Bill Gates to step down from Microsoft in 2008

[John.Michael.Kane]

Bill Gates to step down from Microsoft (http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/06/15/gates.ap/index.html)

[bruce89]

He is getting a bit old for it I suppose.

[fuscia]

i guess he'll become douchebag emeritus.

[Rackerz]

He's not stepping down exactly, just 'reorganzing' his work.

[bruce89]

He's not stepping down exactly, just 'reorganzing' his work.
Sounds like stepping down to me. The strange thing is that he is giving a lot of his money to charity, but then again, so am I.

[nuvo]

I can't say I've got anything against Bill Gates as many of the things he gets attacked for have become pretty much standard practice amongst big companies and he does do some stuff for charities (though not $30billion worth of stuff).
The only person I truly dislike at Microsoft is Steve Balmer for reasons obvious to anyone who has non-Microsoft software installed on their PC's.

[G Morgan]

I can't say I've got anything against Bill Gates as many of the things he gets attacked for have become pretty much standard practice amongst big companies and he does do some stuff for charities (though not $30billion worth of stuff).
The only person I truly dislike at Microsoft is Steve Balmer for reasons obvious to anyone who has non-Microsoft software installed on their PC's.

Or people who have epileptic fits trigger by the word developers.

[void_false]

The only person I truly dislike at Microsoft is Steve Balmer
He's an exelent dancer thou...

[taurus]

And when Bill Gates is not there everyday, do you think Steve Balmer will get more power then? Just imagine what Steve Balmer would do or say when he has more control of the company... :-&

[nuvo]

And when Bill Gates is not there everyday, do you think Steve Balmer will get more power then? Just imagine what Steve Balmer would do or say when he has more control of the company... :-&
Windows windows windows windows windows developers developers developers developers rock rock rock rock!!! !!! !!! !!!

I wonder if he has OCD...

[djsroknrol]

Billy boy KNOWS the end is near for him and MS....Linux will rule oneday...;)

[zachtib]

in july of '08...
happy 21st birthday, me!

[neoflight]

the reason is he wants to use linux....he cannot have sufficient admin previlages in the MS company network...

"he doesnt have an ipod and he doesnt carry a wallet..." what will he do ???

[prizrak]

You know considering how much Gates talks about liking to be charitable and working with charities it surprises me that he doesn't open source Windows (lets face it he is still the chairman) to benefit the rest of humanity. Or at the very least get rid of the Accept, Embrace and Extend policy and use open standards to make it much easier for Windows to interoperate with other OS's.

[ade234uk]

I reckon he is standing down has he has had enough of **** ups. I hope Ballmer does stay because his bad decisions and comments at the moment are helping Linux.

I dont dislike BIll Gates, I just dislike his partner in crime Ballmer. He is everything that is wrong with Microsoft and Capatilism and how not to do business.

MS will never ever die however this last couple of years has got to be some of its rockiest as regards to competition from Apple & Linux and not have any new ideas to bring to the table.

[curuxz]

Firstly the title of this tread is misleading since he is NOT stepping down! Secondly if you look at the list of promotions to take over some of his roles Ballmer gets squat, Bill knows that dude is insane so he aint guna leave him total in charge......its just, well AD fans will get this, You never fire crazy.

[BoyOfDestiny]

http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS3436284810.html

"It may be two years away, but when a giant the size of Gates moves, the world moves with him. And, in that movement, in this period of change, Linux may have its best chance ever to seize the marketplace momentum from Microsoft."

An interesting take on it. =)

[Drifter]

He may not have ocd, but he has lots of money cd's

[Luffield]

I wonder if he has OCD...
I don't know much about OCD (although one of my best friends has it. He's nothing like Ballmer, thankfully!) but when I read about this disorder (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060605/ap_on_sc/road_rage_disease_1) a few days ago, the first person I thought about was Ballmer.

I'm quite happy to hear that Gates will be stepping down, I much prefer the work he does outside Microsoft. My guess about what happens next: either Ballmer steps down as well, or he will take the company further and faster in the same direction it is going today and by doing that he'll bring it down.

[Kimm]

Perhaps he is stepping down from MS cause he is feeling guily. But he doesnt want to shut it down, or open source it. So he leaves Ballmer to wreck it http://www.freesmileys.org/emo/devil20.gif

[fuscia]

ballmer, by default, has to be the most hilarious person who's ever lived.

[vinodis]

he mi8 hv fedp wt de m$

[beercz]

Bill Gates to step down from Microsoft in 2008. So?

[forrestcupp]

The yahoo news article here

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060616/tc_nm/microsoft_dc_8

says this:

Gates, 50, passed the technical mantle to Ray Ozzie, who joined Microsoft last year and is at the heart of Microsoft's push to maintain its dominance by transforming software into services that generate an ongoing stream of revenue instead of just a one-time sale.


