Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates recently released the company’s original code on his blog as part of its 50th anniversary celebration. The code is a remnant of the company’s early days, when Gates and his Harvard friend Paul Allen developed the first version of the programming language BASIC for the Altair 8800.
The idea to create the software came from an article in January 1975 Popular Electronics magazine featuring the Altair 8800. At 19 years old, Gates and Allen reached out to the device’s creators, proposing a version of BASIC for the chip that ran the Altair 8800. However, they faced a challenge: they didn’t have the necessary code yet.
Gates and his friends worked tirelessly for two months to develop the software, finally presenting it to MITS president who licensed the product. The original “Micro-Soft” software was later renamed without the hyphen, marking the beginning of Microsoft’s successful journey in the tech industry.
Today, fans can download the 50-year-old code from Gates’ blog post. Reflecting on the past five decades, Gates expressed pride over how far computer programming has come but also acknowledged his role in shaping it.
In related news, Melinda French Gates, Bill Gates’ ex-wife, is set to release her new book “The Next Day” on April 15. The memoir touches on their divorce after 27 years and Gates’ past meetings with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/bill-gates-has-published-the-original-microsoft-source-code