Information Overload Overblown, Says Gates

Aarthi writes "Microsoft's annual CEO meet-and-greet kicked off on Thursday with the company's Chairman, Bill Gates, countering the notion that the workers today are not overloaded with information.'We still want a lot of information.' He also outlined plans for Office 12, the next version of its desktop software, which is due to arrive in the second half of next year." From the article: "There is a real temptation that the thing that comes in the latest is the one you shift your attention to, even though that may be the least important...That turns you into a filing clerk."

Microsoft Saves The Dumb

[Nytewynd]

"There is a real temptation that the thing that comes in the latest is the one you shift your attention to, even though that may be the least important," Gates said. The result, he said, is that people either have to leave everything "in one big bucket" or they have to spend a lot of time creating lots of folders. "That turns you into a filing clerk."

How about hiring people that understand how to prioritize their own work? If someone can't figure out whether to run a report for their boss or send on a chain letter, I don't think a new version of Office is going to fix the problem.

The typical Web search takes 11 minutes these days. Gates acknowledged that that is a big improvement over search times and capabilities of a few years ago, when half of the searches didn't yield the needed information. He added, however, that a Web search is still a "treasure hunt" in which one hopes that the top few links contain the desired information.

Who the hell is taking 11 minutes to find what they want on the web. I timed myself just now, and I was looking at "hot teen lesbians" within 13 seconds. If that doesn't count for what people want on the web, I don't know what does. In 11 minutes, I could build my own website for it.

If I were to file this release into folders, it would probably go into my Marketing/Propaganda one.

MSN Search not a cure-all

[Jivecat]

From TFA: "The company's MSN Search already has that for a few areas, he said, demonstrating queries on 'Which country has the second-largest GDP?' and 'How many calories are there in spinach?'"

But if you want to know how many calories there are in sperm, you'll have to ask Uncle Cecil [straightdope.com].

He's right, you know

[Quiet_Desperation]

We still want a lot of information.

Such as "How do I get Windows to the point where I'm not having to continually force quit stalled applications" or "Why on God's green Earth would Windows go out and waste my time trying to access a server pointed to by a shortcut I am telling it to delete, and then it bogs down because it can't find the server and does not realize that, well, that's why I want to DELETE THE FUCKING SHORTCUT!!!!" or "Why are most Cancel buttons in Windows cruel hoaxes?"

You know... little factoids like that.

In the news today

[Anonymous Coward]

William H Gates III wipes his nose on his sleeve.

Write an article about it!

Re:Well...

[AndroidCat]

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. (But only if they shower on a regular basis!)

If Gates says information overload is overblown..

[Anonymous Coward]

..then I say Windows is overbloated.

Information is never enough!

[necromcr]

Yes, please! Hit me with 120x40 start button and with all sorts of [insertname]-bars. It's ok if it decreases readability but that's why I have my 19 inch LCD for, eh?

Oh, oh! Let's not forget the IE4 Channels feature, THAT is what I use regularly!

Re:Linux on the desktop? Just a fanboy fantasy

[daikokatana]

MAN pages do not cut it.

SO true. Everybody knows that a desktop completely cluttered with retarded paperclips is the way to go!

By the way, if you switch the paperclip for the wizard, the messages become even more helpfull!!

Back to unix now, just to see what MAN remove_troll says...

Re:I agree

[MysteriousPreacher]

You just don't need all those gauges, information is only useful if you can realistically process it.

Homer Simpson invented the 'everything's fine' alarm. It was a device that played an ear-piercing siren whenever everything was okay.

Wouldn't it be simpler to just have one of these installed in your car. that way, while the siren plays, you'll know that everything is fine.

Re:I can't figure out

[Anonymous Coward]

Up to "my girlfriend". Kinda tuned out at that point.

Pfft! Information overload indeed!

[killmenow]

I don't have a problem with information overload. Here's how I know:

1. I have several e-mail accounts to deal with
2. I chat on IRC daily
3. I follow several USENET news groups
4. I routinely post on a variety of message boards
5. I subscribe to Mental Floss [mentalfloss.com], SysAdmin Magazine [samag.com] and Columbus Monthly [columbusmonthly.com]
6. I read /. [slashdot.org] and technocrat [technocrat.net] and fark [fark.com] and El Reg [theregister.co.uk] and Something Awful [somethingawful.com] and Google News [google.com] and Groklaw [groklaw.net] and The Onion [theonion.com] and Maddox [xmission.com] and Ars Technica [arstechnica.com] and USA Today [usatoday.com] and NewsForge [newsforge.com] every single day
7. I use Stumble Upon [stumbleupon.com] to find random, new and interesting web sites
8. ...AND I CAN'T GET ENOUGH!!!

See, no problem at all!

Re:Security vulnerabilities make money for Microso

[caluml]

When Saudis attack, invade Iraq?

In case you didn't hear, Saddam is best mates with Bin Laden. They hang out, and smoke dope, get drunk, chase ladies together, and draw up 9-11/Mk2 plans.

Re:countering ... not

[Lovesquid]

It should correctly read:
"not un-countering the notion that the workers today aren't not un-overloaded with information"

Re:What if...

[Anonymous Coward]

Multiple personality disorder, huh? yeah, i've got a psycho right hand that won't leave me alone either..

it sucks! (Well, with some lube, it almost feels like it)