Bill Gates Leaves Microsoft

Image from source, Breitbart

I started using computers around 1989 (unless you count the Commodore 64, which puts the date at about 1982). I started on an AMSTRAD IBM-clone, with no hard drive, two 5.25" floppy slots, and a CGA screen, which means very limited color. All of this was run on a version of Microsoft's MS-DOS. As computers advanced, and the company I worked for grew, we were soon using a 386-DX with a VGA screen, 20 Megabyte hard drive, Microsoft Windows 3.0, CorelDRAW 2 and PageMaker 3! Woo-hoo, the big leagues!

I give you this brief history only to illustrate that my computer experience has always been based on my knowledge of Microsoft operating systems. I've never understood the hostility some people hold for Microsoft, and have usually enjoyed rolling up my sleeves and tinkering with the software (as well as the hardware). And even as a graphic artist, I have zero affinity for Apple Macintoshes--largely due to the condescending attitudes of Mac users I've had to deal with.

So, Bill Gates has always been--what--not an idol or hero, exactly, but an inspirational figure to me. I mean, say what you will about him, he truly embodies the American dream. Starting a multi-billion dollar business in your garage? Sure, Steve Jobs did that too, but big deal (kidding, Mac cult, don't put a hit on me).

Some of Gates' tactics are a bit troubling. I mean, he basically stole MS-DOS, and sold people on Windows before the thing was even invented. It's a little like selling a war by bending the facts to fit your story. . . OK, that is too harsh. Nobody is that awful, right?

[Excerpt]

Bill Gates surrendering Microsoft helm

A Harvard University dropout who ushered in the home computer age and made billions of dollars along the way will have his last official day of work at Microsoft on June 27.

Three people will essentially fill the void left behind when Bill Gates retires from the company he and friend Paul Allen co-founded in 1975. . .

Read more at: Breitbart