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How about to try to cure the proprietary software disease?
by Vektorweg 12y ago
How about to try to cure the proprietary software disease?
- Vektorweg 12y agoYes I know ... Hacker News / YC isn't the place to make aggressive jokes about proprietary software ... :/
- alayne 12y agoThis isn't an article about software. You're hijacking the discussion.
- Vektorweg 12y agoThis article is more about the man than about what he does. There are lots of people who try to stop diseases and epidemics. The difference is, its Bill Gates and its posted on a tech-heavy news site.
- Ensorceled 12y agoThe time to criticize Carnegie is when he is monopolizing the steel industry; not while he is building thousands of libraries.
- Vektorweg 12y agoI have one question: is it right to destroy a whole culture just to be the good guy afterwards?
- Loughla 12y agoThat depends. If it is a truly just, and wise society that comes out in the end, one where everyone is better off. . . . It's the chaotic good versus lawful good argument. If the end result is peace and prosperity for all people in equal ways, then why not? What's the saying about omelettes and eggs?
- Vektorweg 12y agoThats what the most crazy evil people in history said in their defense: in the end, it would have been peace -- the mass murdering dictators. There are better ways to achieve a better living for everyone. No one needs to suffer or to die for that. The path is important.
- hnnewguy 12y agoWhat exactly is your point in this thread? Are you somehow trying to draw an analogy between Bill Gates and "mass murdering dictators"? We get it. Bill Gates made some reprehensible business decisions, in his time, that hurt people. He also made some good ones, and created vast amounts of wealth for many, many people. Microsoft continues to do so. I'd argue it nets out. Now, in the twilight of his life, he's spending his time and wealth helping society. He didn't destroy the software world, or its "culture". What is it you do that allows you to throw so many stones?
- Vektorweg 12y agoGates took wealth from many, many people and gave it to the few. It is the inversion of free software. You don't see how he hurt the society and how much more wealth could have been created without his decision. I don't throw stones because of the mistakes someone made. I throw stones because of the lack of will or understanding why to fix the own mistake when he is capable of it.
- Loughla 12y ago"You don't see how he hurt society and how much more wealth could have been created without his decision." "Gates took wealth from the many, many people and gave it to the few." Those two sentences do not mean the same thing. Your argument, when you boil it down, is that Bill Gates kept wealth and power for himself and his company, instead of allowing others to have it. That's called capitalism, I think. I do good, I get money, I don't have to share it if I don't want to.
- bernardlunn 12y agoThe PC was the greatest tool given to man in a long time, the Internet would have been impossible without it. What is your beef? That Gates was a fierce competitor in a competitive business?
- Vektorweg 12y agoHe shouldn't have made his software closed source. Too many business men followed him, leading to a vast amount of bullshit software no one can easily relay on to make something better. The free software culture slowly recovers. But we are still far away from the good old and worthy traditions for commercial software developers.
- allemagne 12y agoHas Bill Gates destroyed cultures? Companies, sure.
- Ensorceled 12y agoI don't believe so either, but you seemed to be confused as to why you are being down-voted.
- Vektorweg 12y agoI expected that. But I don't stop to say what needs to be said. Its another topic in how far down-votes are a good idea. Somehow, its a populist regulation of communicating non-conform thoughts.