Bill Gates to be Knighted

gexen writes "According to an article in the Telegraph Bill Gates is going to be knighted by the Queen of England for "services to the global enterprise." She's just handing them out like candy these days!"

Aristocracy!!

[Zardus (464755)]

I refuse to kneel before Gates! Fight the Aristocracy!

Re:Aristocracy!!

[flyneye (84093)]

hopefully the old gal will trip,slip or just outright for the fun of it lop off his head with the sword she knights him with.

Re:Aristocracy!!

[surprise_audit (575743)]

I refuse to kneel before Gates! Fight the Aristocracy!

I think (hope!) you may be missing the point. When a person is knighted, the ruling monarch touches that person on each shoulder with a sword, while saying the traditional words.

OK, so think about it - if Bill accepts the knighthood, he'll be letting her Majesty get within inches of his neck with about 3 feet of sharp steel... When you add in the fact that she's 78 years old this year, we can hope that she might just "slip" and join the dots with a straight line...

Re:Congratulate "Sir William" and move on

[by Anonymous Coward]

>Antitrust aside, MS is not built on crime and in modern
>times that is about the only thing that would make him
>not be Knighted

Ummm, lets see. Try stepping back a decade or two and reconsider this position.

They illegally broke the back of DRDOS and OS/2 for that matter. Doing this is one of the key things that made them a monopoly that so many grant was "naturally" acquired. WIthout the monopoly none of the rest would follow.

Hopefully he's not

[michaelhood (667393)]

charged with keeping the Kingdom secure. ;) FP?

Re:Hopefully he's not

[AKnightCowboy (608632)]

charged with keeping the Kingdom secure. ;) FP?

The Queen is handing out Knighthoods lately like the certification mills are handing out MCSEs. I guess it's fitting and just as useless.

Re:Hopefully he's not

[blowdart (31458)]

The queen doesn't hand them out any more, they're political gifts.

Re:Hopefully he's not

[BMonger (68213)]

Wouldn't that be that she's handing them out like Windows patches?

ba dum dum

Arise!

[AtariAmarok (451306)]

I knight thee!

Arise, Sir Plenty of Bugs, Sir Mega of Lomaniac, sir Screen of Blue, Sir Embrace of Extend, Sir 640 of K....

Re:Arise!

[AEton (654737)]

Sir Haxedalot!

So that's who that was!

Re:Arise!

[Mod Me God Too (687245)]

Because he's not a British citizen he can't officially be called 'Sir' Bill Gates, just Bill Gates KBE (no, not KDE).

Re:Arise!

[AndroidCat (229562)]

Were he Canadian, he couldn't be knighted at all. He would have to settle for an Order of Canada.

Re:Arise!

[by Anonymous Coward]

To be fair, the title should be KBE-2004 and be his to use--upon payment of annual subscription fees--for as long as the Empire, which owns the title, permits.

pfft

[the_unknown_soldier (675161)]

Satan is getting knighted tomorow.

Hollywood Star

[Nadsat (652200)]

Knighthood is just like awarding the Hollywood Star. They should display icons of all the knights down the Thames.

We need to create a rewards system that rewards not celebrities but progressives. The Martyr Award or the like. Give it a sexy title... and *poof* suddenly being a progressive is hip.

Re:Hollywood Star

[BoldAC (735721)]

Actually many Hollywood and sports stars have refused knighthood.

