On the recordFebruary 10, 1994
I would like to do a bit of bragging too about our leadership in high technology under the name of Microsoft in Washington State. The reason that Microsoft and the software industry have grown so rapidly and continue to grow is because they are truly innovative. In some fields, probably most, new developments and new products enable us to do a task easier or enjoy something a little more. But in software, new advances are enabling us to do things we previously couldn't do at all. The quantum leaps of software during the past two decades define innovation in the finest sense of the term. As a former IBM programmer I can tell you that it is the software on the inside, not the shiny finish on the outside, that makes these products innovative. Without the software, most of them aren't anything more than a modern sculpture. Until the 1970's, software generally was developed for specific computers by the computer manufacturer.
Source
govinfo.gov
