But he is not alone in suspecting that quite a few of them are peddled to bolster computer piracy, a fact of life in our cybertimes. In his new guise as Microsoft's chief software architect, Gates dotes on all other kinds of books. All he asks, quite simply, is that they be electronic books and that they run on Microsoft software. E-books, as they are called in the publishing trade, are a hot topic nowadays. Following the pioneering lead of Stephen King and Michael Crichton, some authors salivate at the delectable prospect of publishing directly on the Web without the need of hiring an agent or having to kowtow to an imprint that offers the standard 10 percent royalty on sales.
Trouble is, for most people reading on line is still no fun, even if have great computer monitors.
While mine are as good as they come, nearly all of my non-research reading is done by turning the pages of ordinary books. Gates thinks he's got a better idea. Here's 'Baker,' a character that's introduced at this point. And Bill Gates, no doubt, would soon be signing him up for Microsoft. Andrew J. Glass is a Washington-based columnist for Cox Newspapers.