View Full Version : Oh dear god! say it aint so... Bill Gates to be knighted.
Malpine Walis
01-26-04, 10:16 PM
As stated. Link (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,109460,00.html)
They are handing those out like candy anymore maybe they will give mike myers 1 for Austin powers lol
I think they did in the 2nd or 3rd movie.
Eclypsyr
01-26-04, 10:42 PM
To be fair, he has done a LOT of good in this world, some people just like to focus on the bad.
Jon
Originally posted by Eclypsyr
To be fair, he has done a LOT of good in this world, some people just like to focus on the bad.
Jon
thats tru.. n mots ppl perfer to look at the bad....
esspecially fer the celebs.. thats what poparatse er however u spell it is for..
RoadWarrior
01-27-04, 05:48 AM
Hopefully it's just a ploy to get him to kneel in front of someone armed with a sword. :D
Gandalf
01-27-04, 10:55 AM
This is a great idea!
I'm glad he's being knighted.
I think he deserves it more than Mick Jagger.
Lusankya
01-27-04, 11:41 AM
Lots of ppl.. including Jagger kept turning them down.. some eventually gave in but alot of celebs actually refuse to accept british awards like this.
Bad idea... in a way... I'm confused, what does the title mean and what are his responsibilities bearing the title?
deRusett
01-27-04, 12:33 PM
No responsibilities,
its just suposedly an Honour,
Canada has the "Royal Order of Canada" since we don't accept being knighted, but it is basically the same thing, I think its mainly hockey players who have it.
9mmCensor
01-27-04, 12:39 PM
Originally posted by Pinky
Bad idea... in a way... I'm confused, what does the title mean and what are his responsibilities bearing the title?
It means you never have to wait in line at the grocery store ever again.
No seriously I think it means nothing (anymore), you get a title, snap some pics, and then have to change all your business cards. Its more of a 'hoorrah I am a Sir" sorta thing.
Mic Jagger, heem, the guy that got busted for Heroin possiession, and was ordered to PAY lotsa of money instead of jail time, whereas the average junky would be sitting in jail, which ultimately helled many people from his donations to chairites.
Or the guy that puts people out of business becasue they are compition. And ripps other peoples ideas off. But also donates mucho money/equipment to needy organizations.
Gates deserves it. He single handedly defeated apple, and donates truck loads of money. I would rather see him get the honor than entertainers that the queen has never heard of.
Originally posted by Gandalf
This is a great idea!
I'm glad he's being knighted.
I think he deserves it more than Mick Jagger.
Gandalf, can I please have your Manbaby (not gay)?
As for the naysayers when was the last time you donated $168,000,000 to Malaria research, or $25,000,000 to AIDS research?
His father also heads the William H. Gates Foundation (into which Bill donated $5,000,000,000 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/your_money/360770.stm)), which takes in donations, and divvies them out to causes like AIDS and other dibilitating diseases.
He's earned it, imo.
Robrules18
01-27-04, 06:56 PM
he cant have Sir on his name since hes not a british citizen, he gets KBE or Knight commander of the British Empire. But yes Bill does deserve it, I just he'd donate some of those millions into the "GiveRobbyMoneyToOverclock Charity"
NewbiePerson
01-27-04, 07:05 PM
Some deserve it others myseriously don't seem worthy but none the less we aren't the judges or the deciding factor. I'm sure somehow he deserves it but you have to admit.
What he does donate is just pocket change to him if that. He probably does it just for a tax break and possible indirect propaganda for microsoft. I wonder if he even bribed them....
Malpine Walis
01-27-04, 08:28 PM
Originally posted by RoadWarrior
Hopefully it's just a ploy to get him to kneel in front of someone armed with a sword. :D
I thought that being a non-subject he did not have to kneel. However, she could run him through. ;--)
9mmCensor
01-27-04, 09:57 PM
Originally posted by Malpine Walis
I thought that being a non-subject he did not have to kneel. However, she could run him through. ;--)
Queen: "This is for all the times I have been on Corgie (sp? - her dog's) Forums, and your POS Windows has crashed on me"
*Raises sword*
Bill: "Oops"
Queen: "And this is for all my time wasted having to update and roboot and reboot, when all I wanted to do was electronically chastize Charles"
*Pluges sword into Bills heart*
Steve978
01-27-04, 10:38 PM
You all wish death upon poor billy but how many of you are running windows? all of you? Your like vegitarians that eat meat...
