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bill gates brief background
bill gates brief background
bill gates influence on computers
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In 1975 Harvard University Undergraduate Bill Gates and his childhood friend Paul Allen had jobs as consultants in the mainframe/minicomputer programming field in Seattle, Washington. After reading a magazine article on the new “Altair 8800,” minicomputer. Gates and Allen were inspired write the BASIC programming language to run the system. After completing the first computer language program for a personal computer, Gates and Allen sold it to the manufacturer, MITS of Albuquerque. Bill Gates would end up leaving Harvard for a little bit to start working on a software venture called “Micro-Soft.” (npr.org)
Then in 1976 Gates and Allen registered the trademark “Microsoft.” Angry at computer hobbyists, Bill Gates would then write an open letter, accusing the
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During that summer, Microsoft creates Internet Explorer as part of Windows 95. Bill Gates would then begin to take Microsoft’s focus toward the Internet (npr.org).
In May of 1998, the U.S. Justice Department charges Microsoft with engaging anticompetitive and exclusionary practices designed to maintain its monopoly in personal computer operating systems and to extend that monopoly to Internet browsing software. People such as Twenty state attorneys general and the district of Columbia would file an action that was merely the same thing. In October, the Department of Justice sued Microsoft for violating a 1994 consent decree, by forcing computer makers to include its Intenet browser as a part of the installation of Windows software (npr.org)
In 1999, Gates would become more viewed on television when the television network “TNT,” aired a made-for-TV movie about the emergence of “Apple,” and Microsoft called “Pirates of Silicon Valley.”. Also in 1999, following a trial that lasted 30 months, a judge would find Microsoft in violation of the “Sherman Antitrust Act,” and ordered the break up of the
By 1993 Microsoft's windows computer programming function became the most widely used operating system in the world. When Microsoft was still an idea, Bill Gates led Apple to believe he would help them succeed in creating the best computer programming systems in the nation, however, Gates left it unknown to Apple he planned to release his own software. Gates took notes and allowed Apple to release the software he helped them to create. Then shortly after, Microsoft introduced windows. Apple claimed Gates had stolen their ideas, as windows looked surprisingly similar to Apple's version. Gates claimed he used his own ideas because it was his own that made Apple's renowned software. As Microsoft was leading in the world, Apple threatened Microsofts position in the world of technological advances by introducing a new software program that could potentially take Microsoft's top spot in the market away from them. Gates quickly said that he had created a new software that was set to release also, although he had no idea of new software at the time and made the excuse to possibly buy himself a bit of time. About eight months later, Microsoft released the new software program, as bill gates had proclaimed, retaining the top spot in the market. Microsoft's expansion today has reached every technological realm possible. Occluded in the newest developments are
Microsoft was once a small software business ran by a young Bill Gates in a tiny
While the Microsoft Empire maintains its status as a vast company of large-scale production, readily contributing to the national GDP, and yielding high interest and profits to its associates, criticism and controversial accusations keep mounting. The thought of a monopoly as the economic device for good business seems almost mind-boggling to Microsoft’s competing corporations, as well as the entire economic community, legal and commercial.
The case Microsoft vs. The US Government is one of the most famous anti-trust cases in the history of the United States. Microsoft Corporations was originally founded as software programming company in 1975. As the company grew they discovered a unique value in their owned operating system. This asset massively contributed to the success of the company growing in the PC desktop business. This success left thousands of workers within the company to become millionaires. Before Microsoft entered their realm of success through innovative ideas and remarkable foresight of the market, they were facing strong competitive forces like IBM’s OS/2 system.
United States versus Microsoft Corporation case was a set of combined civil engagements filed against Microsoft relating to the Sherman Antitrust Act by the Department of Justice. In the case, the Department of Justice purported that Microsoft abused monopoly supremacy on PCs in its control of OS sales and web browser software sales (Lohr& Brinkley, 2001). The conflict evolved around the integration of the internet explorer browser software in Microsoft’s Windows OS; a move that was argued to restrict web browser competitors like Opera and Netscape from accessing the browser market. Microsoft argued that it did not have a case to answer and stated the misfortune was the result of the fierce competition and innovation strategies in its industry (Glader, 2006). The following paper aims at analyzing the merits generated from the final settlement of the case and outlines the parties that benefited and those whose interests were harmed.
