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Roach
SBR Belfry Bat
Joined: 20 Jan 2002
Posts: 3233
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| Bill Gates... Knight Commander of the British Empire? |
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Bill Gates has been knighted!
*grumble grumble*
What were they thinking? This man should not be encouraged, he’s bad enough as is.
As a non-British citizen he can’t use the term ‘Sir,’ however can call himself Bill Gates K.B.E., meaning Knight Commander of the British Empire. |
Wed Mar 02, 2005 3:59 pm |
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Arma
Mysterious Lady
Joined: 24 Oct 2003
Posts: 1230
Location: in the middle of hell |
I totally agree.
And anyway it already is worse, and is getting even more than with the second - with every passing second we are gettin nearer to the next edition of Windows, whenever that comes 
I wonder what comes after worst? |
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Wed Mar 02, 2005 4:10 pm |
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EverythingXen
Arch-villain
Joined: 01 Feb 2002
Posts: 4342
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Considering that he is by far the most altruistic man in the world I thiink an honorary knighthood is perfectly justifiable. The Devil Gates donates billions each year to medical research, computers at public schools (all running Windows, of course), and other charities.
Additionally, the internet wouldn't be what it is today without Windows (that can be good or bad depending how you look at it). Windows was key to that: Windows is an incredibly hardy operating system (after you quit laughing so hard that tears pour down your face realize I said HARDY ... not stable. Most problems an end user encounters in windows can be fixed by rebooting the system. The same cannot be said for other OS...). Operating system shipping with integrated web browser brought it to the masses... and now grandma can forward jokes she received to everyone in her family.
Sir Paul McCartney was knighted for his contribution to the arts as well as his charities: Why shouldn't a man who had an even more pronounced effect on modern society who is every bit as charitable not get his due?
_________________
Estuans interius, Ira vehementi
"The old world dies and with it the old ways. We will rebuild it as it should be, MUST be... Immortal!"
=Member of the Nonflamers Guild=
=Worshipper of the Written Word= |
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Wed Mar 02, 2005 4:43 pm |
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Val
Risen From Ashes
Joined: 18 Feb 2002
Posts: 14724
Location: Utah, USA |
I agree, Xen. Besides, she could knight a hamster and I still wouldn't care. 
_________________
Freeeeeeedom! Thank heavens it's summer!
What do I have to show for my hard work? A piece of paper! Wee!
=Guardian, Moderator, UltimaDot Newshound=  |
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Wed Mar 02, 2005 9:20 pm |
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Roach
SBR Belfry Bat
Joined: 20 Jan 2002
Posts: 3233
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quote:
Originally posted by EverythingXen
Why shouldn't a man who had an even more pronounced effect on modern society who is every bit as charitable not get his due?
Because I don’t believe that his effect on society is a positive one. I think that the - very illegal - way that Microsoft does business is the epitome of everything that is wrong with the modern American business. Unfortunately Microsoft has so successfully monopolized the market that the US government took on Microsoft a few years ago and lost miserably, thus proving that capitalism as an entity is far more powerful than our government. The bottom line before basic ethics/loophole exploiting line of thinking that Microsoft has downright perfected is the basis for such resounding recent business success stories like Enron or World Com.. I would no sooner knight Bill Gates (or fellow founder Paul Allen) than I would Kenneth Lay.
Perhaps they haven’t been caught cooking the books yet, but one of these days I expect they will be, and that has the potential of making Enron look like small potatoes.
quote:
Originally posted by EverythingXen
Considering that he is by far the most altruistic man in the world I thiink an honorary knighthood is perfectly justifiable. The Devil Gates donates billions each year to medical research, computers at public schools (all running Windows, of course), and other charities.
Gates is the only person in the world richer than the British Royal Family. Gates can more easily afford billions in charity than I can afford to give five dollars to the local church youth group asking for donations up at my local grocery store. I’d donate billions as well if I had his assets. |
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Wed Mar 02, 2005 10:32 pm |
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xSamhainx
Paws of Doom
Joined: 11 Sep 2002
Posts: 2192
Location: San Diego |
"Cooking the Books" is basically a misreporting of profits upward, skewing the price-earnings ratio on which investors base their investments in a company. It's fraud basically, selling someone nothing and usually getting out with whatever assets are truly left before the you-know-what hits the fan. Now Microsoft is not Worldcom, and they arent Enron either, they dont need to "cook the books" at all because they are a very versatile and profitable company that pretty much anyone who uses modern technology is a customer of. If youre sitting around waiting (hoping?) for the biggest and most innovative technology company to suddenly roll over and die, you got a long wait ahead of you. As for me, I'm not sitting around dreading the minutes until the next Microsoft product hits the shelves, I'm anticipating it. Go download a free OS if you want to use that crap, I'll take the Microsoft, the Blizzard, the Intel, the Kraft product. I want quality for my money, not a political statement.
