it wont cost M$ a penny.
As they will just deduct it from their tax burden due to it being a charitabl donation.
Microsoft Europe's spinmeister-general Peter Devery is swapping the flatlands of Reading for a 1,000 mile bike trip along the length of the UK. Starting in John O'Groats in Scotland, Pete will pedal till he runs out of road at Land's End. The arse-testing 1,010 mile jaunt should take eight nine days and Peter hopes to spend no …
Of course, the demo version is a man on a bike doing the trip in nine days. In reality, he'll be in a car, and every few miles it'll stop, he'll get out, get back in again, wait a few minutes and then set off again. At some point he'll have to return to the start with a new release candidate, with the final car capable of covering the entire distance available some time later, but definitely longer than nine days.
PS - Good luck!
Best way to give to charity is time or cash to a local charity. Time is better.
Don't do this just because you hate Microsoft. They get more publicity from every pound raised. And every pound raised costs them 50p (tax deductible). Just donate £1 to your own beer fund - you will feel better.
I think people have done that before. He best be careful that there isn't a patent on using a mechanical contrivance to traverse the length of a country.
And MS batter be careful there isn't a patent on the process of shifting tax burden to a not-for-profit cause up to a pre-determined threshold.
Gotta watch those patents! They're the only thing that keeps the economy spinning (apparently).
Lots of companies do this, matching what their employees give, it's a good thing. Rather than complaining about the ones who don't give as much as you want, what about complaining about the ones who do sod all in the way of charity. (I didn't have any company in mind when I started typing, but a certain golden delicious one in silicon valley may want to take note)