Peter Alliss, golf professional
Frank Auerbach, artist
Francis Bacon, artist
J. G. Ballard, author
Alan Bennett
Isaiah Berlin
Honor Blackman, Bond girl and actress in The Avengers
David Bowie, artist and actor
Kenneth Branagh, actor and director
Jim Broadbent
John Cleese, comedian
John Cole
Roald Dahl, author
Bernie Ecclestone, owner of Formula One
Albert Finney, actor
Michael Frayn
Dawn French, comedienne
Lucian Freud
Robert Graves
Graham Greene, author
Lenny Henry
Alfred Hitchcock, director
David Hockney
Trevor Howard
Aldous Huxley, author
Anish Kapoor
Philip Larkin
Richard Lambert
Nigella Lawson, cook
John le Carre, author
John Lennon, artist
Doris Lessing, author
Ken Loach, director
L. S. Lowry
Barry McGuigan, boxer
George Melly
Helen Mirren, actress
Harold Pinter, playwright
Anthony Powell
J. B. Priestley
Vanessa Redgrave, actress
Jennifer Saunders, comedienne
Alastair Sim
Claire Tomalin
Polly Toynbee
Evelyn Waugh
Rachel Whiteread
Benjamin Zephaniah, poet

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_ have_declined_a_British_honour

No Sir! Stars who refused honors--CNN Article [cnn.com]

Sly Queen...

[PatrickThomson (712694)]

This is just an excuse to get a sharp object hear his neck...

We Are The Knights Who Say 'Ni'!

[hillct (230132)]

I knight thee for thy geek prowass, in spite of thy buggy insecure software, in spite of thy pending antitrust litigation, I knight thee for thy introduction of technology which will allow geeks around the world to stream Monty Python sketches over the web and share them with their geek brethren, in spite of the fact that you stole the concepts behind it from your competitors and insisted on including crippling and inherently broken DRM.

-- The Queen Mother

Another example of the UK Govt getting it wrong

[Space cowboy (13680)]

After all, it's not the Queen's fault - she gets told who's to be knighted by the PM, although it seems this time the Chancellor has stuck his oar in...

I always did think Labour were too damn close to WBG the III. At least he doesn't get to call himself 'Sir', not being British...

Simon

I would be careful...

[PetoskeyGuy (648788)]

If I were Bill Gates, I would not accept invitations to kneel before someone with a sword.

What I picture

[Now15 (9715)]

When I read this article, I get a mental image of Bill Gates thinking how awesome it would be to be officially titled "Sir Bill Gates". I then picture him dialling the extension for his publicity department and asking them to "get on it right away".

There are probably hundreds of people in the IT industry more worthy of knighthood than Gates... think of people like Wozniack, Torvalds, Stallman, Page... guys who made REAL advances in computer science without greed as a primary motivator.

and congress will accept this?

[way2trivial (601132)]

Know a little about the constition, it's dangerous, and a "dangerous 'know little' population" is what the government doesn't want--debate.

The constitition says in part "No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State. "

does this mean congress has to vote on it? or already has?
for me to succeed, it doesn't matter if MY point of view is right or wrong, there must just be reasoned replies.

Re:and congress will accept this?

[geminidomino (614729)]

Unfortunately, That applies to officers of the government, not to businessmen.

What I would like to see...

[Faust7 (314817)]

...instead of the flaming and crude jokes that I know are going to happen anyway, is a serious discussion of exactly what Bill Gates has done to earn an honor of this magnitude.

What I mean is an examination from an alternative viewpoint, not for the sake of making a favorable impression of Microsoft -- but as an academic exercise.

I'm well aware that Microsoft, especially on this forum, is seen as one of the most evil entities to ever exist. With that in mind, I'm going to rush right into Godwin's Law and make the following comparison with Hitler's Germany: In just a few years, Hitler managed to transform Germany from an highly agricultural, economically decrepit country into a modern, industrial, profitable one. This was all before the Holocaust, and during that period, he enjoyed immense public support.

Now examine Microsoft. They are a convicted monopolist, and continue to enjoy unparalleled control over the domestic software (and to an extent, hardware) market. But what has arisen from this that would lead their chairman to be considered for an honorary knighthood? Thrust aside the seething hate for a second and just look. What accomplishments have arisen? Computers running software whose price/performance [tpc.org] is fantastic? One of the easiest-to-develop-for video game consoles ever? Highly capable web servers that run some of the busiest sites--Dell.com, Nasdaq.com, MSNBC.com? Software conformity (and all the positives and negatives that result)?

