Gates: 2002 Had 'Ups and Downs'
eWeek | at | by Mike
Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates kicked off Comdex 2002 Sunday night here with a Dickensian look back at the year that was. And while 2002, as Gates said, "had its share of ups and downs," there were many positives to take away. Running through a short list, Gates highlighted advances in wireless technology, namely Wi-Fi; advances in the price/performance ratio; readability in LCDs; progress in digital camera technology; and low-cost storage.
Gates also praised the industry for its collective work around Web services, efforts he said that are key to driving things like e-commerce far forward. "A year ago there was no industry organization around Web services," Gates said. Today, he added, with the creation of the Web Service Interoperability Group, protocols are being developed that "are some of the best. We need Web services to enable e-commerce. Internet connectivity is not enough."