Thanks for the welcome, Karen.
As for Gates, we are once again on opposite sides of the fence, unfortunately. I've seen the Microsoft case through the eyes of small developers--my chief source of information and interpretation is Dave Winer of Frontier, Manilla, and Radio fame. One of the originators of the software for web blogging. Dave sees the Microsoft actions as not only monopolistic but seriously restricting the abilities of small developers to both make a contribution and a living.
As for Gates' AIDS work, it's been astoundingly good. I don't know a great deal but the little I know makes it sound quite impressive. And while those with the money to make a difference should do so, I see the AIDS crisis largely as a governmental one. Not a philanthropic one. In my view, the health of the citizens of a country is not only their own responsibility but the state's as well. To provide adequate health services both as a humanitarian service and as a protective one--protecting noninfected citizens from the disease.
Moreover, if I understand the Foreign Affairs article correctly, the AIDS crisis will be a very large issue in the upcoming decade, forcing governments to address it with all sorts of resources, which will, in turn, limit the use of those resources for other purposes. China, Russia, and portions of Africa seem most in jeapordy. |
