The D : All Things Digital conference is an effect where the ace power in the audience is comparable to the genius power on the upshot stage . Sure , that ’s George Lucas up there on stage , but is n’t that Martha Stewart ? And there ’s Steve Ballmer of Microsoft , but the gang listen to him let in former RIAA executive Hilary Rosen and “ Men in Black ” managing director Barry Sonnenfeld .
When George Lucas came on stage Wednesday evening , there was civil applause . Likewise for other speakers such as Senator John McCain , Cisco CEO John Chambers , and CBS President Leslie Moonves . Even Steve Jobs ’ former - afternoon session was not preceded by the sort of expectation that one sees outside a Macworld Expo keynote address .
But the joint eve appearance of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates ? The tone was electric , even for this in high spirits - technical school , in high spirits - powered crowd . Even 15 second before showtime , the sheer anticipation in the interview was more like the vibe you ’d get from a rock concert than from a sedate sit - down with twoWall Street Journalwriters and two technology billionaires .
And the duo of billionaires did not disappoint . Well , to be fair , they in all probability disappointed anyone who expected this to be the sort of event where two adult male insert and one Isle of Man leave . This was not a no - holds - barred conflict of marbles . Instead , it was a fascinating chance to take in two homo who are very much in the public centre , perhaps destined to be inextricably linked to one another in the history script , interact with each other for the first meter in a public mise en scene in a ten .
What struck me most about Jobs ’s and Gates ’s fundamental interaction with one another was the genuine warmheartedness they both felt when nostalgically recalling the early days of the personal estimator gyration , when Microsoft provide a interlingual rendition of the BASIC scheduling language for the Apple II and then became one of the flagship program developer for the very first Mac . In an industry that has trouble remember what materialize last workweek , these men have 30 years of account — much of it adept , conceive it or not .
As Jobs eloquently put it : “ When Bill and I first meet each other and worked together in the other day , generally we were both the youngest guy in the room . And now , when we ’re working at our companies , I do n’t know about [ Bill ] , but I ’m the oldest guy in the room sometimes … there ’s that one line in that one Beatles , ‘ You and I have memories longer than the road that extend out ahead . ’ And that clear is true here . ”
It ’s easy to portray these two as vitriolic rivals , and their two companies for certain provide counterpoint styles and approaches to technology that match the personality of their father . Job showed himself to be a very thoughtful , almost philosophic speaker at times . Likewise truthful to shape , Gates exposed his unabashed geeky passion of the nuts and bolts of the engineering behind the engineering science . But both seemed to distinguish the strength of the other .
For me , the most impressive statement of the night was from Gates , when each man was ask about what he admire about the other . “ I ’d give a lot to have Steve ’s mouthful , his intuitive taste , both for mass and products , ” said Gates . He told a fib about one of those early get together when the original Mac was being develop , in which Gates would near trouble from a technical position , as “ an engine room guy . ” And in contrast , he ’d see Steve Jobs make an visceral determination , based on “ his sense of mass ” and how they ’d respond to using the engineering . “ And it was sorcerous , ” Gates call back . “ Wow ! ”
Jobs , hearkening back to Apple ’s decision not to license the Mac OS to other hardware companies , which led to the boost of Microsoft Windows , tell that he regretted that Apple had too much of a lone - wolf mentality in those days . “ Because Woz and I start the party ground on doing the whole banana tree , we were n’t so full at partnering with people … . And if Apple had more of that in its DNA , it would ’ve serve us really well . And [ Apple ] did n’t learn that until a couple decades later . ”
This is not to say that the night was entirely a love - fest , not on the same daytime where Jobs likened the Windows interpretation of iTunes to “ give a looking glass of icewater to somebody in hell . ” ( picture highlight of Jobs ’s solo appearing is embedded below , courtesy of the D league . word of advice : the telecasting will in all likelihood be antedate by an ad . This is one of the many reasons why Rupert Murdoch wants to pay a big pile of money for the Wall Street Journal . )
Most notably the pair collide about , of all thing , Apple ’s successful serial of telecasting ads featuring the Mac Guy ( Justin Long ) and the PC Guy ( John Hodgman ) . Gates was visibly uncomfortable during the entire discussion of the ads , not buying Jobs ’s suggestion that “ The art of those commercial message is not to be mean , but is actually for the guys to care each other . ” When both Jobs and carbon monoxide - moderator Kara Swisher expressed that they liked the PC bozo , Gates shoot back , “ His female parent loves him . ”
And when Jobs drag out his well - worn Alan Kay quote about people who make software program desire to design their own hardware , Gates allow rip with another teetotal replication : “ I can jib that . ” But Gates did admit that , in certain field , Apple ’s attack to incorporate computer hardware and software design was appropriate , which is why Microsoft has adopted it for products such as the Zune , Xbox , and the newMicrosoft Surfacetable personal computer product .
However , the pair did find a circle of common ground , especially when guard the honor of the engineering science mathematical product that delimitate both of them : the personal computer . While excitedly discuss the time to come of tiny , “ post - PC ” machine , Jobs and Gates both said that the demise of the PC is probably a long direction off . Gates ticked off other twist that were going to kill the PC , like the internet computer , and the single - function calculator . Jobs said that “ the microcomputer will go on to be with us , and it ’ll morph with us . ” But Jobs also read a greater enthusiasm for the possible action in those new devices , such as the iPod and the iPhone .
They also both fight back the evolution of the computer operating system of rules , after Centennial State - moderator Walt Mossberg suggested that origination in the reckoner port has largely drag one’s heels since the innovation of the Mac in 1984 . Jobs advise that if you disappear for 10 years and then return , you ’d detect the incremental improvement that have been happening on our desktops . Gates , totally in character , expressed enthusiasm for new technology such as lecture acknowledgement and computer imaginativeness . But he also expressed excitement for the conception of a 3 - 500 interface design where , for deterrent example , an online bookshop could have — wait for it — a 3 - D theatrical performance of substantial Holy Writ ! Amazon take note — or do n’t .
As both men pointed out , one of the challenges of being the trafficker of a computing gadget operating system and software package programs is that you ’ve got a base of user who wo n’t accept basal modification . As Jobs put it , even if it ’s better to repel a car with six wheels and steer it via a stick , masses wo n’t accept those change . They like four - bicycle cars you ride with a steering cycle . So the change in our desktops ( 3 - five hundred bookshelf by ) will be more incremental , while standalone devices like the iPhone and Microsoft Surface will have more radical concepts .
Ultimately , did this Gates - Jobs joint appearing live up to the electricity in the room beforehand ? Even though it was a relatively gentle kind of evening , I ’d have to say yes . To see these two icons of the computing equipment diligence , reacting to one another and play off each other , in an informal stage setting gratis of PR handlers , was a chance to peek through their plate a little bit . And what we go was a good coup d’oeil at two human race who genuinely eff engineering and are driven by their enthusiasm in the work they have choose . As Jobs himself said , “ I sort of look at us as two of the luckiest Guy on the planet . ”
( More coverage , include ahighlight TV of the Jobs - Gates sessionandfull copy , are available on theAll Things Dweb site . )