So now instead of shafting people once, they want to set it up to where they can keep picking your pocket more frequently and forever.

[DoctorMO]

At least I am saved.

[KingBahamut]

Perhaps Bill isnt as all power hungry and driven by greed as some other well known chairmen out there. Hmmmm........

But does this mean that Ray Ozzie is going to pick up the Technical slack?

That kinda scary right there.

[isotonic]

.

[racoq]

I'm a linux addicted. But we have to get some credit to Bill Gates and what he has done, and the dream he had "that all the people could have at least one computer" that i'm my opinion he helped achieving.


i think that computer comunity looses, each time an bright mind like gates step back.

I think that in terms of multimedia, linux as much to grow to match Windows. And if microsoft have "stolen" ideas from linux specially in the network area, so linux comunity have "stolen" from microsoft in terms of multimedia concepts, and usability, lets face it if you had an operating system like microsoft and you could profit with him, would you released it's code? I think not :D



I don't want the downfall of Microsoft or linux. The society as we know it, profits from both operating systems existence, even we choose to accept or not.


So please stop the "I which microsoft goes down", or "Yupiieee now microsoft is going down".

[v8YKxgHe]

I've just seen the BBC news on this, and a quote ( Maybe not exact, but he said every computer ) from Sir someone Sugar said:


....and he went on to make the program that operates EVERY computer in the world, that includes buisnesses, home computers

gah [-X

[Luffield]

ballmer, by default, has to be the most hilarious person who's ever lived.
I find him scary, TBH.

[bruce89]

I've just seen the BBC news on this, and a quote ( Maybe not exact, but he said every computer ) from Sir someone Sugar said:
Was it Sir Alan Sugar? He'd have more sense than to say that, mind you MS are trying to make it impossible to sell a computer without windows on it.

[Sheinar]

Was it Sir Alan Sugar? He'd have more sense than to say that
Yes, it was Sir Alan Sugar, and no, he didn't have more sense than to say that.

[v8YKxgHe]

Sir Alan Sugar, that's it. Yeh that's definalty what he sid ( maybe slightly different words, I couldn't remember it properly, but that's what he said )

[curtis]

Indeed, he did say something along the lines of that. No idea why he believes that every computer in the world runs Microsoft Windows though, because it obviously does not.

[drogoh]

he mi8 hv fedp wt de m$
To quote Peter Griffin: "Um.. uh... what?"

Anyway, my take on this whole "thing" with Bill Gates and Microsoft is: "so?" It's business as usual. Microsoft won't crumble overnight. It's not like people never decide to do something else.

[bruce89]

he mi8 hv fedp wt de m$
To quote Peter Griffin: "Um.. uh... what?"
I appears to be what some people call communication.
I think it says "I am fed up with MS"

[briancurtin]

he mi8 hv fedp wt de m$
...

[weasel fierce]

http://www.linuxtoday.com/it_management/2006061601526OSSW

[maniacmusician]

I agree with drogoh, it's really no big deal. Do you really think that gates is the one that comes up with all the innovations at microsoft? that stopped a long time ago. Now, he basically decides which direction the company will go in next (which...isn't the hardest thing in the world. Easier at least than coming up with real ideas and programming them.) I suppose he also probably has some part in economic decisions. But isn't microsoft owned by a board of directors?

Anyways,,,this won't really change anything. The only things that microsoft/windows has over linux are 1. popularity, and 2. a mostly user-friendly interface. Not the smoothest maybe, but at least people can easily figure out how to use it. I believe if Linux were to perhaps get a little more simplified (its obviously not as easy as it sounds) and more people were able to use it easily, it would probably catch up to microsoft faster. or at least gain more ground. I know too many people that have been discouraged by the perceived complexity of linux. they give it a stab and go back to their windows machines

[Johnsie]

I love Linux but I also know that Bill Gates is a legend and genius. Sure windows isn't perfect but I don't know any operating system that is. Most programmers look upto Microsoft because they are so huge and dominate the market. Hopefully that will chnage though.... Even many Linux people look up to Gates and Microsoft products and that's why there are many similarities in Linux to Windows. At the end of the day Windows and Linux need each other to push things forward in the computing world. Having two major operating systems competing against each other drives people to develop new technologies and killer apps to try and outdo each other. That's a good thing.

We can all learn from each other..... and come up with our own stuff too.

Yes, Windows is closed source and MS tries to beat or crush their competition but that gives us inspiration to make what we've got better. Also, the reason Bill gates started Microsoft was to make money and he sure as hell achieved that goal ;-)

It's ok to respect "the enemy"