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I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking

Alton Brown

ToolI'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking
Published: 01 October, 2004
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As of: July 05th, 2008 11:18:42 AM
Author: Alton Brown

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Court Orders YouTube to Fork Over Video Logs
A federal judge orders YouTube to disclose who watches which video clips and when to Viacom and other copyright holders involved in a $1 billion copyright-infringement lawsuit against the video-sharing service.<br style="clear: both;"/> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:e5e49025a98ca90766d799864e69b723:9hIdjyAzbCEP3zKXP%2B6odzD0eqUSQ2H3hUDLLlXZ0SSgWX9br%2FdErnIEbOeOFNokZsQ6hhJuDzHPso2nl9oxQrHjsUS5u125fQDIqoVsX5o%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Reddit' alt='Add to Reddit' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/reddit.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:35fe30003b805e626b18f09569df9670:vrVWqCqlGYDTlJpjqcXo47W2R%2BHZrcXwjYGqm%2B6oNjK%2BgQzttPc02tdvj1gdB9P1l46BNM8mmoahiLQ%2BqiZJZ3PKq0HutvRINBXZzZAP6ds%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Yahoo My Web' alt='Add to Yahoo My Web' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/yahoo.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:3d6f3c7e4d7ad79e8e6a30b5672e4e81:EGhZULiH5wJ4OmLqE0POlVQrnnp%2FMxRGE30aeer15rv5ia7oQHjEtkdg1E4tcohdoP9wkZ%2FU5cGsNYLj1mHLciCtEik0hn2d815adZDssfc%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Google' alt='Add to Google' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/google.png'/></a> <br style="clear: both;"/> <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=f87f855e66fc21152e10ece347cbdfd3" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=f87f855e66fc21152e10ece347cbdfd3" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=b4wt0J"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=b4wt0J" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=Rgq6Cj"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=Rgq6Cj" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=k0PwEj"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=k0PwEj" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=5SDZMJ"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=5SDZMJ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/techbiz/~4/326835461" height="1" width="1"/>


Welcome to the Rotten Tech IPO Market
<!-- PORTFOLIO.COM LINKS --> <div class="content_sharing"> <strong>News from Portfolio.com</strong><br/> <a href="http://www.portfolio.com/?TID=wiredpartner"><img src="http://www.wired.com/images/article/full/2008/03/logo_portfolio.jpg" class="portfolio_img"></a><br clear="all"/> <div class="content_sharing_txt"> <p><strong>Also on Portfolio</strong></p> <!-- LINK #1 --> <p><a href="http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/top-5/2008/07/02/Microsoft-Weighs-New-Run-for-Yahoo/?TID=wiredpartner"> Microsoft Still Carrying a Flame for Yahoo</a></p> <!-- LINK #2 --> <p><a href="http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/top-5/2008/07/01/Starbucks-Closes-600-Stores/?TID=wiredpartner"> Struggling Starbucks to Cut Stores, Jobs</a></p> <!-- LINK #3 --> <p><a href="http://www.portfolio.com/culture-lifestyle/goods/cars/2008/07/02/Morgans-Custom-Cars/?TID=wiredpartner"> New Morgan Hand-Built and High-Tech</a></p> </div> <div class="content_sharing_sub"><a href="https://w1.buysub.com/pubs/N3/FOL/self_fol_control_TVL.jsp?cds_page_id=39267&cds_mag_code=FOL&id=1205777661443&lsid=80771311187037701&vid=2&cds_response_key=I8CNAAA9&cds_mag_code=FOL">Subscribe to Portfolio magazine</a></div> </div> <p>The news about the crummy tech IPO situation seems to worry a lot of people. But some of the best technology gets built in times like these because there is no quick payoff.</p> <p>In the past quarter, for the first time in 30 years, not a single tech company went public. So far, that's more of a blip than a trend, There's no reason to belive this situation will last forever. Still, you've got folks like Mark Heesen, president of the National Venture Capital Association, calling the news a "crisis for the startup community."</p> <p>Bah. It's a crisis for the kinds of people who do tech startups mostly to get rich. Let them move back to Greenwich and become hedge fund managers.</p> <p>When there's no IPO exit, tech startups have to do one of two things: try to get bought by a big company like Cisco or Google, or build an actual, working business with profits and everything. The former is a heck of a risky strategy. The latter tends to push startups to spend more time getting it right. Many of the major tech companies were founded in shaky economic times: Microsoft in 1975; Cisco in 1984; MySpace in 2003.</p> <p>There's another element, too: The cost of starting a company in bad times plummets. Rent is cheaper, computers ditched by some bankrupt start-up can be picked up used, good people can be hired for less. As it is, the cost of starting most kinds of tech companies is one-tenth what it was 10 years ago, because the technology and tools have gotten so much cheaper and more effective.</p> <p>So a company that needed $5 million just to get off the ground in 1998 now needs maybe $500,000. More and more, that money is being raised from private investors instead of venture capitalists, and the money is more patient -- not pushing so hard for an IPO payday. Again, that's probably better for the long-term prospects of a start-up.</p> <p>It wouldn't be good if the IPO situation stays this bad for very long, but it's not the end of the world, and it's no worse than when the IPO market is ridiculously hot and people are starting companies with nothing but dollar signs in their eyes.