Managing Automation - August 2008 - (Page 6)

david r. brousell/EIC TAKE 1 On June 27, William H. Gates III formally stepped aside from his day-to-day duties at Microsoft, the company he co-founded with Paul Allen in 1975, to spend more time with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has become one of the world’s leading philanthropic organizations. Gates, 52, will remain chairman of the board at Microsoft and involved in selected projects in the months and years ahead. Even though Gates’ “transition,” as Microsoft calls it, had been expected for some time, it is a milestone in the software industry’s history. The change prompted me to reminisce about my own early encounters with Gates and to assess his contribution to the software business and what the future might hold for what is still one of America’s most creative and innovative industries. One of my enduring recollections of Gates is from the early 1980s when we were both attending what was then known as the National Computer Conference. I was covering the conference as software editor for Electronic News, the most important tech industry weekly newspaper in that era. It was a broiling hot day in Anaheim, CA, the site of the conference, which had become so large that tents had to be erected to hold the overflow exhibits and crowds. As I walked toward one of those tents, Gates, thin as a reed and shaggy haired, spotted me and ran over to talk. The big story that I and other journalists were covering at the time was what operating system would dominate the then-emerging PC market. Would it be Microsoft’s MS-DOS, CP/M from Digital Research, or a unix variant? Gates had no doubts about that question and wanted to be sure I knew his point of view. 2008 After Gates Dbrousell@thomaspublishing.com As Microsoft’s co-founder moves into the next stage of his career, the software industry that he helped form enters a new era in its evolution. Well, we all know how that race turned out. But since those days, I’ve always understood something about Bill Gates. Historians will argue over whether he was primarily an astute businessman or software innovator, or even a rapacious capitalist who dealt unfairly with competitors, but his enthusiasm and passion for software were all-consuming and contagious. You could feel them emanating from him. This is often the way it is with company founders. Their vision, energy, and drive create businesses, if not whole industries. Today, we see fewer and fewer founders remaining among the principal software companies. Larry Ellison is still CEO of Oracle and Hasso Plattner remains deeply involved at SAP, as supervisory board chairman. Smaller companies, such as Cincom Systems and Information Builders, still have their founders, but not a lot of founders, or their companies, are left. What this all points to, and what Gates’ transition really underscores, is the changing nature of the software industry. The “wars” over operating systems and backbone packaged applications are behind us. Even the battle over search may be settled, despite Microsoft’s seemingly undiminished appetite for Yahoo. Now, new delivery models, new ways of interacting with systems, and innovation around business processes are among the places where that raw passion that Gates so exemplified can be found. In some ways, it’s all new again. The IT revolution is far from over. We’re just in the middle stage. And who is rushing toward me now, so eager to get his point of view across? What do you think Gates’ legacy is? Write to me at dbrousell@thomaspublishing.com. ■ maonline managingautomation.com For more of David R. Brousell’s views, visit: ❏ The Culture Gap www.managingautomation .com/takeone49 ❏ Unlocking Energy Efficiency www.managingautomation .com/takeone48 ❏ The Pols Aren’t Listening www.managingautomation .com/takeone47 ma 6 August Photo: Peter Kolk http://www.managingautomation.com http://www.managingautomation.com/takeone49 http://www.managingautomation.com/takeone49 http://www.managingautomation.com/takeone48 http://www.managingautomation.com/takeone48 http://www.managingautomation.com/takeone47 http://www.managingautomation.com/takeone47

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managing Automation - August 2008

Managing Automation - August 2008 Contents Take 1 After 18 Months, the Oracle/SAP Suit Has Little Effect on Maintenance Sales At 100, Foxboro Reinvents Around Its Customers New Private Equity Firm Eyes Software A Software Suite Just for Manufacturers i2 Chief Focuses on Services Plan Notes It's Time for Action Examining U.S. Competitveness Leveling the Field An Unhealthy Situation Exploring Alternatives Math and Science: Key to the Future Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - August 2008

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