Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Gates' Last Day At Microsoft

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the keep-it-clean dept.

mrogers writes "Today is Bill Gates' last day as a full-time employee of Microsoft. After 33 years at the company, the one-time richest man in the world will be retiring at 52 to spend more time guiding the charitable Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. What would you buy him as a retirement gift?"

22 of 467 comments (clear)

  1. Ooh! Oooh! I know! by clang_jangle · · Score: 5, Funny

    What would you buy him as a retirement gift?"



    A shiny, new laptop loaded with Vista, of course. He's earned it!

    --
    Caveat Utilitor
    1. Re:Ooh! Oooh! I know! by stretch0611 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What would you buy him as a retirement gift?"

      Nothing. I have already given him enough money by paying for his OS when I want to run linux.

      --
      Looking for a job?
      Want your resume written professionally?
      DON'T USE TUNAREZ!!!
    2. Re:Ooh! Oooh! I know! by bloodninja · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The man should be given a Nobel Peace Prize. Windows has done more to make technology available to non-tech experts than anyone else.


      The man should be given a Nobel Peace Prize. Windows has done more to make money for techies due to the unnecessary complexities imposed on non-tech experts than anyone else.


      There. I corrected it for you. No you dolt. Press control X. Everyone knows that. Pay up.

      I credit Windows for bringing the price of consumer hardware down, especially Vista. Just think, if Vista were not so HW-heavy would we have today Dual- and Quad- core processors and _Gigabytes_ of RAM for so cheap? People who use an OS that does not need all that (Ubuntu, for instance) can literally have a system that is four times as powerful as they need, for the same adjusted cost of what a regular system would have cost only three years ago.

      --
      Lock the wife and the dog in the boot of the car.
      Return one hour later.
      Who's happy to see you?
  2. A Mac by Dolohov · · Score: 5, Funny

    (I mean, judging from Microsoft's product lines for the last twenty years, it's what he really wants...)

  3. Retirement Gift by ilovegeorgebush · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Blatantly a tux toy.

    For all my *NIX & FOSS zealotry, I can't help but respect what he's brought to the world. His & MS's achievements have been broad and they've paved the way for multiple industries. Maybe I wouldn't be writing this on a Linux box if it wasn't for Windows :)

    --
    ilovegeorgebush
    1. Re:Retirement Gift by stretch0611 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      ...MS's achievements have been broad and they've paved the way for multiple industries. Maybe I wouldn't be writing this on a Linux box if it wasn't for Windows :)

      I do not agree with that assumption. First off, Unix was not created because of MS and/or Windows and Linux was created as a Unix clone, not specifically to compete with windows. If the pc hardware was not around it would have been built on different hardware.

      Next, even without MS, IBM would have still been looking for an OS for its new computing platform. Because it was IBM, which at the time was the de facto standard/monopoly, there still would have been a clone market even without MS's help. If the clone market did not provide enough cheap hardware, there would have been cheap hardware from either the computers running CP/M or even the home market (Amiga and/or older 8bits computers)

      Linux evolved from someone's desire to clone minix, not from a need to use something other than windows.

      --
      Looking for a job?
      Want your resume written professionally?
      DON'T USE TUNAREZ!!!
    2. Re:Retirement Gift by snoyberg · · Score: 5, Funny

      Without that low cost of hardware Linux would not have taken off, and its extremely unlikely that as many people would have computers, internet access and slashdot accounts with which to slag off Microsoft.

      So I would have had a 4-digit UID? Damn it Bill Gates!

      --
      Thank God for evolution.
  4. So... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When can we look forward to a day without Ballmer? That would truly be a day to celebrate.

    1. Re:So... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      But it's so much fun to watch him run Microsoft into the ground. Don't take that away!

    2. Re:So... by Gewalt · · Score: 5, Interesting
      Bill Gates has been bullied around by Steve Ballmer ever since Windows 1.0. The reason Gates' work is never realized is because he's never been in charge. He has done precisely what Steve has told him for years. And Steve ruined his entire image and turned Microsoft from a beloved entity into a corrupted and one of the most hated companies.

      I would LOVE to see Ballmer on the way out instead of Bill. Most of what people really dislike about Microsoft is Ballmer's doing, Gates just didn't have the spine to stand up to him and reel him in.

      --
      Modding Trolls +1 inciteful since 1999
    3. Re:So... by Zwicky · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I know you're joking ("funny cos it's true" humor?), but - and maybe I'm not giving Ballmer enough credit here[0] - I really can't see Ballmer keeping Microsoft afloat in the long-term. Call it a gut feeling. The man is but an ogre really.

