End of an era : Bill Gates retires

abhinav.gupta88 · 28th June 2008, 19:36

Wishing all the best for him
He did something which also lead to something called the team-bhp.com

if there was no computer, there will be no team bhp too

bharanidharang · 28th June 2008, 19:39

Perfectly said, end of an era. His push of technology must have impacted billions of people across this world.

However controversial he may be, he deserves a salute for his work in his field and off his field.

nemo · 28th June 2008, 19:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

What ever people have to say about Bill Gates and his company's products, I appreciate him for what he has done. The products of Microsoft are not the best and were not the best. But they ( the products ) had certain amount of user friendliness not seen earlier. Its only because of Microsoft that many, many people are finding it easier to use computer.

I respect such a human being for what he has managed to accomplish.

i just finished reading an article about Bill Gates in today's TOI which rightly pointed out that he was able to take advantage of the economy of scale in building a platform that enabled hardware manufactures and developers to reach the masses while Apple which boasts a superior product failed to leverage it completely.

However bad he is to the competition we have to admire the man for his marketing knack and also on his philanthropy activities. He apparently have donated half of his wealth for it. Think about it, How many billionaires in this world have the heart to donate that kind of money?

gopalnayak · 28th June 2008, 19:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by bharanidharang

Perfectly said, end of an era. His push of technology must have impacted billions of people across this world.

However controversial he may be, he deserves a salute for his work in his field and off his field.

Agreed completely. Bangalore wouldn't have become the Silicon Valley of India had he not brought PCs to every home. Someone else might have done this, but full credit to Gates for doing it.

aaggoswami · 28th June 2008, 22:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by nemo

I just finished reading an article about Bill Gates in today's TOI which rightly pointed out that he was able to take advantage of the economy of scale in building a platform that enabled hardware manufactures and developers to reach the masses while Apple which boasts a superior product failed to leverage it completely.

It was basically apple that came out with GUI ( Graphical User Interface ). But it was Microsoft that developed a platform. This revolutionized the entire industry and results are what we see today. There are many users in the world that manage to use the computer thanks to Bill Gates.

Thad E Ginathom · 28th June 2008, 23:10

I don't think that is true at all. There are many users in the world that have used (and struggled) with his software on computers because of a combination of his marketing and legal departments.

We can't say what might have happened if MS had not won the marketing race hands down. Could have been something even worse!

theMAG · 28th June 2008, 23:21

If ever there was a hard-hitting business man who revolutionized the way people worked, its Bill Gates. Ruthless and getting what he wanted personified this man.

Inspite of all the negative press, he will be recognized as the leading trailblazer of his century.

barcode · 29th June 2008, 00:36

Not too sure if anyone has seen "Pirates of Silicon Valley"... Its a must watch... Will tell you how Bill Gates was smart, fast, shrewd and techie!

How everyone else was just creating technology. He had the vision and the ability to understand that the computer should be and could be used by virtually anyone.

DirtyDan · 29th June 2008, 11:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by kvish

and its very hard to imagine anyone else can grow to that stature even in the future.

They said the same thing about Thomas Edison and then Henry Ford. You wait, some little spindly Indian physicist will find a way to cold start nuclear fission from a combination of rice and cow poop and it will turn the world upside down.

sk456 · 30th June 2008, 12:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Aah! finally. Good riddance! I must say.

I was about to say the same thing.. LOL... cheers:

deepakhon · 30th June 2008, 12:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Aah! finally. Good riddance! I must say.

I second you on this one.

Thad E Ginathom · 30th June 2008, 14:49

Just have to loose that circus-show guy Ballmer, now!

Rahulkool · 30th June 2008, 14:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by barcode

Not too sure if anyone has seen "Pirates of Silicon Valley"... Its a must watch... Will tell you how Bill Gates was smart, fast, shrewd and techie!

How everyone else was just creating technology. He had the vision and the ability to understand that the computer should be and could be used by virtually anyone.

yup its a nice movie, don't know how correct is the story in the movie lol

Samurai · 30th June 2008, 15:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

It was basically apple that came out with GUI ( Graphical User Interface ).

Nope, it was Xerox. Apple copied it from Xerox. Microsoft copied it from Apple.

I am amazed how many people hate BG. They all focus on his negatives and forget his positives.

Bill Gates was the first person who pioneered the idea of getting paid for software. In the 70s and early 80s, people just copied software without a thought. Only hardware was bought and sold, not software. It was the same thought process which made IBM give up any rights to DOS which they considered just software.

If IBM had their way, they would have never allowed the PC revolution to take place. The actions of Bill Gates in the 80s basically ripped open the computer world to the masses. I still remember, in 1993 a MAC cd-rom drive was priced 10 times that of a PC cd-rom drive. Do tell me who is the real conman here.

We in India especially should be grateful to Bill, cheap PCs are the primary reason why we had the computer revolution in India. It kind of coincided with the start of my career, that's how I know. If you have looked around for an IT job in the late 80s or early 90s in India, you would know too.

Zappo · 30th June 2008, 15:52

I agree samu, people who spew venom against BG do not understand his many positives. He lives behind a legacy that probably turned India and its IT revolution around.

On a lighter note, for a change Xerox came out with a original and everyone copied from a Xerox!

On a second thought, can there be an orginal Xerox?

28th June 2008, 19:36	#16
abhinav.gupta88 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Delhi , India Posts: 4,092 Thanked: 325 Times View My Garage	Wishing all the best for him He did something which also lead to something called the team-bhp.com if there was no computer, there will be no team bhp too
	() Thanks

28th June 2008, 19:39	#17
bharanidharang BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Chennai Posts: 402 Thanked: 254 Times Infractions: 0/1 (5)	Perfectly said, end of an era. His push of technology must have impacted billions of people across this world. However controversial he may be, he deserves a salute for his work in his field and off his field.
	() Thanks

28th June 2008, 23:10	#21
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,005 Thanked: 26,445 Times	I don't think that is true at all. There are many users in the world that have used (and struggled) with his software on computers because of a combination of his marketing and legal departments. We can't say what might have happened if MS had not won the marketing race hands down. Could have been something even worse!
	() Thanks

28th June 2008, 23:21	#22
theMAG Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Avon, CT Posts: 7,217 Thanked: 1,807 Times View My Garage	If ever there was a hard-hitting business man who revolutionized the way people worked, its Bill Gates. Ruthless and getting what he wanted personified this man. Inspite of all the negative press, he will be recognized as the leading trailblazer of his century.
	() Thanks

29th June 2008, 00:36	#23
barcode BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: New Delhi Posts: 182 Thanked: 14 Times	Not too sure if anyone has seen "Pirates of Silicon Valley"... Its a must watch... Will tell you how Bill Gates was smart, fast, shrewd and techie! How everyone else was just creating technology. He had the vision and the ability to understand that the computer should be and could be used by virtually anyone.
	() Thanks

30th June 2008, 14:49	#27
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,005 Thanked: 26,445 Times	Just have to loose that circus-show guy Ballmer, now!
	() Thanks

30th June 2008, 15:52	#30
Zappo Team-BHP Support Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 5,922 Thanked: 2,699 Times	I agree samu, people who spew venom against BG do not understand his many positives. He lives behind a legacy that probably turned India and its IT revolution around. On a lighter note, for a change Xerox came out with a original and everyone copied from a Xerox! On a second thought, can there be an orginal Xerox?
	() Thanks