Quotes on which to dwell

Story: Going once, twice, sold! for $52.49!Total Replies: 8
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tadelste

Aug 17, 2005
12:32 PM EDT
"We are going to cut off [Netscape's] air supply. Everything they're selling, we're going to give away for free." BILL GATES

"... about 3 million computers get sold every year in China, but people don't pay for the software. Someday they will, though. As long as they are going to steal it, we want them to steal ours. They'll get sort of addicted, and then we'll somehow figure out how to collect sometime in the next decade." -BILL GATES

Look at the middle of the article:

http://news.com.com/2100-1023-212942.html
Abe

Aug 17, 2005
3:45 PM EDT
Amazing stuff Tom, I don't know how you dig out this stuff! What is astonishing is that, there are lots of people who still believe that MS could change and become a good citizin. How gullible they are.

$50 billions and counting. I wonder whether those rich guys know of couple sayings. "The last shirt has no pockets" (I think it is German) and the other for those who believe , "no one takes along a thing but their deeds".
tadelste

Aug 17, 2005
6:05 PM EDT
Your last statements fit so well. Some people have the good fortune to learn it before the last minute. One person asked, " Have you ever seen a u-haul trailer at a funeral?"
tuxchick

Aug 17, 2005
6:32 PM EDT
I like the maroons in various forums (sorry, no links, I'm feeling lazy) who praise BillG's philanthropy. Like that excuses his horrible business practices, sheesh.
Koriel

Aug 18, 2005
12:52 AM EDT
One of those maroons was my brother who couldn't understand how i held such distaste towards BillG as he was praising all Bill's "charity work".

I had to go and set him straight on a few points, if this sort of thing was taken to its logical extreme it would be like saying Hitler was an ok guy and shouldn't of been treated in such a harsh manner as he made hefty donations to the catholic church.

All the information about Bill is out there but it seems that the majority of people are just to lazy to go find it.
PaulFerris

Aug 18, 2005
1:14 PM EDT
As a prior journalist, I used to keep a book of things like the above Tom quote -- it was amazing to me the stuff that Gates said in public and got away with.

For example, one time, speaking to the Korean press, he directly stated that Microsoft's only competition was itself -- that they had no competition. I went googling for it one day for a follow-up article (the link I had saved was dead, jim). I finally found it from a second-hand reference.

Then theres' his congressional testimony, where he lied and said "Prices have come down" -- referring of course to the fact that PC prices have fallen -- no congressman at the time asked him the direct, unanswerable "Whos' prices have come down, Bill?". The problem is complex in nature. Microsoft has a ton of money with witch to lobby not just congress, but the American citizen directly through commercials and the like. By projecting the right image, they hope to undo reality.

Of course, you can twist perception -- but reality won't budge...
tadelste

Aug 18, 2005
9:25 PM EDT
Paul, just to build on your points, Sam and I have discussed the "charities" to whom Gates donates. Interestingly, he tends to give money with strings attached - such as to countries that will buy products from Microsoft's biggest customers. That's a sorta, kinda way to refund some license fees with tax free dollars.

Then we find donations of Microsoft software from the Gates foundation.

I thought the $300,000 he and Michael Dell each gave to Tom DeLay's foundation had some political crust on it.

Let's just say he uses his money effectively.
Koriel

Aug 19, 2005
12:07 AM EDT
"Let's just say he uses his money effectively"

Damn your to polite :)
dinotrac

Aug 20, 2005
4:25 AM EDT
Quoting: I thought the $300,000 he and Michael Dell each gave to Tom DeLay's foundation had some political crust on it.


Especially when you consider that he is a registered Democrat!

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