The automation industry would operate differently
In 1998, Microsoft introduced Windows NT—a game-changer for the automation industry, according to Maryanne Steidinger, head of marketing for Webalo, and a 30 year veteran of the industrial automation manufacturing industry. She explains that it was the first time that it was commercially viable to bring different technology into the market for visualization and process control.
It was easier to code compared to Unix (the only other option at the time) and so the market opened up and hundreds of thousands of developers, and end-users were able to use the technology. “Windows NT was the defining moment that changed automation forever—and it was thanks to Bill Gates and Microsoft.
The proliferation now of low-cost solutions, simplicity of coding, and automation at most companies (even the small ones) can be attributed to Bill Gates and his amazing contributions to industry. Without him, I doubt if you would have seen the scale, the adoption, and the proliferation of solutions.”
