Audio/Video, Computers, Video Games, iPod
Peeved Bill Gates Says Everyone Copies Microsoft
This line of questioning, which essentially accused Microsoft of copying other people's inventions, sent the bespectacled founder into a tirade about how Microsoft does all the stupid things first, and that other companies, learning from Microsoft's mistakes, are able to build perfect versions of a particular product or service (and subsequently get the credit for being innovators).
Gates declared that what Microsoft does is the baseline for the entire industry, and whatever it doesn't do is the innovation. And by that definition everyone else is innovating. That's a pretty innovative, if not a little sarcastic, save/explanation.
But seriously, Gates cites IPTV and tablet computers as two areas in which Microsoft is leading the pack. "Is anyone else doing tablet computers?" he asks.
We understand Gate's being upset, and he makes some good points in his sarcastic rant about everyone borrowing from each other (with particular attention paid to Apple of course). But we do have to question some of his claims.
Sure, there are plenty of Microsoft Office and Word clones out there, but Word was far from the first word processor on the PC. Microsoft's entry only got copied after it crushed the competition, namely Wordperfect and Lotus. We racked our brains trying to think of where other companies had blatantly copied Microsoft and actually came up empty. If you've got any examples, be sure to leave them in the comments, in the meantime make sure to check out the gallery below of Microsoft's other "me too" products and services (including everything from Zune and Xbox 360 to the original Windows and MSN, which were inspired by the early Mac OS and the product of our parent company AOL, respectively).
How about you? Do you think Microsoft's reputation as a copycat is deserved, or is Bill Gates right when he says that his company does, in fact, innovate?
Gallery: Microsoft's Products Over Time
From SeattlePI
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_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 23)
Josh said 10:22PM on 2-03-2008
BILL MADE THE GAMMING INDUSTRY WHAT IT IS TODAY. HE DID BAD THINGS OR NOT SO GOOD THINGS TO GET WHERE HE IS TODAY. CAN ANYONE HERE TELL ME THEY WOULDNT DO WHAT HE DID TO BE THE RICHEST PERSON IN THE WORLD? I THINK EVERYONE HERE WOULD DO WHAT HE DID TO HAVE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.
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lubeatco4 said 1:04PM on 2-28-2008
The general public has very short memories as well as young people grow up not knowing the history of a company or product. Microsoft, or shall we say Bill Gates is well known for using (stealing) Apples Mac OS format and claiming he invented it.Industrial theft is all Bill Yates should be credited with along with his other unscrupulous business deals
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Ashram said 2:06PM on 2-27-2008
Microsoft is not the most innovative company and it's rather amusing to hear about Mr. Gates tirade.
For one, Microsoft did not invent the idea of the GUI. In fact, it's not even the invention of Xerox PARC as claimed.
The GUI was invented by Ivan Sutherland (of "Evans & Sutherland" fame) and its introduction was in 1963 with his Sketchpad program.
Of course, there are others, such as the Zune, which is obviously a copy of the iPod.
And, Vista is hardly innovative as it largely copies the features of of MacOS X and is built on the same NT codebase that also runs Windows 2000 and Windows XP but with modifications and additions that ultimately increase its size and complexity to many times that of XP (more bloat and spaghetti code) as well as the implementation of DRM measures to acquiesce to the demands of the entertainment industry, which is invasive of your privacy.
If anything, Microsoft is the antithesis of innovation and, in the case of Vista, improvement.
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Smurftech2005 said 5:46AM on 2-28-2008
Microsoft innovator?
two words
Microsoft Bob!
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Kevin M said 4:08PM on 3-01-2008
Apple took the high priced road from the beginning. They could have had much greater market share coming into the '90's, but they were greedy. Microsoft has been very innovative in marketing and keeping customers happy. Windows XP is a great product. It runs well and crashes rarely. I like Office 2003 too, but Office 2007 leaves something to be desired. In the end though, I still use WordPerfect. It is a very good product and I've used it since 5.1.
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Factual Truth said 3:18PM on 3-19-2008
Ok, Folks, here it is, the real truth, as lived by myself and so many others, from the start. The Genesis II as I call it of the computer revolution in America.
First my background. I predate personal PC's by many years, from the IBM 370 series forward. Both as from programming to service of these building filling machines to the smallest PC's on the market today.
