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Geek Culture / Bill Gates: Hardware will be free, but free software won't hack it

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MicroMan
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 05:28 Edited at: 5th Apr 2004 05:42
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"Gates did throw a few jabs at the "free software" community, which is most likely a reference to the open source community. He said that "free software can do some good stuff, but not the really good stuff." He also said that the open source community would have to deal with compatibility problems, once it gets an installed base."

During the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2004 Bill Gates was asked about how computing ten years time. He claimed that hardware would be virtually free, and that software would be where any value in IT was. Then he jabbed at the open source community (again) and claimed that they couldn't make compatible software for that future.

[EDIT]
Oops... Forgot the link
http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/Gates_gives_magical_software_tour.html?tag=tu.arch.link

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indi
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 05:44
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poor billy. the owner of ikea has now beaten him as the richest man.

hardware will always have a price. you pay for the factories to make another gazillion microchips. Its a simple case of price vs demand and consumerism. can u imagine down the track they just start giving away 9 gigahertz cpus? no i cant. As well as fueling new research for different ways to acheive things. cpus are in everything which also means things like toasters and fridges would drop in price. Its too far fetched to even comprehend.

free open source will always be around when smart people have a passion and a keen interest as well as free time. I give away free source code here sometimes, just like heaps of other people. Same with other areas like linux and computing.

I think he is more wishing things like that would happen.

I can replace any business software with linux and it works just fine as a great alternative. Perhaps its biting more into his profits than expected. The reason he hates it is because it defeats his monopoly.


fall down seven times, stand up eight
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Dave J
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 07:58
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Of course he says that, he makes software.


"Computers are useless they can only give you answers."
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Dazzag
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 10:57
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Really, the owner of Ikea?

Amazing really, most of their stuff is complete s**t (cross between MFI and Lego with more than a hint of Butlins).... jokes comparing to MS please book now to avoid disapointment.

Cheers

I am 99% probably lying in bed right now... so don't blame me for crappy typing
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indi
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 11:33
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yeah apparantly hes stingy and flys domestic etc..
69 billion or something radical.
they mentioned it today on the news.


fall down seven times, stand up eight
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MicroMan
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 12:06 Edited at: 5th Apr 2004 12:07
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Apparently... To become the richest man in the world you have to make complete crap, sell it expensively, and then fool people your products are really something useful and trendy.

Oh... That's capitalism, isn't it?

My bad.

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DMXtra
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 12:23
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Yeah, well your not going to become the richest man in the world by giving away all your software for free either. In fact you will probably be looking for a job and something else to do.

Also to be honest, a ton of free software is crap too, just look at the indie community for any kind of software genre if you need proof of that.

I will take Windows XP over Linux any day of the week. I wouldn't even know what to do with linux except maybe grep something in a log file for the hell of it to kill some time.

Dark Basic Pro - The Bedroom Coder's Language of choice for the 21st Century.
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adr
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 13:43 Edited at: 5th Apr 2004 13:45
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Quote: "I will take Windows XP over Linux any day of the week. I wouldn't even know what to do with linux"

Thank you for exemplifying my gripe with windows-only types...

Put another way, you've just acted out the following scene:
"Linux is shat"
"Why?"
"Dunno really, cos it's not windows"

Linux is *very* good at what it does. It's a stable, lightweight, server-standard OS. I would take linux over windows any day of the week when it comes to hosting a web page or database. That said, Linux is quite boring. It's a bit too work oriented for me and I don't think I could cope without my "toy-town" OS...

stop();
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Eddie Gordo
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 16:30
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Linux is stable and Windows is standard and simple...but Linux has ROX and ZeroInstall now...so i'm not sure what to think...actually i like using Linux as a desktop and Windows as a server...but im weird like that

Formerly Eddie Gordo...
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TKF15H
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 16:39
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Quote: " Linux is stable and Windows is standard and simple"

What standard??? The MS standard?

I have linux installed, and I prefer it over windows, but the software I use is for windows so I end up using that more. I don't like the GIMP, I prefer PSP. DBP games crash after showing the first frame. The Spetialists runs slowly. Etc.

Can I see a demo now?
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CattleRustler
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 17:24
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standard meaning running on 80-something percent of the worlds pcs
I'd take that market-share any day of the week


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Lord Ozzum
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 17:57
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I like Microsoft things.
I have XP, WM player, and all that stuff
It's because it isn't such sh!t you people (not all of you) make it out to be...besides, I've seen a LinuxUser before, and it scared me away from Linux for the rest of my life!

You're just jealous cuz the voices don't talk to you!!!
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TKF15H
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 18:08
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Quote: " standard meaning running on 80-something percent of the worlds pcs"

I've never seen linux not run on a PC. Sometimes it's a little hard to install and will give errors in the process, but I've seen it run on anything from a 286 to the newest PCs.
Note: Linux is one thing, KDE is another. KDE won't run on a 286.

Can I see a demo now?
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BatVink
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 18:09
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I'm a Lemming, I'd love to have an "alternative" OS, but Windows, even with all it's faults, makes my life easier.

I'm not a Windows fan, but there is no practical alternative that won't give me a headache trying to switch to it.

BatVink (formerly StevieVee)
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Rob K
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 20:33
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Indeed.

With the exception of the near-perfect Mozilla Firefox, most free software is a bit rought around the edges. Microsoft go through every dialog and carefully decide what should and shouldn't be in it, how the user can access the dialog, what decisions the user will have to make, and which Windows will make for you.

For newbie users, this lack of polish will undoubtedly cause problems.

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Neil19533
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 20:50
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Linux is made by the user. Windows is made by a huge company who want perfection. And if your a developer who do you make software for, the big huge company or the hobbists. Me personally have both os' and also the linux os on the xbox which is cool. but windows is my choice of os because there is more software.

I wonder where that fish did go, a fish, a fish, a fish, O
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MicroMan
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 20:51
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Actually, I think I can see a point in Bill Gates reasoning. Imagine you're living in a world utterly immersed in communicating technology: everything from the dishwasher to the light fixtures are connected to each other, and each has their own API.

For pure cost reasons, it would be very hard for an indy programmer to create an app for that world because it would require the app to access and connect to perhaps a dosen different environments. This even if Microsoft is broken up tomorrow, and perhaps particularly then because there will be no impetus to adhere to the massive standard that Windows de facto is.

So, I can see that he has a point.

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Secret Shadow
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Posted: 5th Apr 2004 21:03 Edited at: 5th Apr 2004 21:05
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Bill Gates must be taking some sort of drug to think that hardware will eventually become free. Isn't it hardware that supports his stupid games and programs? I am a Windows XP user by heart, but it is just crossing the line to diss the people who REALLY keep you in buisness. They put an XP Designed label on their computers, they use the latest hardware to support his latest games, and what does he do to thank them? Tell them that they will soon be in the poorhouse! This is the kind of BS that lead me to buy PS2, not the evil Xbox!

Ok, maybe I'm a little crazy, but i do have a point you know

No, just because I eat haggis does'nt mean I'm from Scotland!
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