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Who is Your Hero, Gates or Jobs?
feranick writes "Wired and Ars Technica are both running articles comparing Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, not for their business/technological achievements but for their humanitarian involvement. I am curious to see what you are thinking about the issue. What is more important, be a showmen technologist like Jobs or an humanitarian missionaire like Gates? And even more important: Is it important that donations from rich billionaires be public or should they remain private?"
Call me cynical, call me what you may, but I think this value judgment
is totally off. In short, the elements being compared and how they
relate to your daily life are skewed.
If I were the receipient of one of Gates' grants, I'm sure he would be
my hero. At the same time I think it's great that he's putting his vast
fortune to so much good. That's all brilliant.
However, on a day-to-day basis, I get joy and productivity gains from
using Apple products and Apple OS. I get pain and suffering from using
Microsoft products and Microsoft OS. So daily, Jobs does more to make
my life better than Gates.
Now, there any many people who give generously of their time and money.
Each person has to give based on his or her ability and level. If you're
the richest person in the world, well, you better give more than anyone
else. I believe a large part of Gates' public face on his charitable
giving is to offset the negative view of him by so many. It's probably
related to some sort of pent up negative view from his childhood. Who knows.
In any case, you can have Gates and Jobs as your hero, it's not an either
or thing. This topic is so close to a troll that I considered not replying
but here it is anyway. Now let the mac versus pc debate continue into its
3rd decade now.
What is more important, be a showmen technologist like Jobs or an humanitarian missionaire like Gates?
Does anyone proofread any more? Seriously, "be a showmen" should be "being a showman" and there is no such word as "missionaire."
Cowboy Neal.
Meanwhile, you've got people like Bono and Geldof constantly pursuing doing the right thing, getting sponsors on board to help erradicate diseases, end poverty, change the way the G8 address debt of the developing world, etc. (good flick to watch: The Girl In The Cafe) all without having $49b to do it with. These people do more than just cast money at the problem, the mobilize against it.
Another big charity announced recently.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Look, I'd think Slashdotters would be able to see through Gate's crap. In a lot of this humanitarianism (Not the majority of it, I'll give you that) he's just pushing his product onto more desktops.
And in the rest, look where the money is coming from. US. YOU AND ME AND EVERYONE WHO HAS HAD TO PAY GOBS OF MONEY FOR AN OPERATING SYSTEM THAT, ARGUABLY, THE WORLD WOULD BE BETTER OFF WITHOUT.
So until his net assets reach $0, IMHO, he sins aren't yet paid in full.
Why stick up for big business?
I'd rank him right behind Saddam Hussein as a humanitarian. And hope he rots in hell. If MIT gets condemned for doing the same thing on a broader scale, Bill Gates should be condemned in the same side of the scale.
It isn't about judging ... and then you go on to judge Bill Gates in your entire rant.
The fact is, Bill Gates has contributed more money to charity than most other people that have ever lived on this Earth. This is a fact you cannot refute, and is all that matters at the end of the day. Jesus may have felt the widow giving up her two cents made the biggest sacrifice, but at the end of the day it boils down to "how much do you have in the coffers?" when it comes to running a charity.
Bill Gates has made an extreme fortune, and he could have sat on the entire amount, given only entire to his family and friends, but Melinda and his father encouraged him to give most of it away (which he has pledged to do), and I say kudos.
Who are you to bitch and moan that he hasn't made a sacrifice? Who cares?
People like you can never be satisified. He could give everything away until he had only a million left to retire on the interest, and people like you'd be bitching that he didn't give more. I know you're kind very well. It's not fair that those evil rich only pay 35% in taxes, because they can afford to pay 70% and still live better than me!
Have some cheese with your whine, and grow up. Bill Gates is giving away a fortune to charity. Leave the nerd alone.
Ironically, the word ironically is often used incorrectly.
I notice a lot of quotes from the old testament. People who follow the old testament are known as Jews, not Christians. k'thanx