Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Malcolm Gladwell asserts that Gates, not Jobs, will be remembered in 50 years

news.cnet.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 61 posts

Re: Malcolm Gladwell asserts that Gates, not Jobs, will be remembered in 50 years

#51

Post by rapind »

pbreit wrote: post #40
chollida1 wrote: post #6

Is this considered a controversial point? I would have thought that most people would have thought the same thing. it's really been amazing to see how Bill Gates reputation has rebounded in tech forums in the past 5 years. 5 years ago it would be the rule rather than the exception for Bill to be bad mouthed in tech forums. Now I've noticed that it's mostly the opposite. My guess is that in 50 years Bill Gates will be…

Not only is it controversial but it's probably wrong. Bill Gates hardly comes up in conversation anymore and Microsoft's relevance is way less than a company of its revenues, product usage and stature should be. I couldn't even name a single thing the Gates Foundation is doing, much less has accomplished. No one will remember desktop computers in 50 years when computing will be all around us (moved ever so far forwar…

You can't name a single thing the Gates Foundation is doing simply because you aren't benefiting from it. You're not one of the million people dying each year from malaria, or part of the population likely to be infected. Beating it, which seems like a possibility, could be a pretty big deal all things considered.

I don't think either will be a household name in 50 years, but if I had to bet then I'd give Gates the edge.

Re: Malcolm Gladwell asserts that Gates, not Jobs, will be remembered in 50 years

#52

Post by BlackJack »

Kilimanjaro wrote: post #36

So, a software baron in the same league as Pablo Escobar, who made billions in shady ways and tried to clean his name giving it all away, will be remembered more than a guy who was a living god among artists, creators, marketers and geeks? Sure you can buy a couple of pages in history, a billion a piece, but your tarnished reputation won't wash away easily, no matter how many vaccines you fund or how many shills to d…

This is moronic. You're suggesting that Gates' work to eradicate malaria is worth less than Steve Jobs being worshipped among creative people? This kind of stupidity is prevalent among those who have never seen poverty in life.

I didn't downvote you because I respect your opinion, but I think you're dead wrong.

Re: Malcolm Gladwell asserts that Gates, not Jobs, will be remembered in 50 years

#53

Post by Kilimanjaro »

BlackJack wrote: post #52
Kilimanjaro wrote: post #36

So, a software baron in the same league as Pablo Escobar, who made billions in shady ways and tried to clean his name giving it all away, will be remembered more than a guy who was a living god among artists, creators, marketers and geeks? Sure you can buy a couple of pages in history, a billion a piece, but your tarnished reputation won't wash away easily, no matter how many vaccines you fund or how many shills to d…

This is moronic. You're suggesting that Gates' work to eradicate malaria is worth less than Steve Jobs being worshipped among creative people? This kind of stupidity is prevalent among those who have never seen poverty in life. I didn't downvote you because I respect your opinion, but I think you're dead wrong.

Have you seen poverty? Do you know where I live? Do you know how much money I have? Do you know what I had for lunch today? You don't. You won't win this fight so you better put the gloves down.

Back to the original idea of the post, you can't glorify a man who has ruined countless lives amassing a fortune with unethical practices, perhaps not illegal, but morally reprehensive no matter how you look at bribery, strong arming, patent trolling, fudding, and many more vicious ways of making money while keeping your competitors at bay, going bankrupt, and erasing them from their path to world domination.

So now that I have billions to boot and I will be remembered like a ruthless extortionist I decide to clean up my name and contract the greatest PR firm who tells me to give it all away in the most humane way possible, curing people, and paying bold headlines every time my "charitable donations" solve a third world problem.

Look pal, I don't know you and neither Gates nor Jobs put food on my table so fuck them all, but don't tell me I don't know poverty for I have seen the ugly innards of the beast and Saint Gates won't get me out of here, thanks but save your compassion.

Don't talk about stupidity if you can't even grasp the meaning of ignorance.

----

Please accept my apologies if I offended you, this stupid fight won't make us better persons.

Re: Malcolm Gladwell asserts that Gates, not Jobs, will be remembered in 50 years

#54

Post by kschua »

pbreit wrote: post #46
kschua wrote: post #2

I agree that Gates and not Jobs will be remembered in 50 years, but for a different reason. Gates vision of "a computer in every home" made computers a common item in most household in developed countries. People are using computers in their home and offices, where would we be without them. In the same way people remember the Wright Brothers for planes, Edison for the light bulb (yes, he wasn't the first to invent it…

I don't really associate Bill Gates with "a computer in every home" and in fact it was Steve Jobs and Apple's vision well before Microsoft. And in 50 years I think we are going to be much more aware of "a computer in every pocket" and probably computers everywhere. The whole desktop thing will be quite quaint.

Do you have links which says that "a computer in every home" is Jobs' vision? Google search throws up Bill Gates. There is even a plaque for it http://www.flickr.com/photos/mwichary/2184937614/

Though I believe that there are others who should also be remembered, but I am of the opinion that rightly or wrongly history will remember and associate Gates with computers much like Edison is to lightbulbs, Wright is to planes and Bell is to telephones (this is what kids are still being taught)

Re: Malcolm Gladwell asserts that Gates, not Jobs, will be remembered in 50 years

#55

Post by pbreit »

kschua wrote: post #54
pbreit wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really associate Bill Gates with "a computer in every home" and in fact it was Steve Jobs and Apple's vision well before Microsoft. And in 50 years I think we are going to be much more aware of "a computer in every pocket" and probably computers everywhere. The whole desktop thing will be quite quaint.