</p><br style="clear: both;"/> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:dfe60d8bfd9908133b0453a084e84bfb:lRe1TakS8aGMSH6OU%2FKSFmRsQ5XoHLCP7L1AZXk27fgNiP4xSAdo7GhJPeVEC3scEBNrqxcA%2F5UzUnxNKWr7wUYg1fQl%2F%2BaaZmlFGahYwmE%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Reddit' alt='Add to Reddit' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/reddit.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:5cad09407e46de727c73a766954b24cc:bQYzNh6fSyN2vmXkAGEvQb%2BfJs5RsnfsILiFWDdItfu7bf6tuJ6vFgDA7jsPSfp4sYg1SWJqdPg92xc9pYthKPrkIk%2BkDGu9aZP8HLY2Ras%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Yahoo My Web' alt='Add to Yahoo My Web' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/yahoo.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:db01467f08e5580e23f1ef6da1a43098:WzbMOzfhyLGGnnPilwIe8LyGo9oMfOe2%2F3eBVWTZ26FwarkxY4ue2Cy4D4xDVwKvW8ETaG3964lPpDk%2Ba2Wr7Gx6Dstz8dd8HoLUpmEvq9w%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Google' alt='Add to Google' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/google.png'/></a> <br style="clear: both;"/> <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=07dfec123a224f4e162d7edf9965fa13" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=07dfec123a224f4e162d7edf9965fa13" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=mRbL9J"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=mRbL9J" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=aC8r9j"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=aC8r9j" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=JSJcXj"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=JSJcXj" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=02Mg6J"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=02Mg6J" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/techbiz/~4/324989893" height="1" width="1"/>


Scott Brown's Nostalgorithm for Pop-Culture Sensations
<!-- pageType= magazinesmall slug= pl_brown section= techbiz subsection= people headline= TBD authorName= Scott Brown creditType= illustration credit= Mr. Bingo caption= --> <p><strong>Oh, <cite>X-Files</cite> sequel.</strong> Like your subtitle says: I want to believe. I really do. But above all, I want to want. And I don't. What gives? I hearted you monstrously in the '90s. And I like knowing a sequel is out there, the same way I like knowing my AOL account is out there: comforting, but I feel no special urge to visit. I'm guessing I'm not the only one. Why is that? Why do some beloved pop fantasies evolve into mini-religions, while others fade like an old pair of Jams? Hollywood doesn't have the answer. They'll green-light just about anything, from a live-action <cite>He-Man</cite> movie to <cite>The Smurfs</cite> in 3-D. Our only hope here is science.</p> <p>So I turn to a scientist &mdash; my former college roommate Noah Helman. Back in the '90s, he was our dorm's brainy, not-quite-as-hot Scully; I, its stubby Mulder, the believer. We used to watch <cite>The X-Files</cite> together, in real time, then debate it over warm Squirt. (These were the heady days before <em>Television Without Pity</em>.) Now he's a busy molecular biologist, but he agreed, for the sake of science, to help me determine the perfect "nostalgorithm" &mdash; a differential equation that will determine a pop object's nostalgic potential while explaining why a <cite>Thundercats</cite> movie intrigues, but the <cite>X-Files</cite> sequel leaves me cold. Let's begin with the simplest factor: Time (t). As any former Giga Pet owner knows, stuff peaks, then gets old. Thus:</p> <p>Popular velocity (<span style="font-size:0.8em">&#916;</span>Popularity/<span style="font-size:0.8em">&#916;</span>t) = -L <em>x</em> t <br/> where L = probability of lameness.</p> <p>Off its peak, we see exponential decay in Popular Velocity over time: <br/> Popularity(t) = exp(-L <em>x</em> t) = e<sup>-L<em>x</em>t</sup></p> <p>Translated crudely from the calculus, this simply means pop properties have expiration dates, like Lunchables or Tom Cruise. Or <cite>The X-Files</cite>, which has been off the air for six years now and was in steep decline four years prior to cancellation. And fan love doesn't steadily decline &mdash; it plummets as exposure (E) reaches an unhealthy level:</p> <p>Popular velocity = <br/> (-L <em>x</em> t) - L<sub>2</sub> <em>x</em> (Popularity - E)<sup>3</sup></p> <p>Ergo: even worse news for The X-Files, one of the '90s more overexposed phenomena. But as Noah points out, non-awesome pop objects are primed to become awesome again. <cite>The X-Files</cite> is solidly non-awesome &mdash; so perhaps a popular re-awesomeness awaits it, &egrave; la Grunge, Trump, and Steel? Perhaps &mdash; but probably not this month. While what's old is eventually new again, it takes about a generation (tgen = 20 years) for kids to pick up what their parents discarded. And so:</p> <div style="float:left; padding: 0px 5px 5px 0px;"><img src="http://www.wired.com/images/article/magazine/1607/pl_brown_formula1.gif" alt="1"></div> <br style="clear:both;"/> <p>Which gives us a swooping, hilly graph (see figure, above) and strands <cite>The X-Files</cite> movie in that sad little valley: 10 years off its peak popularity in 1998 &mdash; when the first film opened and attempted, unsuccessfully, to convince us that bees are scary. According to our formula, the proper release date for this <cite>X-Files</cite> movie is 2018 &mdash; not 2008. (That date satisfies the math but also halves David Duchovny's smolder-quotient.)