5 years ago: Gates promises "magic software" and no media merger

This year the topics at Davos are visas and the dollar...

31.01.00: Speaking at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, Bill Gates claims Microsoft is not pursuing a media mega-merger of the likes of AOL's $350bn deal with Time Warner.

Gates says Microsoft will stick to its roots as a company, creating software.

The chairman and chief software says he wants Microsoft to be the creator of the next generation of "magic software", to enable wider access to the internet through mobile devices and appliances.

Several industry analysts agree avoiding a merger and sticking with software would be good moves for Microsoft.

31.01.05: Gates made good on his word and Microsoft has indeed not undertaken any media mega-mergers and for the most part has stuck to software and web services.

As for that "magic software", Microsoft has come up with its Windows Mobile and Windows Smartphone operating systems, which run on many mobile devices that connect to the net.

But Microsoft far from rules this territory, with competition from the likes of Symbian and PalmSource.

At this year's Davos conference, Gates spoke out on a number of topics including the negative impact of the US' strict visa restrictions and the continued weakness of the dollar.