Bill Gates donates USD 100mio to India...

[Gaffer]

...India are unhappy. Go figure...

[OrdinaryGuy]

good thing to do when u dont wanna pay your taxes.. go and donate it... You get special benefits as addons too.

[Gaffer]

Originally posted by OrdinaryGuy
good thing to do when u dont wanna pay your taxes.. go and donate it... You get special benefits as addons too.

cynical and naive. Cynical because despite the vitriole he generates from yer average geek, he does have a tendency to follow what many great entrepreneurs have done, and that's donate large sums of cash for charity.

naive, because you don't save monay be donating to charity. He doesn't become richer because he's given away $100mio. Sure it's tax free - it's charitable and so it should be tax free...

[plenderj]

If india are unhappy, give it to me.
I could put it to good use

[Jack Daniels]

Originally posted by plenderj
If india are unhappy, give it to me.
I could put it to good use

What some more booze?

And my bro always claims that he donations on his tax form

one day he might donate all the stuff that he claimed

[OrdinaryGuy]

Originally posted by Gaffer
cynical and naive. Cynical because despite the vitriole he generates from yer average geek, he does have a tendency to follow what many great entrepreneurs have done, and that's donate large sums of cash for charity.

naive, because you don't save monay be donating to charity. He doesn't become richer because he's given away $100mio. Sure it's tax free - it's charitable and so it should be tax free...

well.. he wouldn't have made that much if he didn't do whatever he could to crush the competition so hard.... His policy in the beginning of the decade was to put a computer in every home by making software and computing cheap. Now XP Pro sells for $200 a piece...

[Gaffer]

Originally posted by OrdinaryGuy
well.. he wouldn't have made that much if he didn't do whatever he could to crush the competition so hard.... His policy in the beginning of the decade was to put a computer in every home by making software and computing cheap. Now XP Pro sells for $200 a piece...

heh, well as far as I can see, his prophecy is almost true - many more people using PCs, they are affordable, anf, hey, guess what, you can use free open source

This isn't about Gates and monopolies anyway (I have my own views on that), this is about this issue:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/aids/story...838353,00.html

[plenderj]

I don't see any problems with what Bill Gates does.
He doesn't owe anything to anybody, and doesn't have to "play nice" either.

Himself and steve founded Microsoft.
Its their company.
They can do what they want.

Anyway, Bill Gates doesn't run the company anymore.
He's now the chief software architect, whereas Steve Ballmer (sp?) is actually running the show now


And about donating money.
I mean for christ's sake.
You don't look a gift horse in the mouth !!!!

[Jack Daniels]

Originally posted by Gaffer
heh, well as far as I can see, his prophecy is almost true - many more people using PCs, they are affordable, anf, hey, guess what, you can use free open source

This isn't about Gates and monopolies anyway (I have my own views on that), this is about this issue:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/aids/story...838353,00.html

Makes for an interesting read, I hope its spent right and that it does its job.

I agree Jamie, he can do whatever he wants, If I hated him, I wouldn't buy anything from Micro$oft.

[OrdinaryGuy]

Originally posted by plenderj

Anyway, Bill Gates doesn't run the company anymore.
He's now the chief software architect, whereas Steve Ballmer (sp?) is actually running the show now

So u think? He only went down to Chief Software Architect when the anti trust case against MS appeared. Bill Gates is still the Chairman and thus excercise total control..

[plenderj]

He's the chairman because he's the majority shareholder.
Ballmer is the CEO - and thus he runs the company.

Gates doesn't want to run the company.
He wants to focus on the .NET stuff.
Its Ballmer that's making all the decisions

[OrdinaryGuy]

Originally posted by plenderj
He's the chairman because he's the majority shareholder.
Ballmer is the CEO - and thus he runs the company.

Gates doesn't want to run the company.
He wants to focus on the .NET stuff.
Its Ballmer that's making all the decisions

Incorrect... even if he held only .1% of shares he'd still be the chairman. When you start a company (at least in the US), the person who starts it would retain the status of Chairman unless he sells it or kills himself.

The CEO can be removed by Bill Gates but the CEO cannot remove Bill. Therefore its pretty obvious that he has indirect control over all company affairs. Yeah of course, Steve does most of the work but he can't do anything that our Bill won't like. And when Bill gets tired of him, he'd put Stevy as Chief Executive of the cleaning department.

[plenderj]

riiiight.

I'm not going to bother with this conversation any longer.

[Gaffer]

Originally posted by plenderj
And about donating money.
I mean for christ's sake.
You don't look a gift horse in the mouth !!!!

Absolutely.

And as for the hierarchy of Microsoft, I'm not sure anyone really knows what goes on. I have no idea what goes on in the boardroom of the company I work for, so I seriously doubt anyone really know what role Gates has in Microsoft.

But this has nothing to do with what power he has. It's 100mio of his own fortune, a fortune massed but hard work and inventiveness, a fortune envyed only by those who could never achieve similar.

[plenderj]

Yep - and anyone who'd turn their noses up at $100M, let alone $100, isn't worth donating to.

[OrdinaryGuy]

[MerrionComputin]

The government of India are unhappy because he donated this money to a charity to raise AIDS awareness and this really doesn't show them in a good light. He has sidestepped the potential bunfight by making platitudes like "everyone in India has the same goals [in relation to AIDS awareness] and we must avoid getting tied down on methods"
Whether the money might have benefitted sub-saharan Africa (infection rates over 25%) is a point of debate.

[Michael_Kamen]

Originally posted by OrdinaryGuy

"Strike me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the XP side will be completed!"

[Cander]

Gosh, I hope Chit Chat doesnt turn into Slashdot/ZDNet!



I swear, Bill Gates cant do anything without someone finding something negative about it. He could cure AIDS and be blamed for putting Palladium into the AIDS serum to try to take over our bodies..or something like that..

[OrdinaryGuy]

hmm.. this just popped up on my copy of Trillian:

http://rss.com.com/2100-1001-965378....feed&subj=news

[Michael_Kamen]

I can assure you: that's only pure coïncidence!

[JPicasso]

My guess is that he didn't bribe the right officials in India before
donating such a large amount.
I'd bet there are lots of poloticians who think that if he's giving 100 mil,
he could have given them a few thousand and noone would've missed it.

He probably should've given them a phone call at least.

[Gaffer]

Originally posted by OrdinaryGuy
hmm.. this just popped up on my copy of Trillian:

http://rss.com.com/2100-1001-965378....feed&subj=news

Now THAT was the kind of reponse I wanted!

It's plausible i suppose, if corporate greasing of palm conspiracies is your thing.

However, the fact is that a) India is being assisted in what looks like a pandemic. Whether it's done through the correct channels or not (nod to Merrioncomputing) is another issue
and b) Do Microsoft need to spend this kind of cash on India, a country that is MORE than willing to join the 1st world arena of corporate computing?

[Gaffer]

Originally posted by Michael_Kamen
I can assure you: that's only pure coïncidence!

Really?

[prog_tom]

Originally posted by plenderj
I don't see any problems with what Bill Gates does.
He doesn't owe anything to anybody, and doesn't have to "play nice" either.

Himself and steve founded Microsoft.
Its their company.
They can do what they want.

Anyway, Bill Gates doesn't run the company anymore.
He's now the chief software architect, whereas Steve Ballmer (sp?) is actually running the show now


And about donating money.
I mean for christ's sake.
You don't look a gift horse in the mouth !!!!

No, Paul Allen and Bill founded MS.

*edited by plenderj*

[honeybee]

Originally posted by prog_tom
Indians are a bunch of ungrateful people ...

I want you to apologize for making that statement.

.

[Jack Daniels]

Yes, especially considering that it was the goverment who was concerned... and it wasn't about the money, it was the bad publicity that gates invoked...

[OrdinaryGuy]

Originally posted by Jack Daniels
Yes, especially considering that it was the goverment who was concerned... and it wasn't about the money, it was the bad publicity that gates invoked...

If the Indian government would be unhappy about any aspect of the Gates mission to India, it would be the fact that India currently does not recognize AIDS as a threat. If you look at it ratio wise, not more than one in 10,000 are infected (correct me if Im wrong). When Gates came to India he showed some alarming statistics. The Indian government reacted by saying their is no need to panic or something. I DO NOT think that they are ungrateful. In fact I believe it was very well received.

Originally posted by prog_tomIndians are a bunch of ungrateful people ...

Well, you need to realize that this is a multi cultured board. There are many indians here. If you wanted to criticize, your criticism should be directed to the Indian government and not the Indian community. So go get lost you stupid ****er.

[Michael_Kamen]

Originally posted by Gaffer
Really?

Yes, I used to work for MS in The Netherlands, as a spokesman, and we learned that all we had to say was: "Yes, we are better then Linux", "No, we don't abuse our monopoly" and "That's only pure coïncidence".

[plenderj]

Originally posted by prog_tom
No, Paul Allen and Bill founded MS.

Yeah remember that as soon as I posted the post.
Didn't think anyone would notice

[kleinma]

Originally posted by Cander
He could cure AIDS and be blamed for putting Palladium into the AIDS serum to try to take over our bodies..or something like that..

hmmm that's not a bad idea...

