So 'good riddance' or 'best of luck' to Bill Gates?

Bill Gates was, and still is, amongst the few entrepreneurs to spot markets before they were born. He combined this insight with a top-class, aggressive marketing and leadership team. Has his company been 'dirty' in the way it's done business? Yes. Is it different to any other large successful corporation in that respect? Almost certainly not. With Bill Gates' involvement in the IT sector, we have seen the equivalent of a giant, monolithic approach to computers and software, not dissimilar in the political realm to the former domination of the Communist Party's grip of the former soviet empire.

Has this been good or bad? Some would argue that because of Microsoft, we all enjoy the benefits of computers in a way that we possibly wouldn't have if the desktop had been left in the hands of others. But Microsoft's offering has almost irrevocably damaged a generation of computer users: we have become slaves to their understanding and application of software and even the computer itself, as a consequence of their complete domination of the desktop market. However, it's true to say that if they hadn't succeeded, someone else would've quickly filled their shoes. So perhaps we should be slow to point the finger entirely at Bill. He, in a sense, is a convenient personification of the human tendency to want to control, and dominate, and there are many other giants out there who would gladly take his company's place.

Does his departure mean the breakout of 'democracy' in the computer world? Not really: this has already happened thanks to the likes of Linus Torvalds and Richard Stallman. So what will happen to Microsoft now that Bill is going? It all depends on how they continue to morph their game plan in response to the challenges of open source software. Will this take a sharp turn into a new direction upon the Master's hand being released from the ship's wheel?

Only time will tell. But be sure of this: Bill Gates' influence on the world is by no means destined for obscurity: the emergence of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is sure to have as powerful, if not greater influence of the governments of the world. Perhaps this is the greatest legacy he will leave on the planet, and it couldn't have come about without the success of Microsoft, for all its bullying and underhand tactics. Before we're quick to dismiss his philanthropy out of hand, we should consider how we would handle billionaire status. Interesting times lie ahead for his former company. But even more interesting is what will happen to us all as a result of the release of this undeniable (whether we like him or not) visionary.