</p> <p>But time and generational reclamation aren't the only factors. (If so, where's that big-budget <cite>Airwolf</cite> movie?) There's also niche: Paranormal procedurals like <cite>Medium</cite> are milking the <cite>X</cite> meme, along with <cite>Lost</cite>, which regularly pits science against faith, but without the smoky will-they-or-won't-they (all due respect to authors of Jack/Locke <em>yaoi</em> fan-fic). What about the resurgence of <cite>Star Trek</cite> less than a decade after its cancellation? Space westerns must be the exception.</p> <p>I ask Noah about these additional factors, and he asks me for a grant. Who needs him? I can blitz my way through this:</p> <div style="float:left; padding: 0px 5px 5px 0px;"><img src="http://www.wired.com/images/article/magazine/1607/pl_brown_formula2.gif" alt="1"></div> <br style="clear:both;"/> <p>The graph for this one looks, well, kind of like Airwolf barebacking KITT. And I'm not sure it explains anything. But it has left me strangely, counterintuitively jazzed for this upcoming <cite>X-Files</cite> movie &mdash; all this reminiscing makes me want to catch up with Mulder and Scully and, hell, even Flukeman. This is the point where Noah throws his TI-73 at my head and pronounces me hopeless. Maybe no amount of ratiocination can capture the messy heuristics of true devotion. Maybe bees <em>are</em> scary. Is $10 really too much to pay to find out? Probably, but I'm doing it anyway. What can I say? I want to believe.</p> <p><em>Email</em> <a href="mailto:scott_brown@wired.com">scott_brown@wired.com</a>.</p><br style="clear: both;"/> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:e7e36cd2d90ac4fd4c69a2fc5cce8db2:GI23eZ1sqlJc8%2BC0YqwGjAuT1fmJ3Gd7%2BnunQT6zxJ7YoAad9vQWRMAO4zLqOq8BNXzKyj9P%2FmVLb91noCS0Xb2WU1nKCVVsiK8OXpPzEtY%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Reddit' alt='Add to Reddit' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/reddit.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:b44ce8f823ee9820c685ca5b7aae9eef:IHS5YSNUQqrlv47SVwFX5GU9u1gKYOwE5yO3DgY26zArN%2FztXLWFb%2B000y4SZg%2FFJcecG2W6KKqDWzbGuCydusE9eNGlRWkP%2FqQI7Q%2F31%2BE%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Yahoo My Web' alt='Add to Yahoo My Web' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/yahoo.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:ebb80cc98d6cfb507935e489c4eee052:N6QmEhnTlcA4T9PZxgTaGIO7z6bpvR9Aov0CFuf53iqmgOe%2FkTkLNV7zDdQkvlfh4qDgn3mLsPLoJTPelzfpYGFkYjD4arGtvzJo2dc5e0s%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Google' alt='Add to Google' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/google.png'/></a> <br style="clear: both;"/> <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=62edb31e552b6c6ae0a93d0d5d7da4f7" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=62edb31e552b6c6ae0a93d0d5d7da4f7" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=BBq5sJ"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=BBq5sJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=sjpYHj"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=sjpYHj" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=esWvpj"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=esWvpj" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=0EljrJ"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=0EljrJ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/techbiz/~4/324574464" height="1" width="1"/>


Icahn: Blustery, Savvy Raider or Mediocre Investor?
<!-- PORTFOLIO.COM LINKS --> <div class="content_sharing"> <strong>News from Portfolio.com</strong><br/> <a href="http://www.portfolio.com/?TID=wiredpartner"><img src="http://www.wired.com/images/article/full/2008/03/logo_portfolio.jpg" class="portfolio_img"></a><br clear="all"/> <div class="content_sharing_txt"> <p><strong>Also on Portfolio</strong></p> <!-- LINK #1 --> <p><a href="http://www.portfolio.com/business-travel/seat-2B/2008/07/01/Booze-at-Airports/?TID=wiredpartner"> Setting the Bar High at Airports</cite></a></p> <!-- LINK #2 --> <p><a href="http://www.portfolio.com/culture-lifestyle/culture-inc/arts/2008/06/29/Is-Marvel-the-Next-Magic-Kingdom/?TID=wiredpartner"> Marvel Comics Reclaiming Its Superheroes</a></p> <!-- LINK #3 --> <p><a href="http://www.portfolio.com/executives/features/2008/06/16/Michael-Dell-Returns-to-Dell-Inc/?TID=wiredpartner"> Can Michael Dell Save Dell?</a></p> </div> <div class="content_sharing_sub"><a href="https://w1.buysub.com/pubs/N3/FOL/self_fol_control_TVL.jsp?cds_page_id=39267&cds_mag_code=FOL&id=1205777661443&lsid=80771311187037701&vid=2&cds_response_key=I8CNAAA9&cds_mag_code=FOL">Subscribe to Portfolio magazine</a></div> </div> <p>Few companies are willing to get down and dirty in a schoolyard brawl with Carl Icahn.</p> <p>Even when Icahn implied that Dick Parsons, then the chief executive of Time Warner, was an "idiot," the media conglomerate held back from returning fire.</p> <p>Yet Yahoo, in defending how it handled merger discussions with Microsoft, is taking aim at <a href="http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/top-5/2008/05/14/Icahns-Yahoo-Board-Fight">Icahn just where it hurts</a>. Icahn, Yahoo suggests, is simply not a very good activist investor.</p> <p>In a <a href="http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=950134-08-12084">presentation to its shareholders</a>, Yahoo lists 15 companies that Icahn invested in over the last three-and-a-half years and sought to change its strategy or gain representation on its board. Only three of the 15 have had gains in their stock prices since Icahn started to stir things up.</p> <p>Among the notable losers are WCI Communities, which is down 90 percent with Icahn as chairman, and Motorola, down 50 percent, although Icahn has two of its 12 board seats. The big winner is BEA Systems (up 40 percent), where Icahn agitated successfully for a sale to Oracle, albeit at a price significantly less than what BEA ultimately received.