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All Things Microsoft => Microsoft as a Company => Topic started by: Zombie9920 on 21 September 2003, 23:44

Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: Zombie9920 on 21 September 2003, 23:44
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=3480296 (http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=3480296)

This is something that you will never see a Linux distribution company owner do. I doubt you will ever see Steve Jobs do something like this either. This is a case of where the cashcow known as Windows and Office greatly benifts the people. The money he is donating will save alot of lives, no doubt. The money he is donating was made mainly from his software of course. However, if that money wouldn't have been used to purchase the software the money would've never been donated to these people in need...it would've still been in the pockets of the people who bought the software and it would've been spent on stupid shit like cigarettes, drugs, pop, gas, etc.

Gates, you are a good man. *tips his hat to Billy G*.

[ September 21, 2003: Message edited by: Viper ]

Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: mobrien_12 on 22 September 2003, 01:53
quote:
However, if that money wouldn't have been used to purchase the software the money would've never been donated to these people in need...it would've still been in the pockets of the people who bought the software and it would've been spent on stupid shit like cigarettes, drugs, pop, gas, etc.



Really, and where is your proof of that?  

I think if the US govt didn't buy windows licences then every year there would be a lot more money than 168 million to save lives.
Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: pofnlice on 22 September 2003, 02:00
True...everything in the Army is Windowz...but I am the problem child, I only use pirated M$ stuff  (http://redface.gif)  did i say that!
Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: jasonlane on 22 September 2003, 02:00
seriously Viper, you really are deluded aren't you. Grow up.
Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: slave on 22 September 2003, 05:41
You won't see open source CEO's and the like donating money on that magnitude because frankly the OSS business model doesn't seem to allow most people to become filthy rich like Gates is.  But I consider that a good thing.

Bill Gates might be doing good by donating to charity but in my opinion one person should never be that rich in the first place.  (Bill Gates's assets are equivalent to the combined wealth of 50% of the poorest people on Earth)

Free/Open source software on the other hand isn't guilty of plundering the pocketbooks of millions of people (imagine how much better the economy would be if all the billions and billions people spend on the "microsoft tax" every year went back into their checkbooks - talk about a tax cut!) and will contribute more to the state of the world in the long term than Bill Gates or Microsoft ever could.  Bill may donate money on the side, but he certainly doesn't seem to be encouraging freedom from the "Intellectual Property" regime, which happens to be amongst the root causes for wars, famine, and poverty in the world today (Cheap vaccines in 3rd world countries vs. patents and so on)
Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: mushrooomprince on 22 September 2003, 06:28
So what does this mean ? Competitors of microsoft are not charitable organizations because they don't have more money then they know what to do with ?
Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: Zombie9920 on 22 September 2003, 07:09
quote:
Originally posted by Zardoz:
seriously Viper, you really are deluded aren't you. Grow up.


How dare you!

I need to grow up because I admire good acts like this? Really, did you see what country that $$$ was donated to? $168 million is more money than that country is even worth statistically. The reason why 3,000+ people in that country die everyday from Malaria is because the country as a whole can't afford the costs to research and make a good cure or a good medicine to prevent the damn disease. The medicine will be distributed to the public who needs it for virtually free(if not completely free). With all of the lives it saves the country will be able to become more prosperous and will gradually rise out of the poverty slump that it is in. There is absolutley nothing bad about the poor getting richer.

You my friend need to grow up. If you don't want to grow up you may as well go suck a dick or whatever, just quit flaming me for no reason(not that being flamed really bothers me).

[ September 21, 2003: Message edited by: Viper ]

Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: suselinux on 22 September 2003, 21:44
we shouldn't admire bill gates, he is no longer a person.  He has become so rich that now he himself is an instituion beside MS.

For all we know his PR team said you haven't donated any of your billions in a while, so you should now.

he could have then grudgingly accepted.

Anyone know his net worth?

if so, compare that to 168 million, and find out the respective donation if he was only worth $500,000 NET
Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: solarismka on 22 September 2003, 21:52
quote:
Originally posted by Viper:


How dare you!

