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The 2005 IT Year In Quotes

PCM2 writes "InfoWorld is carrying a news story that sums up the year in quotes from IT executives. Lots of fun stuff to be had here, including former WorldCom CEO Bernie Ebbers: 'I know what I don't know, and to this day I don't know technology and I don't know accounting and finance.' Also: 'We have so many rivals it's frightening. The week after next I will meet Bill Gates and Steve Jobs and I will [shake hands and]look down and see if I still have a hand.' - Sony's Stringer"

18 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. Rare to get such honesty these days. by otavo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "In our flash business, we had an awful quarter. ... It makes me puke to lose US$39 million." -- Hector Ruiz, chairman, president and CEO of Advanced Micro Devices Inc., clearly not a happy man. is my fav.

    It is rare to get such honesty these days.


    --------
    Intentional Web Initiative

  2. Here's one from drewzhrodague by drewzhrodague · · Score: 4, Funny

    Here's one from me, I came-up with this pretty much on the fly, but I guess it was in response to someone's question in a conversation: Vacation is the distance between jobs.

    --
    Zhrodague.net - I do projects and stuff too.
  3. My 2005 IT Quote of the Year by rampant+mac · · Score: 5, Funny
    Secretary sitting outside Balmer's Office...

    *sound of chair hitting the wall*

    "What the FUCK was that?"

    --
    I like big butts and I cannot lie.
  4. Re:They forgot a few by ZachPruckowski · · Score: 4, Informative

    "I'm going to f***ing bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I'm going to f***ing kill Google." -- Steve Jobs

    Um, wasn't that Steve Ballmer? I mean, there's a bit of a difference.

  5. "Screw the nano." by plover · · Score: 5, Funny
    "Screw the nano. What the hell does the nano do? Who listens to 1,000 songs?" -- Motorola's Zander letting his real feelings show about Apple Computer (Profile, Products, Articles) Inc.'s music player, which overshadowed Motorola's new Rokr phone during a product launch. (Sept. 23.)

    He's right! 640 songs ought to be enough for anyone!

    --
    John
  6. ESR such a dolt by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    OK, mod this down... Eric Raymond is the biggest f*cking prick I've ever met. Microsoft's worst nightmare? I doubt Bill Gates is sitting at home having nightmares about the arrogant gasbag that is ESR. I met him a couple times so far. Each time he was condescending and rude. Against my better judgment I asked him to autograph a program guide. The fucker actually sneered at me and huffed. Contrast this to maddog hall or Wozniak or Linus (all of whom were absolutely pleasant and smiling). Shoot, even Richard Stallman who I'd thought would be an ass from all the stories I've heard was a nice guy, though really weird (and driven, and someone I'm glad fights for what he believes). But ESR, put a cork in him please.

    1. Re:ESR such a dolt by kfg · · Score: 4, Funny

      But ESR, put a cork in him please.

      Careful dude, or he might get to feeling like putting a lead cork in you.

      You probably just shouldn't pay much attention to those "three letter" people anyway.

      KFG

    2. Re:ESR such a dolt by Dr.+Photo · · Score: 4, Funny

      "You probably just shouldn't pay much attention to those "three letter" people anyway.

      KFG"


      Heh, heh, heh.

      Slightly OT, but... Every time I see the nick "kfg", I think it must mean "Kentucky Fried Goat". And that makes me smile. :)

    3. Re:ESR such a dolt by kfg · · Score: 4, Funny

      Every time I see the nick "kfg", I think it must mean "Kentucky Fried Goat".

      One of these days I'm really going to have to have a talk with my mother about that one.

      KFG

  7. A contender from Sony by From+A+Far+Away+Land · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Mr. THOMAS HESSE (President, Sony BMG Global Digital Business): Most people, I think, don't even know what a Rootkit is, so why should they care about it?

  8. And in other quotes: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    'The week after next we will meet Sony's Stringer and we will [shake hands and] look down and see if he surreptitiously sticks something up our asses.' - Bill Gates and Steve Jobs

  9. Re:Linus logic... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Gates was following Linus' logic when he named his company Microsoft.

    I'll be here all week, folks.

  10. Developer comment... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 4, Funny

    A developer once said: "I have no idea what the probelm is, but whatever it was is now fixed."

    Which kinda reminds of the line from the remake of The Thing: "I don't know what that was, but it's weird and it's pissed off."

  11. How about this one.... by 8127972 · · Score: 4, Funny

    "I have never, honestly, thrown a chair in my life." - Steve Ballmer at Gartner's Symposium/ITxpo, 10/20/05

    I guess he means that he's dishonestly thown a chair.

    --
    This is my opinion. To make sure you don't steal it, it's covered by the DMCA.
    1. Re:How about this one.... by StarkRG · · Score: 4, Funny

      "Alright, I won't toss this chair at you, I was just faking you out. No, really, I don't throw chairs, it's just a roumor. You can come out from behind that wet bar, seriously, I'm not going to hurt you..." *crash* "Ha! Gotcha!"

  12. Long Memories by kmactane · · Score: 5, Insightful
    "One of the most frustrating things that happens occasionally is you go into a client and they'll regale you with tales of atrocities and you say, 'When did this happen?' and they say 'Oh, 1993 or 94, I forget when' -- there's such a long tail to the memories of some of our clients." -- [CA CEO John] Swainson laying out the challenges he and his team face in trying to rebuild shattered customer confidence in the company formerly known as Computer Associates, now rebranded just plain CA. (Oct. 12.)

    Swainson's not kidding, there. Especially when a company does something really boneheaded, people don't forget, and they don't even forgive. (I think maybe people feel like forgiveness is for other humans, not for corporations.)

    I was on the phone with a recruiter earlier today, and mention of Claria (formerly Gator) came up. He said that it was really difficult to place people there. There were the occasional ones who just didn't recognize the name, but at least half his potential hires went "Claria? They're the people who used to be Gator! I'm not working there! Don't even send them my résumé."

    Note that these are people who are out of work, too. Some missteps are just so bad, you can never recover from them. Associating yourself with sleazy and excruciatingly annoying marketing methods is one of them. (Only time will tell if putting rootkits on your customers' computers is another.)

  13. What do you know? by ezratrumpet · · Score: 5, Funny
    "I know what I don't know, and to this day I don't know technology and I don't know accounting and finance." -- Bernie Ebbers, former WorldCom Inc. CEO, speaking in his defense, yes, you've got that right, in his defense during the WorldCom fraud trial.

    So, to become a CEO of a major communications company, you need not know technology, accounting, or finance. Did the board of directors just need a really good shortstop for the annual softball game against the engineers?

  14. Re:What the hell is this? by Turn-X+Alphonse · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's Slashdot man, try to calm down a touch. I've had comments so insightful they could see the future modded troll and comments I wrote when pissed off at people modded +5 insightful. It depends who has mod points on the given day(after all if we're all getting them some days idiots must get them too).

    Look on the bright side at least you didn't have a topic go from +5 insightful to -1 insightful (damn over rated), like I have several times. I'm starting to wonder if I have made a few enemies modding me down when I get a high rated comment.

    Just remember idiots go for the easy mods and if they don't have anyone to lead them (notice it's always +5 -1 or just the default 1/2 when things are modded), they'll mod up the first thing they think is even remotely correct/funny (waste of mod points alert)/they agree with.

    Welcome to Slashdot, where the ???? always stands for get minions/followers

    --
    I like muppets.