What? Bill Gates in town? Yes, the rumors turned out to be true. He's here in Malaysia in conjunction with Microsoft Innovation Day. I've registered for the event some time back, thinking that it's just going to be another TechNet/MSDN briefing. There wasn't a slightest hint that the big guy was coming. I would have regretted had I not registered.
After a one-hour-plus drive to Putrajaya Convention Centre, I finally made it to the entrance. Nope, it's not like you go straight into the hall. There were security procedures that all attendees had to go through, much like at the airport.
Okay, the moment has arrived. Bill Gates delivered a speech on Microsoft's vision for Seamless Computing. Ahh...missed his trademark sweater. He was in formal attire. Heh.
This rare event made me reminisce on the time when I saw Jim Barksdale in person back in 1996. Barksdale is a celebrated alumnus of my university and was then the CEO of Netscape Communications. He gave a talk to the students of the Computer and Information Science department of his alma mater. I was one of the grad students. :-) Little did I know back then that Bill (the man that I saw today) will be sidelining Barksdale's company, forcing it to be victimized in a merger 3 years later. How ironic!
After a one-hour-plus drive to Putrajaya Convention Centre, I finally made it to the entrance. Nope, it's not like you go straight into the hall. There were security procedures that all attendees had to go through, much like at the airport.
Okay, the moment has arrived. Bill Gates delivered a speech on Microsoft's vision for Seamless Computing. Ahh...missed his trademark sweater. He was in formal attire. Heh.
This rare event made me reminisce on the time when I saw Jim Barksdale in person back in 1996. Barksdale is a celebrated alumnus of my university and was then the CEO of Netscape Communications. He gave a talk to the students of the Computer and Information Science department of his alma mater. I was one of the grad students. :-) Little did I know back then that Bill (the man that I saw today) will be sidelining Barksdale's company, forcing it to be victimized in a merger 3 years later. How ironic!
