Monday, December 2, 1996
TECHNOLOGY:
Advent of worldwide network causing industry boomBy Phillip Hong
Daily Bruin Contributor
Before a packed audience in the Ackerman Grand Ballroom, Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Bill Gates discussed the increasing power of computers and the movement of society toward a new era of digital communication with the UCLA community.
"The computer is becoming the most powerful communications tool of all time, and the implications of this are pretty incredible," he said. "(People) didn't really think the computer would ever be comparable with these advances in communication that I'm showing here: the printing press, telephone, radio, television, and yet that has become evident now."
Gates attributes the rapid development of computer technology to Moore's Law, which states that every two years computers get twice as powerful, a fact computer buyers are painfully aware of after their top-of-the-line machine becomes outdated in just a few months.
Intel CEO Andrew Grove celebrated the 25th anniversary of the microprocessor, but also looked into the future, saying that in 15 years, chips that are 1,000 times faster than what exist today will be a realistic expectation.
However, Gates explained that it is the Internet that is really fueling the information superhighway.
"It is the Internet that has in the past year restructured the world's view of the computer," he said. "The Internet has taken advantage of the power of computers and transformed them into agents of mass communication and public discourse.
"It really is a phenomena like no other, because the attention that is being paid to this by the world at large is unbelievable. The number of new startups, the amount of new money being funneled in, the very high expectations there's no doubt we're at critical mass."
Critical mass can refer to the heavy traffic on the Internet, and the slow connections to the Internet for the home user. Essentially, it is this very issue of connection speed to the Internet that is the thorn in the side of all developers of mass-market Internet technology.
"One of the things that makes (the Internet) tough is the speed of connections. A few years ago, people thought that interactive TV would just sweep the world. And phone companies were promising quick delivery for millions of homes," Gates said. "Well, it turned out not to be economic to run all that optic fiber. So rather than the TV-centric approach, we're going to have a more PC-centric approach, where Internet speeds will get richer and richer."
Faster modems are a necessity for the ambitious goals of interactivity Gates is trying to deliver to millions of homes within the next few years.
However, for users logging on to the Internet from within UCLA either at Powell, the Office of Academic Computing or the residence halls their direct access to the Internet is termed broad-band, which Gates called "the ultimate."
"In a university campus where you have great density, running that optic fiber and handing video data rates for high-quality video is very possible. Some universities will get out in front on this, and over time the world at large will have broad-band."
This puts UCLA years ahead of society in the era of digital communications, allowing college students to use their personal computer as more than just a word processor and game box. Their PCs become fundamental tools for researching papers, communicating to friends and family across the globe, and surfing the World Wide Web at blazingly fast speeds.
"I believe that (the Internet) will certainly redefine education," Gates predicted. "Nobody knows exactly how. Will we still need such big university campuses? Will we have the on-line collaboration where you can get the experts in the field and see what they're saying in a better way? (There is) lots of experimentation to be done there."
Microsoft has had numerous interactions with UCLA, according to Vice Chancellor of Research Kumar Patel, who explained that Microsoft has helped build information technology with the Anderson School of Management and interacted closely with the faculty from the School of Medicine in health care activities. There exists also very strong links between the linguistics department and Microsoft, Patel added.
Experimentation in the area of technology and education is being done at UCLA, according to Patel, who also sees Microsoft as a likely partner in exploring this new field.
"They (Microsoft and UCLA) both continually seek new ways of thinking about problems at hand. And in this framework, Microsoft and UCLA have begun discussions to enhance already existing relationships," Patel said.
Gates appears to agree, pointing out that the atmosphere of a collegiate setting is conducive for the generation of creative ideas in computing technology.
"The kind of things that you're doing when you're creating great software, you want the same sort of nice surroundings that you've had as a student, it's what you're used to and it's a great environment," he said.
In addition, UCLA fosters a good relationship with Microsoft by sending off accomplished graduates to the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Wash.
"We're looking for people who are excited about being involved with great software. Certainly we've been lucky enough to have lots of excellent UCLA graduates to join Microsoft. We're mostly looking for a real aptitude and energy."
Many UCLA students fitting this criteria may wish to take Gates' lead and bypass their college education altogether in order to pursue a career in the industry.
"If you think you have a whole new approach that no one else has ever thought of, that's going to build a gigantic company, if you really feel that way, and it's very time-critical, then maybe you should pursue that. For 99.9 percent of the people, it's probably better to finish school, and get a chance to get work experience in a great company and see how they do things, and then strike out," Gates said.
"College is a great thing it's fun. You get to learn a lot, there's all sorts of people to do things with. They feed you every day. It's hard to beat college," he said.
However, when asked if he misses school, Gates replied, "I have such an incredible job, that I'd say I'm having even more fun than I had in college."
PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin
Microsoft CEO Bill Gates speaks before a sellout crowd Wednesday in Ackerman Grand Ballroom.