American History 1988
Chapter 277 - 268 Gates’s Accusation

Chapter 277: Chapter 268 Gates’s Accusation

The shortcut was unworkable, but there was still the dumb method.

If he wanted to complete the data migration, he just had to export the original data and then import it into the new software.

Since Quicken and Microsoft Money could not be opened at the same time, he had to tackle them one by one.

Mike gave up taking the shortcut, no longer insisting on opening both software programs simultaneously.

Looking at Quicken’s familiar interface, Mike shrugged, still preferring this software.

But his wife’s nagging was annoying, and Mike could only compromise.

Finding the export feature in Quicken, Mike clicked the mouse with ease.

Ding! Another popup sprung up.

Crap, upon hearing that familiar sound, Mike knew there was some issue again.

Looking closely, he sighed in relief—it wasn’t an error.

Quicken’s window was informing him to patch the software for the safety of the data.

Following the window’s instructions, Mike began the task step by step.

He needed to connect the home computer to the network and then download the patch from Intuit’s server center.

Honestly, it sounded simple, but those strings of tedious code and complex steps could deter many.

Just a slight oversight in order could trigger the error message window to pop up on time and alert him of his mistake.

After fiddling around for a good half hour, Mike finally completed the patching.

Taking a break midway, a self-satisfied Mike sipped his coffee.

It was a good thing he was competent with computers; a layperson probably couldn’t manage the first step.

After a short rest, Mike resumed the remaining tasks.

This time the data export went smoothly, although there were a few reminders, Mike passed without trouble.

Next step was data import, so he shut down Quicken and opened Microsoft Money.

This was his first time using the software and it was noticeably slower than Quicken.

The interface and feature design were also very similar to Quicken.

Of course, due to its cheaper price, Microsoft Money’s experience was nowhere near as smooth as Quicken’s, lacking many features too.

Indeed, you get what you pay for – this truth never gets old. Mike continued with his data migration mission.

Due to the interface similarities, he quickly found the data import function of Microsoft Money.

Clicking the button, with the loading icon spinning round and round, the system entered a lengthy response time.

Finally, after over half a minute of struggling, the import window sluggishly appeared.

Mike promptly selected the previously exported data file on the desktop and clicked the load button.

Ding! Suddenly the entire computer desktop froze, even the mouse couldn’t move.

"Crap!" Mike finally lost it.

After over an hour of toiling, he failed at the very last step.

Fuming, Mike flung the mouse and directly pressed the computer’s reset button.

"Dear, what’s wrong?" Sally, alerted by the noise, approached the study door.

"This crappy Microsoft Money is so unusable, I’ve had enough of it!"

Mike was nearly driven to a breakdown of his professional resolve as a computer specialist.

Now he couldn’t even handle a small data migration, and of course, it was the software’s fault.

"But it’s a Microsoft product, they’re a big company and it’s very cheap."

Sally picked up the package from the floor and checked it—it was the same one advertised on TV.

"They sell it cheap because they have a guilty conscience!"

Mike was adamant; it was all Microsoft’s doing.

"Dear, could it be that you just haven’t learned how to use it, maybe you should read the manual?"

"No! The issue is with the software itself.

Look! We’ve used Quicken for years without any issues!

19.5 US Dollars is just for a software toy, and it proves incapable of handling financial calculations."

Mike’s reasoning was sound; Quicken hadn’t caused the computer to crash throughout the process.

Despite some trouble, he successfully exported the data.

But in the last step of importing, Microsoft Money fell short.

The software itself was unpleasant to use and the crash at the end reinforced Mike’s suspicion.

"Alright, we’re out 19.5 bucks."

After hearing her husband’s explanation, Sally could only declare as much.

...

Microsoft set the price of Microsoft Money at 19.5 US Dollars with a very specific initial purpose.

That was to lure customers originally using Quicken with the low price and then switch them over to Microsoft’s fold.

This strategy was direct and effective, attracting many households with that price point.

In the first two weeks of its release, the sales of Microsoft Money were booming.

But after two weeks, the situation took a drastic downturn; not only did the sales plummet, but Microsoft also received a large number of complaint calls.

"Steve, what the heck is going on?"

Gates had heard about the issue, therefore he quickly summoned the marketing manager of Microsoft Money.

Originally, seeing the market feedback from the past two weeks, Gates thought the dispute over the financial software was about to settle down.

But the strong momentum of Microsoft Money didn’t last long, as if it was forcefully pressed down.

Steve is now at his wits’ end, with many complaints from distributors even reaching his desk.

