Bill Gates

Bill Gates


We read books for a number of reasons but usually because we want


to or we have to. When you pick up a book it falls into one of three types,

dependent on whether it is a want to or a have to type of book. First there's

the kind of book you pick up and like the look of but then the first chapter is

so bad that you have to put it down because you are either too confused by the

plot or you discover it has been written in some obscure untranslatable language.


The second type is where the first chapter is slightly disappointing but it is

worth pursuing so you read on. These books are often the type you recommend to

friends although you have only the basic sketch as to what they are about (such

as any pulp fiction novel - you've read the story somewhere before but you are

on holiday so it is either this or the guide book).


The third type of book is a rare breed indeed. This is the book you read and

then read and then read some more. It is the type of book that you miss things

for.  If you like computers and want to know more about them, about the history,

and about the most important figure in this industry, then this is definitely

"the third type of book."


The book that I was able to read was Gates by Stephen Manes and Paul Andrews.

It was about how man named Bill Gates became the foundation of computing

industry and how he reinvented an industry- and made himself the richest man in

America.


      William (Bill) Gates is the computer industry's youngest billionaire. As

president and CEO of Microsoft, he has made several important contributions to

the world of technology.  Most people would probably picture him as being a

computer programmer but not with holding the position of chair and chief

executive officer (CEO) of a corporation. Actually, Bill Gates is both a

programmer and CEO. To talk about Bill Gates one has to talk about the history

of Microsoft.


Gates' family was financially well off.  His father, William H. Gates II, is a

prominent attorney.  His mother, Mary, is the director of First Interstate Bank.

Early on in life, Gates' parents placed him into Lakeside, an academically

challenging private school. While at Lakeside, Gates met his close friend and

future business partner Paul Allen. Together they entered the world of

programming at Lakeside.


It all started on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington, where one of the

brains behind Microsoft Corporation was born, William Henry Gates III. At

thirteen he started going to Lakeside School. A year later, the Mothers' Club

invested in a computer terminal for the students. Gates teamed up with three

other students to form The Lakeside Programmers Group. Their first real business

deal was a payroll program they wrote for Information Sciences Inc., in 1971.


At the young age of 15, Gates was able to crash the DEC operating system and the

CDC, which were two of the most advanced computer systems at that time. Although

his ability to crash these two systems brought him some major trouble, it also

led him to his first business adventure. Gates and Allen started the company

Traf-O-Data, which earned them $20,000. Gates and Allen developed a machine was

able to generate summary statistics on traffic flow from a rubber tube strung

across a highway. Unfortunately, Traf-O-Data was not a big success. However,

after their Traf-O-Data adventure the Gates and Allen received a job offer with

TRW, a corporation that produced software producta. They were able to earn

$30,000 a year working with a software development group, which proved to be a

very valuable experience for both Allen and Gates.  Then in 1973 Gates started

at Harvard University, in Massachusetts.


In December 1974, Paul Allen, the other brain behind Microsoft, saw an article

in Popular Electronics describing the Mango Information Technology Systems

(MITS) Alta
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