The first real Apple MACS's were innovative work horses BUT that was also Apples downfall from a 40% PC market share too! (anyone remember the black and white screen and only a 3.5 floppy it had AND JOB's rant that "3.5" floppy is ALL ANYONE will ever need!" when Apple introduced it?
Even previous to that, was the APPLE pc, APPLE II - which innovated CUSTOMABILITY OF THE PC! These PC's were found everywhere from Mt. Everest scientific expeditions to most highly sophisticated science labs of that time period! Why? Because they could be BUILT, CUSTOMIZED TO FILL individual data project needs!
And NO I am NOT excluding the innovative assets that were also added by other's like Kaypro, Atari, Commodore and the like either - that ALL had a unique contribution they made along the way!
Any one remember the original APPLE DOS? That ALLOWED 30 CHARACTER LONG FILE NAMES? This is in contrast to the BACKWARD MS-Dos and IBM PC Dos that frustrated 10's of millions with an 8 letter charcter name ONLY! HEY BILL - would YOU call THAT INNOVATIVE? Not me or ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND!
THE FACT - (in my humble opinion of course from having BEEN THERE) GATES STOLE THE ORIGINAL CODE FOR MS-DOS FROM DIGITAL RESEARCH, added a few little tweaks a pre-school child could write, and called it MS-DOS. (research the DIGITAL RESEARCH LAWSUIT AGAINST MICROSOFT for more info on this)
Gates GOT AWAY WITH LEGAL THEFT OF SOFTWARE CODE BECAUSE AT THE TIME, SOFTWARE SOURCE CODES, WERE NOT COVERED BY COPYWRITE LAWS OF THAT DAY! Source code for programs was a whole new area of law at that time for the courts to decide on and laws to be eventually changed but not backward applicaple as crimes to previous years.
When IBM came out wit their copy of the Apple II, with slot's that allowed FLEXIBLE configurations to FIT THE USER'S NEEDS, both scientific to business to home, Apple had some competition! Especially, since IBM also included allowance for PROGRAMMABLE EPROMS and SLOTS for them, inside the IBM PC! (those have long since disappeared of course - ask yourself WHY? )
IF those 4 eprom slot's were still present in TODAY'S PC'S, wow, ALL USER'S WOULD BE SEEING INSTANT OS BOOT'S FROM EPROMS, and especially useful would have been the integration of the later FLASH EPROMS that would allow REWRITE OR UPDATE, IF needs or configurations CHANGED! Sadly, none of this is real in today's PC's, again BACKWARD, AND NOT MICROSOFT INNOVATIVE, as these SLOTS, DISAPPEARED with the FIRST MICROSOFT OFF SHORE CLONES introduced cira 1985-1986!
Being an owner of a LEGIT copy of WINDOWS v.1, it is a CLEAR ATTEMPT AT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY THEFT OF THE DIGITAL RESEARCH 'GEM ENVIROMENT', used in the Apple MAC's at the time. It also was a dismal FAILURE too! Sorry Bill, but THAT ALSO wasn't INNOVATIVE but COPY, which you so boldly RANT about and are SO GUILTY OF!
