Addressing a conference of more than 7,000 IT professionals, government officials and students in Singapore last week, Bill Gates said there is still room for improvements in search engines and the Internet. He also predicted the rise of 'richer' mobile apps which would enable users to access features such as maps or e-wallets on the move.
Describing a future where everyone, and every system, is highly connected through wireless devices and Web services, the Microsoft chairman and chief software architect talked about the changing role of tech in an 'always-on' society.
"We have the availability of information wherever you go, delivered by the breakthrough of wireless networks [in the office and public areas]. This means that when you take the portable PC with you, you're connected up," said Gates. "That portable [device] will get even smaller and will turn into a tablet device where pen-and-ink can be used as well as the keyboard."
Discussing the Internet's low-level standard TCP, he said: "Now we're moving up to have standards that work at very high level — containing data like healthcare, supply chain and e-government records, and letting those be exchanged between systems of all types." These, he said, were made possible by Web services and standards such as XML and the emerging service-oriented architecture (SOA).
"This means that the software can connect no matter what language it's written in, or what environment it's written for," he added. "So in an ecommerce application, you don't have to insist that the buyer and seller have a common implementation [but] simply that they abide by the same [Web services] standards."
Competition in the software market is then about finding the IT vendor who can provide products that run on the most pervasive hardware, deliver the highest level of runtime and who can offer the most efficient development tools, he noted.
But, Gates added, the Internet still needs to be improved — as do search engines.
"The Internet is so popular today that we need to just keep evolving it. It's not like we're going to throw it out and start over," he said.
"People are very impressed at what search is today but it's really quite poor compared to what it should be," he said, noting that technology needs to allow users to better navigate and find information more easily.
"[In the future] we'll be able to have, essentially, document understanding so that when you search for something, we give you an answer and not just a bunch of links that starts a treasure hunt that now takes about 11 minutes," he added.
And, as expected, Gates also touched on his company's ongoing rivalry with the open source movement.
"We're certainly not against open source," he said. "But it is important to recognise that when you take an IT budget, your real goal is to get things done. And [with] packaged software, whether ours or open source, the key thing you want to look at is whether it lets you buy inexpensive hardware, reduce your communications cost and, most importantly, reduce personnel cost [associated with] development and operational."
Gates added that companies would see that Microsoft offers a better "value equation", if they kept "an open mind".
Talkback
Are you sure he said the Internet and not Windows? May be it was a slip of the tongue if he did say Internet.
Hey Billy, Internet needs common standards and not your software shit, that is not comatible with standards!
Internet needs improving? I suppose making browser software that doesn't adhere to the W3C standards is going to help that situation. If the Internet is going to improve standards need to be followed, even by you Microsoft.
Why is it that whenever Bill Gates starts to talk about something I start to wonder just what skunky plot he has to take it over and charge us for it?
Why don't he start to make his site xHTML valid?
The only thing the Internet needs is active blocking of anything that isn't a 100% royalty free, with no strings attached whatsoever, industry (not vendor) standard. Either all can use it with equal rights or no-one can.
Yes, that will cause pain at first but in return we'll see a serious reduction in spam, botnets, hacks, cracks, latency and what not.
Don't agree? Think about it for a while and keep global, short term and long term, impact in mind. Pros and cons. Focus on causes, not symptoms.
As for Microsoft, given their history, they have a lot to proof first before I'll even consider believing them on their word.
Yes the internet needs improvments ok the main one CAN ALL ms products .
Yes he is into standards just as long as they are his and not the rest of the worlds that over dwebe in redmond needs to learn to clam up and get hisshop in order before he starts whittering on about the state of the Internet almost all the Inet problems can be traced back to M$ Corp in one way or another
WHO OWNS INTERNET
To begin with I must say I am neither against Microsoft nor in its favour. The real issue is not what Microsoft is doing but to improve the functionality and quality of Internet. Internet is a “joint venture” and my fellow friends like the learned comment providers are the true owners and the primary responsibility of its development lies with them along with the netizens. It must be noted that Internet is a hub of connected computers and it is irrelevant what operating system or software we are using so long the choice lies with us. Now if we choose to use Microsoft’s products then we should not criticize it. Similarly, if we choose some other operating software that will constitute the technological base for the Internet. So the choice lies with us to constitute the “functionality”, “technological base”, “control of Internet”, “security of Internet”, etc. If netizens have any particular choice about the constitution and functionality of Internet then they must do something more than mere criticism of Microsoft.
In any case, Microsoft is trying to provide security patches and other security measures and we should give that security initiative a chance. The emphasis must be on the improvement and development of the Internet and if Gates is advocating the same that does not make any difference, provided we do not take it as a product advertisement.
Praveen Dalal, at some point enough chances have already been given and what's left after that is: proof first, believe later.
If past behaviour is any indication for future behaviour then having Microsoft decide for us what is best and what not is most likely to end up in a one sided deal that is purely self interested for as long as most of their customers don't actively object in masses.
As such I would recommend as the first order of busniess to only allow equally open to all industry standards as the vehicles to drive and further improve the Internet.