Now the fact that Microsoft was able to withstand the assault and probes of the US Government means they are guilty after all? Geez, I dont want to end up in your courtroom, Roach! Not to mention the government assault on Microsoft hurt the tech sector of our economy. Bill Gates isnt the only one who gets cut a check at Microsoft or as a result of their innovation. I want the "entity of capitalism", the private businesses and investments of the citizens of this nation able to withstand the pitiless governments assault. What the heck?? This aint the Soviet Empire here, man.
As for the value of a man's charitable giving being determined by what someone else thinks they "should" give, well, that's kind of a blindly negative and hateful way to look at things in my opinion. Especially when you take a look at some of the things Gates has done for people in some of the most godawful parts of the world who have absolutely nothing, and had no chance of getting it without his charity. And also for people in the developed world who benefit from his charitable giving. He has made a very big difference in alot of people's lives, and I cant help but salute him for that. He never had to give anyone a cent, you know. Besides, I think I heard he has pledged to give away like 95% of his estate by the time he dies anyway, so dont worry, all in due time youll get your wish if youre one of those types gnashing your teeth in the shadows because he isnt walking around passing out money on the street.
_________________
“Then away out in the woods I heard that kind of a sound that a ghost makes when it wants to tell about something that's on its mind and can't make itself understood, and so can't rest easy in its grave, and has to go about that way every night grieving.”-Mark Twain |
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Thu Mar 03, 2005 1:58 am |
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Roach
SBR Belfry Bat
Joined: 20 Jan 2002
Posts: 3233
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I know what cooking the booking the books means, I wouldn’t have used it if I didn’t. Enron was incredibly successful as well. But what’s going to happen when Microsoft’s monopoly finally breaks down and there are any number of high-ups in the company with hundreds of millions, if not billions, to loose when buisness goes down?
quote:
Originally posted by xSamhainx
If youre sitting around waiting (hoping?) for the biggest and most innovative technology company to suddenly roll over and die, you got a long wait ahead of you.
I have nothing against the company that invented the Graphical User Interface based OS (Windows), I think Xerox is a good company. They just made a really bad call not going forward with taking the GUI OS to market.
quote:
Originally posted by xSamhainx
Go download a free OS if you want to use that crap,
I can’t, the programming language they are teaching at ITT Tech school is MS Visual Studio, so no choice. Much of the various multi-media software we will be using in the future is MS based as well.
quote:
Originally posted by xSamhainx
Now the fact that Microsoft was able to withstand the assault and probes of the US Government means they are guilty after all?
No, manipulating the market by purposely releasing a faulty product specifically designed to increase dependence on further Microsoft software, to manipulate the job market regarding those hired to maintain Windows OS based networks, and to disable other software companies from building software to run on Windows OS without conforming strictly to their software demands, thereby making it a great deal more difficult to make multi-OS software is what makes them guilty.
I’m all for capitalism, but there needs to be some line in the sand that companies cannot be allowed to pass, and currently that line in the sand is laid out by the Sherman Act (antitrust laws). Unfortunately Microsoft managed appeal after appeal until they finally broke the government’s verdict.
quote:
Originally posted by xSamhainx
Not to mention the government assault on Microsoft hurt the tech sector of our economy.
It was foolish investing that burst the bubble. Microsoft’s success taking a step back, which I think has had more to do with Windows ME and Win 2000 then government probes, just demonstrated to these foolish investors that the dot.com market wasn’t any different from other markets, and that all those bad numbers they were getting back about loosing money were not going to change. There was nothing magical about the dot.com, the assumption that there was was what brought about the burst bubble.
quote:
Originally posted by xSamhainx
As for the value of a man's charitable giving being determined by what someone else thinks they "should" give,
I’m not saying he should or shouldn’t be giving various amounts of money, I’m saying that the richest man in the entire world donating money shouldn’t be enough to be labeled altruistic. |
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Thu Mar 03, 2005 4:01 am |
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xSamhainx
Paws of Doom
Joined: 11 Sep 2002
Posts: 2192
Location: San Diego |
Im not going point by point and quoting and branching off and all that, so take my post as is-
Roach, your "Microsoft Crash" assumption is based totally on a hypothetical. "What if" Microsoft... blah blah blah. Microsoft is not Enron, it is a completely different company. You cant lock on to one default business doomsday perspective and see everything thru that prism, applicable or not. Microsft is not Enron, Bill Gates is not Ken Lay, repeating that to yourself may help with this loop in your mind.