Now to IBM. IBM's BIGGEST MISTAKE in PC's was INSIDE THEIR CONTRACT WITH GATES! IBM NEVER INCLUDED A DIRECT OR INDIRECT 'NON-COMPETE' CLAUSE IN THE CONTRACT! This oversight by conceit of IBM, left AN OPEN DOOR to GATES i.e. Microsoft, to publish a WATERED DOWN version of the disk operating system Gates stole (my opinion again) and sold to IBM, of IBM DOS, call it MS-Dos, then come back into the U.S. with a CLONE of almost the exact IBM Dos software! All this financed by IBM SOFTWARE ROYALTY MONEY, Gates received from every sale of an IBM PC, with IBM PC DOS on it (again opinion but defendable with documentation)
This NON-COMPLETE CLAUSE, being left OUT of the contract between IBM and Gates, Microsoft, LED TO THE DEFEAT OF IBM, USING THEIR OWN MONEY! When the far cheaper clones were introduced with MS-Dos, IBM's established 45% marketshare, started to decline. I believe, IBM should have used their considerable clout at the time, legally, to squash the clones. Sadly, IBM, didn't, not with any real passion. The rest is history! (still owning several IBM PC's, they still work and WILL work, however sluggishly, long after today's cheap PC's burn up and end up in the scrap heap or landfill's)
From MACRO-miniaturized PC's of the late 80's that could control an ENTIRE HOME, from lights, security systems to even your oven and furnace, remotely and on site, to VIRTUAL REALITY HELMETS, that'd take a user INTO THE GAME or simulation software, somewhere IF YOU LOOK DEEP ENOUGH, I believe you'll find Microsoft was either involved in their demise, either by FORCED PURCHASE, or law suit out of existance, using long court battles to drain new start up companies of their R&D money, for legal fee's. Where ARE THE VR GOGGLES/HELMET'S for the consumer level AND game play, training TODAY? NOWHERE TO BE FOUND! (yet yeah I do own an antique from the 90's as well as VR gloves that controlled the PC through hand motions via a receiver linked to the serial port of the PC)
From Symphony, Lotus, Approach, Word Perfect word processors and desktop publishing, ALL these BETTER WRITTEN PROGRAMS and software FELL to Microsoft directly or indirectly - in my opinion.
Yes, I CAN go on with example after example of where Microsoft, I feel IS guilty of multiple 'crimes' and squelching of technological advances that should be common playce today. The above is enough of an example though for now.
DON'T write lies of how INNOVATIVE Microsoft HAS BEEN, it's pure bolderdash (nice word for B.S.). Consider, instead, the approxate 200,000 job's Microsoft has COST AMERICAN'S, or more, over the last 20 years and the IMPACT on the PEOPLE THEY'VE CRUSHED, and economic LOSS to their families, in income, tax's to local cities and states!
By rough calculation, this economic LOSS Microsoft has cost America in general, is well into the 10's of TRILLIONS, which doesn't also include the LOSS IN TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT EITHER! OR America's technological leadership in innovation in the world market's.
I do invite any comments. Thanks for your time, reading this. And, by the way, Gates has done ONE good thing, I've made a fine living all this time FIXING the JUNKWARE he's produced, so there, I say "THANK YOU BILLY".
(let's see if THIS comment get's posted! lol)
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Green Williams said 5:27PM on 4-06-2008
Focus on the salad and not the salad dressing. Microsoft business model is to see whats hot in the market and package it in a great way and better than anyone else; innovative... I think not. But its not it illegal and they have had huge succees doing it. So why be innovative and spoil a multi-billion dollar thing? Would you do what they do if you have that much success? Besides, their success no doubt shows the business model is great for them. Leave the innovation to innovator and the great package to their great packer and stop player-hating.
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David said 11:00AM on 11-13-2009
Bill Gates is a liar. VisiCorp came out with a graphics based interface and Bill Gates recognized that as extremely appealing to the technologically unsophisticated. So he said that Microsoft would soon come out with a GUI system, even though he had no plans of doing so. People just waited for it rather than go through the hassle of getting a whole new operating system. and new software.
I am grateful of what Windows is today, but that is unacceptable. Everyone copies Microsoft? No! Microsoft copies everyone!
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TJ said 3:32PM on 12-10-2007
With 25+ years behind me in the technology industries, I can categorically state that Bill Gates and Microscum Corp are little more than copy-cats. The only thing I can think of that Microsoft has given us is "You need a patch" software - which in most cases only created further problems with MS products.
In any other industry Bill Gates would've been sued (at the very least) and most likely would be behind prison bars for his theft, and the tens of billions (if not hundreds of billions) of dollars his software has cost American industry and individuals. And THAT is how I earn my living - by fixing Microsoft's O/S (all of them), and fixing their products too. I suppose I should be thankful, but it's hard when one is cleaning up after another who is essentially a thief, and a lousy one at that.
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Bob Murton said 3:44PM on 12-10-2007
The world has thanked Bill Gates for his neferious activities by making him the richest man on earth. We are not required to kiss his butt for some of the real slimy stuff Microsoft has pulled to get to where they are.There are thousands of people around who would have been a great deal better off if Microsoft had not targeted them for information and knowledge. But that is how the world works. The fact that he is not the only one who has done it makes it acceptable to many people.
