The Software Developer

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Bill Gates and his company get a lot of people at Sun Microsystems up in the morning. Scott McNealy

I am not against Bill Gates the man, but he's playing a historical role that demands a harsh critique. Within his lifetime, Bill will have probably acquired, by accident, a kind of power that has been rarely sought and never before achieved. The medieval popes sought to be the intermediaries for all thought and communication, even as they were the patrons of the elite intellectuals of their day. They serve as the best precedent we have for what is truly an unprecedented situation. In twenty or fifty years, when most human affairs, intimate and grand, are conducted via computer operating systems, Microsoft could become the universal gatekeeper of thought. Microsoft has so far not been malevolent when it has exercised editorial power. But absolute power corrupts absolutely, and Microsoft could well end up with a new type of absolute power.Jaron Lanier

: Bill Gates is a prime example of the power of a smart person being focused on exactly what he wants. He accomplishes his goals while the rest of us are just muddling around. Watching Bill operate makes me realize, for better or worse, how unfocused I am.Danny Hills