      If anything saves Microsoft - aside from its stockpiles of cash - it will be Bill's advice imparted on his one-day-a-week-on-Microsoft-business.

      I am certainly not enamored with Gates by any means, but I do recognize that (in my view) he was the brains behind the outfit: Ballmer is Robin to Gates' Batman; Cashman and Dobbin? "Holy developers, developers, developers, Cashman!"[1]

      Personally unless Microsoft pull something exceptional out of the bag I expect to see them decline as 'market leaders'. I am interested in hearing others', perhaps more informed, thoughts.

      Anyway that's how I see it from my point of view but IANABA (business analyst).

      [0] Stop laughing, I'm trying to be impartial :)
      [1] That right there is why I don't write comic books.

      --
      "Three eyes are better than one" -- Lieutenant Columbo
    4. Re:So... by Jarik_Tentsu · · Score: 5, Funny

      Things became so bitter that, on one occasion, Gates stormed out of a meeting in a huff after a shouting match in which Mr. Ballmer jumped to the defense of several colleagues, according to an individual present at the time. After the exchange, Mr. Ballmer seemed "remorseful," the person said.

      Really makes you think - what happens behind the closed doors?

      Ballmer: We will create a monopoly. The next version of Windows will not run any non-Microsoft software! Muwahahaha!
      Gates: But that is wrong! That destroys the market!
      Ballmer: What did you say to me boy!?
      Gates: B-B-But that'll lower the quality of our product. W-W-We need to take care of our customers!
      Ballmer: *narrows eyes* You've been reading Slashdot, haven't you boy?
      Gates: N-No!
      Ballmer: Don't make me use the chair on you...Have you forgotten all I've taught you?
      GateS:N-No!
      Ballmer: Then tell me, what matters?!
      Gates: Developers?
      Ballmer: Indeed. Now run along now. And if I hear any of this nonsense again, I bring out the chair.

      ~Jarik

  5. Last day, huh? by Foddz · · Score: 5, Funny

    Please tell me they're giving him the high tech 'security walk'!

    1. Re:Last day, huh? by azuredrake · · Score: 5, Funny

      Heh, this made me laugh. Can you see Gates being escorted out slowly by the HR head, all the young employees chanting "Dead Man Walking" as he goes by? That'd be truly bizarre.

      --
      Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
  6. 640kb!!!! by TheRealMindChild · · Score: 5, Funny

    A 386SX with 640KB of memory.

    --

    "When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
    1. Re:640kb!!!! by brouski · · Score: 5, Funny

      That should be all he'll ever need.

      Oh wait, You don't mind me karma-whoring off you, do you?

      --
      Proud member of the American Non Sequitur Society. We might not make much sense, but boy do we love pizza!
  7. Perfect present by electricbern · · Score: 5, Funny

    An account on Slashdot. But no trolling, please.

    --
    alias possession='chmod 666 satan && ls /dev > il && tail daemon.log'
  8. I got him a charitable donation by amliebsch · · Score: 5, Funny

    A donation has been made in his name to the Human Fund.

    --
    If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.
  9. Re:Obligatory: A Gold Watch ... by XenoPhage · · Score: 5, Funny

    "... that runs Windows ..." ... ME. Enjoy your watch, Bill!

    Upgrade the pain! Make it run Vista... All the gore of WinME with the added pain of UAC!

    "You are trying to check the time, Allow or Deny?"

    Of course, you'd need to upgrade the graphics card and memory in the watch. Oh, let's not forget more storage space. And it'll probably need a faster processor. ... Maybe a sundial is easier...

    --
    XenoPhage
    Technological Musings
  10. The *real* question is... by information_retrieva · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...did security walk him to the door after his exit interview?

  11. Re:the #1 portable media player on the planet.. by Farmer+Tim · · Score: 5, Funny

    Odd, looking at the brown Zune I could have sworn it was a number two.

    --
    Blank until /. makes another boneheaded UI decision.
  12. Re:A handshake. by intx13 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How does this myth stay alive? There were personal computers before Bill Gates: Macs. There were personal computers during the early rise of Microsoft: Macs, OS/2, Suns. There were personal computers throughout the Bill Gates glory days: Macs, Linux, (and Suns, kinda). And there are personal computers today. And there would have been personal computers without Bill Gates.

    That's not to say his contributions are worthless, but let's not start patting him too hard on the back just because he's retiring. He used questionably ethical business practices to produce and sell products of questionable quality.

    On the plus side, he's going to spend the rest of his life giving away enormous sums of money to charity - there's not much to dislike about that!