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posted by CoolHand on Saturday April 04 2015, @12:21PM   Printer-friendly
from the we-all-love-microsoft dept.

Alyssa Newcomb reports at ABC News that the software company started by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on April 4, 1975 is 40 and fabulous and highlights products and moments that helped define Microsoft's first four decades including: Microsoft’s first product - software for the Altair 8800; Getting a deal to provide a DOS Operating System for IBM's computers in 1980; Shipping Windows 1.0 in 1985; Microsoft Office for Mac released in 1989; Windows 3.0 ships in 1990, ushering in the era of graphics on computers; Windows 95 launches in 1995, selling an astounding 7 million copies in the first five weeks, and the first time the start menu, task bar, minimize, maximize and close buttons are introduced on each window.

For his part, Bill Gates sent a letter to employees celebrating Microsoft's anniversary, recalling how far computing has come since he and Paul Allen set the goal of a computer on every desk and in every home, and predicting that computing will evolve faster in the next 10 years than it ever has before. "We are nearing the point where computers and robots will be able to see, move, and interact naturally, unlocking many new applications and empowering people even more. Under Satya's leadership, Microsoft is better positioned than ever to lead these advances. We have the resources to drive and solve tough problems. We are engaged in every facet of modern computing and have the deepest commitment to research in the industry," concludes Gates. "We have accomplished a lot together during our first 40 years and empowered countless businesses and people to realize their full potential. But what matters most now is what we do next. Thank you for helping make Microsoft a fantastic company now and for decades to come."

Some of us may disagree that the company is currently fabulous, but there is no doubt that it has been a force that has shaped the industry for the past forty years.

 
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 04 2015, @11:31PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday April 04 2015, @11:31PM (#166520)

    doublespace was stolen
    That one is true. There was monetary compensation to the damaged party.
    This is 1 reason M$DOS 6 versions got all the way to 6.22.

    a ripoff of CP/M
    Nope. The code has been compared.
    This claim doesn't pass the smell test.
    ...and if it had been a ripoff, that would have been on Tim Paterson (one t), who developed that OS.
    M$ bought the code in an advanced state of completeness.

    NT stole from VMS
    It's even more devious than you think.
    M$ hired VMS devs to create NT!!
    Employee poaching!! Non-compete clauses!!

    bogus fatal error messages when it discovered Dr. DOS
    See "AARD" elsewhere in this thread.
    It was in beta versions, but, apparently, their lawyers must have mentioned "prison time" and they took it out before RTM.

    You are a Microsoft Shill Mr. Harry Feet
    You'll get no argument from me on that.

    steal his partner's portion
    Gonna need a cite on that one.

    his "charity" [...] exploiting the people
    The tale of the frog and the scorpion;
    the song about the snake and the tender woman;
    a leopard can't change his spots:
    This phenomenon has been well documented throughout history.
    Gates has been profit-driven all of his life;
    expecting him to stop his predatory practices now would just be naive.

    murders
    Gonna need a cite on that one.

    -- gewg_

  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 05 2015, @03:25AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 05 2015, @03:25AM (#166559)
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 05 2015, @06:31AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 05 2015, @06:31AM (#166570)

      Bill-Gates-tried-cut-Paul-Allen-Microsoft-fell-ill-cancer

      I somehow managed to miss that narrative up to now.
      I have always given Gates full credit for being an asshole but didn't completely appreciate his aptitude for assholery to his business partner.
      At first, I thought there was some confusion with a completely different dirtbag. [google.com]

      .
      oil-companies-complicit-nigerian-abuses

      Nigerian government [...] soldiers using a Chevron helicopter and Chevron boats attacked villagers [...] killing at least four people and burning most of the villages to the ground. More than fifty people are still missing.

      [...]Nigerian security forces have beaten, detained, or even killed people who were involved in protests over oil company activities

      Yeah, not defensible. Megacorporations suck--Big Carbon in particular.
      When I heard "murder" WRT Gates, however, I expected a more direct link than the Nigerian gov't killing Nigerians.

      -- gewg_