Bill Gates

And if we are going to reduce Windows to a poorly debugged set of device drivers, what I'm implying is these crappy static web pages that get served right now, that is merely a step on our journey to enabling rich web applications. Think JavaScript, CSS, eventually Java and Flash. The web will be a way... that developers write their applications. That's right there implicit in the quote.

And if we are going to reduce Windows to a poorly debugged set of device drivers, what I'm implying is these crappy static web pages that get served right now, that is merely a step on our journey to enabling rich web applications. Think JavaScript, CSS, eventually Java and Flash. The web will be a way... that developers write their applications. That's right there implicit in the quote.

And so when they're saying we're going to reduce Windows, blah, blah, blah, it's saying, okay, Windows has all this stuff right now for developers, but essentially you're going to use Windows or any operating system just to boot it up, connect to all your peripherals and your screen and your mouse and your keyboard and everything, and you'll open your browser and you'll do everything through the browser.

And so when they're saying we're going to reduce Windows, blah, blah, blah, it's saying, okay, Windows has all this stuff right now for developers, but essentially you're going to use Windows or any operating system just to boot it up, connect to all your peripherals and your screen and your mouse and your keyboard and everything, and you'll open your browser and you'll do everything through the browser.

And that scared the hell out of Microsoft.

And that scared the hell out of Microsoft.

Not specifically this quote, but Microsoft had come to the same conclusion too of, oh my God, if the web becomes the platform of the future, all the reasons why we have all this incredible business, you know, people feeling the need to use our operating system to be able to get access to their favorite software and for developers to build applications on our platform to get access to the users, that could go away.

Not specifically this quote, but Microsoft had come to the same conclusion too of, oh my God, if the web becomes the platform of the future, all the reasons why we have all this incredible business, you know, people feeling the need to use our operating system to be able to get access to their favorite software and for developers to build applications on our platform to get access to the users, that could go away.

And in the same memo that you were quoting earlier, the internet tidal wave, Bill Gates famously says, and when I say famously, it's because the Department of Justice later grabbed this quote and used it as an exhibit. Bill writes, "...a new competitor born on the internet is Netscape.

And in the same memo that you were quoting earlier, the internet tidal wave, Bill Gates famously says, and when I say famously, it's because the Department of Justice later grabbed this quote and used it as an exhibit. Bill writes, "...a new competitor born on the internet is Netscape.

Their browser is dominant with a 70% usage share, allowing them to determine which network extensions will catch on." They are pursuing a multi-platform strategy where they move the key API, the application programming interface, into the client to commoditize the underlying operating system. I mean, they got it immediately. The web is an application platform that completely reduces our value.

Their browser is dominant with a 70% usage share, allowing them to determine which network extensions will catch on." They are pursuing a multi-platform strategy where they move the key API, the application programming interface, into the client to commoditize the underlying operating system. I mean, they got it immediately. The web is an application platform that completely reduces our value.

And how amazing is this? It's an application platform of the future that is distributed as a Windows app. I mean, Windows had huge market share at this point. I don't know, 80, 90 percent, eventually over 90 percent market share. The way that Netscape could get to consumers was because Microsoft had all these computers out there running Windows.

And how amazing is this? It's an application platform of the future that is distributed as a Windows app. I mean, Windows had huge market share at this point. I don't know, 80, 90 percent, eventually over 90 percent market share. The way that Netscape could get to consumers was because Microsoft had all these computers out there running Windows.

It was like this ultimate Trojan horse that they could build the platform of the future through Microsoft.

It was like this ultimate Trojan horse that they could build the platform of the future through Microsoft.

Right. If Microsoft's goal is to cut off the air supply, David, as you already quoted, of Netscape, the goal is ubiquity instantly. And we don't care about making money. We just need to get this thing out so the Internet doesn't kneecap our business and we can sort of embrace and control it or perhaps embrace and extend it.

Right. If Microsoft's goal is to cut off the air supply, David, as you already quoted, of Netscape, the goal is ubiquity instantly. And we don't care about making money. We just need to get this thing out so the Internet doesn't kneecap our business and we can sort of embrace and control it or perhaps embrace and extend it.

And I don't think making very much money on their server software yet. All the market cap creation is attributable to people believing they have the dominant platform of the future and not based on their current financials.

And I don't think making very much money on their server software yet. All the market cap creation is attributable to people believing they have the dominant platform of the future and not based on their current financials.