Cars Vs Widows

csn-uk · Post #1 (**permalink**) 10-22-2010, 08:05 AM

At the recent COMDEX computer expo good ole Bill Gates managed to create this gem of a press release from GM (general motors) and its been circling the office for a short while so enjoy

Quote:

Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, “If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon.”

In response to Gates’ comments, General Motors issued the following press release:

If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (

):

For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.
Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive – but would run on only five percent of the roads.
The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single “This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation” warning light.
The airbag system would ask “Are you sure?” before deploying.
Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
You’d have to press the “Start” button to turn the engine off.

SenseiSteve · Post #2 (**permalink**) 10-22-2010, 08:48 AM

Thanks Charlie, that was great!

Different variations of this have been circulating since at least 2006, but it's still hilarious.

HostMantis · Post #3 (**permalink**) 10-22-2010, 10:03 AM

I love #7

Blue · Post #4 (**permalink**) 10-22-2010, 11:53 AM

It was funny but people should stop using it as a Bill Gates thing.
http://www.snopes.com/humor/jokes/autos.asp

SenseiSteve · Post #5 (**permalink**) 10-22-2010, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue

It was funny but people should stop using it as a Bill Gates thing.
http://www.snopes.com/humor/jokes/autos.asp

I've seen a ton of threads and posts about Bill Gates over the years, but I thought he did mention at some point a correlation between computers and cars.

SenseiSteve · Post #6 (**permalink**) 10-22-2010, 12:18 PM

I did find this earlier as well.

Quote:

If Microsoft built houses:

the oven would say “Are you sure?” before heating up
they’d all be leasehold
would take 5 mins between hitting the switch and the lights going on or off
the roof would only be finished two years later as a patch

csn-uk · Post #7 (**permalink**) 10-22-2010, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve-Hostirian

I've seen a ton of threads and posts about Bill Gates over the years, but I thought he did mention at some point a correlation between computers and cars.

Not entirely sure on the validity of its origin ether, especially considering it was from 06, though it does serve as a good laugh and icebreaker, as well as a quantifier when discussing topics such as project management.

Reminded myself of it through the academic circle after looking over some old pp presentations where It had been used and where I'd adopted it for a similar purpose as above, most in the office hadn't yet seen it thus it went down a storm

Clint - LSN · Post #8 (**permalink**) 10-26-2010, 02:50 PM

Too funny! I wonder if there is anything else like this out there with other companies...

kekzhost · Post #9 (**permalink**) 10-26-2010, 05:03 PM

Hehe good one

I had fun by reading this. This is true indeed ;p