"Bill, we are still investigating the situation, but this can’t be separated from Intuit’s involvement."

"Did they pressure the dealers?" Gates’ first thought was that Byte Company was causing trouble behind the scenes.

This was an old trick of Microsoft’s, one that Gates was all too familiar with.

So, he naturally assumed that Byte Company was using the same tactics against him.

"It’s not something on the distribution channel side, it’s the software itself."

To explain the situation more clearly, Steve prepared to give a live demonstration.

Under Gates’ curious gaze, Steve quickly got both software programs ready.

"Bill, as you know, Quicken has far more users than Microsoft Money.

Our initial strategy was to attract users from the other side with lower prices.

So this involves a problem, which is the migration of financial data."

The longer someone uses personal finance software, the more household billing information is stored.

And it’s not just bills, this also includes annual tax information, bank account links, and other operations.

Once accustomed to a particular software, most people are reluctant to switch their personal finance software.

Because they are too troublesome to deal with, just the tax reports alone can confuse many people.

After linking bank accounts, attempting to unlink or relink them can also consume a lot of effort.

So with the passage of time, Intuit’s Quicken users only grow in number and show high loyalty.

Since Microsoft entered the arena much later, Gates’ low-price strategy was the right approach.

To get people to change from their already familiar personal finance software, there needs to be a sufficient incentive.

Their $19.50 pricing did have an effect, but the results weren’t great.

"Look, I need to open both software programs now and then carry out a quick data migration.

Microsoft Money was designed with this feature in mind, specifically to facilitate users to switch software more efficiently."

But when Steve opened Quicken and then Microsoft Money, he encountered a "ding" situation.

"Oh~Shit!" Gates couldn’t help but curse when he saw the content of the Quicken pop-up.

"They are referring to Microsoft as ’an unknown security risk’?!"

"Uh, that’s not the point." Steve awkwardly sidestepped the topic, then continued with the demonstration.

What followed next—connecting to the internet, patching, and a series of steps—made Gates frown. With his brilliant mind, how could he not see the problem?

Intuit was setting up barriers to data migration, which invisibly increased the operation costs for users.

Steve was able to proceed step by step because he was a professional, well-versed in the product’s characteristics.

What about ordinary users? How many of them would patch things up, and how many would persist until the end?

"Here’s the crux, Bill." Finally, like clearing levels in a game, Steve took a deep breath after step-by-step data export.

"Now Microsoft Money is starting to import the data." He began the final step of the operation.

Once this was completed, the user would have successfully transitioned from Quicken to Microsoft Money.

But just like the problem Mike encountered earlier, the high-performance computer Steve specially prepared also crashed and became inoperable.

"Wait! What’s happening?" Gates hadn’t seen clearly when the screen went white in front of him.

"Nothing~" Steve spread his hands, "I just wanted to import that data."

Gates glanced at the computer and slowly came to his senses, "So the problem lies with that data?"

"Our internal technical team is analyzing it, but it’s very likely so." Steve had never encountered such a situation before.

"Despicable Dean! Dirty competitive tactics!" Gates’ nostrils flared with anger.

One didn’t need to guess to know that only that Ohio guy would do something so unscrupulous.

Gates had studied the two founders of Intuit, and neither seemed like the kind of person without shame.

But Dean, Gates never hesitated to ascribe the worst intentions to him.

They added a "twist" to the exported data, ultimately pinning the blame on Microsoft Money.

Even Gates, who prided himself on his unscrupulousness, couldn’t come up with such an idea. If there was anyone who could outdo him, it definitely would be Dean!

"Based on this evidence, can we sue them for violating antitrust laws?" In his frustration, Gates even thought about taking legal action.

Steve was stunned, Microsoft accusing others of violating antitrust laws?

Wasn’t that getting things backwards?

Of course, Steve wouldn’t actually answer so bluntly, and he explained it very tactfully.

"This requires our technical team to analyze that data before we can definitively decide whether we can sue them."

Gates waved his hand in annoyance and calmed down, knowing the difficulty of the matter.

Firstly, it was debatable whether they could find evidence, and even if they did sue, it could take years to see any substantial judgment.

"Do we have a solution? Or comparable countermeasures?"

Gates wasn’t one to take hits without fighting back, and he couldn’t swallow this slight.

Countermeasures? Steve looked troubled.

What countermeasures? With the pitiful number of Microsoft Money users, Byte Company probably wouldn’t even care.

However, both Gates and Steve wondered how Byte Company managed to pull this off?

It seemed like they anticipated this day and had prepared everything in advance.

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