The Late Peter Jennings and Windows OS Tested on September 11
Recently Mr. Bill Gates accepted an interview and said:
"If you want to point to why the Windows PC has become such a successful, central thing, that enabling of partners, including all those great hardware partners, I'd say that's been very big. Here you see Toshiba doing SideShow (a Vista feature that enables a secondary display). You see Sony doing this beautiful Media Center, living room-type device. You see HP bringing in this touch-screen capability on a very nice form factor... "
(http://news.com.com/2008-1041_3-6147885.html)
You can enjoy contents and functions of advanced equipment. Such equipment consists of hardware whose control needs complicated and accurate procedures and operations only software can perform in a very short time.
Hardware can be easily replaced with other maker's, but a type of basic software cannot. It is because electronic formats of contents would be uniquely based on each maker's software unless comprehensive standard is forcibly adopted by the industry. If a dominant software maker refuses to accept such a standard, users cannot use old files in a different maker's software system which might be cheaper and more efficient.
(Just like you cannot buy and use another TV set that cannot receive a presently most popular broadcast frequency or channel.)
Users want to use a great amount of old files; Microsoft seems to have refused to adopt universal standards on file formats and other functions; and Japanese hardware makers cannot effectively offer more user-friendly solutions (except the TRON embedded OS project), but continue to design PCs that can only work with the Windows operating system.
Nonetheless, why are not a number of Windows-compatible operating systems being designed and produced by various software makers in this free and democratic world?
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Accordingly, Mr. Bill Gates has become the richest man in the world.
However, when he was interviewed with in person by the late Peter Jennings in his home in Washington State, Mr. Bill Gates did not even look like the richest man in the United States.
(I suppose the interview was conducted just after or before Peter Jennings' coverage tour to Iraq in 2003 or 2004, where he encountered very nearly shootings between US troops and insurgents.)
It might because Peter Jennings was not in excellent physical condition that his attitude toward Mr. Bill Gates looked a little too cool while the billionaire was showing the famous anchorman around his home with full of IT systems.
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Software is not a "king" in the IT system. But, users are as with other consumer goods. Further, public information even as goods is a little more different.
When the society is hit just like 9/11 terror attacks in 2001, it is an excellent anchorman that can calm down people as well as situations through his "presidential" manners but not super-rich IT industry leaders.
A profession that is accompanied with some human value is more valuable than a profession that is concerned only with monetary value at its core.
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The 9/11 terror attacks in 2001 forced Peter Jennings to perform his duty in front of a camera under a specific pressure for very long, contiguous hours, which might have tested his health with a delayed effect leading to his death in August, 2005.
I don't know how they tested Windows OS, apart from the Internet designed for specific flexibility, on the day.
Now, how were you tested on the very day that is September 11, 2001?
(After all, to be blessed or condemned by God?)
"THE NEWS ABOUT THIS SPREAD ALL OVER"