Bill Gates has spent his last full day at Microsoft, and it’s sort of sad for me, marking the end of an era. While I’m sure he will continue to maintain an influence over the company, the days of his pioneering leadership are nearing a close.

Bill Gates is my personal hero, which should come as no surprise to those who know me as a Kool-Aid drinking fanboy. However, the reason I admire Bill Gates has little to do with Microsoft itself. He exemplifies personal qualities that I admire, including technical breadth, ambition, and commitment to effective philanthropy. I’m sure Bill has made some mistakes over the years, as many would like to point out, but the way I see it, the best way to judge character is to see if a person really puts his money where his mouth is. Bill delivers, though I suppose that makes his mouth pretty big.

Adios, billg! So long, and thanks for all the fish/DOS/qbasic/etc.

-Tim