Malpine Walis
01-27-04, 11:24 PM
I did not become a vegetarian because I like animals. Rather it was because I hate plants. :--p
deRusett
01-27-04, 11:40 PM
Originally posted by Malpine Walis
I did not become a vegetarian because I like animals. Rather it was because I hate plants. :--p
Thats a Fantastic Quote,
and the reverse used to be my reason for now wanting Vegetables but always wanting more beef
Originally posted by Steve978
You all wish death upon poor billy but how many of you are running windows? all of you? Your like vegitarians that eat meat...
An excellent analogy.
"OMG!!!!!1111one111 Windoze == TEH DEVEL!! *boots up PC running Windows*"
rhino56
01-28-04, 11:53 PM
everyone here is here because of their love for comps and technology basically.
bill gates was very much the same as us im sure, tweaking out programs and enjoying the world of imagination and science fiction. why does everyone hate him when in a sense he is the father of this. he should be knighted, how many people met the woman they love on the internet? how much money do you save by shopping online? how much do you love the internet?
thanks to papa.
Foxie3a
01-30-04, 08:55 PM
Its not that I don't think he deserves it.
Its that it should be set aside for people like Mother Teresa...and of the liking.
Penguin4x4
01-30-04, 11:25 PM
I thought only natural borned Englishmen could be knighted??
TheFrag
01-31-04, 12:08 AM
oh damn we should send him to Kentucky and make him an honorary colonel.
But seriously, he is more deserving than most. Without him, Apple would rule the world right now :O
rhino56
01-31-04, 12:12 AM
Originally posted by Foxie3a
Its not that I don't think he deserves it.
Its that it should be set aside for people like Mother Teresa...and of the liking.
all he gets is to get down on his knees for an old woman who is gonna tap him on the shoulder.
thats the reality of it. honestly id get more out of communion then that. if it were bill gates is going to take communion then that would mean something i think. but no, he doesnt even get a cracker.
I know he has done alot to charity etc... but still...
I want a decent bug free version of windows :p....
j/k... yeah, my Head Master got knighted by the queen aswell... He is one of the Best Head Masters in England apparantly... LoL
illwillchill
01-31-04, 06:26 AM
If I was Mr. Gates I would say "No, thank you." and then send a free signed copy of Windows XP to Buckingham (sp?) Palace. :D
LiGhTBoY
01-31-04, 09:05 AM
Originally posted by illwillchill
If I was Mr. Gates I would say "No, thank you." and then send a free signed copy of Windows XP to Buckingham (sp?) Palace. :D
So that their computers crash on a daily basis? =)
Originally posted by rhino56
he doesnt even get a cracker.
How many of those wafers does it take to make a whole Jesus?
I still find it amusing that most people in this thread would rather see this man dead, face-down in a gutter, rather than having this honor bestowed on him. With all of his charity work, he certainly deserves it more than Mick Jagger.
Well deserved IMO, not just for all the money he has donated to good causes (which is enough in its self), but where would the PC be without him? He does get bashed very often but the fact of the matter is that he is one of the reasons why PC's are so popular and have come so far. He makes easy to use software, which for the average home user is just what the doctor ordered.
tom10167
01-31-04, 04:09 PM
Talk is cheap, nobody or at least most people here don't REALLY dislike Bill, seriously, when was the last time XP crashed on you? 2000 never, ever, ever crashes on me. This whole "Knighting" crap seems a little bit ridiculous, but whatever, just so long as delivery boys don't start getting it for bringing me pizza in 20 minutes or less.
*Calls local pizz-Error: Internal Fault Module in NTOsKrnl.exe. Windows will now restart...............
ArBiTaL 24
02-01-04, 05:01 AM
ugh, I heard about this last week.... well, all I can say is maybe with a bit of luck they'll accidentally replace the proper (i guess blunted) sworn used for knighting with a live samurai one....
"I knight thee..... oh s***! whoops. Sorry." :D
hmmm.... not much more i can say here.... If i posted my opinions the way i feel about it here i'd probably get kicked out :D
Cjwinnit
02-01-04, 09:03 AM
Originally posted by Penguin4x4
I thought only natural borned Englishmen could be knighted??
Nah. England owns Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland are also part of the UK.