</p> <p>For Yahoo, Icahn has "an ill-defined plan" that consists entirely of selling the company to Microsoft, Yahoo says.</p> <p>And such a sale is not happening, and that is all Microsoft's fault, Yahoo contends. The software giant was "unresponsive and inconsistent" in negotiations before it walked away, Yahoo says.</p> <p>"This is simply revisionist history," a Microsoft spokesman told the Associated Press.</p> <p>With its stock drifting down toward $20 and just a month before its annual shareholder meeting, Yahoo is pressing hard to make its case that it didn't blow a chance to get shareholders a rich premium. Investors disappointed with Jerry Yang and Yahoo's board may vote for Icahn's slate in protest.</p> <p>And what does Icahn think of Yahoo's attack on his investing record? He did not respond immediately, but had promised last week on his blog that he would be discussing Yahoo "shortly."</p><br style="clear: both;"/> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:63334585a85e6f0abaf6c17cacc6c18f:WRHKGlQSVVaF9VNlK4mXmYR2iZ%2BjBNfuONperQn%2BBXFYVIy4JXMzj7k6tVWqkwBJAGamsSKwmP4VpH8Vp3ZQ4AC%2FrAgRc4RWK9%2BkntySLX0%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Reddit' alt='Add to Reddit' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/reddit.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:7bc4555fea381946dfef887544a24aa8:OekmxRLvaWud%2BsLEFUmcF6y29bm%2FVmM7DeXdMWjrifNupBVYuIezBJXL1t8Tinxk2%2BtKBN5Fdt9zqZHN1JgYl%2BgmlP6cDTbgNgpDJZwTCnU%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Yahoo My Web' alt='Add to Yahoo My Web' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/yahoo.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:7e7de7963f2d34f2abe2cbc0eed52c51:pDEnd0w%2B05qCZZm6BkIye1fzS6rhXzyNvIF22U4dTIH6%2B7AAY1u5dAsLRmXGI5Pq9ekDyNhlkN0i3InU0dkXOsNs0Vk2vntGFb1jBPhI%2F4M%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Google' alt='Add to Google' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/google.png'/></a> <br style="clear: both;"/> <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=8079e63fe7d1c3064a134347f5bfcc5e" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=8079e63fe7d1c3064a134347f5bfcc5e" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=hqIbEJ"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=hqIbEJ" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=G2W01j"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=G2W01j" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=NQ8Ttj"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=NQ8Ttj" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=bn0rIJ"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=bn0rIJ" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/techbiz/~4/324228133" height="1" width="1"/>


15th Anniversary: 5 Things <cite>Wired</cite> Pronounced Dead Prematurely
<!-- pageType= magazinesmall slug= st_15deadthings section= techbiz subsection= media headline= TBD authorName= Erik Malinowski --> <style> li {padding-bottom:6px;} </style> <ul> <li><strong>Commercial Web publishing (April 1996)</strong> Online news sites everywhere respectfully disagree. </li> <li><strong>Web browsers (March 1997)</strong> Push media was about to supersede browsers. Or not. If we could push this claim from the archives, we would.</li> <li><strong>Online song swapping (December 2002)</strong> Kazaa? LimeWire? BitTorrent? D'oh!</li> <li><strong>Futurism (December 2003)</strong> Predicting the death of predictions? Niiiice.</li> <li><strong>Brands (november 2004)</strong> Would someone please tell the tweens &mdash; and Abercrombie &amp; Fitch, purveyors of the finest softcore billboards?</li> </ul><br style="clear: both;"/> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:924054d157bde56f01f1ff0b2cc9463e:58KLymJYcL%2FG0UolfLwMwOB2WjEmopPD72J%2BeWBYFhKxOD%2FcJlnhwZ0Paj3CB7%2B2EflkVH%2BpmlWOQE78yU71HtmCLkZCC7MPhwy3W96SGK0%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Reddit' alt='Add to Reddit' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/reddit.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:379717d464bfd0c5b59f13145fe51bbf:gYM8ta495QIfWZxrO35%2F4h%2BbLNX3rKcBz5aumy2sVw8wDXPvddwDStI4jO4nwP9v7Ll3XtaDAIuRjsMSXa7Q1hCNuJIF7ibB%2FW6lxCABD%2Fs%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Yahoo My Web' alt='Add to Yahoo My Web' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/yahoo.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:9ab5edaa5a3a32377c8ed2bea2c384f1:Zd8DcD9CSaZpzWOSOEM26TiHnYDYbvRDMe1yWPyUGzpyYZ%2B%2BuenUXJS2qxlW2QCn5vZm%2Bbm7wsAF3S10bdfo9mW%2B2uYospmpvuMwglriHNg%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Google' alt='Add to Google' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/google.png'/></a> <br style="clear: both;"/> <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=34b11e8a9f7a6dcb4f5bbfaac6196252" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=34b11e8a9f7a6dcb4f5bbfaac6196252" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=PPKNZI"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=PPKNZI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=TrYLHi"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=TrYLHi" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=IowJoi"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=IowJoi" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=VHoLBI"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=VHoLBI" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/techbiz/~4/323755268" height="1" width="1"/>


ICANN Gets Pwned
