[Klug-general] [OT] Bill Gates: the last day at Microsoft

[Karl Lattimer]

On Fri, 2008-01-11 at 15:36 +0000, George Prowse wrote:
> Karl Buckland wrote:
> > Karl Lattimer wrote:
> >> On Fri, 2008-01-11 at 13:14 +0000, Margot wrote:
> >>  
> >>> Karl Buckland wrote:
> >>>    
> >>>> George Prowse wrote:
> >>>>      
> >>>>> Of course i'd give credit for building a strong business and making 
> >>>>> decisions that are good for said business. If I were him i'd 
> >>>>> probably have done the same, but i'm not and therefore it is my 
> >>>>> right to get annoyed about them :)
> >>>>>         
> >>>> I think the way I'd put it is this:
> >>>> I can respect the hard work and great sales and marketing strategy 
> >>>> that Bill has essentially used to get MS to where it is. We all know 
> >>>> that Microsoft has never provided the best technical solution, or 
> >>>> even the best support solution. It just came down to a bit of luck 
> >>>> and some good sales and marketing. Now I don't agree with 
> >>>> Microsoft's business methods but I can still respect that in the big 
> >>>> corporate world those methods are generally quite smart. Microsoft 
> >>>> has got where it is, without significant penalty and continues to 
> >>>> perform really rather well. Purely from a business/results 
> >>>> perspective that's good. Now I wouldn't have done it, because it's 
> >>>> not the sort of person I am, but I can still respect it. And at 
> >>>> least in the case of Bill Gates, he gives quite a lot to charity. He 
> >>>> could do worse...
> >>>>
> >>>>       
> >>
> >> This is where I draw the line, I cannot on one hand have respect for
> >> someone for one thing, then despise them for another. They are either
> >> worthy of respect or not, and if you unbalance the equation too far in
> >> one direction you loose that.
> >>
> >>   
> > I don't remember saying I despise anything? I think it's perfectly fair 
> > to respect someone/something, even if you disagree with it. If my boss 
> > makes a decision I disagree with I can still respect it.
> > 
> Which is exactly what I was saying before Orange messed up my internet, 
> you can dislike Bill Gates' business practices but can you also dislike 
> Bill Gates the family man? What about Bill Gates the philanthropist?

Hmm, that's like saying people with MPD should only be locked up when
one of their bad personalities comes out. Its easy to dislike the man
for his behaviour regardless of what he's done. BTW I'm sure Hitler was
a brilliant dad, hardly makes up for it though, and hardly means he
garners my respect!

K,