[shrubble]

Funny that Gates mentions "$40K of computer time" when he and Paul Allen were hacking the computers paid for by someone else, and figuring out how to get themselves ... free computer time.

See comment and reference at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18279370

[ThrowawayR2]

A couple of points:

1. "$40,000 of computer time" is reckoned in the inflated funny money accounting that is used for computer services, not unlike how damages are counted in piracy lawsuits. A computer that is on but idle costs essentially the same to operate as one that's running jobs, particularly in the minicomputer era. Gates and Allen did not make off with $40k of actual cash or anything remotely equivalent.

2. Not to defend theft of service, an actual criminal offense, but a lot of hacking legends cut their teeth on committing theft of services as well, e.g. Captain Crunch and his phone phreaking skills with blue boxing, so Gates stands in some pretty damned good company. If they get a pass, so does Gates and Allen.

Beyond that, given that this is Hacker News, I don't doubt more than a few readers here have put college resources to, ahem, creative uses as well. (Myself? No comment. -whistles innocently-)

So, yes, the parent poster is technically correct (the very best kind of correct) but they are also trying to feed us spin that makes it sound worse than it actually was.

[shrubble]

I agree with your points, however the claim of 40k of computer time is made by Bill Gates himself. Did Gates actually pay some company $40k?

[ThrowawayR2]

It might be that he thought he was being clever by using an inflated price that was used against him to inflate the claim he and Allen were making that they deserved to be paid. That's pure speculation but it would fit in with his later ruthless reputation in business dealings.