Not even ICANN and IANA are safe from domain hijacking. Those pesky Turkish hackers strike again.<br style="clear: both;"/> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:64192aee247df704918bf0d8e9d96748:WpEUFXUmSPErIjUaMUZYHFq1bAjvq%2FRUKVPcIkCrifZ0gEK1ydM6vcsk3OvUe%2BwvPi%2Fn2zhoJjhvgIG2PjyerryTsnEqRi%2BaknQFbP5c3SY%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Reddit' alt='Add to Reddit' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/reddit.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:b821623c998e636f08c96e2a0b60a5c4:IsAQzHtNAdRogOHKKgq7MPO4retRl2oBRZ7ETfqY4ssHAcJVo2T0bHzc1v3yKuUEC1X3wlp2c%2BX1qiYYDrVFggEPCT2uFg%2BpEqwqhnaxDKY%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Yahoo My Web' alt='Add to Yahoo My Web' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/yahoo.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:00701735d0080640d669cc494a9d0218:EQsnYlNcWylN8EHlBNf%2FgmiAB96Y03q%2Foa3QJxjowhnzzlhNSDpq1tGo8piIHwbm%2FtuMRx9plnWosDhVgNSyXfI7LUcyfJPLOaQ29VuMZJc%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Google' alt='Add to Google' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/google.png'/></a> <br style="clear: both;"/> <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=130d644363c121abac4a6104a2344c5a" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=130d644363c121abac4a6104a2344c5a" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=yFvaTI"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=yFvaTI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=rBIC2i"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=rBIC2i" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=QUaCVi"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=QUaCVi" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=gevODI"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=gevODI" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/techbiz/~4/322756220" height="1" width="1"/>


Video: Bill Gates' Best Bits, From Pies to BSODs
Bill Gates retires from full-time work at Microsoft next week. We figured that would be the perfect time to put together a highlights reel showing the most entertaining, goofy and inspiring moments from his 33-year career.<br style="clear: both;"/> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:71ec9f29110c72eaa525aca9c359ece6:0lfiVc%2F4D3GCKCOB5v7lfw2AXmAT8FE30xEyXJEKoMcevibHE1JZ9oAxgfgwJqi%2BmwoQPVMKcIxcLL9bAyLVMd6vCqcrsn5HMrm51j8QlOs%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Reddit' alt='Add to Reddit' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/reddit.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:876ea8dfa5ab876ff3d4eb45c570441e:VSC5BF6PB18vC323hvNCEcdCQRXb%2FhKSkvFQQXx6Qalsd3pgSqKgJV0ljYnJGGlNOhWI85i1hjrBN7lgstvPKMVpKIbsenaZR9IE%2B4JKOvM%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Yahoo My Web' alt='Add to Yahoo My Web' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/yahoo.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:5efb1d28c89b760f82b317a21cda24c2:52IbLkeHHa5%2Bn20Mi2Rv2cZSDkWijmlpnew6XKGDKPLfmXo7w75hzcro4D31WtYREu0Ph%2FUxIRcNX62hpNBqD7eMhbVRv%2FkDw3ownAlMZak%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Google' alt='Add to Google' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/google.png'/></a> <br style="clear: both;"/> <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=0aa48684e2154dce8bf4126de620b3f9" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=0aa48684e2154dce8bf4126de620b3f9" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=pvUoII"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=pvUoII" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=FboAHi"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=FboAHi" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=v1pjmi"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=v1pjmi" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=VmH5pI"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=VmH5pI" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/techbiz/~4/321575973" height="1" width="1"/>


The Many (Geeky) Faces of Bill Gates, a Capsule Biography
<p> The Bill Gates that most people are familiar with is the socially awkward nerd who strong-armed his way into becoming the head of the largest software company in the world. </p> <p> In reality, Gates is a smooth operator who, despite his uncombed hair, baby face and disheveled appearance, knew exactly what he was doing every step of the way. He successfully transitioned from cocky college dropout to brass-knuckle negotiator to <a href="http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/news/2008/06/gates_monopoly">seasoned captain of industry</a>, eventually becoming the richest man in the world and a model philanthropist. </p> <p> "This is a guy who really morphed over time," says Mary Jo Foley, a longtime Microsoft watcher and author of <cite>Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft Plans to Stay Relevant in the Post-Gates Era</cite>. "When I look at other CEOs -- guys like [Oracle CEO] Larry Ellison -- they haven't changed much, but Gates has really changed. I still think he's a hard-charging businessman, though -- I don't think he's gone soft." </p> <p> Here's a look at some of the tricky transitions that Gates successfully navigated over the course of his career. Each of these changes were necessary and probably inevitable for any ambitious entrepreneur. It's a measure of Gates' business acumen that he successfully pulled these off where many lesser entrepreneurs have failed. </p> <p> <strong>Transition One: Coder to Negotiator</strong> <div style="float:right; margin:0px 0px 15px 15px;"> <img src="http://www.wired.com/images/article/full/2008/06/gates1_200x.jpg"> </div> <p> If you told the 20-year-old Gates, who <a href="http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/04/dayintech_0404">co-founded Microsoft in 1975</a>, that he actually pulled off his grand plan he probably wouldn't be surprised. And that's part of his charm. </p> <p> Back in 1980, when Gates was barely old enough to rent a car, he walked into a room filled with IBM execs and sold them a product he didn't even have. IBM wanted to get into the computer business, and Bill Gates wanted to get into the software business. He didn't have any negotiating skills, but he landed a deal under which IBM licensed MS-DOS from Microsoft. It was a ridiculously advantageous arrangement since it gave Microsoft the freedom to license the operating system to any other computer maker -- which is what eventually fueled Microsoft's fantastic growth. </p> <p> "He's not a rock star programmer, but he's always had a knack for seeing where the industry is going. He's not always right, but he's a visionary in terms of seeing how markets and industries evolve," Foley says.