Billionaire that he is, Microsoft founder Bill Gates takes pleasure over things that are affordable and free like books that he received as gifts and cheap cheeseburgers, which he listed as one of the things that give him the most pleasure.

But what Mr Gates cherish most is the free times he spends with his family, particularly the moments he share with kids, all of whom will end up getting only $US10 million each from the vast fortune that the tech icon had accumulated running Microsoft and delivering Windows operating systems to hundred of millions of PCs around the world.

Opening up in a recent Reddit free-for-all interview, Mr Gates insisted that "leaving kids massive amounts of money is not a favor to them," adding that many would find his decision as odd "but Melinda (Gates) and I feel good about it."

Outside of his personal sphere, the former Microsoft CEO remains focused on advocating better health conditions for the world's poorest of the poor, bemoaning that if only authorities around the world would govern like the Nordics, there'll be less problems to deal with.

According to Mr Gates, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is currently "focused on helping the poorest (globally) and improving education (in the US). We spend half of our money on global health. One metric to look at is reducing the number of children (under 5) who die."

He also expressed confidence that through his foundation's vaccine initiatives polio will be nearly eradicated and "within 6 years we will have the last case."

The next target is the development of vaccines for HIV, the AIDS-causing virus, and TB but Mr Gates stressed that the most pressing concern at the moment is to bring over Malaria cure in Africa where over half-a-million children die each year due to the mosquito-borne disease.

"Vaccines are very important in all countries ... We have backed some information campaigns on the importance of vaccination even in the US. The Nordic countries do a good job on health like they do on many things," the billionaire philanthropist said.

He could only hope that many more in the United States would be generous enough in backing the initiatives that alleviate the sufferings of many around the world.

"A key thing is to support government aid which is only one per cent of the budget but helps poor countries in incredible ways," the tech guru said.

However, Mr Gates also shared that his post-Microsoft life is not purely surrounded by serious stuffs. He remains an ardent believer of Microsoft products, insisting that Bing's search engine is the best at the moment and the Surface tablet will catch fire in due time.

The tech icon is also appreciative of the present internet environment, which for him has spawned incredible developments, explaining that "the Internet has benefited from having lots of free stuff and lots of commercial software. It has been interesting see people inventing hybrid models."

Mr Gates confided too that "from time to time I have tried all of Apple products," adding that he and his perceived rival, Steve Jobs, "respected each other."

"I saw Steve regularly over the years including spending an afternoon with him a few months before he tragically passed away," Mr Gates shared.

Baring more of his lighter side, the Microsoft chair said he digs the music of Weezer and U2 and has been anticipating for Spinal Tap to hit the tour circuit again.

And when asked what's left undone on his bucket list, Mr Gates simply replied: "Don't die..."