England + Wales + Scotland = Great Britain. <-- an island.
Northern Ireland + Republic of Ireland = Ireland. <-- an island.
Great Britain + Northern Ireland = U.K. <-- a country.
Republic has been doing it's own thing since 1922.
Tismedt
02-01-04, 11:12 AM
Yes Uncle Bill donates tons of money to charities, education and other noble causes. As a person he deserves this more then 99% of the ppl that have or will recieve this honor
However Uncle Bill the business man would love nothing more then to have a total monopoly on all software and the internet so he can charge you to access the net. Right now Al Gore lets us use it for free. Don't forget about Paladium. It is Bills wish to have every computer in the world running the latest MS software. I erks me to no end that MS Office 2004 wont open MS Office 2000 files. What are we to do spend 250 bucks every couple yrs so Bill can donate 1% of the profits to charity. I think that S***s. Yes I'm running Win XP cause its the OS I know but damn I need to learn LINUX.
Mega bucks breeds Greed and Uncle Bill is the opitomy of Mega Bucks.
I must agree, Brother Bill deserves the knighting, whatever honor it may hold.
He has made the computer what it is today, even if he started it with someone else's work. Apples don't crash because Apple controls the hardware; Windows crashes because Microsoft does not control ANY of the primary hardware (I've never heard of a MS motherboard, processor, nothing; don't even start on mice and keyboards, those are peripherals). Windows must be made to work with all of the different, not precisely harmonious hardware. I have to say Bill and his employees have done a marvelous job at it.
Yes, I know Linux supposedly never crashes either, but that's because it's open-source, it has the support of the community to make it work properly; that community is many many thousands of people, and MS probably only employs a hundred or so people to work only on the Windows operating system. That is Linux' greatest asset: its community.
Guys, I know Bill isn't the greatest guy in the world, but who is? No one is perfect, and money makes the world go round. Polio, it was wiped out, and how was it fueled? With money. Bill does not waste the enormous amounts of money he collects, he does not throw it away on many vehicles he will never drive, or other things such as that that many others do (need I mention rappers?).
Hate Bill all you want, but know that you would not be enjoying the computer as you know it today, nor anything even equivalent, if it weren't for Brother Bill.
Jebus, I went on a little rant there o_O Sorry guys, I just wanted to get my point across :D
Malpine Walis
02-01-04, 11:15 PM
Originally posted by JoT
Bill does not waste the enormous amounts of money he collects, he does not throw it away on many vehicles he will never drive, or other things such as that that many others do (need I mention rappers?).
Where to start?
1. The swimming pool with an underwater sound system.
2. The $30,800,000 note-book (OK it was written by DaVinci but even so...).
3. The elevator for those who do not wish to use the 84 step stair case.
4. The kitchen that is 4x the size of my condo.
5. The 22 foot wide TV screen.
6. The guest house that is larger than the office building I work in.
7. The gararge that is almost as large.
8. His own artificial wetlands.
Read all about it here. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/tech/billgate/gates.htm)
Originally posted by Malpine Walis
Where to start?
1. The swimming pool with an underwater sound system.
2. The $30,800,000 note-book (OK it was written by DaVinci but even so...).
3. The elevator for those who do not wish to use the 84 step stair case.
4. The kitchen that is 4x the size of my condo.
5. The 22 foot wide TV screen.
6. The guest house that is larger than the office building I work in.
7. The gararge that is almost as large.
8. His own artificial wetlands.
Read all about it here. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/tech/billgate/gates.htm)
Yes, but Bill Gates also entertains thousands of guests a year. Sometimes hundreds at a time. Any high class hotel would do no less to entertain their guests.
And since when is an artificial wetlands a waste of money? Thats a very good thing, especially here in Washington, where many of our wetlands were destroyed, and over the past ~10 years we've been trying to rebuild them the best we can.
deRusett
02-02-04, 12:26 AM
I would think Kinghting should go to Sporting Heros rather then people who do Charity work, Back in the day of Knights, they were FIghters not Care givers
I bet Billy could handly Yeild one of the Broad swords of yester year,
flixotide
02-02-04, 04:58 AM
Certainly William has earned the title, not only for the software concepts he has developed and help build through decades, but also for his charity work.
For the former, its a religious question whether he deserves it, I myself am pro-microsoft, regardless of the pessismists.
