Filed under: News, Microsoft, Commercial, Open Source
Bill Gates talks about open source. He's doin' it wrong.
We can't deny some of us here at Download Squad love open source software. But there's not a damn fool here that will disagree with the statement: "Bill Gates is an extremely intelligent man." We won't disagree that he's done amazing things for technology as a whole. And yes, we even wish heartily we had the faith in ourselves to say if we had that much moolah, we'd be even half as charitable with it.But right now we're all kind of standing around scratching our heads and saying, "Wha?"
Today Techdirt points out a nice little quote by the venerable Mr. Gates in a Wired article. It seems as though Gates says that open source created a licensing situation "so that nobody can ever improve the software." All right, now, that would be a self-defeating license, wouldn't it? What have the brain-sucking aliens done with the Bill Gates we all know and
Of course, we're willing to throw poor Bill a bone. The Wired quote is not a complete quote. It very well could be out of context. They then quote him saying that pharmaceutical companies who invent drugs should be able to charge for them. Well, yeah. Duh. And people who develop open source applications can also charge for them.
Open source doesn't necessarily mean it's free as in beer. Conversely, just because the local brewery is giving away free lager, it doesn't mean you'll get anywhere asking for the recipe.
We're wondering if Wired slipped up, or if Bill Gates is truly puzzled about the distinctions between free software and open software? Has he read the GPL? There are quick versions on their site... so even those of us who aren't as smart as Gates can get the general idea.
[via Techdirt and Wired]
Say whatever you want about Microsoft and/or Bill Gates, it cannot be argued that the company and its co-founder have had a truly monumental impact on the world as we know it. Bill Gates is retiring from his full-time position from Microsoft (he will remain Chairman) on July 1, 2008 to focus on philanthropy. On Sunday, he gave his twelfth, and final, 
Think Google has a shot at creating popular software for mobile phones? Bill Gates doesn't. Gates does his best to politely trash Google's business prowess in 
Love him or hate him, you know he's worked hard to be where he's at. Bill Gates is getting close to making his big exit into retirement, and 
Once upon a time, many a geek would fantasize about a knock-down drag 'em out deathmatch between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Well, it looks like chances of that are pretty slim. While it's well documented that these two industry icons haven't always had been particularly chummy, it appears that they are over whatever disagreements previously plagued their relationship. 
Bill Gates has been asked by former Soviet Premiere Gorbachev to show "mercy" in the case of a Russian teacher accused of software piracy. Gorbachev's open letter to Gates is available on the 
Vista's wheel spinning launch is fairly disappointing so far, and when compared with Apple's ever more popular OS X the battle looks like Goliath vs. David. (well, maybe not David but, a much smaller Goliath) 
Whether you love or hate Microsoft you must admit, the release of Windows Vista has warmed up the operating system cold war, making the days more entertaining for each and every geek no matter which OS badge you wear. It's hard to argue the entertainment value of a week in which we 
As 
With Halloween fast approaching, it's a great time to get in some practice defending your territory against zombies. In Graveyard Shift, you take aim at zombies and other creepy-crawlies, blasting them into splatters of cartoony green guts. It's a casual first-person shooter, and it's very easy to get the hang of - use the mouse to aim, click to fire. Graveyard Shift has at least 15 levels, and it might even have some secret stages I haven't unlocked yet.
They key to getting good at Graveyard Shift is learning to use ...
