Gates Donates $168 Million to Fight Malaria

[Zombie9920]

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 ]

[mobrien_12]

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.

[pofnlice]

True...everything in the Army is Windowz...but I am the problem child, I only use pirated M$ stuff    did i say that!

[jasonlane]

seriously Viper, you really are deluded aren't you. Grow up.

[slave]

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)

[mushrooomprince]

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 ?

[Zombie9920]

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 ]

[suselinux]

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

[solarismka]

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!

[anphanax]

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 ]

[Stryker]

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.

[Fett101]

That's not all that he's given away.

[Enmity]

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.

[worker201]

When you see the news article "Xbox manufacturing plant will relocate to Mozambique" then you can stop scratching your heads in wonder.

[cahult]

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?