http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/ Engadget Comments for A lunchtime chat with Bill Gates at CES http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/Jan 8th 2007 2:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/Jan 8th 2007 7:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/Jan 8th 2007 2:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/Jan 9th 2007 3:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/Jan 8th 2007 2:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/
I found his optimism infectious, but can't help but ask where it's all leading. How, for example, can the digital revolution take place when it's being choked by DRM? If it's a revolution, who's it for? If DRM restricts the rights of users to manipulate data, copyrighted or not, then the revolution is for the corporations, and us consumers are subjugated by it, NOT liberated.

Another side-effect of that climate of restriction is the proliferation of expensive, proprietary hardware and software, and the disappearance of ubiquitous, cheap, general-purpose computer technology. How is any of this supposed to liberate the user? Certainly not in the same way that the personal computer did.

Here's what I think happened: your industry developed super
powerful information processing technology, on the backs of the population, on the premise that it was going to liberate us. All along though you actually planned to enslave and control us and, now that your computer systems are powerful enough, you're finally in a position to do just that. It was never about us: you only needed us to consume your technology so that you could finance its development. Now you are in a position to utterly and completely enslave us with it.

Now, increasingly, we live in a world of digital techno fascism. Am I the only one that sees it? We've been duped.]]>Jan 8th 2007 2:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/Jan 8th 2007 2:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/Jan 8th 2007 2:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/
We all no what happens to people that say no. To the people that rebel, that reject? You don't want to be on the bad side of The State my friend...]]>Jan 8th 2007 2:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/
you don't have to be a slave to Windows.]]>Jan 8th 2007 8:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/Jan 8th 2007 3:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/
I'm not looking forward to Mr. Gates leaving Microsoft.

]]>Jan 8th 2007 4:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/"They always take the safe bet, and while it makes excellent business sense, it makes it even harder for them to do anything new"

Do you really think that Xbox, Xbox360, Zune, and Live are all safe bets?]]>Jan 8th 2007 7:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/"Do you really think that Xbox, Xbox360, Zune, and Live are all safe bets?"

Insofar as them all being devices introduced into already fairly saturated markets, yes.

As far as gaming consoles, they just made the duo of Nintendo and Sony into a trio. There's nothing amazingly innovative on any scale with either unit. And they both were a success, mostly because of marketing and the efforts of the third parties that made the games.

Zune? Another DAP? This is about as innovative as releasing slightly thicker sliced bread, and doing it with someone else's knife.

I'm not saying these products won't make it, or that they are crap or anything like that; they just aren't anything new.]]>Jan 8th 2007 6:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/Jan 8th 2007 4:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/
BOMBARDMENT! BOMBARDMENT! Helter-skelter! Overwhelm 'em! Keep 'em off-balance!]]>Jan 8th 2007 6:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/Jan 8th 2007 6:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/Jan 9th 2007 4:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/
I take this as Bill could care less which format comes out on top HD-DVD/Blu-Ray or otherwise. He wants downloadable content.

So does this mean that Microsoft HD-DVD support is not at a full 110% and more of a one toe in the pool type of thing.

From a business point of view you wouldnt want all your eggs in one basket but you have to wonder exactly HD-DVD means to Microsoft.]]>Jan 8th 2007 6:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/
Every piece of DRMed music you buy is one more reason not to change DRM. Itunes is the posterchild for the success and public acceptance of DRM. And as long as itunes is successful there is no reason to think the recording industry will relax DRM. ]]>Jan 8th 2007 10:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/Jan 9th 2007 4:26AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/Jan 8th 2007 10:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/a-lunchtime-chat-with-bill-gates-at-ces/

IMHO, the argument for legislating net neutrality is actually weaker than the argument against DRM. Why? DRM hurts without helping: it *will* be broken, but will always inconvenience legitimate consumers. Non-neutral networks will probably, as Gates implies, be bigger/faster networks -- if I have to choose between more expensive IPTV that works, and cheaper IPTV that doesn't, I'd go with the functional one.]]>Jan 10th 2007 1:43PM