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Software = empowerment tool |
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Software=empowerment tool
BY JEFF BENNETT
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER
August 29, 2003
As Internet users finish mopping up the mess left by the SoBig.F e-mail worm, the man who has significantly shaped the computer world said it's time to build better software that will create trustworthy computing.
Bill Gates, chairman of computer software giant Microsoft Corp., was greeted by a standing ovation from 1,500 people at the Detroit Economic Club meeting at Cobo Hall on Thursday before explaining his vision for using computers in the future.
It's up to companies like Microsoft to build software that will secure information and stop viruses, he said.
Software has to be a tool to empower individuals and we have come about halfway, Gates said. Software should not be expensive, should not be complicated, but it should become the best tool mankind has ever had.
Gates said individuals should be the center of computing and information should flow around the person. Telephone numbers or meeting schedules should automatically jump to different devices that people can network together, rather than having to type the information in a Palm Pilot and then into a cell phone.
People should believe in a society where everything from paying bills to talking to people can be done electronically rather than with paper, he said.
The problem, Gates said, is software is still not strong enough to connect devices together and there are too many viruses and security weaknesses.
Ten days ago, the sixth variation of the worm known as SoBig.F was released through a pornographic Web site. The worm infected more than 145,260 computers worldwide, jamming mailboxes with useless e-mail.
We need to build spam elimination into our software itself, he said. That is our responsibility. We can't just put up with that. We have to get rid of those things. We have to make the infrastructure reliable.
Microsoft is spending $6 billion annually in research and product development.
During the question-and-answer period following his remarks, Gates said the United States should be concerned about the amount of information technology jobs that companies are moving to India and China.
It's a challenge to this country in renewing our skills, he said. We are competing with countries that do a better job with their education systems.
As far as his personal life, Gates said he likes spending time with his three children ages 7, 4 and 1, learning about world health and playing bridge online with his friend and fellow multibillionaire Warren Buffett.
Contact JEFF BENNETT at 313-222-8769 or jbennett@freepress.com.
Copyright © 2003 Detroit Free Press Inc.
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