Oi! Stephen!
What would the internet and the tech industry as a whole would be like without billg? Let's imagine a world without Gatesy...
I don't think IBM would've folded their tents and given up on the PC just because Billy couldn't sell them a rebranded QDOS. Despite the awkwardness, they probably would've gone back to Digital Research (and incidentally bought a DOS without a 640k limit). Instead of Windows, probably GEM. You may remember GEM as ugly, but the version of Windows out at that time was just as ugly and garish to boot. (Or possibly GEOS, which was better, faster, more efficient, and prettier than the Windows of its day, and introduced scalable fonts on PCs). Without the oil-baron-of-software stifling competition, there'd still be healthy competition in applications (1-2-3 vs. Quattro, WordPerfect vs. AmiPro, dBase vs. FoxPro vs. Paradox, etc.) keeping quality up, prices down, and a healthy interest in being able to read & write other people's file formats. Browsers? Don't even go there, you ahistorical ninny. Did MicroSoft promote the massive popular uptake of PCs? They take credit for it, but there was a large and growing interest in home computers long before anyone knew what MS-DOS (or MS-BASIC...shudder) was.
A world without Bill Gates? Better software, healthy competition, fewer crashes, otherwise the same.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