For the latter, yes the money did go through YOUR dollars, but what are the chances that YOUR 100$ make it through to south africa on their own, than through a global corporation?
No matter what, the man deserves to be filthy rich, and he deserves credit for his work. Why? He has had the balls to compete, and the brains as well.
Cheers, Flix
YellowDart
02-02-04, 06:20 PM
Originally posted by deRusett
I bet Billy could handly Yeild one of the Broad swords of yester year,
yeild... or wield? I certainly would not yeild w/ a broadsword... you could die! ;)
Give ol Billy Bob Gates a break guys... Sure, he wants to rule the world and become an evil super-genius. Yea, sure, he wants to own every square inch of the universe, and own the patents on the numbers '0' and '1'... soooooo!
While he is pretty much a greedy SOB, he had done a LOT of good. I don't really need to reiterate everything good that he's done... most everybody above me has stated it already...
Originally posted by Malpine Walis
Where to start?
1. The swimming pool with an underwater sound system.
2. The $30,800,000 note-book (OK it was written by DaVinci but even so...).
3. The elevator for those who do not wish to use the 84 step stair case.
4. The kitchen that is 4x the size of my condo.
5. The 22 foot wide TV screen.
6. The guest house that is larger than the office building I work in.
7. The gararge that is almost as large.
8. His own artificial wetlands.
Read all about it here. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/tech/billgate/gates.htm)
Don't you dare tell me that you wouldn't have all manor or marvelous toys if you had that much money at your disposal :rolleyes:
Originally posted by Malpine Walis
Where to start?
1. The swimming pool with an underwater sound system.
2. The $30,800,000 note-book (OK it was written by DaVinci but even so...).
3. The elevator for those who do not wish to use the 84 step stair case.
4. The kitchen that is 4x the size of my condo.
5. The 22 foot wide TV screen.
6. The guest house that is larger than the office building I work in.
7. The gararge that is almost as large.
8. His own artificial wetlands.
Read all about it here. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/tech/billgate/gates.htm)
Ok, that's one point gone, shoot the rest down if you can :D
ArBiTaL 24
02-03-04, 07:14 AM
Jeez guys, what's with the "bill gates is great" thing?
I've seen this before, usually in the form of "of course apples are better than every other computer!!!!!!!111".
"Why?" i ask....
.......
"Well, they're better!" or "they have nice colors!"
ugh....
You guys don't realise, he doesn't *want* to take over the world, he is in the process of it... I've heard of microsoft in cars next, most of the worlds computers run on Windows....
The only reason he donates is to make himself seem less greedy and powerhungry..
Beware him...
Originally posted by ArBiTaL 24
Jeez guys, what's with the "bill gates is great" thing?
I've seen this before, usually in the form of "of course apples are better than every other computer!!!!!!!111".
"Why?" i ask....
.......
"Well, they're better!" or "they have nice colors!"
ugh....
You guys don't realise, he doesn't *want* to take over the world, he is in the process of it... I've heard of microsoft in cars next, most of the worlds computers run on Windows....
The only reason he donates is to make himself seem less greedy and powerhungry..
Beware him...
The consensus seems to be "Bill Gates is evil", not "bill gates is great". I'm just trying to get everyone to take their mind off of the monopoly for a minute and see the innovation of computers.
Malpine Walis
02-03-04, 09:13 AM
Well, I do not see much of a list to shoot down but for what it is worth, MACs do crash, it is just not mentioned outside of the circled wagons MAC community. And Bill Gates started the microsoft business by paying Tim Patterson a pittance for QDOS when he already had a deal with IBM worth millions.
When Bill Gates accepts his KBE he will stand shoulder to shoulder with all the musicians, actors, comedians and race car drivers who have watered down the meaning of knighthood over the past 50 years. Fortunately, John Cleese turned his down (evidently he does not see the silly walk as world changing).
But insofar as Bill Gates being the father of modern computers, Wouldn't it have been more appropriate to give one to Alan Turing? He at least invented electronic logic gates. He did the basic work that allowed the allies to break the enigma codes in WW2. Anyone care to google up how the British Government rewarded him? It is not a nice story.
YellowDart
02-03-04, 10:50 AM
Originally posted by Malpine Walis
Well, I do not see much of a list to shoot down but for what it is worth, MACs do crash, it is just not mentioned outside of the circled wagons MAC community. And Bill Gates started the microsoft business by paying Tim Patterson a pittance for QDOS when he already had a deal with IBM worth millions.
