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For Microsoft, Windows 10 Charity Begins At Home
theodp writes: "We're investing $10 million in organizations that are upgrading the world," Microsoft announced on in its new Upgrade Your World website, which was created in conjunction with the Windows 10 launch. "We've identified nine global nonprofits, and we'd like your help choosing the 10th." The missions of the selected nonprofits include fighting global poverty, preventing children living with HIV from needlessly dying, increasing access to quality education for children in the developing world, conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends, and ensuring that all kindergartners learn 'computer science.' To paraphrase Sesame Street, can you guess which cause is not like the others? If you guessed Code.org, which wants CS made a "core" K-12 subject in U.S. schools, you're right! Coincidentally, Code.org's biggest donors include Microsoft ($3M+), Ballmer Family Giving ($3M+), and Bill Gates ($1M+). And Code.org CEO Hadi Partovi, who once reported to Satya Nadella, is coincidentally a sometimes jogging partner of Steve Ballmer, as well as the next-door neighbor of Microsoft General Counsel and Code.org Board member Brad Smith, whose FWD.us bio notes is responsible for Microsoft's philanthropic work. Code.org emerged on the scene shortly after Smith suggested that action on Microsoft's 'two-pronged' National Talent Strategy to increase K-12 CS education and the number of H-1B visas could be galvanized by 'producing a crisis'.
" ...conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends, and ensuring that all kindergartners learn 'computer science.' "
How about we start teaching our kindergartners "critical thinking" instead?
Checking the site there are other causes listed that are far more important in my opinion:
Nokia Anonymous provides psychological counseling and moral support to victims who have spent billions on a cellular phone, only to spend billions more in an endless cycle of abuse.
the Explorer education program Teaches its members to become acid compliant, and learn to quit bad behaviors like ActiveX and browser preference stealing. Ultimately the explorer programs goal is to help its mentally challenged students to learn simple things like HTML5 and even simple forms.
The Steve Ballmer Institute: No one knows what condition afflicts steve ballmer. Hes a man once known to hurl furniture in fits of paranoid delusion, only to emerge days later caked in sweat and howling a chant of 'developers' over and over, in a schitzophrenic episode. The Ballmer institute seeks to heal by studying and, in time, formulating a treatment for this rare and profoundly sad disease.
Good people go to bed earlier.
novell?
Sounds like Microsoft wants to promote Windows 10 by 'producing' an HIV epidemic among our nation's kindergartners. Typical Micro$haft.
And how do his summaries keep getting through?
This is the second incomprehensible summary accepted from this user this week about Microsoft and Code.org. The first was "Well-Played: Microsoft Parlayed NSF Video 'Remake' into National CS K-12 Crisis" ( http://developers.slashdot.org... ) and now this.
Apparently he's been at this for a while, too. Here's a Gawker article about the mystery of TheoDP from 2006: http://gawker.com/178280/the-m...
Does he have dirt on the Slashdot editors?
Fuck you Microsoft, your charity is not charity but brainwash and/or PR stunt. All you do is suck people and organisations into your sick and twisted world of shiny but shitty software.
Fuck you Bill Gates and every asshole, who works in or for Microsoft!
Yeah, what a complete bastard! Spending billions of his own money to improve the health and welfare of kids everywhere.
He's pointing out that rich people know other rich people and they sometimes work together for their own benefit? Oh no!
Considering that some "charities" are more fund raising non-profit businesses, with little going to the claimed recipients, I believe that MS giving money to charities that they are familiar with and have a track record of doing what they claim to do a wise move. If you doubt this, do a search for charity fraud. You'll be surprised at what turns up. It's best to donate locally. That's what MS is doing.
Yeah, the poor men are getting the shaft with all this equality nonsense. Women should just be thankful that we granted them human rights in the first place. They can show their thanks by making me a decent sandwich.
FUCK THE MATRIARCHY!
Leave it to Slashdot to make Microsoft giving 10 million dollars to charity seem like a bad thing...
It's pretty obvious that you've gone insane. Maybe lay off of Slashderp for a while.
or will they continue hiring L1 visa holders bringing them to Redmond from their Vancouver office, replacing US Citizens with cheap labor?
There's a serious misogyny problem at Slashdot. Some of these morons are even letting their hatred of women drive them into the arms of the evil Conservatives.
You're seriously caught up in the dudebro bubble. No, women aren't going to wait for your permission to take equal rights. No one who derps out "SJWs" in reference to civilized people can be taken seriously. You're all dead-enders.
I didn't bother reading anything but the summary, because the summary takes every possible approach attempting paint criminals and scum as good for society. MS is lobbying for he wrong things for the sole reason of making more money. The 10mil is peanuts compared to companies which make a lot less profits without screwing over neighbors for "moh money"
Surely Gates, Balmer and even Microsoft could pay back society.. but this is not a a payment at all.. it is business as usual.
-The wise argue that there are few absolutes, the fool argues that there are no probabilities.
Another anti- Code.org/FWD.us/CS K-12 attack piece from Theodp, who has succeeded in turning slashdot.org into his own political blog.
I've given to MS 'Charity' (their shareholders) each time I bought a computer the last 25 years, if I wanted or not.
For goodness sake, how many of theodp's anti-CS education opinion pieces is slashdot going to post? This is getting absurd!
"I'm too busy to research this and form an educated opinion, but I do have time to tell everyone my uninformed opinion."
We wouldn't have a misogyny problem if women just stayed the hell out of the traditional men's careers and activities and maybe just stayed home. Men's rights are being eroded at a ridiculous pace.
And THEY WON'T FUCK ME
Yeah, what a complete bastard! Spending billions of his own money to improve the health and welfare of kids everywhere.
No no, you need to understand that this is actually all a big Microsoft conspiracy to get more money in conjunction with first world governments and big pharma! We should rally against improving the health and welfare of people unless it is done by people that we cannot come up with any conspiracy theory about.
I'm going to add that I am being sarcastic because this is exactly what a lot of the detractors actually believe.
It's Windows 10. Are MS trying to stop these organisations from doing anything productive then?
Windows costs not only license fees. The costs caused by windows are still there, when MS donates the licenses and could be avoided with a stable software.