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bo said 3:45PM on 12-10-2007
Your right Bill Gates stole that chair idea from me!!!!!!
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donald shafto said 3:46PM on 12-10-2007
most people that dont like gates is because ge is smarter then they area bunch of he has too much money. i like programs and if bill gates had not invented programs we would still be in the old world, thanks mr gates.
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jinx nolan said 5:59PM on 12-10-2007
I guess if I had his brilliance I would feel justified in criticising him. Seems like a petty article.
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Vivi said 3:52PM on 12-10-2007
And so what? One does what one has to do.
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Steve said 3:56PM on 12-10-2007
I lived in Silicon Valley in 1995 when Windows '95 was unleashed, um, I mean unveiled. Microsoft hired those rolling billboard trucks to trumpet their 'innovation' of Windows. Apple, the scrappy, and superior, competitor, hired smaller trucks that followed the Windows trucks around. On the Apple trucks was this simple message: "Congratulations Windows '95, from Apple '89." That tells you all you need to know about Bill Gates and MS. I own a PC, and will never buy another. Windows Vista is a frightening product. I am saving my money for a Mac.
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Bob Wing said 3:55PM on 12-10-2007
Thank goodness for Bill Gates and his empire. Without the bugs and problems that Microsoft’s 10's of thousands of engineers create..... We would be out of the computer support business. I'm sure many other industries owe him their gratitude also.
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johnnyqlingo said 4:01PM on 12-10-2007
In 1992 MS publicly declared "War" on Lotus, WordPerfect and Borland corporations. Mike Maples, VP of Marketing, said, "100% of the market is not enough for us." They then proceeded to do everything possible short of breaking into the physical facilities of their competitors to steal their code. Here are two examples.
MS Word is an example of a product that derived almost all its cool features from other companies. In fact, in 1992, MS offered $100,000.00 reward for anyone who could get them a beta copy of WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows.
Also, that same year, at Comdex 1992 in Chicago, I was one of the main presenters for WP60 for Windows, and during one particular showing of the new feature set I personally witnessed seven MS software designers/engineers on the front row of our briefing with pen and notepad in hand waiting to see what all the buzz was about. (Shame on WP for showing the product so soon!!!) When I showed them the drag and drop features that included the "paint-in-table" feature they just about lost it. You know this feature. You just click on the Tables icon on the button bar and then drag out to the numbers of rows and columns you want. When you release the mouse button the table is painted in automatically.
From that moment on during my presentation they had their heads down taking notes. Sadly, WP Corp was too slow to get the product out before MS. And impressively (cunningly) MS had all of the cool features from WP60.
Employees from other 1990's companies could relate similar stories.
Ironically, and in partial agreement with Bill's assertions, MS Dynamics (CRM especially) shows no signs of feature "stealing" from competitors. They took three years to get the 3.0 product out and its feature set is still trumped by SalesLogix and others. So, maybe they're not taking features and code sets from competitors nowadays, but they used to--and it shows!
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skhampton said 3:59PM on 12-10-2007
So now the 800 pound gorilla is a whiney 800 pound gorilla. Too bad.
I think Mr. Gates has been reading copies of the testimony at the Sun/Java trial that they lost. Innovators of deceit and deception - okay. True innovators of technology - I think not. They stole the original MS-DOS. Whoops, I mean they contracted to buy it, but never paid the bill. That equals stealing in my book.
Stephanie
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Bob said 4:00PM on 12-10-2007
Without the likes of Bill Gates and his Microsoft Company we would most likely still be hacking away at computers like we did in the 70's and 80's. Bill Gates has pulled most of us together with a common denominator in the the OS and other software that he has provided, albeit a cost to us. Who would have done it better???? Not me! Bob
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Janice McPherson said 4:37PM on 12-10-2007
I love Microsoft. Where would we be without it? The only things that make me outrageous is all the out sourceing of work to India, I know they need the work but we, as Americans were much better off when we talked to a real American Microsoft tecnician and it burns me up that Microsoft went that route. All about money and they work cheaper but the overall quality of customer satisfaction literally leaves us more confused that when we started. I have the new microsoft vistas ultimate and find some things easier and some things much harder. I wish Bill Gates would go back to using American or Canada based techicians evne though I know that those who work in India do try very hard. It is just not the same quality it use to be.
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