“Well, Steve (Jobs), 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, but I found out that you had already stolen it.”

-- Bill Gates

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ckcheng 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

What’s more funny to me is the set up to that quote:

> Bill Gates had somehow manifested, alone, surrounded by ten Apple employees. … Steve started yelling at Bill, asking him why he violated their agreement.

And what’s more interesting is the conclusion:

> Apple filed a monumental copyright lawsuit against Microsoft in 1988, but they eventually lost on a technicality (the judge ruled that Apple inadvertently gave Microsoft a perpetual license to the Mac user interface in November 1985).

Microsoft didn’t steal Apple’s GUI … Apple gave it to them.

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alexgoodhart 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

That isn’t fully true is it?

Microsoft claimed that its software’s use of various visualizations related to window state was covered by the 1985 agreement, and Apple claimed that this was not true; those window states were produced by Macintosh while Microsoft’s software was being rendered in the Mac environment.

> In his March 20, 1989 Order, Judge Schwarzer declined to consider whether the visual displays in issue were generated by the Microsoft application programs or by the Macintosh system software. The point arose in connection with Microsoft's argument that the 1985 Agreement licensed to Microsoft all visual displays that could possibly be called up by running the five Microsoft application programs on the Macintosh system software then or in the future. 709 F. Supp. at 929. Judge Schwarzer concluded that Microsoft's contention would "defy common sense." Id.

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themafia 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Two spoiled rich kids arguing over who's morality is the least worst.

That this moment is held up as some great exchange in business is annoying. That our regulatory agencies are perennially sleep at the switch and allow this nonsense to keep happening is extremely frustrating.

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ChrisClark an hour ago | parent | next [-]

Held up as some great exchange? No it's two assholes arguing with each other. Just like most Jobs documentaries show him as a terrible person.

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Scroll_Swe 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Let me guess, you are a commie?

	▲	themafia an hour ago \| parent [-]
		Let me guess, when confronted with uncomfortable information that requires you to think longer than you are used to, you devolve to false dichotomies into defend your ego?

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wunderlotus 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

lmao i really hope this is a real quote cuz it’s a banger

	▲	ckcheng 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Apparently: https://www.folklore.org/A_Rich_Neighbor_Named_Xerox.html