RE: Brave New World

[Dave Hamilton <DHamilton@baydweller.com>]

  Actually, the school program _did_ include laptop computers as part of
  the program.  I have friends whose kids are part of the program.  We
  differ in opinion on the cash thing.  If what he gives away has value to
  the recipients, then I consider it philanthropy.  When I give time to
  the Dallas Habitat for Humanity and the Dallas SPCA, I am not giving
  them cash, but it still has value.  Do Microsoft products given away
  have less value because you (or anyone else) do not like Microsoft?  Do
  you have the same objections with all the giving done by Apple over the
  years to the education sector?  They certainly benefitted from that
  activity, but I don't think any less of their efforts because of it.
  
  I think your equating Gates with a heroin dealer is entirely uncalled
  for.
  
  Dave Hamilton
  dhamilton@baydweller.com
  
  ps.  I don't read the Morning News so I don't know if it was covered
  there.
  
  > Dave,
  > 
  > I'm here in Dallas too, and I hadn't heard about Gates doing this for
  > his wife
  > and Dallas. Oh well, I don't focus on articles about Gates when I read
  > the
  > Dallas Morning News.
  > 
  > My question, however, is simple: did he really setup and fund a
  > program for
  > computer education or for MS software education?
  > 
  > They are two very different things indeed.
  > 
  > While many people seem to be really impressed by Gates's philanthropy,
  > so far
  > the only thing I've heard of him giving away was MS software. Surely
  > we should
  > hold the richest man in the world, more or less, to a more rigorous
  > standard
  > of generosity than that...I mean whatever you think about Gates and
  > MS, surely
  > it would be more philanthropic (loving of humanity, by the way) to
  > donate
  > CASH. Then schools can choose on their own what to teach. Imagine the
  > audacity
  > of that idea!
  > 
  > By the way, when Gates donates a bunch of MS Office and NT Server
  > licenses,
  > does he also buy all new computers for them to run on? It takes new
  > computers
  > since both of these products are such resource hogs. Does he also
  > provide
  > licenses in perpetuity for these products? The upgrades can be
  > financially
  > brutal, especially for schools.
  > 
  > I stand by my original claim in this regard:
  > 
  > 	Gates's so-called philanthropy---donating MS software to
  > schools---strikes me as more like a heroin dealer giving free samples
  > to
  > junkies than real philanthropy.
  > 
  > If you want true philanthropy, check out George Soros. He only had
  > about 6
  > Billion or so, and he's given about 3 or so Billion away. In CASH, not
  > products.
  > 
  > Gates's philanthropy is suspect and of limited value at best and, at
  > worst, it
  > smacks of the meanest kind of cynicism imaginable.
  > 
  > Best,
  > 
  > 	Kendall Clark