Comments on: The day Bill Gates didn't call me a communist

By: Arn, Calgary, Alberta

Arn, Calgary, Alberta — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:04:57 +0000

But see, people were actually forced to buy Windows. Not the consumer directly. But a large part of the whole "antirust" complaint was that Microsoft charged PC manufacturers a license for every machine they produced/sold. Not every computer they produced/sold with Windows, but every single one. To ship a PC with another OS meant paying Microsoft, anyway. How many other OSs could survive with those terms? This was at a time when there was still room for more options. One of those options was backed by IBM. Without these practices , who knows what the competitive landscape would have been like. Look how well Apple is doing now that the market is mostly free of blocks to competition (most things people do with computers these days revolve around platform-independent technologies — web, email,photos, video, etc.).

By: vito positano, Verona, Italia

vito positano, Verona, Italia — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:46:21 +0000

The Gates Foundation is designed to extend the reach of Windows even further than Bill's anti-competitive, MS machinations can. Proof is that it refuses to provide non-Windows PCs to organizations that request them, and only provides grants to purchase Windows PCs.

His foundation is happy mask on a skull face.

By: Mike Hamilton, Coto de Caza, CA

Mike Hamilton, Coto de Caza, CA — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:18:19 +0000

And the purpose of this article is what…

By: Srinidhi Thirumala; Portland, OR

Srinidhi Thirumala; Portland, OR — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:07:39 +0000

Gates lasting legacy will be that nice guys sometimes do indeed finish first!! That gives me great hope and inspiration.

By: KZ, Oakland, CA

KZ, Oakland, CA — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 01:31:37 +0000

"Later I would see another side of him through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation."

So why don't we get to read about that side, too? Where are those interview transcripts?

It appears PED was not interested in balanced journalism, but instead aimed to fulfill a need to feed a long-held grudge. The journalist appears less the man for his efforts.

Here it is, thirteen years post-interview, and Bill G. probably doesn't even remember while PED can't forget it.

By: Chris, Colorado Springs, CO

Chris, Colorado Springs, CO — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:25:34 +0000

What is "pwned"?

By: Josh W, Huntington Beach, CA

Josh W, Huntington Beach, CA — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 07:33:10 +0000

1. I'm curious, how many of the anti-Bill G/Microsoft posts were done with Internet Explorer, Windows or Word Spell Checker?

2. No one was forced to buy or use Windows, it was seen as the best tool for the job and in many cases still is.

3. Competetive Edge is a fundamental business principal.

4. Hope all of you have paid for and registered every version of Windows, Office or any other software you have or are running.

5. If you think that Microsoft is going away because Bill G is retiring, then you might have agreed with IBM when they said there was no need for personal computers.

5. Nothing is "Free" (Linux), there are costs associated with everything. Sooner or later you will pay for it one way or another. BTW, Linux was not developed to be a desktop operating system to begin with, it was meant to be a way to connect and interact with a larger system, Unix. Bill's visions was much larger when he rolled out Windows.

6. Why is it that Microsoft still makes Office for all of those Bill G/Microsoft haters out there? Oh, because they keep buying it! Why hasn't someone stepped up and really challenged Microsoft in the office software arena? Open Office is nice, but would you bet your business on an "Free" open source project that has no guarantee of backing or longevity and is not widely used in the marketplace? I think not, besides, it's just a knock-off of MS Office, sounds kinda familiar doesn't it?! Yes, I've installed it and recommend it to individuals on a budget.

7. Anti-Trust no Anti-Trust, chances are had Bill G and the gang not done what they did we would see the world in a whole different way than we do today. As in most things we take the bad with the good as long as it is mostly good, if it wasn't Bill G, we'd be talking about someone but the sentiments would probably be similar.

By: Miguel, Dallas TX

Miguel, Dallas TX — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 06:44:42 +0000

Reading the comments, it's obvious that a lot of people were pwned by Microsoft.

It must really sting to lose to someone you consider intellectually inferior.

I agree "history will remember him kindly."

By: RJ Earle, Medina, WA

RJ Earle, Medina, WA — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 06:36:06 +0000

To Mark M. Washington DC: Your comment says a lot about your moral character, specifically that you think it's ok to defame someone with a laundry list of accusations ("mafia-like tactics…intimidation, stealing, harassing, lying, etc., etc.")about which you have no first hand knowledge and, based on the publically available facts, aren't supportable. My work involved a lot of contact with Microsoft, and later, when Microsoft produced a major new product to compete directly with my company's product, that was really bad news. Looking back, I can state they competed very aggressively, but ethically, and without "stealing" even though they had intimate knowledge of Essbase. I've never witnessed any verifiable instances of the tactics you list, only people like yourself complaining about things that any reasonable business would feel they had the right to do. Microsoft isn't a charity and the people who invested in Microsoft stock deserve a CEO/Chairman who doesn't lie down when people start whining. The IE anti-trust business was taken to the finish line and Microsoft lost, but in a world where the outcome of such complex laws is always uncertain, no one could be sure exactly what the courts would decide the interpretation of the law was until it was finished. That doesn't make Microsoft or Gates unethical, it makes them a business, competing against other businesses who want to beat them. While neither you nor I have any way to know if Microsoft has ever truly and intentionally behaved unethically, the difference between you and I is that you apparently don't need to know with certainty to abuse someone publically. Most people will just figure you're a hypocrite who feels more self-worth when trashing someone else, and the more lofty the target, the better.

By: Brian. Fort Collins, CO

Brian. Fort Collins, CO — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 06:00:16 +0000

What a jerk, manipulative media monkey. Make the headline "he called me a commnunist". Most people skimming headlines will just read this. Then retract it for the 20% that read it.

Another example of the media just manipulating the masses.