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William Henry Gates

Computer programmer

The American computer programmer and former chairman and chief executive officer of Microsoft Corporation, Bill (William Henry) Gates was born in 1955 in Seattle, Washington.
Already at the age of thirteen computers fascinated Gates. At school he was involved at numerous computer projects. With a group of other programmers he computerized the school's payroll system.

DOS and Windows

In 1975 Gates entered Harvard University, but during the first year he began on the development of a programming language for the Altair, one of the first personal computers. Allen and Gates adapted BASIC, a programming tool for large computers, for use on microcomputers.
MS-DOS was licensed to IBM Corporation, the greatest computer supplier at that time. The personal computer, which was introduced by IBM in 1981, became a great success and many companies began to clone the IBM computer. As a result Microsoft's Basic was used and sold by all those companies too.
Basic became the world standard for the computer industry. Strictly speaking there was only one competitor: Apple's "Mac", but this company only sold well in the graphic industry.
Windows later replaced basic and Microsoft began to introduce application software, such as Word and Excel. Later the company developed all kind of programs including games.

Microsoft

Microsoft became the greatest software company in the word in the 1980s and as a result Microsoft's main shareholder Bill Gates became the richest man in the world. Microsoft eliminated competition by buying and investing in other software businesses.
Gates has made personal investments in other technology companies. In 1989 he formed Corbis Corporation, which specializes in photographic images.
In 1994 Gates and McCaw invested in Teledesic Corporation. This corporation planned to launch hundreds of satellites to create a global telecommunications network.

Internet

Microsoft was too late in adapting Internet and Netscape's product became the most used browser. The Internet Explorer was developed by Microsoft and with a combination of embedding the browser in other products and the use of its strong commercial position Microsoft succeeded in becoming market leader in this area too.
In the 1990s Microsoft was accused of misusing its monopoly. The U.S. Justice Department began a long lasting battle against the company.

Most influential man

Bill Gates is considered to be the most influential man in the software industry. His early vision of "a computer on every desk and in every home" has almost become a reality in the industrialized world. Gates explained his views on technology's role in society in his book "The Road Ahead" (1995). In 1999 Bill Gates resigned as chairman of Microsoft.
It is not very likely that officials will admit Gates' great contribution to the computer industry, but future books on history will reveal his importance on the elaboration of the computerized society.