Bill Gates steps down from MS today

[tigerboyce]

Bill gates, one of the worlds richest men and chairman of Microsoft is stepping down from his leading role to embark on a mission of philanthropy as he goes to be more involved with his 'Bill and Melinda Gates foundation' where he has invested over $38billion aimed at improving heathcare all over the world.

Since 13, Gates has been programming computers when finally in 1980, MS signed a huge deal with IBM to build the operating system MS-DOS and followed to become the worlds youngest self made millionaire at the age of 31 in 1986.

Gates plans to still have ties to the company, working on special technology products.

The company that is said to have over 90% of its operating systems in personal computers, is worth about 280 billion dollars and employs over 78,000 people in more than 103 countries that looks set to continue with its great success, has a very tough challenge ahead with Google set to become a major competition in the near future.

[directhex]

there are many ironies in the way bill's conducted himself over the years, but nobody can say he was wasn't influential, nor that the foundation is anything but good thing

[Hicks12]

thoguht he left ages ago?. Was he staying again just for more money? he was good but towards the end he started just becoming greedy imo.

[mycarsavw]

A link is always nice

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...oft.microsoft1

There's one.

He's doing something worthwhile so good luck to him and his wife.

[Salazaar]

He stepped down as CEO about two years ago, he's been chief technologist since. Now he's (pretty much) bowing out to concentrate on the foundation.

[TheAnimus]

thoguht he left ages ago?. Was he staying again just for more money? he was good but towards the end he started just becoming greedy imo.

You're so right, the barstard, staying at work to make money.

If only he could be more like you, and give up work like you have!

[midzt]

Saw the moeny program on him a coupla weeks back, was very interesting to see how he built the company up. Never was really that interested in how he did it, but he is a very clever and its nice to see that hes putting money to good use.
Be interesting to see how MS get on without his influence altho Im sure they have enough technical expertise behind them.

[TooNice]

At least he has given back more than most. If he wanted to, he could indulge himself by having a £1 billion house built just for kicks (in reference to the $1 billion house being built for India's richest man), but he didn't do that.

[merdat]

If you guys want a visual on how it all got started (microsoft that is ) check out the film ' pirates of silicon valley' excellent film .

[MadduckUK]

You're so right, the barstard, staying at work to make money.

If only he could be more like you, and give up work like you have!

yes, he should be more like students!

[Russ]

was it xerox and apple macintosh who stole the idea for an OS with a mouse?

[TheAnimus]

basically Xerox funded a whole bunch of research, they had some great visionaries coming up with excelent ideas.

but the management people weren't quite so smart. So much so they didn't even patent basic things.

now some people (mostly fan boys) think that apple theirfore has some right to the technology as it employed the people who'd been researching at xerox.

Personally i think its the company that makes it work first, anyone can do research it takes a real group of visionaries to use it properly, and make it do something practical that will be judged by its commercial sucsess. Inventing a technology with out an application is a pointless indevour!

[Koolpc]

Great to see a man like him helping others in need etc. I applaud him for that. Top guy.

[Tumble]

basically Xerox funded a whole bunch of research, they had some great visionaries coming up with excelent ideas.

but the management people weren't quite so smart. So much so they didn't even patent basic things.

now some people (mostly fan boys) think that apple theirfore has some right to the technology as it employed the people who'd been researching at xerox.

Personally i think its the company that makes it work first, anyone can do research it takes a real group of visionaries to use it properly, and make it do something practical that will be judged by its commercial sucsess. Inventing a technology with out an application is a pointless indevour!

Xerox invented Ethernet!! but the silly sods didn't patent it, as Animus pointed out.. and look how popular that is now

[Russ]

networks in general are overrated tumble, it'll never catch on :blink: