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Your Chance to Meet Bill Gates
tcak writes "From the CNET article: "You could meet the chairman of Microsoft, but you'll have to profess a passion for Windows first. Microsoft is looking for true stories about people using Windows computers to pursue a passion or hobby. The company plans to use them in a marketing blitz tied to the 20th anniversary of Windows' debut. ""
You could meet the chairman of Microsoft, but you'll have to profess a passion for Windows first.
How many of us will pretend to love windows just to get a chance to relive some fond memories?
Microsoft is looking for true stories about people using Windows computers to pursue a passion or hobby.
So now they have to bribe Windows users for positive reviews, eh? Seems about right.
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
...will they pat me down first before i meet him?
who is she? leave a comment!
Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be like Apple's Switch ads?
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When I'm at work, I use a Dell PC running Windows XP to open my VNC sessions on the linux grid to write new simulators as well as check on the progress of currently executing ones, as well as pulling up my VNC terminal from my iMacG5 at home to peruse personal email.
Do I get to meet Bill now?
A lot of people seem to be passionate about Macs, Linux and some Unix variants. But I've never known anyone who is really passionate about windows, some people prefer it to other operating systems but nobody really seems to love it. I could understand apple doing this, but I think Microsoft might have difficulty finding people who really love windows.
Anyone here old enought to remember Death Race 2000? Remember why Frankenstein (David Carradine) wanted so badly to win the race?
^_^
____
~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
I want to win just to pull the old Chris Farley interview from SNL.
Me: Remember that time you released windows?
Bill: Yeah
Me: That was awesome!
/. ++
Hi There Bill, please consider me !
:-
I use Windows to persue my hobbies, which include
phishing, spamming, cracking and distributing illegal files via p2p !
I have a real passion for windows !
A slashdotting - you get the stick first and then the carrot !
...this would be it.
Seriously, what is the point of posting this to Slashdot? No, REALLY? Is this some kind of group anger management therapy?
Balmer hawking Windows when it was first released.
your stake, mallet and holy water.
So that at the News Conference in front of all the world media, with Bill at your side, you say, "Actually, I always use [Insert favorite Distro here] for actually doing work."
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
Why do I have this vision of Gates dressed as Santa and a line of geeks is waiting to sit on his lap?
"Hi, um, Bill, er, um, Mr. Gates. I love Windows so much, I have the logo tattoed on my heiny. Want to see it?"
"What?? That's copyright infringement!! Guards, place this manboy under arrest!!"
The thing that really bugs me about Microsoft's products is how they'll fuck over paying customers.
Here's an old by great example. Back when Win95 was released you could not natively use long file names with 16-bit apps. However, there was a product called "Name-It!" which did allow that function. In other words it was possible, but Microsoft chose NOT to implement it. Why? Because long file names was a great feature and it would give incentive to users to upgrade to new 32-bit programs.
Another great example is Messenger, the chat program not the service. Microsoft has made it nearly impossible to get rid of. Even if you edit your sysoc.inf file and uninstall Messenger, it'll suddenly come back. Even if you delete the subfolder under Program Files, it'll mysteriously come back. Obviously Microsoft considers its chat war against AOL more important than ease of use for users.
And of course there's product activation. We were told it was to stop piracy, but that was bull-shit. You can easy obtain pirated copies of XP. Let's face it, if it product activation really worked, then why is Microsoft implementing its anti-piracy feature for people downloading software? And even more importantly, if piracy has been decreased, then why is XP Microsoft's most expensive OS? Why aren't they passing the savings back to use? Once again, the real purpose of product activation is to screw over the paying customer who wants to install XP on both of his systems.
And lets not forget out Microsoft's Office products are constantly screwing with file formats to make the later versions incompatible with earlier versions. Once again, this is NOT done to make it easier for paying customers. It's merely leverage to get those customer paying again and again.
It'd be really hard to be passionate FOR Microsoft's products. It's hard to be passionate for anything that nickel and dimes you at every turn. That treats you like a criminal. And sees you merely as a cash cow to be milked at every chance.
If someone says he and his monkey have nothing to hide, they almost certainly do.
A lot of us got our start with non-MS OS's, but we all owe Billy a thank-you for making PC's available to non-business's.
If it wasn't for MS, IBM would prolly still be stong-arming the MainFrame Only sales pitch. Yes Apple was first, but it just didn't catch on the way that Windows did.
I don't like his products (although Outlook2003 is damn spiffy), I don't like his embrace/engulf style, but I do love the fact that without him I wouldn't have the career that I do today. I owe him thanks.
C64 -> WFWG 3.11 -> OS/2 v3 & v4 -> Linux
I believe that MS-DOS 6.22 was the best OS that Microsoft has ever made.
Without the millions of home PC's running Windows, we would still be using 486's running at 100MHz.
Thank-you Bill. Now please just go away.
"The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." ~Plato (427-347 BC)
"I didn't get rich by writing a lot of checks!"
Bill if your gonna buy reviews, use cash like the the hardware and gaming industries. Stop being a cheapass!
I find screens fascinating. Just by looking at a screen, you can learn anything in the realm of human knowledge. There is no limit to the things one can learn by applying yourself to screens.
When writing, I find the word "of" to be a significant help in stringing together words into coherent sentences. I am so grateful to my elementary school teachers for introducing me to this wonderful word.
I cannot get the idea of death out of my mind. It haunts me, it consumes me, it puzzles me. I think about it endlessly.
Is there any wonder why I have a deep and abiding love for Windows?
Sounds similar to GWB's town hall events. :/
You have a shot at talking to the president, but first you have to pledge support.
"Things are more moderner than before- bigger, and yet smaller- it's computers-- San Dimas High School football RULES!"
Oh yeah, Bill Gates is teh bomb.
Second Prize: Two meetings with Bill Gates.
"Win treats sysadmins better than users. Mac treats users better than sysadmins. Linux treats everyone like sysadmins."
is masochism.
Windows does it for me every time.
Thank you Windows.
cyn, free software and *nix operating systems enthusiast.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Windows is easier because it is the market leader and almost every bit of hardware or commercial software that you find is designed for it. Chances are that you also "grew up" using it and the knowledge that you gained was bit by bit and mostly painless. The windows environment comparable to the American system of weights and measures -- everyone (in the US) uses it, everyone has some knowledge about it, and everything is designed for it. I know by looking at a bolt if it is 5/16 of an inch, if you asked me how many milimeters, I'd have to think. Even if metric "makes more sense" it won't "just work" for me unless I retrain myself. Linux has made things easier and with some of the Live CDs things mostly just work, but there is usually some retraining and tinkering for me at least.