High-Tech Ceos Describe Future Gates, Others, Foretell Complex Times Ahead

Six leading high-technology executives on Monday charted a future of blissful growth for themselves but one that poses tougher choices for customers.

Speaking before some of their largest customers at an industry conference, the executives did little to suggest simpler times are ahead for putting computer systems together.

For businesses, they said the most powerful computers in the future will be those with flexible but complex connections to systems outside the company as well as inside.

Bill Gates, chief executive of Microsoft Corp., said one of the major technology challenges facing companies is “taking what’s done internally, allowing information to flow easily and extending that outside” the company.

“Electronic mail, database systems, security systems that are running internally can be moved out so customers can order and get information across these networks,” Gates said.

He was joined by Lawrence Babbio, vice chairman of Bell Atlantic Corp.; Robert Frankenberg, chief executive of Novell; Mark Hoffman, chief executive of Sybase; Scott McNealy, chief executive of Sun Microsystems; and Eckhard Pfeiffer, chief executive of Compaq Computer Corp.

Their discussion touched many of the topics that are now making technology decisions tougher for business executives, including the prospect of much lower-cost computing devices that hold little if any software and whether telephone companies are moving fast enough in improving their lines.

Compaq’s Pfeiffer suggested TV will eventually be replaced by video services that are controlled by a home computer. While he expects existing personal computers to play a big role, Pfeiffer also said there will be many kinds of devices.

“You can talk about the simple form of a (cable TV) set-top box that gives you a certain capability. You can talk about a more advanced feature- and function-rich network device,” Pfeiffer said. “I believe what we will be seeing over time is an entire spectrum of functionality.”

All of the ideas described by the executives require higher-capacity phone lines and wireless systems to move data more quickly, however. They are becoming more concerned about whether telephone companies are providing enough socalled “bandwidth” for their customers.