Victoria Laney
Comdex, Las Vegas, November 17
Bill Gates used humor to address Microsoft’s legal conflicts with Sun Microsystems and the Justice department. He started his keynote speech with a list of the “Top Ten Reasons I Love My PC.”
10. I like to use the computer to listen to “Barney” songs with my 18 month old daughter. She begs me to use the “copewter.” I have Barney songs running through my mind most of the time.
9. Every function in my new house is operated by the computer – and sometimes they work. My house is so wired that it should have a banner on the outside that says “Intel Inside.”
8. I can use terms like “plug and play,” “embrace and extend” and “link and embed.”
7. Anyone can send me their thoughts, and they do.
6. I can program it in any language I want. “Java is a great language and one we support very well.”
5. I can sit at my computer and consult with legal counsel all over the world, review a 48 page legal brief, and e-mail my comments to the Department of Justice.
4. I can use the Internet to retrieve and search past speeches to make sure never to repeat myself. (The audience laughed as video clips showed Gates repeating favorite phrases in speeches to different groups through the years.) 3. I do my best work on my laptop. I don’t have to store a server under the airplane seat in front of me.
2. People are free to say what they want on-line. He showed a “people against Poodles” website.
1. I can use Microsoft.car to show Ralph Nadar photographs of my collection of Corvairs.
Everyone attending received a T-shirt with the slogan, “I love my PC.” Gates is championing the PC as opposed to the networked computer, or NC, which is produced by legal and business rival Sun Microsystems. A satire of a popular commercial showed Gates riding with a companion in a WV. Noticing a Sun Microsystems networked computer, they first pick it up, and then abandon it on the side of the road.
Another satire showed a Martha Stewart look-alike telling us we can upgrade our computer with the latest components while waiting for dinner guests to arrive.
On the serious side, Gates lauded recent advances such as the 300 Intel Pentium chip, 16 Gigabite drives, 20 inch LCD screens, and successful ADSL and cable modems. He predicted a wallet PC, scaleable servers, constant connectivity, and speech recognition for all PC functions.
Customers showed innovative uses of the Personal Computer. Kareem Abdul Jabar showed his new web-site, which promotes his new book on Black History.
Jim Cumminsky, Major, US Marine Corps showed “Semper Mobilis,” a batallion intranet. He stomped on his laptop after throwing it across the stage. It still worked. The PC has a special waterproof membrane covering the screen. Individual soldiers can carry handheld computers. Battle plans can be e-mailed using a wireless network. Global positioning devices will keep track of troops.
Almost 40,000 Comdex attendees are international, representing 120 countries. “We know he was showing the Justice Department that Microsoft is patriotic,” said Lee Chen from Hong Kong.
In a break from tradition, the keynote was held Sunday evening. Those who lined up four hours early for the address could wait in sunshine rather than early morning darkness.
