As founder Bill Gates steps back to concentrate on his charitable works, Microsoft faces an uncertain future, with its growth stagnating, its internet arm misfiring and Vista, the new version of Windows, years late. Paul Durman reports:

Microsoft has just lost the services of a man who, over the past couple of years, has done more than almost any other to transform the reputation of the software giant.

This was not Bill Gates, who is giving up his executive duties at Microsoft to focus on his philanthropic activities. The ultra-competitive Gates, now 50, is the company’s founder, chairman and, until last Thursday, its chief software architect. As such, he is the embodiment of “old” Microsoft.

Continues @ Times Online