As I said, this is intended to be an exercise, not a trumpeting endorsement, in the interests of shedding new light on this piece of news.

What has he done: charity

[StrawberryFrog (67065)]

exactly what Bill Gates has done to earn an honor of this magnitude.

Giving loads of money to good causes always helps.

Re:What I would like to see...

[Richard W.M. Jones (591125)]

...instead of the flaming and crude jokes that I know are going to happen anyway, is a serious discussion of exactly what Bill Gates has done to earn an honor of this magnitude.

Well, he has given away a very substantial amount of money to worthy causes through his and his wife's foundation.

Is this a good thing? Of course. Sort of. Where did the money come from? Basically from a sort of involuntary tax extracted from millions upon millions of PC users around the world. So it's good that the money is going to a good cause, just bad that progress and innovation had to be retarded to make that happen.

The real reason why he's getting a knighthood, however, has nothing to do with his gifts to good causes. It's a powerplay between the Prime Minister Mr. Blair and his Chancellor Gordon Brown. Mr. Blair is in serious political trouble at the moment, what with the 45 minute claim, the missing WMDs, the ongoing situation in Iraq and various political issues at home (tuition fees for Universities). By coincidence, Mr. Brown who fancies being PM one day is having all his friends in business over for a conference - flexing his muscles and making it known that he has "important" friends too. By all accounts Mr. Blair didn't even know about this conference until 2 weeks ago!

I'm a director of an entrepreneurial company in the UK (well, I like to think so anyway :-) and we tried to get to go to this conference, but we're firmly not invited. It's only for those "innovators" in big business, see. This makes me quite bitter because big business only accounts for about 20% of the UK economy, making them fairly irrelevant as far as growth and innovation are concerned.

Rich.

Sour grapes!

[cuteface (450372)]

Ok, so the English Queen is giving an honorary title to the man most disliked by Linux fanatics and for that she is said to be giving out titles like candies. Grow up!

I may not like the way Microsoft does think (somewhat arrogant) but give credit where it's due. Mr Gates' contributions in my mind are as follows:

1) Making IT not just for the geeks and the super rich but making it affordable for hundreds of millions of IT illiterates to learn how to use a PC. (I agree Macintosh and others were better but point 2 is the reason why MS succeeded).

2) Standardizing the way GUI applications work so that ordinary folks can get productivity out of them instead of endless tweaking and fumbling. (of course, sometimes it crashes and those @#$%^*!! words start flowing)

3) Bill is a philanthropist and a marvellous example compared to many other rich folks.

Let's be rationale, we may not like some aspects of a company or a person but don't throw out the good parts. That is character murder and a sign of immaturity on our part.

Commander or Grand Cross?

[VoidEngineer (633446)]

So, does anybody know if Gates is going to be a Knight Commander or a Knight Grand Cross? And if he's going to get the Knight Grand Cross, did somebody have to die in order to free up a spot?

From Wikipedia.org [wikipedia.org]:

"The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry within the British honours system and was established in 1917. The motto of the Order is For God and the Empire.

The order has five grades, the top two of which are knightly (post-nominals in parantheses):

Knight/Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)
Knight/Dame Commander of Order of the British Empire (KBE/DBE)
Commander of Order of the British Empire (CBE)
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)

There is an related British Empire Medal (BEM) which is no longer awarded in the United Kingdom, but is still awarded by some Commonwealth countries.

The Order is limited to 120 Knights and Dames Grand Cross, 845 Knights and Dames Commanders, and 8960 Commanders. Also, no more than 858 Officers and 1464 Members may be appointed per year. "

Whoa...

[FrostedWheat (172733)]

Linux helping Windows boot faster, Spirit on the way to working again, Opportunity successfully landing and now Bill Gates being Knighted. At this rate Beagle 2 will come back to life, Duke Nukem Forever will get a release date and this story won't be duped!