When Bill Gates accepts his KBE he will stand shoulder to shoulder with all the musicians, actors, comedians and race car drivers who have watered down the meaning of knighthood over the past 50 years. Fortunately, John Cleese turned his down (evidently he does not see the silly walk as world changing).
But insofar as Bill Gates being the father of modern computers, Wouldn't it have been more appropriate to give one to Alan Turing? He at least invented electronic logic gates. He did the basic work that allowed the allies to break the enigma codes in WW2. Anyone care to google up how the British Government rewarded him? It is not a nice story.
1 more vote here for Turing.
Penguin4x4
02-03-04, 02:29 PM
Originally posted by Cjwinnit
Nah. England owns Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland are also part of the UK.
England + Wales + Scotland = Great Britain. <-- an island.
Northern Ireland + Republic of Ireland = Ireland. <-- an island.
Great Britain + Northern Ireland = U.K. <-- a country.
Republic has been doing it's own thing since 1922.
Bill Gates was born and raised in Seatlle, Washington, USA, ;) :D
Originally posted by Penguin4x4
Bill Gates was born and raised in Seatlle, Washington, USA, ;) :D
That he was :cool:
DayUSeX
02-03-04, 06:23 PM
wow thats really sad when soemone like him can be "knighted" Angela gossow deserves it more than him.
Still i guess if he can make a giant monoply like that the deserves something. THough i think a pat on the back is more deserving than being knighted.
Cjwinnit
02-03-04, 07:51 PM
Originally posted by Penguin4x4
Bill Gates was born and raised in Seatlle, Washington, USA, ;) :D
True ;)
This might end up being a question for the U.S. Government (State dept'?) as to whether they should allow him to accept it, i'm not sure how it works internationally. but being british (England isn't technically a country) often helps in getting knighted.
Originally posted by deRusett
I would think Kinghting should go to Sporting Heros rather then people who do Charity work, Back in the day of Knights, they were FIghters not Care givers
I bet Billy could handly Yeild one of the Broad swords of yester year,
Thing is sporting heroes are often a bit young to be a Knight, you find that it's around or above middle-age that people get it. Sports stars who get honoured are given M/C/K/O -BE's
If you are a knight it's because you are a ridiculously exceptional sportsman, a high-level civil servant or you are a three-star or above general/admiral/air marshal (some knights still fight ;)), or have done something good that changed the world.
One of the few sportsmen to get knighted is Sir Steven Redgrave, ony because he won Olympic medals for rowing at Sydney 2000 (Gold), Atlanta 1996 (Gold), Barcelona 1992 (Gold), Seoul 1988 (Gold), L.A. 1984 (Gold) and Moscow 1980 (Bronze).
William
03-01-05, 10:24 PM
For his accomplishments as a philanthropist alone he deserves it.
For the good he has brought to the computer industry, he deserves it. Ploaf gave a great quick post on why Gates has been a good force in the industry, and I generally agree. Microsoft isn't a pure company by any means, but no company is.
If Elton John and Paul McCartney hae been knighted, then why not Gates? And as I will say again, Gates is certainly a philanthropist. He is donating a fairly sizable portion of his wealth currently to his foundation, and when he dies his foundation will get most of it. And unlike some other charities, his really does great things to help people in the world. I love their focus. Get the maximum benefit to largest number of people. Fund AIDS education in Africa instead of AIDS research. Honestly, the business world would probably be better off with people like Gates, instead of the Kozlowskis, Leys, and other just complete and utter jerks that are in the business world that pretend the world doesn't exist around them.
We equate Bill Gates with Microsoft, and that is something that is almost utterly ubsurd. Gates is certainly one of the key players of Microsoft, but he is much more than Microsoft is and ever will be. And lets look at Microsoft a little more closely. Unlike a company like Wal-Mart which treats its employees like crap, Microsoft and Gates treats them like they are they are a group of the smartest people in the world. While Microsoft has a high net worth, it will never be accused of poluting the environment like GE has. And hell, lets face it, Microsoft has been very lax about the piracy of its products.
The de facto standard is to hate Microsoft and Gates in the geek world. And yes, some of the hatred is deserved. But I still view Gates as much more of a human being and person than probably 90% of the computer industry execs are.
