Ian Bratko

If you were to log in, you'd be able to get more information on your fellow community member.

Static Page Comments

• April 11, 2000, on How to Become As Rich As Bill Gates:

  I just wanted to set the record straight for those of you that maintain that Bill can "keep doing what he is doing", as if the Justice Dept.'s intervention is not needed in a capitalistic society. Let's look at who Bill inherited the Computer OS market from. IBM tried, and was succeeding in eliminating competition by bundling software with its hardware (you can't have one without the other). Then an antitrust case was brought against them so that hardware competitors could get the IBM software, and software competitors could get installed on IBM hardware. After the consent decree, IBM remained dominant in the industry for many years, but a thriving market built up around IBM systems. IBM products became less and less innovative after that, but it was in the right place at the right time with the IBM PC! It's inability to recognize its opportunity was shared with Microsoft as they worked cooperatively on the OS/2 operating system. What credit we can give Gates is his recognition th...

• August 15, 2003, on How to Become As Rich As Bill Gates:

  Dear Ricardo Hoegg, I enjoy, and fundamentally agree with what you say. Yet clarifications (corrections?) are in order. 1. "God himself has an omniscient view of life and the universe, and knows everything that will and ever did happen. We don't. Hence, we have to make decisions. Furthermore, God gives us the power and grace of choice. God is, therefore, what gives us the right." Nope. You are confusing decisions with judgement. Decisions are what I, myself, decide to do with the information, situation, etc., I am confronted with. Judgement, on the other hand, is what we are NOT called to do - judging whether "others" are "good enough" to be loved, to be helped, to be accepted, to be included. Example: If Charles Manson repented of his murders, I would forgive him, but I may decide that it is safest for everyone that he remain behind bars. If Gates repented, like Jesus advised the tax collector and the soldier, he would give money back to all the competitors he unfairly den...