<p>Windows, no but MS OS was standard on nearly all IBM type PCs. That was what made MS.</p>
<p>I think it’s great that Gates is giving huge sumes to charity, but I’m not granting him saint-hood. How difficult is it to give billions away when you know with 100 percent surety that your own lifestyle will never suffer because of what you are giving away. After he gives what he plans to charity, there will be still more money left over than what he could possibly spend - unless he starts buying entire countries.</p>
<p>There was an interesting piece on 20/20 last Friday about success. They interviewed another billionaire regarding his wealth. He said it was quite freeing when he finally reached a state where he knew with absolute surety that he would never want for anything. When asked what amount gave him that sense of assurance, he said $100 million. To me, $100 million is significantly more than it would take for financial independence, but allowing for inflationary lifestyle standards of the super-rich, when Gates gives away to the point that he has less than $100 million left, then he might be lauded for his charity. Until then, I am more impressed with the common people who give far less money to charity but for whom every single dollar that they give is one which they could use now or in the future.</p>
<p>Unlike most cynical people here, I’m not out to examine Gates under a microscope, decide whether he’s suffering enough hardship from his gifts, or anything like that.</p>
<p>For me, it’s enough that he will probably do more with his money to help the poorest parts of the world than any other human being, ever. I don’t care how he got the money, I don’t care whether he’s giving enough away to affect is lifestyle, I care about results. And the results are mind-boggling.</p>
<p>This thread began with a link to an article describing Gates’s recent talk to The National Society of Black Engineers. He was making the point that it is important for this nation’s future that we produce top engineers and computer scientists and it would be nice if some of them were African Americans. This relates to Gates’s work of the last decade or so to try to introduce changes into K12 education that will help solve the very large educational attainment gap among various ethnic groups, as well as between the poor and the rich.</p>
<p>The Gates’s contribution to various education reform initiatives goes way beyond just throwing a lot of money around. He has taken a genuine interest in the topic of K12 education and its role in transforming opportunities for Americans who are being shut out. It doesn’t make him a hypocrite that he didn’t realize what needed to be done years ago; he is still way ahead of most on this issue.</p>