</p> <p> <strong>Transition Two: Founder to Fortune 500 CEO</strong> <div style="float:right; margin:0px 0px 15px 15px;"> <img src="http://www.wired.com/images/article/full/2008/06/gates2_200x.jpg"> </div> </p> <p> Many entrepreneurs are fully brilliant leaders of startups, but they crash and burn when those companies grew beyond the startup stage. There's little overlap between the skill sets involved in running a small startup and those required to steer a major corporation. </p> <p> Gates is one of the few to pull off both feats with aplomb. </p> <p> "His management style worked really well when they were a scrappy upstart. He brought in young smart guys like him. But he had to tone it down when Microsoft became a big company. A ruthless management style doesn't work as well with a company of 80,000 people," says Foley. </p> <p>Gates matured simultaneously with the company. He learned to tuck his shirt in, comb his hair, and make polite cocktail conversation. </p> <p>"When I was a summer intern at Microsoft in grad school in 1989, he hosted the summer MBA interns to a very nice backyard barbecue at his old house, before he got married. He worked the crowd expertly, despite his reputation for being ill-at-ease with people, and gave everyone their chance to ask him a question or two," says Ted Weinstein, a San Francisco-based literary agent. </p> <!-- pagebreak --> <p> <strong>Transition Three: Monopolist to Savvy Defendant</strong> <div style="float:right; margin:0px 0px 15px 15px;"> <img src="http://www.wired.com/images/article/full/2008/06/gates3_200x.jpg"> </div> </p> <p> His visions didn't help when the feds came knocking in the late 1990s for one of the longest, most drawn-out antitrust cases in U.S. history. In what has been famously characterized as the 1998 "Rainman" deposition, Gates <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=0qNVe024RvI">rocked back and forth in his chair</a>, at times snapping at prosecuting attorney David Boies and generally behaving like a temperamental child. The thing is, it worked. Gates didn't give an inch. And roughly 10 years later, even Boies concedes that Gates' performance was spot on, both in the deposition and on the stand in court. </p> <p> "He was the most potentially effective witness," Boies says. "Nobody knew the stuff as well as he did, and nobody had the passion for it that he did. I definitely would have called him to the stand ... He's a very smart guy." </p> <p> Gates wasn't the most sympathetic witness, though, and in many ways it was a risk to let him testify. </p> <p> "If you're going toe to toe with the government, and the message you want to send is, 'Come hell or high water, we're fighting this until the end,' then you do exactly what [Gates] did," says Barbara Sicalides, an antitrust attorney with Pepper Hamilton. "But in any case where you have a client the size of Microsoft, and where you have inflammatory documents, it's the sort of situation where you'd want to think twice about fighting until the bitter end ... For the most part, I think Microsoft's lawyers were exactly right." </p> <p> <strong>Transition Four: Captain of Industry to 'Venture Philanthropist'</strong> <div style="float:right; margin:0px 0px 15px 15px;"> <img src="http://www.wired.com/images/article/full/2008/06/gates4_200x.jpg"> </div> </p> <p> It was a peculiar situation, though, when, in his early 40s, Gates found himself one of the richest men in the world and had to start thinking about giving away his money, while he was still hungry to earn more. His initial attempts at philanthropy did not go over well. </p> <p> The Gates Library Foundation, founded in 1997, was widely criticized for being too modest (he initially funded it with $200 million) and for being self-serving. And indeed it was -- the mission of the foundation was to provide libraries in low-income communities with internet access and computers. While a worthy cause, Microsoft was also a beneficiary of the foundation's work. </p> <p> "I think he started the library effort because it was related to things he knew about," says Stacy Palmer, editor of <cite>The Chronicle of Philanthropy</cite>. "That's pretty typical. I think it was successful, but it was limited compared to the things he's involved with now." </p> <p> It didn't take long until philanthropy became Gates' full-time occupation. In 1999 Gates folded his various charitable efforts into one organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and in 2000, Gates stepped down as CEO to spend more time on philanthropy. </p> <p> "He seemed to be really interested in philanthropy from the beginning," says Foley. "He's the kind of guy who doesn't care what other people think of him, so I don't think he was bowing to pressure." </p> <p> The net effect is that he has shaken up the philanthropy world. In earlier decades, industry titans often gave locally and more or less felt that their work was done at that point. Bill Gates -- and other tech-made billionaires -- have changed the landscape. </p> <p> "We're seeing a growing emphasis on bringing bottom-line efficiency to venture philanthropy," says Palmer. "It's fairly dramatic -- he's trying to change the face of global philanthropy, but it started in a fairly parochial way." </p><br style="clear: both;"/> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:be9b69b57a2d7d5816b1632c0b9aa1fd:Vrz54wpOWclQIzPNe%2BkkDFr0j48QbWlw%2FZupHykw%2FGcjB2BuA1%2BOfpFEtGgcYczlAc%2B9wfcOv1kWYGMvFJiIg5eoLIqY7KvmS4cf2fJb1dY%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Reddit' alt='Add to Reddit' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/reddit.