Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/1998/11/09/intel_writes_lousy_software_says/

Intel writes lousy software, says Gates

Kindly Bill tells Intel it's wasting its money on crap programming -- leave it to me, he says

By John Lettice

Posted in On-Prem, 9th November 1998 21:47 GMT

Here's a puzzle. One of the long term Wintel buddies, Andy Grove of Intel, says Microsoft strongarmed him over Native Signal Processing and he caved. Another one, Bill Gates, says he never threatened Intel, and what's more Intel software stinks. Those of us who got the beta of Windows 1.0 will understand that Bill's something of an expert on low quality software, so we'll take notice of his video testimony this morning, which was deftly inserted by the DoJ prior to the Intel verbal testimony. Said Bill of Intel's programming: "We thought the quality of their work was very low as well as not working with any of our new Windows work... We may have suggested at some point that the net contribution of their software activities could even be viewed as a negative." The Register would refer the gentlepersons of the jury to any number of joint Wintel documents under the designation PC9x, point to whose hardware does cater for devices such as USB, and whose software has been somewhat deleterious in arriving so that people can actually use the things. Microsoft software -- scarce, but perfectly formed, we presume. Gates denies absolutely that he threatened Intel, while memos from Intel exec David McGeady say Gates wanted Intel's investments in the Internet stopped, and that at a meeting between Gates and Grove, Gates made threats about Intel support for non-Intel platforms. "Intel was wasting its money by writing low-quality software that created incompatibilities for users, and those negative experiences weren't helpful for any goal that Intel had," says Gates in his testimony. The "incompatibilities", however, seem to be schemes such as NSP which Microsoft did not cater for, and did not intend to cater for, in Windows. ® Complete Register trial coverage Click for more stories Click for story index