Gates and Jobs: Same stage, same time

Now here's the tech world's equivalent of Nixon going to China.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates will share a stage next week at the D: All Things Digital tech conference in California next week for a 75-minute joint interview.

Besides a brief shared appearance at an Apple event in 1983, the two have never appeared together in public before. The prospect has bloggers in a lather over what will be asked, what should be asked and what they'll say. (A guess: "So, do you think Barry Bonds is using or what?")

(CNET News.com will provide extensive coverage of all things D:, and yeah, we do plan to swing by the Gates-Jobs (er, Jobs-Gates?) session.)

Blog community response:

"If the questions aren't a bunch of softballs written by shovel-headed PR wonks, this has all the potential in the world. If it's treated like a staged celebrity event, then not so much."
--Graceful Flavor

"This will be big, and I have that feeling. Maybe our world will be a better place through this meeting? Nah, I'm being overly optimistic with that statment."
--The Computer User Videophiler blog

"MacUser off-track betting is now open on how long before the conversation devolves into name-calling and hair-pulling. Three minutes is the current favorite, at 2:1. Place your bets, and we'll find out on Wednesday."
--MacUser

[System Tyrant]

Mac and PC

Now if they can just get Bill Gates to say I'm a mac and Steve Jobs to say I'm a PC.

[G|Net]

hair pulling

Maybe after this appearance we can get them to face off on The
View...! Perhaps they'll yell and pull hair more than Rosie O'Donnell
and her foe of the week!

Of course they have less hair to pull than they used to...

[shycelticwitch]

Same stage, same time, same argument?

Mac vs. PC = Oranges vs. Apples (no pun intended). PC is better
for games, autocad and spreadsheets, Mac is better for everything
else.

But the bottom line will always be... Buy a PC if you're cheap, poor
or ignorant and don't care about steady work flow, security,
upgrading ease or user friendliness. Spend the money on a Mac if
you do care about those things.

[Jesus#2]

Jobs should..

... give Gates a nice big wedgie.