Gates' PC crashes at demo
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April 20, 1998: 8:40 a.m. ET
Microsoft CEO finds there are still a few bugs in new operating system
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Microsoft Corp.'s Chairman and Chief Executive Bill Gates proved Monday that even the mighty can have a bad day.
Standing in front of thousands of computer enthusiasts at the Comdex computer show in Chicago, Gates was humbled when his latest software product -- Windows 98 -- crashed in the middle of a demonstration.
"I guess we still have some bugs to work out," Gates told the crowd. "That must be why we're not shipping Windows 98 yet."
Windows 98, Microsoft's attempt to integrate the operating system and web browser into a tighter package, is scheduled to go on sale at the end of June, assuming the Justice Department does not try to keep the product off the shelves.
The Justice Department is seeking an order that would prevent Microsoft from forcing PC makers to ship copies of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser with the Windows 95 operating system. Both sides are due in court on Tuesday to argue their case in front of a three-judge Appeals Court panel.
Gates made only a passing reference to the ongoing legal battle, telling the audience Internet browser has become an integrated part of the operating system.
"Starting with Windows 95 that had the first version of Internet Explorer built into it, we entered the middle phase [of innovation] which is really putting Internet information browsing at the center of the Windows experience," the world's richest businessman said. (466K WAV) (466K AIFF)
The Microsoft co-founder's remarks seemingly reflected the defensive posture his Redmond, Wash.-based company is expected to use in response to the Justice Department's current antitrust case against the company.
"We're probably half way through this [innovation] phase. There's still quite a bit that can be done, but the key foundation pieces have been put in place," Gates said.
Gates -- who has over 40 Windows-based computers just to control his household appliances - said the next logical innovation is a reduction in complexity and the introduction of such features as voice-recognition and robotics several years down the road. (275K WAV) (275K AIFF)
Gates said the learning curve for users and software developers won't be as steep as it was for Windows 95 -- code-named "Chicago" and rolled out with a multi-million dollar marketing blitz.
Among the features that will look different are subsystems such as the "help" command - which will appear in an online format using Hypertext Markup Language, or HTML. In addition, Gates has instructed his developers to simplify the cryptic error messages of the current version.
"We're stepping back and thinking of these situations from a user's point of view which is the right way to do it," Gates said.
"Taking advantage of the exploding standards around the Internet" as well as lowering per-unit costs for users represent the biggest focuses for the computer industry, he said.
"But the goal of this industry has stayed the same over the last 20 years since the beginning of personal computing -- and that is to create a tool that magnifies our creativity and allows us to communicate with each other in a new way," he added.
There are now more than 150 million users of Windows software. The company already has set a June 25 shipping date for the latest upgrade to its operating system, which is expected to quickly become the standard operating system for years to come.
During his speech, Gates also took issue with the cable television and telephone industries' unwillingness to establish a standard for digital transmission into U.S. households.
Although the business world has been quick to connect to fiber-optic systems through T1 lines, households haven't been offered equal access due to different standards currently in test markets.
"The one top problem we've got in hardware advances is getting everybody connected at high speeds...Most people even five years from now will probably still be connected through the phone line," Gates said. (349K WAV) (349K AIFF)
-- by staff writer Robert Liu
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