What a week!

I would say

[andih8u (639841)]

that Bill Gates has done more for the world than, say, Mick Jagger or Elton John. He runs both an incredibly successful company and gives away gobs of money to charities.

Hated? Yes. Undeserving? No.

Malaria Research

[Brown Line (542536)]

Like many posting here, I would dance around the flames if Microsoft were to crash and burn. That being said, the money that Gates has contributed to research for a malaria vaccine - probably the world's most pressing health problem, and one that is shamefully underfunded by our government - could potentially save the lives of millions. And the money he's donated to charter schools across the country (including the one at which my brother teaches) is offering real educational opportunity to many poor kids who otherwise would be stuck in shitty public schools.

No, if a withered narcissist like Mick Jagger can be knighted, Gates certainly deserves the honor. It's a shame, though, that the British are honoring him when, frankly, he deserves the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It galls me to write this, but it's the truth.

A true nerds dream come true...

[ProppaT (557551)]

I bet all Gates' friends back at the D&D will never believe this.

"Sir Bill Gates, level 15th Paladin...a true warrior for the people if I do say so myself" - Bill Gates

Swords are kind of outdated...

[WerewolfOfVulcan (320426)]

...use a lightsabre instead.

"I knight thee in the name of... ZZZWURTCH ... oh dear..."

Look on the bright side

[by Anonymous Coward]

A good result of this: Bill Gates will not be allowed to run for president of the US. (Presidents of the US may not have British noble status)

Re:Requirements for Knighting

[Quboid (11402)]

Don't you need to be British to become a knight?

No, but you need to be a Commonwealth "Citizen" for it to give you the right to use the title "Sir".

Re:DEAR FUCKING LORD

[by Anonymous Coward]

Probably around the same time you kiss a girl. So, never.

Re:DEAR FUCKING LORD

[dnoyeb (547705)]

Bill Gates is unquestionably a great and accomplished man. The height of Nerddom. Probably a better choice than the handfull of rock stars...

Re:DEAR FUCKING LORD

[Trurl's Machine (651488)]

In Europe, there's nothing strange in being a knight and a robber at the same time - the castles of the Raubrittern [burg-reichenstein.de] (robber knights) are actually a tourist attraction of the Rhine valley. If you want to try to convince Her Majesty to change Her mind, you have to prove that Bill Gates is a coward - but if you'll just say "Your Majesty, this man is a criminal!", the response would be "so fscking what, my dear subject?".

Re:DEAR FUCKING LORD

[questamor (653018)]

When queen liz slips.

Anyone here in the UK? someone tell her you have to swing REEEALLY hard.

thanks

DEAR FUCKING LORD

[circletimessquare (444983)]

When will the Linux-worship end???

I think Muslim and Christian Fundamentalists talk about each other this way too

fanatics OF ALL FLAVORS are stupid, period

Re:He cant be just "Knigtef"

[Dj Stingray (178766)]

Can we just tell the british to keep him?

Re:He cant be just "Knigtef"

[UberDude (70424)]

He will be knighted, just the same as everyone else (visit to Buckingham Palace, sword on the shoulder, medal, etc), but he's not a British national so he couldn't use the full title of 'Sir...'. However, he would be able to use the initials "KBE" (Knight of the British Empire) after his name.

There's more information on the history of the award at the Royal Family website [royal.gov.uk].

Re:He cant be just "Knigtef"

[Aaron_Pike (528044)]

Actually, as a US citizen, isn't he not allowed to take a title from the British sovereignty? IANAL, but here's an excerpt from Article I, Section 9 [cornell.edu] of the US Constitution:

No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.

Does Bill count as having an office of profit or trust?

