May 3, 2024
The Operating System and the Development of the PC
The Future of the Operating System
Attempting to predict the future, in an industry that by its nature is marked with constant change, is difficult. The development of Web TV and video feeds using broadband data channels and the growth of e-commerce will doubtless effect change in the PC industry. The integration of Internet access with portable devices means that we are already witnessing the arrival of new machines. Furthermore, it would seem reasonable to assume that Microsoft will play a significant role in these future developments.
The recent court ruling in favour of the Department of Justice may well result in Microsoft being broken into two, with one company developing operating systems and the other producing applications. Microsoft was deemed by the court to have a monopoly and guilty of using its operating systems to crush competition. Gates seems determined to fight this and his announcement of the launch of .NET looks like an attempt to maintain Microsoft's position at the centre of the industry.
Microsoft.NET will see the company build a network platform allowing any user, anywhere, access to information from a variety of machines. Microsoft plans to incorporate voice and handwriting recognition and the platform will support a number of portable devices including handheld, palm-tops and "smart" phones. Gates has been forming alliances with several hardware companies, Samsung phones and Compaq 'tablet computers' being two recent examples. Ironically Microsoft will use open industry standards such as XML to achieve this.
Microsoft's gambit looks like an attempt to produce the de facto standard means of accessing that data by seamlessly integrating the browser with the operating system and porting that to any device on the market. If successful it would appear to make the DoJ ruling meaningless.
He was quoted as saying "It's a bet the company thing". Given the determination of Gates and the resources of Microsoft it would take a brave man to bet against him succeeding.
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