Gates' adieu passes Google, Yahoo! by

Analysts and observers have been offering their thoughts on the legacy left by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates after he announced plans on Thursday to step down from a day-to-day role at Redmond in 2008 but more recent rivals of the software giant have let the news pass without comment.

Few individuals are as identified with their respective industries as Gates is with the PC sector. His Windows operating system is the dominant product of its age, running well over 90 per cent of the PCs in the world and inspiring praise, venom and legal tangles during various points in Gates' tenure in the industry

John Reimer, an analyst with Forrester Research, said: "This is probably a once-in-a-generation guy."

Umesh Ramakrishnan, vice chairman of executive search company Christian and Timbers, said: "Bill Gates is bigger than life. He has led what for this generation has been the most storied technology firm."

And Richard Shim, an analyst with IDC, added: "I think of what a great businessman he was but not necessarily what a great technologist he was."

Despite such characterisations, Gates' announcement provoked a muted reaction from the industry players who stood by his products - as well as those who clashed with his strategies.

On the hardware side, Dell and HP declined to comment on the historic shift at the helm of one of their largest partners. Intel and AMD had no immediate comment on Gates' announcement.

Gateway noted Gates' announcement with a brief statement. Greg Memo, senior vice president of products for the PC maker, said: "Microsoft remains a valued Gateway partner, and we're confident they will put the right team in place to continue moving the company and its products forward."

Apple, one of Microsoft's most public foes, resisted the temptation to mark Gates' announcement, declining to comment through a representative. Another one-time Gates combatant, lawyer Gary Reback, did take some time to reflect on Gates' legacy. Reback helped the government prepare its antitrust case against Microsoft in the 1990s.

Reback said: "It certainly sounds like it is the passing of an era. Ray Ozzie is a top-notch technologist and Craig Mundie is superb... but he [Gates] has been the driving force of that company since it started. So, it's certainly both a time for reflection and a time to wonder what's ahead."

Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of Salesforce.com, referred to IBM's famous founder in describing Gates: "The industry has been fortunate to have the technical, business and philanthropic leadership of Bill Gates - he is the Thomas Watson of our generation."

Most of Gates' newer foes chose not to recognise the transition with formal statements. A Google representative did not immediately return a call seeking comment, and Yahoo! declined to comment through a representative. Software enemies such as Oracle and Red Hat likewise could not be reached for remarks.

Despite the lack of public statements, Gates certainly had an effect on just about anyone who has used a PC, said Azure Capital's Mike Kwatinetz. "Before Microsoft and Gates, technology was not democratised as it is today," he said in an email. "That is probably his greatest achievement: making the PC pervasive, affordable, available to every household in America and very easy to use."

Elinor Mills writes for CNET News.com