Bill Gates becomes world’s richest person again

[smiths22]

Im not gonna argue here about a different topic so if someone is still interested he or she can open a new one i'm not.

 

[Layback Bear]

Smart decision smiths22.

 

[mjf]

This thread is about Bill Gates wealth.
Microsoft has positioned itself as the defacto world OS and price gouges in markets outside of the USA. An argument given by MS for price gouging in Australia is that market forces will determine price - what a load of rubbish. At the moment it is difficult for business to compete with one of the linux offerings and non US businesses pay an effective imposed tax which is contrary to a free trade agreement. The philanthropy is paid for in part by such price gouging. Do a web search on "does microsoft price gouge".

Then, MS are not the only Corp. playing this game.

 

[Lomai]

First Smiths, Jesus has nothing to do with activation!

Amen to that

Keep well and regards

 

[Britton30]

This thread is about Bill Gates wealth.
Microsoft has positioned itself as the defacto world OS and price gouges in markets outside of the USA. An argument given by MS for price gouging in Australia is that market forces will determine price - what a load of rubbish. At the moment it is difficult for business to compete with one of the linux offerings and non US businesses pay an effective imposed tax which is contrary to a free trade agreement. The philanthropy is paid for in part by such price gouging. Do a web search on "does microsoft price gouge".

Then, MS are not the only Corp. playing this game.

True, I know from other Aussie buddys how your prices are higher than what shipping would cause.

First Smiths, Jesus has nothing to do with activation!

Amen to that

Keep well and regards

Thank you.

 

[A Guy]

Since purchasing any software download (or just an activation key, and downloading readily available downloads separately), over the internet is possible from just about anywhere, the idea that location is the deciding factor is rather spurious. If a locally based business cannot match a price from an internet retailer from afar, then their issue is what price MS sells them the product. A Guy

 

[mjf]

Since purchasing any software download (or just an activation key, and downloading readily available downloads separately), over the internet is possible from just about anywhere, the idea that location is the deciding factor is rather spurious. If a locally based business cannot match a price from an internet retailer from afar, then their issue is what price MS sells them the product. A Guy

Sorry I believe you are wrong because there is a nasty thing called geoblocking. There are ways to circumvent it at a risk. Geoblocking just plain stinks.
Another example of gouging is hardware. If I buy an Epson scanner (eg V600 which I own) from Epson or an Australian retailer I pay twice the price I would buying in the US taking into account exchange rate and shipping. If I tried to buy it online from a US supplier then it needs to be delivered to a US zip code.
In a global market, companies who play this game deserve to go out of business. Then, Australian regulators are just so limp.

 

[indianacarnie]

Remember that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has given more then $28 billion to charitable causes. He and 69 other billionaires have pledged to give more then 50% of the income to charities.

A Guy

I agree. The price gouging issue has more to do with Microsofts board of directors than Mr. Gates I'm thinking. From what I've read Mr.Gates hasn't been actively involved in the running of Microsoft for years now. Yeah , in some senses of the word I guess I'm a fanboy of Microsoft. I don't like how the company is run now, and I think they have lost their way BUT, if not for Microsoft the majority of us would not have these wonderful machines to work and play with. Mr. Gates gave computing to the world, not just the few, and I will be forever grateful for that.

 

[mjf]

BUT, if not for Microsoft the majority of us would not have these wonderful machines to work and play with...

I doubt that very much. At the heart of personal computing was developments in semiconductor technology. The Intel 8088 would have happened and someone would have run with it. IBM played with the PC and gave MS their big opportunity. Unfortunately IBM were still focused on mainframes but someone would have seen the opportunity to build an OS for PCs based around new CPU developments.

 

[Britton30]

I think we would not have what we have today without MS. Ever hear of MS/DOS? That's Microsoft Disk Operating System, Gates wrote it at the behest of IBM because they had no clue or just didn't want to fool with it at the time. Gates' big score was having IBM grant him full rights and ownership to MS/DOS, the seed for Windows.

 

[indianacarnie]

BUT, if not for Microsoft the majority of us would not have these wonderful machines to work and play with...

