Bill Gates
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Bill Gates considers Skype 'a great purchase' for Microsoft, helped make it happen
The aftermath of Microsoft's announcement that it'll buy Skype for $8.5 billion was filled with speculation about why the price was so high, who Microsoft was bidding against, and who inside Redmond was the driving force behind such a large expenditure. At least one of those queries has been demystified today, thanks to Bill Gates asserting himself as "a strong proponent at the board level for the deal being done." Microsoft's Chairman of the Board expressed his enthusiasm for gobbling up Skype in an interview with the BBC -- one which UK residents may see in full at the iPlayer link below -- and concluded that "it's a great purchase that a lot of innovation will come out of." Adding his support to Steve Ballmer's already public excitement about the Skype takeover, Bill stresses that "the importance of software is higher today than ever," while also predicting that video conferencing is set to become much better and bigger than we've yet seen. We've got our webcams at the ready, Bill!
Inhabitat's Week in Green: floating trains, dead bees, dirt-powered phones and Cornish pasties
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Did you know that the cell phone in your pocket could be causing the collapse of bee colonies? This week Inhabitat reported the alarming news as Swiss researchers confirmed that cell signals confuse bees and are leading to their deaths. We also looked at a Bill Gates-funded plan to power cell phones using dirt, and we spotted a new phone battery that can be charged by yelling at it -- much to the chagrin of everyone else on the bus. Alternative transportation got a boost this week as Japanese engineers unveiled a levitating high-speed electric train that flies over the earth, and we shined a light on Berkeley's new solar-powered Impulse racer, which is gearing up to blaze a trail in the 1,800-mile World Solar Challenge. It was a big week for biofuels as well as Ford and Georgia Tech unveiled plans to create the first hydraulic hybrid U.S. school bus and UK scientists cooked up a plan to power cars with Cornish pasties. In other news, this week a New Jersey Toys "R" Us unveiled plans to build the largest solar roof in the United States, and HyperSolar rolled out a magnifying film that can increase the efficiency of photovoltaic panels by 300%. In green lighting news, we watched Google flip the switch on its brilliant Android-controlled LED bulb, and we announced the Philips and Inhabitat Bright Ideas Lighting Design Competition, which is awarding $1,000 to the designer of the most stunning eco-friendly lamp. Finally, we got excited for the start of summer with a look at the Lapin Kulta Solar Kitchen, which will be serving up sun-cooked meals all across Europe!
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen: Steve Jobs is "monomaniacal"
I doubt Steve Jobs will regard being called monomaniacal as an insult. My dictionary defines the word as 'An inordinate or obsessive zeal or interest in a single thing or subject." That sounds pretty much like the Apple co-founder and CEO. The comments from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen came in an interview with The Sunday Times, where he also praised Apple's almost unbelievable turnaround since Jobs returned to the company in 1997. The full article is behind a paywall, but the Guardian quotes it here. There's a lot more of interest in Allen's recently-published autobiography, Idea Man. One passage from the book that will make Apple fans take notice is this one quoting Bill Gates in the mid-nineties: "[The competition] can be taken. But the only way we're going to take them is to study them, know what they know, do what they do, watch them, watch them, watch them. Look for every angle, stay on their shoulders, clone them, take every one of their good ideas and make it one of our good ideas."
Paul Allen compares working with Bill Gates to 'being in hell' (video)
Paul Allen doesn't give many interviews, but Microsoft's famously eclectic co-founder recently decided to sit down with 60 Minutes' Lesley Stahl, to discuss his juicy new memoir, The Idea Man. It's a book peppered with old stories of Allen's early days as a programmer, when he and Bill Gates would spend their days searching for discarded code in dumpsters and building software for the original Altair computer. But the memoir's most intriguing (and controversial) revelations revolve around Allen's personal and professional relationship with Gates, whom he described to Stahl as a gifted businessman with a penchant for being a total jerk. According to Allen, Gates would regularly engage in testy shouting matches with his Microsoft brethren, and wouldn't hesitate to sling "personal verbal attacks" against anyone who dared to disagree with him. Allen says he tolerated Gates' explosions, for the most part, even though he desperately wanted to tell him that "working with you is like being in hell." The two hit a particularly rough patch after Gates allegedly plotted to squeeze Allen out of the company, not long after he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lymphoma -- an incident that spurred Allen to leave Microsoft, shortly thereafter. Gates, for his part, hasn't commented on Allen's tell-all, nor, apparently, has he even discussed it with his former partner. The next time the two men sit down for a chat, however, Allen says he expects a "heated discussion." Naturally. You can watch the interview after the break, along with a glimpse at some of Allen's most jaw-dropping toys.
