D Day for the Techno-Elite

Page echoes another onetime technology wunderkind and now elder statesman: Bill Gates. When asked why he continues to come to work every day, Gates answers, "The dream as conceived 25 years ago has not been achieved. Until software becomes the ultimate tool for collaboration, productivity, and efficiency, the work is not done. And there's nothing more fun than doing that work."

If there is any unified message from the stage, it is this: There is still growth ahead -- but only for those who are truly committed. Of course, conventional conference wisdom holds that it doesn't matter what's said onstage. The real action is in the hallway. And to hear the hallway chatter, what D really stands for is demos: not the half-day of digital-device demos that most attendees skipped, but the demonstration of the Journal's clout and Mossberg and Swisher's personal cred in gathering the right players at the right time. In other words, D stands for "don't miss."