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:1a34c09f4de168e3537fb348b5f7c3c9:zujiftI7huJH%2BuIgck0pTeyOpYG9M35l3D65xazdLwqh2rMGJarnXpByQDT2iBIcKrS2bwCPgXugiWwrtsT0xAWSFx3RAYEY1mSqeAoamdo%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Yahoo My Web' alt='Add to Yahoo My Web' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/yahoo.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:9bb5eb1f04153868254e7dcb639b18c8:jgbMMnmQnBRGOm%2FDlmEkzDpsQ3oIqYo5dt97ce9RlKufqoZESEc5RG4Nlcug0vI%2BvIZhDKQfg6tSxATFL41bjEcNC%2BqWzDs5PwYjouyRJsc%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Google' alt='Add to Google' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/google.png'/></a> <br style="clear: both;"/> <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=b0cc72d79f3400bfc55cdc85431ab58f" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=b0cc72d79f3400bfc55cdc85431ab58f" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=59JTNI"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=59JTNI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=nA2Lri"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=nA2Lri" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=ppUk1i"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=ppUk1i" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=y9f1lI"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=y9f1lI" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/techbiz/~4/321533170" height="1" width="1"/>


New Rules Could Mean Hundreds of New Domains
A relaxation of rules by the internet's oversight agency means that .com and .net may soon be joined by a slew of new domain names. What's behind it? Like most things, money.<br style="clear: both;"/> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:d5c2d6f404e9aa154e30704ab3a12839:wHo2kAiVoSaLvd%2FkINczDz27JucnQ7MP9bOCWWYzVoQttwgwgSY54d%2BOcaYUGiAHmNMWN4hFcK56Xh3pkmmmtAcV8eTQf7RMtlBmzc%2BoHDQ%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Reddit' alt='Add to Reddit' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/reddit.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:2e22ea030da28e65a941c380cd0bc023:05AKrXe39GsQ3v4kuJ0tewEIxBWv3QbHe57NSFyv4fKKkE58LA%2FlTDj0Sq6I%2BJDiLAuK9wns3Dncu2hbTtdsA5TrvglSSD1hCPY%2BbzFH89s%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Yahoo My Web' alt='Add to Yahoo My Web' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/yahoo.png'/></a> <a style='font-size: 10px; color: maroon;' href='http://www.pheedo.com/hostedMorselClick.php?hfmm=v2:df00896a246cc35cbae86657b03176c8:JrAxYG3oIzWgXQpivwUi%2B9m6eWKgUQNUFfAf%2BnYIozMzXoUsc3NqxeB1sdRIs9x%2BjWXluoArCDzTWQuhDxTTpt3i6KUMOreTEhLvmgzxByY%3D'><img border='0' title='Add to Google' alt='Add to Google' src='http://www.pheedo.com/images/mm/google.png'/></a> <br style="clear: both;"/> <img alt="" style="border: 0; height:1px; width:1px;" border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?i=1fb1ecc31fec62311479a99c4b1caad7" height="1" width="1"/> <img src="http://www.pheedo.com/feeds/tracker.php?i=1fb1ecc31fec62311479a99c4b1caad7" style="display: none;" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=s5i3VI"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=s5i3VI" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=glf27i"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=glf27i" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=erP01i"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=erP01i" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?a=32VAlI"><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~f/wired/techbiz?i=32VAlI" border="0"></img></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.wired.com/~r/wired/techbiz/~4/321383150" height="1" width="1"/>


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So Long, Bill Gates, and Thanks for the Monopoly
<p> He's a merciless competitor, a shameless "fan" of other people's ideas and an unapologetic monopolist. And because of all that, Bill Gates has done more to create the thriving computer industry than anybody else. </p> <p> As Gates prepares to retire from full-time work at Microsoft July 1, after <a href="http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/news/2008/06/gates_bio">33 years of doing everything</a> from writing code to defending his company's business practices in court, many people are saying 'good riddance' to the man most techies loved to hate. What the critics won't acknowledge is that it was Gates' most obnoxious qualities that made it possible for the tech industry to grow as large as it has. </p> <p> "In his prime, Gates combined the monomania of the compulsive software programmer with the competitiveness of Attila the Hun," said Nicholas Carr, author of <cite>Does IT Matter </cite>and <cite>The Big Switch</cite>. </p> <p> And that was a good thing. "A lot of people see Microsoft as the enemy of openness and innovation, but it's worth remembering that it was the open architecture of the Microsoft-based PC that spurred massive creativity in both hardware and software and sped the adoption of computers both at home and at work," Carr said. </p> <p> In fact, the <a