Of course ITT is using MS, because they want to prepare you for the real world that uses MS. Im learning/using Visual Studio as well at work, it's been a lifesaver actually. Saved us plenty of times at my office, because the horrible no-name business software we bought is so buggy and the customer service so pathetic, we just write our own programs to help pick up where the other software leaves off. Thank God we need to export from one module to another, so we can use our own programs we have written ourselves to tweak the exported file appropriately before importation to the next module of the terrible business suite of programs. That's real world experience and real world application of a MS product that if we didnt have, we would be in a world of hurt at my place of business. I guess I could go hunt down some second rate programming software, but Im no old-school programmer. Strangely enough, Im able to pull it off with Visual Studio tho with no formal training. Im even writing a WOW utility on my own time, because of the ease and quality of Visual Studio. Thank you Microsoft for Visual Basic, I literally dont know what Id do without it. That's why I'll Support MS as I do, things like that.
As far as the "faulty product" conspiracy goes, hey, believe what you want to believe man. I think the DOJ assaulting MS was the main factor of the tech sector plunge, you think an evil company would release faulty software to do x, y, and z. I think it's completely nuts, but if that's the way you want to think about things there's not a whole lot I can do to change your mind, and I dont want to even try. Anyway, with all due respect I think its actually pretty funny. So grind yer teeth and have fun as you learn the AntiChrist's software in school, just to get out later and use the Infernal One's software for the rest of your freakin life! How great is that?
Then I guess grind them even more as he gets his knighthood or whatever, why that even matter to you is just beyond me anyway. All I know is that he's done a whole heck of alot more than most wealthy people have for curtailing disease in the 3rd world, things he didnt have to do. He cared enough about people he didnt know, to stand up and do something about it. I think the people who benefit from his charity probably have a different view of his "knighthood" than you do perhaps. Didnt Ozzy Ozzbourne get knighted?
_________________
“Then away out in the woods I heard that kind of a sound that a ghost makes when it wants to tell about something that's on its mind and can't make itself understood, and so can't rest easy in its grave, and has to go about that way every night grieving.”-Mark Twain |
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Thu Mar 03, 2005 5:26 am |
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EverythingXen
Arch-villain
Joined: 01 Feb 2002
Posts: 4342
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I don't think Gates is the richest man in the world... he's the richest american in the world. I believe an oil prince has the actual highest net worth ... don't know his name or what he does with his money and that right there says something to me.
To me motive for altruism is never a factor: I don't care if he did it because he genuinely cares, because it's a huge PR boost, or because his wife is a decent human being and said she wouldn't sleep in the same bed as him until he did it. It doesn't matter to me... what matters is that the money went to those who need it.
Just because he can afford to give the most money doesn't mean he has to give the most money ... but he did. That is charity.
_________________
Estuans interius, Ira vehementi
"The old world dies and with it the old ways. We will rebuild it as it should be, MUST be... Immortal!"
=Member of the Nonflamers Guild=
=Worshipper of the Written Word= |
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Thu Mar 03, 2005 2:53 pm |
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Danicek
The Old One
Joined: 15 Dec 2001
Posts: 5922
Location: Czech Republic |
I don't have problem with Gates becoming a knight. Though (as we - RPG players - know) real knight is something quite different :].
I don't doubt that many fights of Microsoft were dirty one (that's one thing), but after working with computers for several years and after experiences with several OS (Windows, OSX, Linux, Unix), I believe Windows is best choice for average home user (just my opinion of course). |
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Fri Mar 04, 2005 8:43 am |
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Darrius Cole
Most Exalted Highlord
Joined: 04 May 2004
Posts: 406
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quote:
Originally by Roach
Unfortunately Microsoft has so successfully monopolized the market that the US government took on Microsoft a few years ago and lost miserably, thus proving that capitalism as an entity is far more powerful than our government.
Capitalism as an entity IS far more powerful than our government, or any other government for that matter.
I think Gates does have more money that that prince Xen spoke of, even though Gates wealth does fluctuate more, as it is based primarily on the value of one tech stock.
I also don't think that Gates altruism should be discounted. He didn't have to give anybody anything, but he did give according to the same manner in which he has been blessed. That is noble.
As far as his and Microsoft's business practices...some of them are unethical. I particularly frown upon the practice ruining entire software industries by dumping competing products on the market. Still we must not overlook the reality that the world needs Microsoft, or at least needs someone to do what Microsoft does.
Because Microsoft has a ensured that 90% of the computers in the world have virtually the same OS any layperson can use a computer with a minimal amount of study. That has changed computers from a capital good to a consumer good. In the process it has stimulated commerce and the processing of ideas in such ways that the world is just beginning to feel the effects. If there were 12 operating systems all with about 8% market share no one layperson would want to go through the trouble to have a computer in their house.
I don't have a problem with Bill Gates being knighted. He is an exceptional business talent that has made a profound impact on the world. His story is not one of a computer genius who developed a revolutionary product in one stroke, but rather one of shrewd business mind who built an empire and provided a services to millions, scratch that, billions of people.
But I don't get paid any one way or the other. So, what...ever.
_________________
Always with you what can not be done. Hear you nothing that I say? - Master Yoda
Only the powerful are free. - Darrius Cole |
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Fri Mar 04, 2005 8:05 pm |
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