Bill Gates: My top 10 mistakes at Microsoft

Bill Gates: My 10 biggest mistakes at Microsoft

Microsoft announced last Thursday that starting in July 2008, Chairman Bill Gates will no longer be responsible for the company's day-to-day management and devote more time to philanthropy. There is no doubt that Gates is one of the most important figures in the global PC industry and has always followed the trend of technological development. However, he is not always right. The following are Gates' top ten mistakes at Microsoft.

According to female managers [lady.icxo.com], as Gates gradually fades out of Microsoft, which he has been in charge of for 31 years, an era is coming to an end. His merits and demerits at Microsoft will naturally become the industry's The object of media and even personal comments. As chairman of the board of directors and chief software architect of Microsoft, Gates has successfully predicted many technological development trends, but some of his mistakes are also obvious. Under Gates' leadership, Microsoft has launched a number of failed products or technologies, and the following ten are the most prominent.

1. Microsoft BOB:

BOB is a product released by Microsoft in 1995. Microsoft hopes to improve the interface of Windows 3.1 program management through BOB. Maybe there is no problem with this concept, but Bob still It has been replaced without really becoming popular. Objectively speaking, Bob does not receive rave reviews, but its disappearance has not attracted many people’s regrets and remembrances, because it has not solved as many problems as it has caused. Interestingly, the director of the BOB development project is Gates’ wife Melinda.

2. Windows ME:

This may be Microsoft's most failed Windows version to date. Shortly after its launch in 2000, a lot of installation and compatibility problems arose. With the launch of Windows XP in 2001, Windows ME quickly disappeared. Of course, Windows Millennium is not without its merits. For example, the system recovery function that the product first had was later used in Windows XP.

3. Tablet computers:

There may still be many supporters of tablet computers, but this technology has many problems and the cost is too high. Judging from market performance, tablet computers are undoubtedly a failed product. Microsoft has decided to make the tablet functionality a basic part of the Windows Vista operating system, rather than releasing it as a separate SKU.

4. SPOT watch:

Although it has been three years since the first Smart Personal Target Technology (SPOT) watch prototype entered the market, this product is too large and rigid in appearance. The problem remains unresolved. In addition, the SPOT watch lacks attractive application support and does not make users who spend hundreds of dollars on this product feel value for money.

5. Microsoft Money:

If Microsoft's 1995 plan to acquire Intuit had not encountered antitrust obstacles, the company might have acquired Quicken software and made its own online banking product Become the market leader. But contrary to expectations, Microsoft could only design and develop its own financial software Money, and was eventually left far behind by Intuit.

6. DOS4.0:

When mentioning Microsoft, we cannot but talk about MSDOS, the predecessor of the Windows operating system. Among all MSDOS versions, MSDOS 4.0 is undoubtedly the most failed one. For Microsoft, it is simply a nightmare full of defects. According to the information provided by Wikipedia, MSDOS4.0 is mainly based on IBM's code base, not Microsoft's own code base.

7. Microsoft TV:

Microsoft has tried to enter the digital TV field many times, but has not succeeded.

Does anyone still remember Microsoft Tiger, the video-on-demand project launched by Microsoft in the early 1990s? However, Microsoft has not given up its efforts in this area. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer recently said that in the near future, IPTV will become one of the main driving forces for Microsoft's stock price to rise and Microsoft's profit growth.

8. MSNBC partnership:

The cooperation between Microsoft and NBC has almost never gone smoothly. In December 2005, Microsoft basically launched its cooperation with NBC. However, Microsoft has not given up its efforts to develop in the direction of content providers. The company is currently recruiting bloggers, TV teams and other media personnel in the hope of building the MSN media network.

9. Real-time network conferencing software:

Microsoft’s network conferencing product LiveMeeting is mainly based on technology acquired from PlaceWare. Although it has been launched for many years, many people think it is a failure. product. Of course, Microsoft has not given up its efforts in this area. The company promises that the new version of LiveMeeting will be even better.

10. Failure to launch Microsoft Linux:

Microsoft should launch its own Linux. Microsoft could acquire a Linux reseller or even name a branch of Windows Microsoft Linux. In contrast, Microsoft has invested heavily in fighting the entire open source community. Microsoft should join the open source camp, not try to defeat it. ;