Do you have links which says that "a computer in every home" is Jobs' vision? Google search throws up Bill Gates. There is even a plaque for it http://www.flickr.com/photos/mwichary/2184937614/ Though I believe that there are others who should also be remembered, but I am of the opinion that rightly or wrongly history will remember and associate Gates with computers much like Edison is to lightbulbs, Wright is to pla…

We will see. Apple made the first widely used home computer and its "computer on every desk" predates Microsoft's "computer on every desk and in every home" (no surprise that Microsoft co-opted Apple's vision here).

I have a hard time believing that someone will be remembered for "computers" when he didn't even make them (same for Gates' involvement for whatever eventually happens with malaria since the one thing for certain is that Gates will not have been the one to eradicate it).

Re: Malcolm Gladwell asserts that Gates, not Jobs, will be remembered in 50 years

#56

Post by eaurouge »

pbreit wrote: post #40
chollida1 wrote: post #6

Is this considered a controversial point? I would have thought that most people would have thought the same thing. it's really been amazing to see how Bill Gates reputation has rebounded in tech forums in the past 5 years. 5 years ago it would be the rule rather than the exception for Bill to be bad mouthed in tech forums. Now I've noticed that it's mostly the opposite. My guess is that in 50 years Bill Gates will be…

Not only is it controversial but it's probably wrong. Bill Gates hardly comes up in conversation anymore and Microsoft's relevance is way less than a company of its revenues, product usage and stature should be. I couldn't even name a single thing the Gates Foundation is doing, much less has accomplished. No one will remember desktop computers in 50 years when computing will be all around us (moved ever so far forwar…

You can't name a single thing the Gates Foundation has done because you're uninformed and, unfortunately, don't seem to see anything wrong with that.

Re: Malcolm Gladwell asserts that Gates, not Jobs, will be remembered in 50 years

#57

Post by scorpion032 »

Both Bill and Steve are class individuals right in their own accord and have changed the world for ever in their own ways.

They haven't (and shouldn't) base their life's actions on what will be remembered some indefinite time after their death but on what their calling is; on their existential view of the world and their purpose in it.

Since their actions are not optimized on how to be remembered the most, I think it is naive for us to try to predict it and while doing so, judging two highly accomplished individuals in the same scale. There is no absolute scale of who is better. It is all relative. We would all do better trying to focus on our purpose and calling in our existential view of the world and acknowledge others'.

Re: Malcolm Gladwell asserts that Gates, not Jobs, will be remembered in 50 years

#58

Post by scorpion032 »

chollida1 wrote: post #6

Is this considered a controversial point? I would have thought that most people would have thought the same thing. it's really been amazing to see how Bill Gates reputation has rebounded in tech forums in the past 5 years. 5 years ago it would be the rule rather than the exception for Bill to be bad mouthed in tech forums. Now I've noticed that it's mostly the opposite. My guess is that in 50 years Bill Gates will be…

> "You know, we don’t grow most of the food we eat. We wear clothes other people make. We speak a language that other people developed. We use a mathematics that other people evolved… I mean, we’re constantly taking things. It’s a wonderful, ecstatic feeling to create something that puts it back in the pool of human experience and knowledge" - Steve Jobs

Ones contribution to the world need not necessarily be in the form of money; but very well in the form of experience or knowledge.

Re: Malcolm Gladwell asserts that Gates, not Jobs, will be remembered in 50 years

#59

Post by pbreit »

eaurouge wrote: post #56
pbreit wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not only is it controversial but it's probably wrong. Bill Gates hardly comes up in conversation anymore and Microsoft's relevance is way less than a company of its revenues, product usage and stature should be. I couldn't even name a single thing the Gates Foundation is doing, much less has accomplished. No one will remember desktop computers in 50 years when computing will be all around us (moved ever so far forwar…

You can't name a single thing the Gates Foundation has done because you're uninformed and, unfortunately, don't seem to see anything wrong with that.

Well, I would consider myself pretty well-informed. But, no, I did not have the Gates Foundation's education and malaria funding top-of-mind. And after some brief research am still not quite sure what the money is going towards and if it is accomplishing much.

Re: Malcolm Gladwell asserts that Gates, not Jobs, will be remembered in 50 years

#60

Post by eaurouge »

pbreit wrote: post #59
eaurouge wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can't name a single thing the Gates Foundation has done because you're uninformed and, unfortunately, don't seem to see anything wrong with that.

Well, I would consider myself pretty well-informed. But, no, I did not have the Gates Foundation's education and malaria funding top-of-mind. And after some brief research am still not quite sure what the money is going towards and if it is accomplishing much.

The Gates Foundation has arguably had more impact on human welfare than any other private organization in history, and yet is still in its early stages. So when you say you know nothing of this work, it suggests a lack of awareness of, and lack of curiosity in, global matters.

And after some brief research am still not quite sure what the money is going towards and if it is accomplishing much.

When you follow up with this, it suggests that either your "brief research" was too brief or your research skills are poor.

Now perhaps you've said all this to make a point, but that's not how it comes across.

Post reply on HN