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Microsoft focuses on basics
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November 12, 2001: 11:44 a.m. ET
Bill Gates admits software crashes too much and is too hard to use.
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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Bill Gates issued a confession to the computer world this weekend, saying Microsoft's software crashes too often and is too hard to use.
The founder, chairman, and chief software architect of the world's largest maker of personal computer software said in a speech at the computer industry's Comdex show Sunday night that he has been focusing on the issue of reliability and that the company is working on improvements.
In his speech, Gates pointed to features in Microsoft's new operating system software, Windows XP, that make it easier for Microsoft and its developers to identify the source of program and system crashes.
The idea is to more readily prevent such incidents in the future, Gates said in his speech.
Discussing the same subject in an interview with USA Today, Gates was quoted as saying, "We're doing a little bit of a mea culpa on this."
In addition to focusing on reliability, Gates said the computer industry will turn to so-called computer tablets, devices that are a cross between a laptop and a personal digital assistant (PDA). At his annual speech to the Comdex computer trade show in Las Vegas, Gates unveiled tablet versions from Compaq Computer, Toshiba, Fujitsu, and Acer.
The tablets lie flat like a clipboard and will allow users to type with a keyboard or write with a stylus, making them functional in meetings where laptops are usually unwelcome because typing is noisy and screens create a barrier.
Gates also said he is increasingly optimistic about the possibilities offered by the Internet.
In his remarks to USA Today, he said the proposed antitrust settlement with the Justice Department will not change the company's plans or projections.
Microsoft (MSFT: down $0.38 to $64.83, Research, Estimates) stock fell in midday trading. 
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