10 Questions for Bill Gates

Windows Vista is the first new version of Microsoft’s ubiquitous operating system in five years–and probably the last one over which the world’s richest man will preside. Bill Gates, 51, plans to step down as chairman of Microsoft next year to focus on his philanthropic work. He chatted with TIME’s Richard Stengel and Lev Grossman about the future of technology, how to fix education and why even he limits his child’s use of the computer.

Vista gives parents a lot of control over how their kids use it. Has being a dad changed the way you think about computing?

For my son, I limit the hours he can use the computer. He was pretty disappointed in that. He said, “Is it going to be this way the rest of my life?” Well, at some age he can pay for his own computer.

One of the things you talked about at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this year was the future of television.

What will happen is that TV will be sent over the Internet, and then you won’t have to think about channels. If there’s a news segment, and you like soccer, we’ll show you more about soccer. If there’s another city where you want to know the weather, that will be in your news report.

So what’s the future of a print medium like ours?

One of the next things we’re after is textbooks, because if you can take the money spent on textbooks and put that into buying tablet devices for all the kids, they have less to carry around. It can be more easily customized, more interactive.

What other technologies do you see changing in the near future?

Well, I have the benefit that Microsoft has an amazing research group. They’re seeing the latest in robotics, speech recognition and parallel computing–these dreams we’ve had for decades. For example, talking to the computer or having the computer have a camera where it can recognize who’s there. A mirror won’t just be a mirror, it will be a digital mirror where you can try out different outfits, get advice–“Hey, you don’t look good today.” Putting screens everywhere has a big impact.

Isn’t that something you’re trying out in your own house?

Well, my home was done, boy, four or five years ago now, and I put big screens everywhere. The idea is that after we go on a trip, when we come home, those photos are already there. For a kid born five years from now, the kind of memories that will easily be recorded will rival the most organized mother who labeled everything in file boxes.

A lot of people are probably relieved that certain junior high memories are gone forever.

Well, that’s true. It will be harder to disavow things.

Education is a big focus for you. So, is there better learning through technology?

It’s important to be humble when we talk about education, because TV was going to change education and videotape was going to change it and computer-aided instruction was going to change it. But until the Internet exploded 10 years ago, technology really hadn’t made a dent in education at all. Learning is mostly about creating a context for motivation. It’s about why should you learn things. Technology plays a role, but it’s not a panacea.

Is technology changing the way philanthropy works?

Technology can help, but it always has to be technology that understands the difficult conditions. Are computers in developing countries going to change their education system? In a lot of countries it’s more: Are there classrooms, are there teachers, is there electricity? Taking new technology and trying to impose it on developing countries–that’s crazy.

Let’s talk about your own future. You’re scaling back your role at Microsoft.

July 1, 2008, is when I go full time with the foundation and part-time with Microsoft. It’s a pretty dramatic change–I won’t be in the daily flow. The truth is, I don’t know how it will feel.

So this is your last Windows launch.

It’s my last launch. But even in the next nine months the key themes of the next Office and Windows will be chosen, so I do get to shape one more round. They might invite me to that launch.