# The Final Flame of Bill Gates **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 13, 2001, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839 "2001-03-13T20:03:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2001, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/21 "2001-03-14T14:45:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RickJay \* > [ > I’m amazed to hear this; I find it hard to believe that people in this situation don’t hear the floppy drive grinding just as the message pops up. I’m the unofficial Solver of Computer Problems for everyone I work with AND my entire family and I know nobody who doesn’t get the floppy drive concept. I get that all the time at work. Got it yesterday from one of my fellow System Administrators. Since people don’t use floppys anymore, its not the first thing they think of. A lot of people have thier machine under their desk, so they don’t hear or see it. > [@](#): > > I wonder why nobody’s designed a BIOS that comes back with a clearer message. More than likely for backward compatability. You start screwing with the bios, and all sorts of poorly written crap runs even poorer. > [@](#): > > Anyway, getting back OT, chalk me up in the group of people who don’t understand the anti-Gates thing. You know when people are blaming the concept of floppy boots on Bill Gates when floppy boots are A) not related to Microsoft and B) a good idea, things have taken a turn for the irrational. He’s a successful businessman, good for him. What’s the big deal? Because he made a fortune by bastardizing and stealing other peoples ideas, then driving them out of business. I however am thankfull for Microsoft. If it wasn’t for thier buggy OS and Apps, I wouldn’t be able to make my house payments. As long as they have the monopoly, I am assured of having a job fixing thier crap. \*\* [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2001, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/22 "2001-03-14T14:54:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Duck Duck Goose \* > \*\*my aged mother, surfing the Internet with one hand on the fire extinguisher, in case the World Wide Web should explode in her face. > > \*\* I don’t know why, but I found that to be _hilarious_!! ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2001, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/23 "2001-03-14T16:28:10Z")
Well, I’m glad _you_ think so, 'cause _we_ sure don’t. “Mom,” we tell her patiently, “nothing’s gonna happen. Computers don’t explode anymore, they fixed that.” [sub]…um, it’s probably not a good thing that the reason I didn’t hear Drive A whirring is because the hard drive’s fan makes so much noise, huh?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2001, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/24 "2001-03-14T18:30:36Z")
I wonder why they don’t make the HDD boot first by default. You’d think that if someone knew enough about computers to use a boot disk, they’d also know that the settings could easily be changed in the CMOS setup. As far as Bill Gates goes … Well, at least he _paid_ for DOS! Steve Jobs and his cronies pretty much walked into XEROX’s labs and _stole_ the code for their GUI OS! Also, I’m pretty sure that the real antichrist wouldn’t start a $17 billion charity. 🙂 > [@](#): > > I get that all the time at work. Got it yesterday from one of my fellow System Administrators. You have _got_ to be kidding me! ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2001, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/25 "2001-03-14T20:54:35Z")
Hmm, somebody in another thread that I just read stated that Apple gave XEROX $1 million in stock options for the OS. I’m going to assume whoever said that was right and my teacher was misinformed (as is usually the case) and correct myself here and now before anyone else gets a chance. Oh, BTW, y’all may want to check out this wonderfully written and quite insightful piece that I found whilst aimlessly surfing one day, entitled [Why I Hate Microsoft.](http://www.euronet.nl/users/frankvw/IhateMS.html) Makes a great read. ---
**Author:** ![Ned](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/848f3c/32.png) [@Ned](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ned)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2001, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/26 "2001-03-14T22:10:46Z")
> [@](#): > > I wonder why they don’t make the HDD boot first by default. This would be a disaster for those who know enough to use a boot disc but aren’t sure how to get into bios. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2001, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/27 "2001-03-14T22:23:15Z")
I didn’t know there were such people, Ned. It tells you the button to push to get into the BIOS (usually del or f2 or something) when your computer is booting. Once in, it’s a simple matter of finding the entry titled “Boot Sequence.” I think that using the tools on a start up disk (from a command prompt, no less) would be far more challenging to the average user than the compartively trivial act of changing one little setting. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2001, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/28 "2001-03-14T22:41:41Z")
Hmmm. I hadn’t entirely read that link I posted until now. Took me over 2 hours to read the whole thing. I have to say that I now agree 100% with DDG. **Bill Gates is evil incarnate!** Charity or no charity, a quick read through of that link will chill the blood of even the most ardent MS supporter. Hell, it should be required reading for anyone who wants to buy a computer. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2001, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/29 "2001-03-14T23:57:15Z")
I read the article. It’s every single anti-MS sentiment ever uttered rolled into one nice little package for us. No, I’m not feeling chilled. There have been (and still are) people in the world who are far more evil than Bill Gates. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2001, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/30 "2001-03-15T00:44:45Z")
