IT Week's Sideways view

Good Week
Despite having been voted only 31st on an Intel-backed poll of the most important technologists of all time, Bill Gates seems to be basking in a haze of valedictory appreciation as he prepares to leave his day-to-day role at Microsoft. But things looked rocky last week when he took audience questions at an Institute of Directors lunch in London. Members queried his commitment to philanthropy, the vagaries of Microsoft software terms, and business software competition. Gates was in excellent form though, and his advice for dealing with stress was sound. “Try not to get sued by anybody,” he said. “Especially your own government.”

Bad Week
Last week, U2 showed just how out of touch with fans rock stars can become when egomania becomes overpowering. The band’s manager Paul McGuinness lashed out at software firms and governments for their laissez-faire attitudes to music downloads. For a band that regards Bill Gates as a personal friend, the Irish rockers have a worrying lack of understanding of the internet economy. Songwriters and performers might have to get used to receiving less direct revenue from music, but every download, illegal or not, is a potential money-earner in other fields, be they concert tickets, T-shirts or other merchandise.

Word of the Week
Yahoo! Commonly denoting a yelp of delight, Yahoo was also the name for a rude and brutal tribe in Gulliver’s Travels. An early internet firm adopted it and added an exclamation mark. Some say the name also works as an acronym for Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle. With Yahoo laying off 1,000 staff, the name might again take on negative connotations, or even disappear.

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