Re:He cant be just "Knigted"

[MajorDick (735308)]

Thanks, I just found this doing a search "Citizens of countries which do not recognise the Queen as head of state sometimes have honours conferred upon them, in which case the awards are "honorary" - the holders are entitled to place initials behind their name but not style themselves "Sir ...". Examples of foreigners with honorary knighthoods are Bob Geldof and Rudolph Giuliani, while Arsene Wenger and Gerard Houllier have honorary OBE's. Recipients of honorary awards who later become subjects of Her Majesty may apply to convert their awards to substantive awards. There is no law preventing foreigners from holding a peerage, though only Commonwealth citizens can sit in the House of Lords. However, the Canadian prime minister was able to advise the Queen not to grant Conrad Black a titular honour while he remained a Canadian citizen. "

Re:He should be beheadded.

[giminy (94188)]

It probably has something to do with all the money he's donated to AIDS research [bbc.co.uk] and educational grants [gatesfoundation.org] (warning, this link is to the gates foundation website so is certainly biased, but it does list the monetary amounts they've donated to various schools) in recent years.

I'll admit that he's not the best philanthropist, but he does donate a lot of money to a lot of organizations. He could just swim in it all day like Scrooge McDuck, so he deserves some definite props for doing what he does.

Don't sell him short just because he's mostly evil...

Re:Well I suppose...

[John Seminal (698722)]

Yeah, if George Bush gets re-elected, then you will have the trifecta.

Re:We'll never live this down

[MROD (101561)]

Make that hereditary heads of state being told by the politicians who they will bestoe an honour upon.

Since the restoration (where the British asked the king back 'cos even he was less tyranical than the parlimentarian revolutionaries) the monarch has had no real power to do anything much. In fact the monarch is forbidden to do anything remotely seen as overtly political.

Honour lists are made up by Whitehall functionaries (civil servants) and the political classes, most notably the ones in power at the time. The majority of knighthoods are given to civil servants so that they can be given a certain level of job where one of the unofficial prerequisits for the position is the title. This is especially true in the Ministry of Defence. As for the others they seem to be all purely political "thank-yous."

The best argument for the current status quo with respect to the British constitutional monarchy is that the head of state has no political power and hence no politician craves the position. Hence, we don't have a power hungry lieing sod in the position, merely a grandmother in a disfunctional family.

Re:What about Torvalds?

[KingJoshi (615691)]

Let's see... Mr. Gates has donated billions to charities, AIDs research, etc. How much has Linus donated?

how much has Gates' earned by circumventing laws and price gouging governments and nations around the world? Hence a lot of people!

How much has Linus taken from the same people?

A tax rebate is when the government decides to give back money from you it shouldn't have taken. Here, Bill Gates through immoral and illegal actions has garnered billions and is "generous" to give back. Forgive Linus for not going through that route but instead helping create and organize the production of Linux, a product that'll continually give back to the public.

Consider that for each person that is using Linux but wouldn't have heard about FreeBSD or some other free system and would instead of had to pay for Microsoft. How much money is that? How about governments and organizations that are now saving from the microsoft tax?

I'm in no way saying he should be knighted. But his donation of time has resulted in quite impressive results. It's just not a fair comparison to say he hasn't donated large sums of money when you consider how Bill got his money.

Re:What about Torvalds?

[PReDiToR (687141)]

> Let's see... Mr. Gates has donated billions to charities, AIDs research, etc. How much has Linus donated?

His lifework.

And you're forgetting that he donated it for FREE.
Imagine how much money would have been spent on Linux if it wasn't free? SuSE, RedHat, Mandrake and all those other Distros make up a large section of the IT market just on CD SALES and SUPPORT for what is essentially a free product.
MSFT got rich on selling the same product that Linus gives away for free.

Re:Article I, Section 9, par 8. (U.S. Constitution

[geminidomino (614729)]

It's generally accepted that when the constitution speaks of "The United States" as if it were an entity, it is referring to the Government. He's a private citizen, he can get the knighting. Doing so will ensure we never have to worry about President Gates though. ;)