As for the naysayers when was the last time you donated $168,000,000 to Malaria research, or $25,000,000 to AIDS research?
His father also heads the William H. Gates Foundation (into which Bill donated $5,000,000,000 (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/your_money/360770.stm)), which takes in donations, and divvies them out to causes like AIDS and other dibilitating diseases.
He's earned it, imo.
C'mon we all know that's just a cover for all of the mobs money he launders. You don't think he got that rich with out their help do ya?
I've said too much.... :sn:
Where to start?
1. The swimming pool with an underwater sound system.
2. The $30,800,000 note-book (OK it was written by DaVinci but even so...).
3. The elevator for those who do not wish to use the 84 step stair case.
4. The kitchen that is 4x the size of my condo.
5. The 22 foot wide TV screen.
6. The guest house that is larger than the office building I work in.
7. The gararge that is almost as large.
8. His own artificial wetlands.
Read all about it here. (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/tech/billgate/gates.htm)
Excess is SUCCESS.
He wouldn't have all of that if he wasn't as successful as he was. It appears that jealousy has stricken the forums. Imagine if you were the richest dude in the world...
I'd have...
1) A pool FILLED with money. Not coins, dollar bills. It'd be awesome. And my pool would be a dollar sign.
2) A room of solid gold. Period. Gold is pimp.
3) A garage for every kind of good car ever made.
4) A supercomputer for daily use.
Come on...who wouldn't want that? Being knighted is cool, and you get to run around killing people...er....yeah. Trust me, if you were him, you would be lovin' it.
7
William
03-01-05, 11:37 PM
Gates lives fairly extravagantly, but he didn't embezle his money to do so, nor does he hoard it for himself either.
honestly id get more out of communion then that.
Cracker and some free watered-down booze. Yum.
Catholics try to tell me eating the body and drinking the blood of their deity isn't pagan. Jeeze...
Maybe we could all pour milk over ground up circuit boards as a breakfast treat in honor of higher PC power (Commander) Bill Gates.
Voodoo Rufus
03-02-05, 12:16 AM
I read the article, and found it rather surprising, but I do believe he deserves it and is worthy to have an honor like that. It's simple. He contributes a lot of money into things that help people and lots of them. Now he is being recognized for it.
deRusett
03-02-05, 01:04 AM
WOW did this ever come out of the wood works.
WHY was this dug out?
samuraisam
03-02-05, 01:24 AM
He's the single biggest donator in the world.
Yet he has a world empire. Say what you will, I'll call it even.
Nevertheless, I respect him greatly.
-Sam
William
03-02-05, 02:01 AM
He's the single biggest donator in the world.
Yet he has a world empire. Say what you will, I'll call it even.
Nevertheless, I respect him greatly.
-Sam
Gates currently is. It would be worth noting that Warren Buffets foundation (which gets like all of his money, or 99.5% or something) will greatly surpass the size of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in terms of wealth and size when he dies. Buffet is in 70s I believe, so his death is much more immenent.
I should mention who Buffet is. He is the best investor in wall street. His company owns 9% of coke, 4% of proctor and gamble, 5% of Disney, Geico, and a host of other companies.
Anyways, Buffet lives very modestly. He lives in Omaha in a 3,000 sq ft. house which is not richly decorated or anything like that. His only luxery item is a learjet, which he purchased when he became CEO of Smith Barney to see it through a financial scandle (for which he received the salary of $1, the largest salary he has made managing a company).
This is where things get interesting. Warren Buffet and Bill Gates are very good friends. Gates taught Buffet how to use the internet so Buffet could play bridge on the internet (a game they both love). Their families travel together, etc. Gates foundation is modelled on the Buffet foundation, as is Gates's will. Now Gates has more money and more desire to live in luxery than Buffet does for sure (well not a "ton" more money, but its still in billions). However, both their wills are similar in distribution of assetts. The money first goes to their wives should they survive them, and then onward to their foundations (with some left for children, but again, not much in terms of a percentage, still a lot of moneY). So when Gates dies, his foundation will be the biggest in the world again in terms of money (and thus amount of money that can be given away), edging out Buffet's foundation (theoretically, the Buffet foundation might have a better asset investment and leapfrog Gates foundation). However, this will still be a huge amount of money sitting in two charitable foundations. No other charitable foundation will be close in terms of assets ( I believe the Betty Ford foundation is the largest right now, but that could be wrong).