No Apple products in the house of Bill
Last March, Melinda Gates told the world that though there were "very few things that are on the banned list" in her household, the iPhone and iPod were definitely not allowed. Today, we're learning the house of Gates has expelled Apple computers for good. The philanthropist's better half told the New York Times Magazine that when one of her children asks for an iPod, the reply is, "You may have a Zune," and that the rumors of Bill himself using an Apple laptop are completely false. "Nothing crosses the threshold of our doorstep," she declared, opening up a plausible loophole -- perhaps a family member will one day taste the forbidden fruit while comfortably seated on the porch.
Rumor: Microsoft making a play for Linden Lab
If most of the horrific violence that happens in the ocean takes place unseen beneath the waves, then the same goes for the massive acquisitions that happen unseen behind boardroom doors. Yesterday, Tateru Nino posted a rumor on her blog that several Linden Lab employees were saying that Microsoft was making a bid to purchase the company: "Funny as that might seem on the face of it, a small number of Linden Lab staff are today spreading the story that Linden Lab is now entertaining offers for sale, and that Microsoft has actually presented one." TechEye.net seconded the rumor, noting that as the Linden Lab UK office closed down this week, an employee tweeted: "A little birdie told me that Microsoft may have silently offered to buy Linden Lab this week." Linden Lab runs the popular virtual world Second Life, which has seen its share of troubles lately. So far, Linden Lab is neither confirming nor denying the rumor.
Bill Gates expects the web to be the best single source of education within 5 years
Bill Gates just might be the world's most famous college dropout (sorry, Kanye), but lest you think he's changed his mind about the educational establishment, he's got a few words of reassurance for you. As the closing speaker of the Techonomy 2010 conference, Bill dished out his vision of how learning will evolve over the next few years, stating his belief that no single university will be able to match the internet when it comes to providing the learning resources a student needs. Describing traditional studies as "place-based" and inefficient, he forecasts that university education will become five times less important within five years, with online lecture sources picking up the reins of enlightening our youth. In other news, Bill's pen-based tablet PC idea is going great!
Steve Jobs on Bill Gates over the years
To say the least, Bill and Steve had had an interesting rivalry over the years. Of course, Bill Gates has retired to charity work leaving Steve Ballmer in charge of Microsoft. The Huffington Post has put a fun post together of some of Jobs' best quotes about Gates. My favorite is from 2006: "I have no problem with their (Microsoft's) success, they've earned their success for the most part. I have a problem with the fact that they just make really third-rate products." As the years have gone on, Jobs has mellowed a bit. In a joint appearance at the All Things Digital Conference in 2007 the two titans joked and laughed with each other. So take a quick trip down memory lane and see the Steve Jobs fireworks before you fire off your own tonight.
Bill Gates: Microsoft pursuing 'a lot of' tablet projects, pen-based input will be 'mainstream for students'
Few people would've taken the news of the Courier's demise lightly, and while Microsoft sought to comfort us, it's never quite as reassuring as when you hear it from the progenitor himself: "Microsoft has a lot of different tablet projects that we're pursuing. We think that work with the pen that Microsoft pioneered will become a mainstream for students. It can give you a device that you can not only read, but also create documents at the same time." So yes, Microsoft ain't quttin' on tablets just yet, and don't you even dare question the utility of the stylus. Bill Gates has been an unashamed promoter of pen-based computing for the longest time, and it's fun to see that even cold hard facts are insufficient to shake his confidence. Having spoken out against the iPad's lack of keyboard or pen input back in February, Bill has seen the American market gleefully embrace Apple's touchscreen device, something he acknowledges by agreeing that "both in general and in the specific, Apple's done a great job." But he still expects students to be drawn to pen-friendly mobile devices. Well Bill, give the other Steve a call and get him to bring one out and we shall see, eh?
Dr. Henry Edward Roberts, personal computing pioneer, loses battle with pneumonia
Sad news out of Georgia this morning, Dr. Ed Roberts, pioneer of personal computing, has died of pneumonia at the age of 68. Roberts founded Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) in 1970. In 1974 his company released the $395 Altair 8800. It was based on Intel's revolutionary 8080 processor and, after being featured on the cover of Popular Electronics (included after the break), would become the world's first truly popular personal computer. It would be on this machine that the former Micro-Soft would get its start, with Bill Gates and Paul Allen being contracted by Roberts to write Altair BASIC, a version of the simple programming language that Allen delivered by hand on paper tape to the MITS office in Albuquerque. Those two are remembering him today with the following statement: Ed was willing to take a chance on us -- two young guys interested in computers long before they were commonplace -- and we have always been grateful to him... The day our first untested software worked on his Altair was the start of a lot of great things. We will always have many fond memories of working with Ed in Albuquerque, in the MITS office right on Route 66 -- where so many exciting things happened that none of us could have imagined back then. Our thoughts go out to the Roberts family this morning.
