The Ultimate Killer App—Dear Bill

Copyright © 2008, By Odell Sneeden Hathaway, III

An Open Letter to Bill Gates,The Ultimate killer App!

Microsoft Corporation
Attn: Bill Gates
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399

Subject: The Ultimate Killer App!

My Dear Mr. Gates,

Let me introduce myself. My name is Odell Hathaway. I have been a computer programmer since 1977, when my parents purchased their first computer for their business—an IBM 5100 Portable Computer. This was IBM’s attempt to develop a microcomputer that, of course, was eventually overshadowed by your DOS operating system and the IBM Personal Computer.

As I say, I have worked as a computer programmer for over 30 years, man and boy. I have developed and maintained software both for companies with their own computers and software (developed in-house by me), and I have worked for companies that develop software or modify other people’s software (value-added resellers).

While I am a fairly good developer of new software, I have found that I am also exceptionally good at working in support. That is, once a bug has been identified, I am good at finding and removing it.

My many years working in support have given me a unique view of the world of software development and the software developer’s relationship to their customers. I have found that the world of software can be broken into three parts:

  1. Those of us who make, maintain, and sell software.
  2. Those who purchase software. These are the true customers our programs are developed to serve.
  3. Those who use the software. Seldom, if ever, in the case of software for large companies (who spend large amounts of money) do the people who buy the software actually use the same software.

As I say, I have worked as a programmer for 30 years and I have realized that there is a basic problem with this model:

  • Programmers make wonderful software—new, innovative, just what the purchasers need.
  • Purchasers pay large sums of money for software that they seldom, if ever, see or actually use.

The relationship between these two groups is a harmonious one and has led to the growth of our industry and your fortune.

It is this third group that is the fly in the ointment—the malignant group of people who are the constant cause of strife in the computing world. I refer, of course, to the end users. Everything is going fine, but then the end users run around screaming that “the sky is falling” or “the emperor has no clothes!”

They seem to feel that errors or bad data are a real problem and do not appreciate the tremendous work that has taken place to make it possible for the error to occur. They are just never satisfied….

I feel that the ultimate killer app would be to find a way to develop software that would not require an end user. There would be programmers and people who would buy it, but no one would ever use it. Just think how wonderful it would have been if you could have released VISTA and nobody found out how bad it was.

Think how this would transform the world of support if suddenly there were no subnormal, unimaginative drones (end users) constantly doing things they should not, making dumb mistakes, and stumbling on the bugs that hardworking, brilliant, superior individuals (like programmers) have inadvertently left behind.

Imagine what this kind of breakthrough could do for the sales department. It has been my experience that salespeople are constantly selling products or features that development has not even dreamed of. Now this would no longer be a problem.

Oh, I can hear you saying that under this plan you would not need a support department. But think, will you. Would you buy software from a company that is not set up to support it? (Microsoft is a major exception to this rule. I have never found a way to get Microsoft to support anything.)

As I say, I have been thinking about this for some time and I feel that there is almost no chance of developing such software. But just imagine if there were some way to do it. It would open a whole new world in software development—BIGGER than IBM, Google, the Net, and yes, even the mighty Microsoft. That is assuming Microsoft is not the one who develops it.

The risk in such a proposal is huge, but the possible gains are so big the risk seems small.

It is my belief that if I had a grant of, say, three-quarters of a billion dollars, I could take a holistic approach to solving this problem, living comfortably and spending the rest of my life working on it and getting nowhere.

I was wondering if you and Microsoft might be interested in funding such a proposal.

Thank you,

Odell Hathaway

After several months I received the following response.

Dear Odell Hathaway,

We wanted to thank you for the information you sent to Microsoft. This is an exciting time to be exploring all the amazing things that technology can do to improve lives around the world. It’s inspiring to see you thinking so deeply about it.

Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, Microsoft cannot accept unsolicited submissions of ideas and materials. You can find out more about our policy here.

We encourage your interest and enthusiasm around using technology to realize everyone’s potential. Here are some links you might find useful in pursuing that interest:

Advice from Bill Gates: Bill provides his thoughts here on how you can help achieve your potential and contribute to our industry (see “My Advice to Students” in the download section).

Educational and Career Opportunities: We have a number of resources for jobs at Microsoft. Please refer to our college recruiting link which provides information for students on internships, full-time positions, scholarship programs, etc. And, if you’re looking ahead, we also have a site for students getting an MBA.

Thank you again for your proposal. We truly appreciate your interest and congratulate you on your creativity.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXXX
Business Development Manager
Opportunity Management Center • Microsoft Corporation
fax: XXX-XXX-XXXX

Yes, it seems Microsoft not only can’t take a joke, but doesn’t recognize one when it sees it.

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