Gates gives critics an 'F'
Gates, who finished out a day of barnstorming the length and breadth of Silicon Valley, told a gathering at San Jose State University that Microsoft had not intended to pick a fight with the Justice Department.
"When your own government sues you, it's not a pleasant experience," Gates said. "I wasn't sitting there going `ha, ha, ha, I'll do what I want.' I was thinking this is the worst thing that's ever happened to me."
Last week, Microsoft entered into a settlement with the Justice Department and agreed to allow its Windows 95 operating system to be shipped without the icon for its Internet Explorer browser.
Earlier in the day, Gates told investors and analysts at the NationsBanc Montgomery Securities Technology Conference in San Francisco that the Justice Department was seeking to have the software company "cripple" its products.
In a question and answer session following his prepared remarks, Gates took aim at Netscape Communications Corp., one of its chief rivals in the Internet market.
"I think it's a little disingenuous for them to go on about not knowing we're putting a browser in the OS," he said.
He also indicated that Microsoft intended to continue to grow through acquisitions.
"You're going to see more of that," he said.
At the Montgomery conference, Gates told analysts the company's Windows 98 and NT products were on track.
In the afternoon, Gates visited a third-grade class at Cesar Chavez Academy in East Palo Alto. The school is participating in a joint Intel Corp.-Microsoft partnership to provide PCs to classrooms.