> [@](#): > > This would be a disaster for those who know enough to use a boot disc but aren’t sure how to get into bios. People who can’t figure out how to get into BIOS should be considered sub-human, by law. > [@](#): > > a quick read through of that link will chill the blood of even the most ardent MS supporter Hey, there’s a bridge I wanna sell ya… ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2001, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/31 "2001-03-15T00:58:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by neutron star \* > \*\*I wonder why they don’t make the HDD boot first by default. You’d think that if someone knew enough about computers to use a boot disk, they’d also know that the settings could easily be changed in the CMOS setup. I prefer the floppy to be the first boot device, the CD-Rom the second, and then the hard drive. Floppy for dos based virus scan, or minor command line stuff, cd for repair on Win2k. > [@](#): > > As far as Bill Gates goes … > > Well, at least he _paid_ for DOS! Steve Jobs and his cronies pretty much walked into XEROX’s labs and _stole_ the code for their GUI OS! He paid for a DOS that was basically a hacked version of CPM stolen from Digital Research. At the time piracy laws were pretty well non existant, I seem to remember Gates saying in an interview that with the laws today he wouldn’t have been able to get away with it. (I don’t have a cite for this, I read it in some treeware publication a few years back…I could be mistaken). > [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > I get that all the time at work. Got it yesterday from one of my fellow System Administrators. > > You have _got_ to be kidding me! \*\* I really wish I was. I had a lot of fun with it though. He was looking at his screen despairingly, I looked over at the screen, kicked the floppy eject button with my foot, and turned around and went back to what I was doing, laughing the whole time. ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2001, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/32 "2001-03-15T01:55:27Z")
Okay. Would it be altogether **TOO DAMN HARD** for the computer to check the floppy disk, determine it’s not bootable, and then **TRY THE HARD DRIVE NEXT?** instead of screeching to a halt? Or has the concept of IF…THEN…ELSE failed them? Sorry for shouting, but jeez louise. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2001, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/33 "2001-03-15T08:55:02Z")
> [@](#): > > Would it be altogether TOO DAMN HARD for the computer to check the floppy disk, determine it’s not bootable, and then TRY THE HARD DRIVE NEXT? Yes. Obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2001, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/34 "2001-03-15T14:35:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SPOOFE Bo Diddly \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > This would be a disaster for those who know enough to use a boot disc but aren’t sure how to get into bios. > > People who can’t figure out how to get into BIOS should be considered sub-human, by law.\*\* Sub-human checking in here. 😃 urg. oog. bokka booka BIM!! EEEEgah. [exits, scratching fleas] ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2001, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/35 "2001-03-15T15:14:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by drewbert \* > \*\*Okay. > > Would it be altogether **TOO DAMN HARD** for the computer to check the floppy disk, determine it’s not bootable, and then **TRY THE HARD DRIVE NEXT?** instead of screeching to a halt? Or has the concept of IF…THEN…ELSE failed them? > > Sorry for shouting, but jeez louise. \*\* Um, I would hate to turn this into another PC vs. Mac thread, but it must be pointed out that Macs, in the days when they actually used floppies, did just this. ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2001, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/36 "2001-03-15T16:07:22Z")
> [@](#): > > Um, I would hate to turn this into another PC vs. Mac thread, but it must be pointed out that Macs, in the days when they actually used floppies, did just this. As did all the PCs I built, back when I bothered to put a floppy drive in them. Bill is evil, but not for the floppy thing. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2001, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/37 "2001-03-15T17:24:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Hey, there’s a bridge I wanna sell ya… Huh? What does this mean? ---
**Author:** ![JimOfAllTrades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@JimOfAllTrades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimOfAllTrades)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2001, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/38 "2001-03-16T04:27:05Z")
> [@](#): > > I wonder why nobody’s designed a BIOS that comes back with a clearer message. It’s been a few years, but as I recall, it’s not the BIOS or the operating system (at least not a core part of the operating system) that is the source of this message, it’s (get ready for this) the FORMAT routine. The message is actually placed in the boot sectors of the diskette (along with a bit of code to display it) by the routine that formats the diskette. When you make a diskette bootable, that stuff gets replaced with the code needed to actually boot. I’ve seen utility products that replace the standard DOS FORMAT, and (among other things) put a more informative message on the diskette. The old Central Point Software PC Tools software did this. So if you want to complain to someone about the vagueness of that message, you’ll need to talk to whoever wrote the FORMAT routine, or call the diskette manufactures who are pre-formatting your diskettes, and putting that message on them. Ugly ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2001, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839/39 "2001-03-16T04:36:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SPOOFE Bo Diddly \* > \*\*People who can’t figure out how to get into BIOS should be considered sub-human, by law. > \*\* [Discworld’s Librarian voice] “Ook?” [/Discworld’s Librarian voice] [sub]Translation: BIOS?[/sub] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-final-flame-of-bill-gates/57839.md?page=1)