Bill Gates Biography

Bill Gates Biography

Microsoft and Bill Gates

Computers are one of the most important items in today's world. They run most things humans use, including everything from life-sustaining machines used in surgery to the alarm clocks that wake the world up every morning. "Microsoft has sold its products to 180 million people all around the world. Since 1988, the company has been the number one software vendor in the world" (Ferry 24). The people who create computers and software have great influence on our society. Microsoft and Bill Gates have achieved success on a number of levels, and they continue to advance as leaders of our time.

William H. Gates, or "Bill Gates, was born October 28, 1955 in Seattle, Washington. He is cofounder, chairman, and chief software architect of Microsoft Corporation." His parents are "Will H. Gates, Sr., a lawyer, and Mary Maxwell Gates, a teacher… [Gates] excelled in elementary school, particularly in mathematic and sciences. His parents enrolled him at Lakeside School, a prestigious preparatory school" ("Bill Gates"). "He discovered his interest in software and began programming computers at age 13" ("William H. Gates"). "While in high school, he and Paul Allen founded Traf-o-Data, a company which sold traffic flow systems to state governments. He also helped to create a payroll system in COBOL (a programming language), for a company in Portland, Oregon… Gates is said to have scored a 1590 on his SAT's. [He] enrolled in Harvard University, where he met Steve Ballmer," who is his business partner at Microsoft. "Gates dropped out of Harvard during his third year to pursue a career in software development… Gates served as the CEO of [Microsoft] until 2000, when Steve Ballmer took the position. Gates continues to serve as chairman of the board at the company, and also a position he created for himself entitled ‘Chief Software Architect'" ("Bill Gates").

Gates is still very active. He and his wife, Melinda, "[were] married January 1, 1994… They have three children. Gates is an avid reader, and enjoys playing golf and bridge" (William H. Gates"). "Gates claimed in 2005, that he has gone to work every work day since 1975, which in recent years includes his role at Microsoft, and his leadership position at the [Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation]" ("Bill Gates").

"Gates and Allen believed the personal computer would one day be extremely popular in offices and homes" (Ferry 20). "By 1998, more than twenty-seven thousand people worked for Microsoft all around the world. More than half these employees worked at the company's headquarters in Redmond" (Ferry 29). Microsoft has sold its products to one-hundred eighty million people all around the world. Since 1988, the company has been the number one software vendor in the world" (Ferry 24). "In February 1976, Bill Gates published his often-quoted ‘Open Letter to Hobbyists,' that claimed that most users of his software had stolen it and this would retard the development of good software, and that no one would ever commit years of time to developing free software" ("Bill Gates"). Upon realizing the consequences of stealing software, more users began paying for their software. "Microsoft eventually went on to be the largest software company in the world, earning Gates enough money to make him the wealthiest person in the world (according to Forbes Magazine) for several years" ("Bill Gates").

Microsoft began developing its operating systems in 1983. "The first independent version of Microsoft Windows, version 1.0, released in 1985, lacked a degree of functionality and achieved little popularity. It was originally going to be called Interface Manager, but Rowland Hanson, the head of marketing at Microsoft, convinced the company that the name Windows would be a more appealing name to consumers… Microsoft Windows version 2 came out in 1987, and proved slightly more popular than its predecessor. Much of the popularity for Windows 2.0 came by way of its inclusion as a runtime version with Microsoft's new graphical applications, Excel and Word for Windows. Version 2.03 and later 3.0 faced legal challenges from Apple over its overlapping windows and other features Apple charged mimicked the ‘look and feel' of its operating system and ‘embodied and generated a copy of the Macintosh in its operating system.' Microsoft Windows scored a serious success with version 3.0, released in 1990. In addition to its improved capabilities given to native applications, Windows also allowed a user to better multi-task older MS-DOS based software compared to Windows 386, thanks