Gates opened up the market to easy-to-use software
Stephen Boulten, head of IT, Leek United Building Society
Bill Gates and Microsoft produced products that are functionally
rich and easy to use. Microsoft helped to bring markets such as
business databases to maturity in a short time and has provided
strong competition for innovators to keep them innovating.
Microsoft provided the tools that allow me to produce quality
work and improve the efficiency with which I can do it through
applications such as Visio and Office. It now needs to focus on
driving innovation and increasing flexibility in its core product
set. There is a danger that it is trying to enter every space that
generates an income and will end up not delivering what its
customers need.
User empowerment has been a Microsoft illusion
Ray Titcombe, chairman, IBM CUA
Gates has managed (via proprietary means) to establish many
"industry" standards within the business and IT world. But his idea
of "user empowerment" has been a bit of an empty benefit. We now
have professionals in most organisations spending a lot of their
time designing spreadsheets and access databases that arguably
would be better developed within IT.
Upgrade treadmill must make way for green agenda
Ronan Miles, chairman, UK Oracle User Group
Microsoft should abandon the continued upgrade treadmill. Not
only does "green" mean older kit stays in the ecosystem for longer,
but as we drive IT further into a global population of more than
six-billion, we need to remember that the provision of supporting
infrastructure will take a long time before real ubiquitous high
speed access is a given.
Bill Gates changed the face of the computer industry
Cliff Saran, Computer Weekly
Bill Gates and Microsoft helped turn the computer industry
around. Software used to be bundled with hardware. IT was extremely
expensive. Microsoft separated the software from the hardware, and
with IBM, created affordable computing. Now Google has created a
different business model, where software is effectively free,
subsidised by internet advertising. Microsoft must embrace the
internet and open standards.
Microsoft has enabled SMEs to compete with big business
Peter Scargill, IT director, Federation of Small Businesses
Before Gates there was no such thing as small business
computing: there was a bunch of machines that were hopeless for
small businesses. By introducing a single standard operating system
which has maintained a level of compatibility for more than 25
years, he has made it possible for small businesses to compete.
Past the entourage, Gates has his feet on the ground
Tracy Andrew, head of information and security, Berkshire NHS
shared service
I met Gates in Delhi. Once I got through the entourage, and
spent a few minutes with him, he seemed very pleasant and in touch
with the real world.