href="http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/f3800/msjudgex.htm">monopoly that Microsoft once had</a> on computer operating systems was essential to the development of the computer industry, enforcing a de facto standard that permitted thousands of software and hardware companies to blossom. </p> <iframe src='http://video.wired.com/linking/index.jsp?skin=oneclip&fr_story=076175c8be9606ad6b2f44ad32b46a7b9f6fc330&rf=ev&hl=true <http://video.wired.com/linking/index.jsp?skin=oneclip&amp;fr_story=076175c8be9606ad6b2f44ad32b46a7b9f6fc330&amp;rf=ev&amp;hl=true> ' width=424 height=346 scrolling='no' frameborder=0 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0></iframe> <br><br> <p> The Microsoft monopoly was one part luck, one part business acumen. The lucky part: When IBM asked Microsoft to provide an operating system for its new personal computer in 1980, Gates got the contract, even though he didn't have an OS to sell. </p> <p> No problem. Gates immediately bought the rights to another operating system, QDOS, which he then recast as MS-DOS and sold to IBM. </p> <p> The savvy part: Gates' fledgling company was able to retain rights to the new operating system, securing Microsoft's place at the hub of the PC industry. Later, Gates leveraged that monopoly into such complete dominance of the PC industry that Microsoft was able to collect payments from PC manufacturers for every PC they sold -- even if those PCs didn't carry a Microsoft operating system. </p> <!--pagebreak--> <p> That monopoly was bad for competitors who had arguably superior operating systems -- including, later, IBM's OS/2. And it was built in large part on appropriating the best ideas of other companies, from Gary Kildall's CP/M to Apple's Macintosh. </p> <p> But the upside was enormous because the monopoly created a stable environment where entrepreneurs could develop new companies and new products around a common platform. </p> <p> Without that standard, the computer industry in the 1990s would have resembled the web today: diverse, vibrant and flowering with abundant innovation, but also frequently broken because of the inability of disparate products to make the most basic connections with one another. </p> <p> "Unlike oil, pharmaceutical or steel, monopolies are a necessary ingredient in the technology business," Forrester Research founder George Colony <a href="http://blogs.forrester.com/colony/2008/06/bill-gates-lega.html">wrote in a recent blog post</a>. "It's only when de facto standards like Windows or de jure standards like HTML become dominant that usefulness soars." </p> <p> Contrast that to the state of the internet today. While the web abounds in standards, a frequent problem is that companies don't hew to them (and since 1996, Microsoft has been guilty of this behavior too). Having trouble syncing your Google calendar with your Yahoo calendar? Wondering why your camcorder won't upload to your new Macbook, your iPod can't share files with your friends' MP3 players and your mobile phone can't display webpages properly? All of these problems are traceable to a lack of widely supported standards. </p> <p> Just imagine if the same chaos had reigned throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. Hardware manufacturers like Dell, Hewlett Packard, Compaq and IBM would still be battling it out with incompatible systems. And software like Lotus 1-2-3, WordPerfect and, yes, even Microsoft Office never would have achieved widespread success. </p> <p> "[Bill Gates] made an unbelievable contribution," said Netscape, Opsware and Ning founder Marc Andreessen, while <a href="http://blog.wired.com/business/2008/04/marc-andreessen.html">speaking at a keynote with John Battelle</a> at the Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco earlier this year. "It's hard to conceive what this industry would look like today if Microsoft hadn't standardized the OS ... I think the industry would be much smaller if that hadn't happened." </p> <p> Of course, success breeds resentment, and Gates' aggressive business practices -- and less-than-polished personal style -- made him many enemies. </p> <p> "The problem is when you're the biggest sequoia in the woods, everyone wants to cut you down," said Paul Santinelli, a general partner with North Bridge Venture Partners, a venture capital firm. </p> <p> Gates didn't help matters by overreaching once his company's monopoly was firmly established. </p> <p> "Gates became kind of a Godfather figure in the industry, demanding tributes from his partners and whacking those who threatened his power," Carr said. "So Microsoft deserves both praise for stimulating innovation and criticism for stifling it." </p> <p> And then there was the problem that many of Microsoft's products simply didn't work that well. Indeed, as the chorus of complaints about Windows Vista grows louder day by day, it could be said that Gates is leaving Microsoft at exactly the right time, before the company's long decline sullies his reputation. </p> <p> "If all that stuff worked right out of the box, we'd all be out of a job," said David Strom, an independent technology consultant and speaker in St. Louis. Strom has a <a href="http://strom.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/giving-thanks-to-bill-gates/">speech praising Gates</a> for, among other things, effectively guaranteeing full employment for IT people called in to make Microsoft products work properly. </p> <p> But while technologists may curse Gates' aggressiveness and the buggyness of Microsoft software, they should also raise a glass to toast him as he departs the computer business. </p> <p> "He didn't have the zest of a Philippe Kahn, or the elegance of a Steve Jobs, or the stage presence of a Larry Ellison. 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