Now contrast this with how say Sam Walton divied up his portion of Wal-Mart. It was equally distributed among his surviving family. In fact, Gates and Buffet are the first two people to do such a thing that I know of since probably Carnegie, who was also a major philanthropist.
In fact the Carnegie reference is probably an apt comparison to Gates. They were both business tycoons who were absolutely ruthless in the business world, but they were/will be great philanthropists as well (something that is sadly overlooked with Carnegie).
Gates isn't donating money for the PR. It doesn't matter to him. In terms of say Microsoft anti-trust trials, whether or not he donates moeny to help AIDS in africa or not isn't really any issue at all. It certainly helps, and I won't say that wasn't somewhat of a motivation, or a nice perk, but he is doing it because he sees it as his responsibility to do with the wealth he has. It is probably worth noting that Gates is a democrat as well which would roughly fit into the way he more or less acts (as is Buffet), though they aren't nearly as ardent as say George Soros is about donating money to defeat a republican cantidate (though Buffet loathes Bush for his financial policies, a rather funny thing to see him rip into them).
So anyways, I do believe Gates is a good person. He is certainly ruthless and cutthroat in the business world (and its also worth nothing that Paterson did very well at Microsoft, probably better there than he would have done at IBM, he stayed for a long time and moved high up in the org, so certainly had lots of stock early on), but then again, I think its hard to find someone that wouldn't be. I don't really consider a person like Torvalds to be in the business world. But Jobs has been every bit as evil as Gates has, Gates just won by playing business person much better than Jobs did.
Gates isn't perfect, but I find it hard to make a case for Gates not to be knighted (honorary or whatever it is). I am sure there are plenty of other people that would be more deserving, but then again, that distinction doesn't always go out to the most deserving either.
Cracker and some free watered-down booze. Yum.
Christians try to tell me eating the body and drinking the blood of their deity isn't pagan. Jeeze...
Catholics, not Christians. Difference. :)
It's refered to as transubstantiation. That's all I can really say w/o getting too far into religious discussion. :)
threeme2189
03-02-05, 03:44 AM
whatever...
Captain Slug
03-02-05, 08:51 AM
I'm always left wondering if any of the people that hate Bill Gates had actually owned an IBM PC before Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 came out. There were so many ill-effective and buggy DOS front-ends out there. And nothing was written to be compatible with any of the other decent options on the market. The popularity of the personal computer is a direct result of Microsoft's products. End of story.
Beyond that, Bill Gates does more and gives back more of his proportional income than anyone in his income bracket has in recent history.
Catholics, not Christians. Difference. :)
It's refered to as transubstantiation. That's all I can really say w/o getting too far into religious discussion. :)
YES you're 100% correct, I apologize to the Christians out there!
Is that like transfats but without substance? :D
I'm always left wondering if any of the people that hate Bill Gates had actually owned an IBM PC before Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 came out. There were so many ill-effective and buggy DOS front-ends out there. And nothing was written to be compatible with any of the other decent options on the market. The popularity of the personal computer is a direct result of Microsoft's products. End of story.
Beyond that, Bill Gates does more and gives back more of his proportional income than anyone in his income bracket has in recent history.
Me me me! :argue:
It definitely improved with windows. You won't hear me poo poo our nifty GUI very often, but it can be better and thanks to the advances the linux folks are making it may become obsolete in our lifetime.
So now I can flame M$ about $ir Gates. I love it!!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3428673.stm
more info.
man_utd
03-07-05, 06:14 PM
oh damn we should send him to Kentucky and make him an honorary colonel.
But seriously, he is more deserving than most. Without him, Apple would rule the world right now :O
Probably Gary Kildall would. You know the guy Gates ripped off origonally?
PCGUY112887
03-07-05, 10:40 PM
Who wants to bet that Bill Gates is a registered member on these forums?
Who wants to bet that Bill Gates is a registered member on these forums?
No he owns the forum!!!!!
MetalStorm
03-08-05, 04:09 AM
Do any of you people realise that Bill Gates will be giving away 95% of his $45Billion dollar fortune to charities??
That's a lot of money, think about it, if you had that much what would you do? I think he's done a very noble thing considering that most people who have large sums of money like to keep it that way, as it's more of an obsession, he's obviously seen through that and the good he can do with it.