Toshiba and Bill Gates-backed TerraPower discussing small-scale nuclear reactors
It would seem that Toshiba hasn't given up on its dream of producing a nuclear reactor for the home, and its latest potential partner counts quite the big name among its backers. Run by a former Microsoft exec and partially funded by Bill Gates himself, TerraPower is said to have opened preliminary discussions with Toshiba regarding a possible joint venture between the two companies. The aim is, predictably, to make safer, smaller, more socially acceptable, and just plain better reactors. TerraPower boasts its tech can run without refueling for up to 60 years on depleted uranium and Bill Gates has gotten enthusiastic enough about the whole thing to give a 30-minute talk on the matter. Click past the break for the video.
Bill Gates on the iPad: Needs a stylus and a keyboard
Bill Gates thinks the iPad is OK, but lacking compared to his own vision of tablet computing. Speaking to business blog Bnet he said, "You know, I'm a big believer in touch and digital reading, but I still think that some mixture of voice, the pen, and a real keyboard-in other words a netbook-will be the mainstream on that." He added "So it's not like I sit there and feel the same way I did with the iPhone where I say, 'Oh my God, Microsoft didn't aim high enough. It's a nice reader, but there's nothing on the iPad I look at and say, 'Oh, I wish Microsoft had done that." He was a lot nicer than when Steve Ballmer famously dissed the iPhone. Of course Microsoft has been flogging tablet computers for years, and hasn't had the buzz that the iPad has received. Of course, the iPad does allow a hardware keyboard to be used with it. As far as a stylus goes, Apple has been there and done that with the Newton. Gates also wanted to see voice input on the iPad, but with a built in microphone and some iPhone apps that already do that it's not a stretch to assume voice input will be available. How about you? Will a stylus make the iPad just what you want? [Thanks to Tommy for the tip]
Bill Gates thinks the iPad needs a keyboard, Disney CEO loves it as it is
Here, finally, is one point on which the two giants of computing, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, completely disagree on. Steve says netbooks are better at nothing, whereas Bill's view is the polar opposite: "You know, I'm a big believer in touch and digital reading, but I still think that some mixture of voice, the pen and a real keyboard - in other words a netbook - will be the mainstream on that." Unimpressed by the iPad, Bill goes on to say that he considers it a "nice reader," but not something that made him wish Microsoft had done it first. Don't tell that to Disney CEO Robert Iger though, who brings out the dreaded "game changer" tag when describing the potential he sees in the iPad for the creation of "essentially new forms of content." Lest we forget, Steve Jobs also sits on the Disney board, so this could be just a friendly tip of the hat by Iger. Either way, we're curious to see what new content Disney might scratch up, as well as to find out who's right in this newfound binary question: keyboard-equipped netbooks or longevous, ultrathin tablets -- what say you?
Unearthed Microsoft emails reveal reaction to iTunes launch, make us giddy for MWC
It's a funny thing, really. iTunes has somehow managed to become the world's largest seller of music in just seven years, yet it's easily one of the buggiest, most resource intensive and altogether unlikable pieces of software to ever come from the labs of Cupertino. From Microsoft's perspective, however, they're really just interested in the first bit, and in particular, why it wasn't able to take advantage of the market opportunity in the way Jobs and company did. Groklaw managed to dig up a handful of email chains that were made public after the Comes v. Microsoft antitrust litigation, and the content is nothing short of eye-opening. One particular snippet from Bill Gates was exceptionally juicy, as he noted (in a number of words) that Apple had somehow managed to "get a better licensing deal than anyone else has gotten for music." Jim Allchin's terse reply consisted of two statements, one of which was "we were smoked." Frankly, this unearthing couldn't have come at a better time. With Mobile World Congress about to get going in Barcelona, we're waiting on pins and needles to see what kind of music innovation is being veiled in the purported Windows Mobile 7 introduction. If you'll recall, we already heard that many elements from the Zune HD interface would be making their way onto the mobile side, and there's hardly a better time to really give iTunes a run for its money than mid-February 2010. Dig into the links below for more on the 2003 revelation -- it's a hoot, we tell ya.
Bill Gates joins Twitter, seen playing kissy face with Ashley Tisdale
If you've been living in the Twitterverse then you've surely felt the aftershock of Bill Gates making his first official appearance on the social media ripsnorter just hours ago. As you'd expect, @BillGates is following a number of accounts related to the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation. He's even following a few tech-media dignitaries like Kara Swisher of All Things Digital and Steven Levy of Wired. But of the 40 accounts that Bill is following, we didn't expect to see Ashley Tisdale (fresh off her Microsoft Store performance) and uh, Ashton Kutcher on his rather exclusive list. Hey Bill ol' buddy, why not try @Engadget if you're looking for internet friends?
