Small businesses salute Microsoft's Bill Gates - A letter to Bill Gates

Dear Mr. Gates,

As you step down from your day-to-day responsibilities as chief software architect of Microsoft and gradually become a part time employee while remaining chairman of the board I wanted to say thanks.

Small businesses all over the world (if I can speak for them in some way) are grateful for the software you and your team have created namely Microsoft Office, Windows and Windows Server, amongst others. Without Front Page, for example, which makes it VERY easy to create web pages, there would be thousands and thousands less web sites around.

Without Word, Power Point, Excel and Access many businesses would not be where they are today. You and your team at Microsoft have led the evolution of software which POWERS the computers we all use.

Not only do non-technology small businesses owe a lot of their success to the Microsoft software that powers their businesses but also the thousands and thousands of small business focused consultants and software developers who have built businesses consulting and selling third party software around Windows operating system, server software and office suites.

Mr. Gates, as you transition out of the full time management of Microsoft I and I'm sure millions of small businesses around the world wish you and your family all the best.

I wish the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation all the best as it continues with one employee working more for it than before!

Warm regards,