I need to grow up because I admire good acts like this? Really, did you see what country that $$$ was donated to? $168 million is more money than that country is even worth statistically. The reason why 3,000+ people in that country die everyday from Malaria is because the country as a whole can't afford the costs to research and make a good cure or a good medicine to prevent the damn disease. The medicine will be distributed to the public who needs it for virtually free(if not completely free). With all of the lives it saves the country will be able to become more prosperous and will gradually rise out of the poverty slump that it is in. There is absolutley nothing bad about the poor getting richer.

You my friend need to grow up. If you don't want to grow up you may as well go suck a dick or whatever, just quit flaming me for no reason(not that being flamed really bothers me).

[ September 21, 2003: Message edited by: Viper ]




Actualy he HAS a reason to flame you! Countries that can't afford proper medicine is due to the fact of the world trade organiztion!  The lock out poor countries with unfair trade pratices and/or polices!  

So because of rich countries like america, that corner the market to their benifit, the rest suffer!  The only reason this changes is when drugs and arms are involved.  The west is the biggest arms and drug dealers in the world.  It sno wonder M$ can survie like a bacteria in a good inviroment.  It just grows and grows!  Then after raping these countries for their own political gain, you turn around and congratulate them because the are 'helping' them????.........

Yea!
Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: anphanax on 24 September 2003, 06:15
I think viper's point is that Bill Gates could easily do nothing, but he's trying to make a difference in a good way. It's the act itself. Focus on the act itself, not the Microsoft Corporation. A good act doesn't become a bad act just because you don't like the person who performed it.

And personally, I don't see anyone here who criticized him donating, so what's your problem?
(Note: I don't have any income, so don't ask about me. NO JOB = NO MONEY = NO DONATE)

It seems to me like people are taking this a little too personal.

[ September 23, 2003: Message edited by: anphanax ]

Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: Stryker on 24 September 2003, 06:30
that's not even half a percent of what he's worth. If I had over $40 billion i'd give away all but a couple million to live off of. but, i'm broke... so i'm a horrible person.
Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: Fett101 on 24 September 2003, 21:21
That's not all that he's given away.
Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: Enmity on 24 September 2003, 17:10
Personally I have nothing to grudge about Bill...
I just don't like how his business works (monopoly) and his software.
Otherwise...of course this is a good deed.
Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: worker201 on 25 September 2003, 00:29
When you see the news article "Xbox manufacturing plant will relocate to Mozambique" then you can stop scratching your heads in wonder.
Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: cahult on 25 September 2003, 01:02
This might actually be a good thing. He has produced the worst kind of sickness ever known in the computer business and malaria is the worst kind of sickness ever known in the world. Maybe they can take each other out. A free sample of malaria parasites with every copy of windows?
Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: Stilly on 25 September 2003, 03:19
i dont know if malaria is the worst disease

what about the black death?
Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: Parrott on 25 September 2003, 08:43
quit your whinging hey, every microsoft employee has to donate a certan part of there salary to charity (microsoft pays extra to account for it) so shut up nothing is to be spoken about so


whinge whinge fuckin whinge
Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: solarismka on 25 September 2003, 11:00
quote:
Originally posted by The Stiller:
i dont know if malaria is the worst disease

what about the black death?



People are immune to the black death.....  If a large enough group of people are infected during a certain amount of time then the antibodies will devlop an immune system for it.  Also the black death, if i think about it, was a bacteria, a living organism, so it would be easier to be immune to it, unlike the virous aids, a dust partical that attacks the immune system directly.

Although new born babys have beome immune to aids also,  scientists are actualy scratching their heads on how thats possible, but for some reason babies are becoming less of the carrier of a person who is infected with HIV and/or aids.

The ebola(sp?) Virous, now thats scary.  Its only been around since the late 90's and can usualy kill a person in less than 3 days!  Turns their insides into mush    :eek:
Title: Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria
Post by: Doctor V on 25 September 2003, 17:19
I'm glad that some of the money that was ROBBED from consumers is being given to a good cause.  Robin Hood robbed from the rish and gave to the poor.  Bill Gates robbed from rich and poor alike and kept almost all of it for himself, and gave a tidbit to the poor.  He donates 168 million of the tens of billions he basically stole to a charity, I'm not exactly moved.  It just doesn't win me over.  If he gave back an amount that would be significant to him then maybe I would care.