Found Footage: The Story of Macintosh
Denver-area Mac consultant Mike Kimble is no stranger to Apple; he worked at an Apple reseller prior to the introduction of the Mac in 1984, and he's been involved with Macs and other Apple products ever since. Mike recently found several old Apple tapes that were sent to his business back around the Mac intro, and his description of one of them says it all: "I found this VHS cassette while cleaning my office this week. This "Found Footage" comes from a video tape I received from Apple back in 1984 when the original 128K Mac was introduced. It was part of the authorized dealer training videos given to each store to help them become familiar with the Macintosh. You will see a very young Burrell Smith, Andy Hertzfeld, Phil Gibbons, Mitch Kapor, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. You really get a good feel for how proud and excited these people were for the creation of something special. Little did they know how much they were about to change the world..." My personal favorite scene is the one where Bill Gates is sitting with a 128K Mac on his desk. The video is divided into two parts; the second can be viewed by clicking the "read more" link below. Enjoy this trip down memory lane!
'Pro plantiff' Erik Estavillo subpoenas Bill Gates in RROD suit
[Image Source] Erik Estavillo -- otherwise referred to as a "professional plantiff" by GamePolitics for his laundry list of legal claims -- has subpoenaed Microsoft's Bill Gates in his suit targeting the company for his run in with the Red Ring of Death. According to court documents filed in a U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the subpoena demands Gates hand over paperwork that reveal the "true and relative number of actual Xbox 360 units that have been fixed by Microsoft over the past 3 years." Estavillo also seeks data pertaining to the number of broken Xbox 360 consoles and the amount of people banned from Xbox Live for "piracy" between November 28, 2008 and 2009. While Estavillo is looking for answers to questions every journalist has been seeking, his track record of legal battles places him in eccentric territory. Estavillo is also suing Activision Blizzard claiming characters in World of Warcraft walk at an intentionally slow pace in order to bilk customers of more monthly fees. In the claim, he subpoenaed actress Winona Ryder and Depeche Mode member Martin Gore. Estavillo has also filed suit against Sony for being banned from online play, stemming from comments he supposedly made during matches of Resistance: Fall of Man; and Nintendo, for issuing firmware updates that disabled his Homebrew Channel.
Bill Gates calls Chrome OS more of the same, "surprised people are acting like there's something new"
We've already heard from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Chrome OS, and it looks like Bill Gates has now had his say on the upstart operating system as well. Speaking with CNET News, Gates more or less described Chrome OS as just another Linux distribution, saying that "there's many, many forms of Linux operating systems out there and packaged in different ways and booted in different ways," adding that, "in some ways I am surprised people are acting like there's something new. I mean, you've got Android running on Netbooks. It's got a browser in it." Gates further went on to get another dig in at Google by saying that "the more vague they are, the more interesting it is," before getting a little philosophical by asking: "What's a browser? What's not a browser?" His answer? "In large part, it's more an abuse of terminology than a real change." [Via Digital Daily]
Bill Gates reckons Natal should head to PC too
Microsoft's Bill Gates has pretty much confirmed that Xbox's Project Natal tech is heading to PC. In an interview with CNET, the Windows man said the peripheral is not just for games, but for "media consumption as a whole." He states that both the Xbox and Windows divisions have latched on to the technology.Beyond the home media applications, Gates also mentions using it in the office. He doesn't say Office use, but lower case "office." Looks like the era of Minorty Report is upon us. Now all we need are three people who look like shaved cats to lie in tubs of goo all day and we'll be set for the future.[Via Big Download]
Bill Gates: Natal for Windows coming to an office near you
The idea of bending over to pick up a virtual tennis racket in front of that 50-inch flat screen in our living room makes perfect sense to us. In fact, we can't wait to see Natal come to the Xbox platform. However, the idea of manipulating an excel spreadsheet on a 15-inch screen within a 5 x 5-foot cubicle sounds daunting, to say the least. Fortunately, Microsoft's plans to integrate Natal into corporate Windows environments appears rather sober, albeit, entirely lacking in specifics. In an interview with CNET news, Bill Gates says that Natal's depth-sensing camera won't be limited to gaming use, "but for media consumption as a whole, and even if they connect it up to Windows PCs for interacting in terms of meetings, and collaboration, and communication." Without going into detail, the Microsoft Chairman adds that use of the technology in the office, "is getting much more concrete, and is pretty exciting." In fact, Bill sees it delivering "incredible value" when used within cubicle farms. Perhaps. We certainly won't argue the value of Natal for gaming or even manipulating content in a home theater setup like we've seen with Toshiba's Spatial Motion Interface, but for the office, incredible value... really?
