Paul Allen's Microsoft Experience

theodp writes "Just in case Microsoft bashers don't have enough ammo, Robert X. Cringely has a couple of interesting tales in this week's column. The first explains how Bill Gates used Paul Allen's moonlighting at MITS to justify awarding himself 64% of Microsoft's stock vs. Allen's 36% (and Gates' failure to adjust the shares after he accepted a $10/hour part-time MITS job). The second heart-warming tale concerns a conversation Allen reportedly overheard late one night (as he was finishing up DOS 2.0) between Gates and Steve Ballmer discussing how to get Allen's Microsoft stock back if the Hodgkins disease Allen was battling killed him. Yikes."

Comments

Just in case

[DrSkwid]

> Just in case Microsoft bashers don't have enough ammo

Yay, now we have personal attack to add to the list.

Grow up Cowboy

Re:Now, Knowing this...

[Phantombrain]

I never said it Gates wasn't the main M$ man, but still, I would be pretty pissed off if someone was talking behind my back and cutting me a raw deal

MOD PARENT UP

[MustardMan]

Cringley is a troll, just like Dvorak and a number of other idiotic "technology writers" whose drivel gets posted to slashdot on a regular basis. News for trolls. Stuff that's useless. But, hell, it drives up the page hits and brings in those advertising dollars. I guess we should be happy Jon Katz doesn't post articles here anymore, at least.

Re:flamebate?

[Anonymous Coward]

They don't complain because they ARE monkies. For you and I, we know better. Let the monkies sling their poo at eachother. I haven't been to the zoo in a while, but for all intensive purposes, I see the bars when I visit /., and enjoy watching them groom the fleas off eachother.

Here monkey boys! Here's a banana for you. There there. What's that you say?? "ooh! ooh! ooh! It don't matter all radio dating is unreliable! ooh! ooh! ooh! Hail the Church of Darwin!! [several /. monkies hold their hand up to their face as their cromagnon like mandable drops in awe, twiddling their fingers about in ponder in awe why such magnificent order and structure and SCIENTIFICALLY reliable predicatble structures in all of nature have randomly appeared from an absolute VOID] Oh noes!! It can't be! But surely in a gazillion years!! eek! eeeeeeek! EEEEEK!"

I guess some monkies just can't see the hand before their face. Oh well, given such sufficient time, say around age 70, they will. Theeeeeey will...

Re:I call Bullshit

[S.O.B.]

You certainly were not there. You might check out the link between Microsoft and the United Way and when it started, and how Bill and his mother were the driving force behind that long before Melinda became Mrs Gates.

I know few people here like or appreciate Gates, but must we make shit up to slime the dude?

I didn't realize that Microsoft had been around since 1887 (according to the United Way's own history) or that Bill and his mother were that old.

I know a lot of people elsewhere like and appreciate Gates, but must we "make shit up" to protect a convicted monopolist...dude.

You must also think Al Gore invented the internet.

Re:flamebate?

[aichpvee]

At least both sides of this one are real.

Re:flamebate?

[Criterion]

I'd rather trust a theory that has factual evidence backing it up than the belief of myths based soley on the writings of corrupt power hungry religious factions set upon control over the masses via fear.