Comments on: Spreading misinformation

By: Hellsbellboy

Hellsbellboy — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

I agree.. I think the people at Microsoft get a real bad rap a lot of time, specially Bill Gates. It’s almost like it’s the “cool” thing to do is to Hate Microsoft.

By: NotSoAnonymous

NotSoAnonymous — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

Thanks for this explanation, I happened to read the mentioned The Register article and wondered about the quote (this entry is Google’s first hit for “the computer wrote it”).

By: Ian Betteridge

Ian Betteridge — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

Oh come on, Ed. It’s not a massive jump from Gates saying answering “Who typed in ‘High’?” with “A computer” to what Orlowski’s saying. Sure, he’s paraphrasing – in a somewhat humourous way – but it’s Gates who’s being deliberately obtuse rather than Orlowski.

By: Ed Bott

Ed Bott — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

He presents it as a direct quote, Ian. In quotation marks and everything. Not just once but repeatedly. And yet there was no such direct quote. A hack writer makes up quotes. A good reporter takes actual facts and works with them.