead focus on making the existing junk work well. But I feel that the Bill Gates drive to "integrate" and otherwise assault competitors is hard-wired into the corporate ethos at this point and does not require Mr. Gates to continue.
John Kneeland is an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is majoring in international relations and east Asian studies.

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I think that losing Bill will bring (Microsoft) into the arena of all conglomerates, managed by professional directors who can resign at any moment. You will see their fortunes fluctuate like HP, and it could be a good thing for Apple and Linux.
Chris Wills is an Australian-based graphic designer who grew up with the PC graphics industry and Microsoft, and to a certain extent, Macs.

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I don't think Bill has had that much influence over Windows lately anyway, so I'm not convinced all that much will change. Even the research side of things, that Bill was particularly enthusiastic about, will continue to move forward and occasionally will have things integrated into the OS itself.

Bottom line: It doesn't make a difference for the future of Windows.
Mack. D. Male is the co-founder of Paramagnus Developments, a software company building tools and services for podcasting. An avid beta tester, he has experience developing applications for Windows.

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Bill's slight change of focus means absolutely nothing. Microsoft will continue to be what it has been from the start, a company run by a collaborative team. Bill will still be available for that long-term vision thing input or to step in and help resolve contentious issues.
Tim O'Laguna has been involved with IT in his career since the mid-1980s, including a stint as a senior information systems analyst. He recently retired after serving 28 years in the California state government service.

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Bill Gates is smart to bail out before the announcement of Vista, which will likely be the last big operating system release that anyone will care about. Vista isn't bad, but its steep hardware requirements in return for marginal improvements already available through third-parties means that Vista will likely be the last hurrah for Microsoft's operating system.

Microsoft's future as a leader is fading, and Bill Gates is smart to step aside at the right time before he goes down with the sinking ship known as Vista. Vista may be a commercial success, but it will never be the widespread success that captured the news and hearts of ordinary people the way that Windows 95 initially did.
Wallace Wang is a freelance computer journalist and author whose books include "Microsoft Office for Dummies" and "Steal This Computer Book."

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Bill Gates has been a commanding role on Windows since its inception, but over the past years, we have seen his corporate decisions weaken in favor of a more bureaucratic entity--akin to IBM, with tons of lineups and no clear link between them.

Windows no longer just refers to "Desktop Windows" (aka Windows XP, Vista, etc), but now has diversified into "Windows Mobile," "Windows Server," etc. So in a sense, if Bill Gates had a clout in the operating system, it was primarily with the mainstream area, since the periphery has evolved in its own direction.
Carlos Osuna is a former industrial engineer who jumped over to Web technology more than 10 years ago. He works on Web Services in .Net and Internet banking systems in Java, among other areas.