The story of two men who changed the world - for better or worse

No matter what you think about them the fact is that these two changed the world as we know it.

http://americangenius.nationalgeogra...jobs-vs-gates/

My only minor connection to Bill Gates, aside from being a PC Windows user, back in the 1970's, my Dad was learning the ropes of writing software. He had FoxPro 1.0, a Microsoft product, and had some issues with the software, so called Microsoft on the telephone for help. At the time Microsoft was working out of Bill Gates home. My Dad got a secretary who suggested he speak with Bill. So my Dad had an hour long conversation with Bill Gates. At the end of the conversation, Bill offerred my Dad a position as software tester, and my Dad wasn't interested... I think this was 1977.

Wow, great story that really shows how these guys started out, I bet the 'secretary' was his mum. The closest I had to anything like that was meeting Clive Sinclair back in 1983 with my dad and discussing everything wrong and right with the ZX81.

I find that whole article was written from a perspective not from the present time that it happened but from the 00's or even later and from a U.S. view point. Also I find the rational used distorted in many ways as it took no account of computer developments from other O.S.'s that were around at the time as it was all based on just the two companies. Think about the companies who took the technologies further than both these two companies did in both the 70's, 80's and even the 90's. I think the discussions should be more aimed at the chip manufacturers than the G.U. interface but I suppose that it makes better reading to focus more on the personalities which both men took on. Just think if a consul type Atari/Amiga of home computer had won the war we could have been plugging in a cartridge to use DTP or another to do spreadsheets, or hell, even a RISC OS Arm based home computer which was by far the fastest of all the desktop type of home computers around in the late 80's through to the middle 90's. Just shows what a bit of showmanship and hype does and did to what we call a desktop computer. Will there be articles like that between Apple & Google for the fight between mobile G.U.I.'s there should be.

I think Jobs and Gates have Alan Turing to thank for their careers.

I don't think anyone is claiming that gates and certainly not jobs were some computer geniuses to the level of people like turing, as gates said to jobs once when the later accused the former of theft of ideas “Well, Steve, I think there’s more than one way of looking at it. I think it’s more like we both had this rich neighbor named Xerox and I broke into his house to steal the TV set and found out that you had already stolen it.” But the fact remains that 90% of all computers have run windows and apple is the most valuable company ever, and perhaps will be the first trillion dollar company pretty soon. Believe me I'm no fan of either man but their contribution to the world cannot be doubted.

This is sort-of related..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19665632

I used to teach evening classes (BASIC programming) using the Apple II back in the day (but I used to use 'real' computers before then).

I see that the recycling company are offering her 50% of the sale price, something tells me that she will be asking for the full 100%, it would be easy for her to say that it was thrown out by mistake. Let the court proceedings begin!

Very interesting Paul. Made me stop and think. What looks like junk might not be.

Larry, just post any old Apple junk to me. I'll recycle it for you..

Except for my iPad I don't have any.

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Originally Posted by wizard509

Except for my iPad I don't have any.

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..that'll do..

Not likely though. It was a gift and I use it. My Mom and I had been on video chat for years, she went to the iPad and we did that until she passed. I think that's why I have one now because my family knew I would not buy one otherwise.

Sorry about your Mom. I can't get mine to phone me, let alone video chat.

There are so many elderly people who could connect with their family and friends using tablets.

I still have my old Commodore. What a nice operating system and it had 64K. :)

Every single computer, in the world, should have the name Xerox on it.
Xerox had asked their top brains to come up with unique ideas. These top brains came up with a screen and a hand held device. When you moved this hand held device, a pointer moved on the screen. Xerox told these top brains that this was a useless device, and it was shelved.
Well... we all know the history from there on!

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Originally Posted by gray

I still have my old Commodore. What a nice operating system and it had 64K. :)

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I can remember when RAM/Harddrive = cassette tape with my Dad's TRS-80 model 1. He also had a TRS-80 model 2, Kaypro II "portable" computer and an IBM mini-computer. He also had a 1200 baud modem. I still use his Epson LQ 850 dot matrix printer to print my company invoices (its 40+ years old).

I love vintage computers and have collected too many along the years. There is no real innovation like in the 80`s and early 90´s, no real dedicated workstations anymore and only PC survived with Apple turning into another glorified PC maker also.

Especially Soviet made ZX Spectrums are awesome. (Below is my work in progress monster.)

I had many enjoyable hours of writing code for both Commodores and Apples in their basic and machine code back then. When I look at it now I can't even understand one line of it.
I can see why you like collecting the old machines, theinonen.

They truly made a difference.

I think both gave great contribution in technology.