I doubt that very much. At the heart of personal computing was developments in semiconductor technology. The Intel 8088 would have happened and someone would have run with it. IBM played with the PC and gave MS their big opportunity. Unfortunately IBM were still focused on mainframes but someone would have seen the opportunity to build an OS for PCs based around new CPU developments.

O.K. so I was wrong about this and everything else I've said in here tonight. Sorry I've been wastng everyones time.

 

[A Guy]

You misunderstand me, I am agreeing with you. I wasn't saying it's doable now. I'm saying it's possible. If you visit 7F, it's no different for me to visit. Since a software could be downloaded just as easily by either of us, it shouldn't cost more because you live where you do (I understand it does). It's a contrivance of the sellers (and governments). It may have had some merit when everything was purchased locally at a brick and mortar, but with the internet, there need be no such boundaries. A Guy

P.S. Some of you are sure touchy tonight! That's the 3rd time tonight I've seen someone say "I was wrong, sorry to waste your time". I don't see anyone saying you were wasting your time. And your opinions are valid, even if others disagree.

 

[Britton30]

I'm agreeing with you too Scott.

 

[mjf]

Ever hear of MS/DOS? That's Microsoft Disk Operating System,

I remember it well. It came on a 5 1/4" 360KB floppy disk. It was the OS for my first PC clone (clones of the more expensive IBM PCs were common back then). This cost me ~$3000!! in dollars of the day but then I opted for a massive 20MB hard drive.

 

[jadinolf]

Must be wonderful.

 

[Layback Bear]

This problem Down Under with pricing is confusing.
I have no proof but it smells to me like the in country business and government with rules, regulation, laws, taxes, tariffs (Or what ever they want to call them) are trying to protect the in country businesses.
The businesses and the government want their citizens to buy in country (locally) and are doing what ever they can to make that happen.
It's hard for me to believe huge global companies got together and decided to stick it to one huge market; Australia.
It cost Microsoft no more to download a operating system to Australia then it would me in Ohio unless their is a middle man getting a piece of the action, (governments).
Shipping hardware all over the world has it cost but many countries have imposed laws ect. that add a cost and that cost is transfered to the consumer.
I do believe that people that live in the E.U. can verify that.

Why would a car made in the E.U. cost more in the E.U. than it does in the U.S.A.? Answer Governments.

Many countries have free schooling, health care, colleges and universities and many other things. How does anybody think this is paid for. Through taxing methods on other things.

 

[mjf]

This problem Down Under with pricing is confusing.
I have no proof but it smells to me like the in country business and government with rules, regulation, laws, taxes, tariffs (Or what ever they want to call them) are trying to protect the in country businesses.

No. It has nothing to do with the Government apart from their inability to clamp down on price gouging. This is why they called in Apple, Adobe and MS to a Parliamentary inquiry about pricing prompted by local business complaints.
If I buy software online, the Australian government doesn't charge anything. There is no tariff protection etc etc.

I really have had my say and wish to leave it at that.

 

[Britton30]

Ever hear of MS/DOS? That's Microsoft Disk Operating System,

I remember it well. It came on a 5 1/4" 360KB floppy disk. It was the OS for my first PC clone (clones of the more expensive IBM PCs were common back then). This cost me ~$3000!! in dollars of the day but then I opted for a massive 20MB hard drive.

Yeah, I remember many ads for "IBM Clone' computers.

 

[archer]

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has recaptured the title of world’s richest person with estimated fortune of $78.5 billion.
The 58-year-old tycoon’s fortune increased by $15.8 billion last year, according to the index, as shares of Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker, rose 40 per cent.
Gates regained top spot from Mexican investor Carlos Slim, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily ranking of the world’s 300 wealthiest individuals.
Gates’s fortune has also benefited from a rally in stock holdings that include the Canadian National Railway and sanitising products maker Ecolab, which rose 34 per cent and 45 per cent respectively.

Article

OMG!
Does it mean, I loose my title now? NOOOOOOOOOO.....
I lost

 

[richnrockville]

FWIW: Ms dos for the ibmpc came on a 160K single sided floppy.

Otherwise I agree with everyone here on any subject or side of a question.

Rich