Councill, A. (2004, October 5). Bill Gates News. The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2007, from http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/bill_gates/
The William H. Gates foundation was started in 1994 and was operated by Bill’s dad. Paul came back to Microsoft and Bill and Paul donated to their old school, Lakeside private school. They created a auditorium in the school named after their old friend, Kent Evans. In 1995, Microsoft started adding the internet to their future plans. They created a web browser called Internet Explorer and launched a network for the internet called MSN. Along with this, Windows 95 was also released that same year.
Gates’ passion for technology began at the age of 8, when he built his first computer program. This program allowed the player to compete in a game of tic tac toe against the system. From then on, Bill spent every ounce of his free time in the computer room. His father even said “Bill would sneak away in the middle of the night with Paul Allen, Bill’s best friend, to go to the computer room”. He programmed computers at age 13 which would eventually lead to founding the world’s largest software company. A...
In 1995, Bill Gates III first business was a fail. But for that to occur Gates began to show an interest in computer programming at a young age thirteen years old he attended elementary school later on middle school graduating from lakeside school. Later on prussing his career in the most at one of the most prestigious university Harvard.
According to the court, Microsoft was afraid that the success of Netscape’s Navigator, which allowed people to surf the Internet, might allow Netscape to develop its software to contain a competitive PC operating system (software that would warn the Windows monopoly). Moreover, that Sun’s Internet applications ‘Java’ programming might finally jeopardize Microsoft’s Windows monopoly.
Microsoft’s mission of placing a “PC running Microsoft software on every desk and in every home” drove their overall strategy early on. Depending on the business segment within Microsoft, one would see in place very different business models as the strategy for each line of business could vary. In the operating system (OS) segment, Microsoft initially brought in an existing product and modified this (MS-DOS) to work with the Intel microprocessor, which were the “brains” of the IBM PC. Microsoft partnered with IBM to provide the operating system for the IBM PC. In addition to developing Windows, Microsoft during this period was working to write applications for the Apple OS.
The Internet was growing at an outstanding pace and many people believed that it was going to affect every business. However, Gates dismissed the Internet and Netscape as unimportant, saying that they would have no impact on him. He quickly found out how wrong he was and how these new threats in the environment were going to affect his business, and he managed to find the way for converting this threat into an opportunity. Thus, he changed the direction of his strategy and he entered into a new business: the Internet world. He realized that he was missing out an opportunity in the market that could make his company grow in a huge way; so he adopted a follower strategy, which is very ironic knowing that they have always been the leaders. He strategically fit-in by matching his resources and strengths (capital, know-how and people) to the changing environment. As Netscape was ahead he needed to act quickly before it was too late, so he took advantage of his power as a leader and focused on regaining position over Netscape by adding the browser as an integral part of Windows, giving free copies to the public and forcing manufacturers to install the browser on the machine. In other words, he used his best existing resource which was Microsoft Windows as part of the strategy and used his monopoly to stifle competition and defeat its rivals. However, this strategic choice could have never succeeded at the business level, if Microsoft wouldn’t have the competitive advantage of understanding the customer and the market as they do.
Microsoft was originally created in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. They first introduced their software package, Window 1.0 in 1983, the first package to consist of a mouse which helps navigate a PC. MS-DOS commands were previously used to operate computer systems, however people found these extremely hard to understand. This Windows 1.0 package was a key turning point in Microsoft emergence. As time progressed Microsoft created updated versions which consisted of advanced graphics, built-in internet support, dial-up networking and much more (Microsoft, 2011). Windows packages started from Window 1.0 to the current version whic...
Mirick, J. (1996). William H. Gates III: before Microsoft. Retrieved January 26, 2007, from http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/Gates.Mirick.html#computing.
"Bill Gates is a modern business phenomenon: the greatest of the cyber-tycoons. His is not simply a story of technical brilliance and enormous wealth; it is one of remarkable business vision and an obsessive desire to win. It is also about a leadership style that is radically different to anything the business world has seen before."