[Michael_Kamen]

That way he could fight software piracy at the root!

[thexchord]

Originally posted by OrdinaryGuy

Well, you need to realize that this is a multi cultured board. There are many indians here. If you wanted to criticize, your criticism should be directed to the Indian government and not the Indian community. So go get lost you stupid ****er.

his post got me mad... made me feel alien... made me feel lonely... till I read YOUR POST!

my 3 paisas:
1. AIDs is a big threat in India that required attention. Unfortunately, the polity and bureaucracy aren't helping.

2. BGates donated 100 mn $ - the same day a news channel flashed a report that showed an AIDs patient who had been refused admission for treatment in to the same hospital where he had been diagnosed HIV+. let's say the 80/20 rule applies here.... 80% of the money will be used for the AIDs epidemic, 20% will go to as bribes - out of the 80% used, only 20% will be be productive while 80% will not.

3. Indians aren't jerks as chatrooms and boards make them out to be - I am sure there are lots of rotten apples from other places as well.

[Nightwalker83]

Originally posted by Jack Daniels
What some more booze?

And my bro always claims that he donations on his tax form

one day he might donate all the stuff that he claimed

Don't let him buy all of world's beer. Without beer people like Homer Simpson would die

[Nightwalker83]

Well, you need to realize that this is a multi cultured board. There are many indians here. If you wanted to criticize, your criticism should be directed to the Indian government and not the Indian community. So go get lost you stupid ****er.

Very well said I certainly hope he can realize that what he said is very offensive.

[NotLKH]

Ouch! Thats a Landmine waiting to be walked on!

Bill donates 100 Millian to The Indian Gov't, The Indians raise a ruckus because of a MultiComplex perspective on AIDS and how publicized Bill's donation became, then it gets discussed here, and plenderj states:

And about donating money.
I mean for christ's sake.
You don't look a gift horse in the mouth !!!!

which is something said when someone, upon receiving a gift, is ungrateful.

which then prompts prog_tom into makeing an overly generalized, simplistic observation which is a natural observation based upon plenderj's statement.

which then makes honeybee mad, upset, and hurt, honeybee shouts at prog_tom, others jump on prog_tom, a thread is posted in the forums requesting prog_tom is modded, attracting extra attention to the "offensive" statement, ...

So, since no one objected to plenderj's statement, but prog_tom was keel-hauled over his, then :

Apparently India did look a gift horse in the mouth, but can't be accused of being ungrateful?

[OrdinaryGuy]

Originally posted by NotLKH


Apparently India did look a gift horse in the mouth, but can't be accused of being ungrateful?

U missed the point apparently. He didn't say India is ungrateful (which would have been assumed to be directed to the government), he said Indians were ungrateful. If I said the chineese were a bunch of rodents, that would certainly have hurt the feelings of many. However, if i said the Chineese government was run by a bunch of anti porn bastards, that would have been tolerated.

[JungleMan]

I'm with Jamie on this one. That's $100 million and people still have something to say about Bill Gates. You all are jealous because he has a lot of money.

As for donating to not pay taxes, the added taxes can't possibly be MORE than you are giving away in the first place, so that can't possibly be a valid reason.

[OrdinaryGuy]

Originally posted by Jungle-Man
I'm with Jamie on this one. That's $100 million and people still have something to say about Bill Gates. You all are jealous because he has a lot of money.

As for donating to not pay taxes, the added taxes can't possibly be MORE than you are giving away in the first place, so that can't possibly be a valid reason.

Well - the guardian report (to which gaffer had put a link) is pretty shocking. I never heard the words "ungrateful" in the US media or on any Indian news website. Infact a CNN Report (link below) pretty much shows India was grateful.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapc...eut/index.html

[NotLKH]

Originally posted by OrdinaryGuy
U missed the point apparently. He didn't say India is ungrateful (which would have been assumed to be directed to the government), he said Indians were ungrateful. If I said the chineese were a bunch of rodents, that would certainly have hurt the feelings of many. However, if i said the Chineese government was run by a bunch of anti porn bastards, that would have been tolerated.

I don't believe I did.

The point is, I have heard many times overgeneralized, non-profanic statements such as Americans deserved yada, The English are yada, Canadians are yada, Australians love Beer { }, and by and large, any who disagreed would enter a discussion with whomever it was that said such a thing.

However, in this instance, instead of a rational discussion over the merits of such an overgeneralized statement, I saw Rage, Complaining, and Calls for Moderation.

-Lou