That deserves at least a little respect doesn't it?
theMonster
03-08-05, 04:31 AM
Hahahaha, the monarchy aint's what it used to be. The crown has no power and even less dignity. It's embarrasing. In fact, I'm waiting for a dog or a chimpanzee to be knighted next.
firebat45
03-28-05, 02:59 AM
bill gates giving away 95% of his fortune? doubtful, but if true, impressive. Commemorating people for donations should be done not according to what they gave, but what they gave up. Who is more deserving of praise, a 5 year old kid that saves his allowance for a month, and donates say, $20 to charity, or Bill gates donating $50 to the same charity? The kid donated way less, but gave up way more.
Until Bill starts to give up stuff he would normally have, he is not sacrificing anything to donate, and although the money is appreciated and very helpful, it wasn't really honorable on his part. Bill gates probably has everything he wants in life, he'd be dumb not to with the amount of $$$ hes got. (or should i say $$$$$$$$$$$? :D) If he has everything he wants, then every bit of money he has is useless (to him). Therefore, it has no value (to him). In giving up this "useless" money, he is sacrificing nothing, yet earning praise, and making himself feel good. I dont think it is admirable of him to donate as much as he does, i think it is what should be expected. I think other rich people are grossly greedy with their hoards of cash, millions of dollars that just sit in the banks generating more money (and thus sucking it away from people that need it) by interest. I am not trying to offend anybody by writing this, im just trying to put out a different viewpoint.
William
03-28-05, 03:02 AM
It is true. I couldn't find a link in a very brief google search, but his will is set up much like Warren Buffetts, and both of their fortunes go to their foundations.
That is notable in both amount and percentage.
firebat45
03-28-05, 03:41 AM
alright, ill get out my utensils and eat some words. 95% is impressive, but still, if it is in his will, he is only giving it up after there is no chance that he will need it. (ie dead for the slow people out there :D j/k) anyway you look at it, hes still keeping plenty of money for himself and his family. I mean, hes leaving 1.5 billion (according to current stock prices) to his family, that is a crapload of money considering they will likely be older too when he does die.
[edit] when i say his family will be getting the remainder of his will, that is just an assumption. Where else will it go?
[more editing]i am in now way against bill gates donating so much money, i think it is great, its just that we are used to rich people being greedy hoarding ******** (they got rich somehow :D), and it seems honorable or noble to be doing something that really means nothing to him in terms of sacrifice, but it does make him feel like he is contributing to something good. (which he no doubt is with 30 billion dollars)
rhino56
03-28-05, 03:49 AM
alright, ill get out my utensils and eat some words. 95% is impressive, but still, if it is in his will, he is only giving it up after there is no chance that he will need it. (ie dead for the slow people out there :D j/k) anyway you look at it, hes still keeping plenty of money for himself and his family. I mean, hes leaving 1.5 billion (according to current stock prices) to his family, that is a crapload of money considering they will likely be older too when he does die.
[edit] when i say his family will be getting the remainder of his will, that is just an assumption. Where else will it go?
[more editing]i am in now way against bill gates donating so much money, i think it is great, its just that we are used to rich people being greedy hoarding ******** (they got rich somehow :D), and it seems honorable or noble to be doing something that really means nothing to him in terms of sacrifice, but it does make him feel like he is contributing to something good. (which he no doubt is with 30 billion dollars)
his cat lol
diggingforgold
03-28-05, 10:38 AM
I have nothing againt Gates getting knighted. I'm sure he has contributed a lot of his wealth to charity- and he and his company have made many contributions to computer developement. I like the $ir rip ;).
Catholics try to tell me eating the body and drinking the blood of their deity isn't pagan.
Is this really the blood of Christ? Wow, that guy must have been wasted 24 hours a day.
"Leaven" (or yeast) is referred to as sin in the bible ("a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump"). The last supper was conducted with the "fruit of the vine" (grape juice). To add yeast to the grape juice and then drink it symbolicly as his blood would be like saying his blood was tainted with sin...
A little something I learned yesterday :).
Anyway- I think if you get knighted- you should have certain responsiblities. Being knighted back in the day was a very important thing. Now it's nothing more than an honor that is handed out like candy. But I have nothing against Gates being knighted.
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