William Gates

Gates, William Henry, III (1955-), American business executive, chairman and chief executive officer of the Microsoft Corporation, born in Seattle, Washington. Gates cofounded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen, his high school friend and partner in computer language development from 1967. Fascinated by computers by the age of 12, Gates had been involved with various programming projects throughout high school. While attending Harvard in 1975, Gates teamed with Allen to develop a version of the BASIC computer programming language for the MITS Altair, the first personal computer. This work on BASIC for the Altair led Gates to drop out of Harvard in 1977 to pursue full-time his vision of «a computer on every desk and in every home,» the idea behind the Microsoft Corporation. In the early 1980’s, Gates led Microsoft’s evolution from a developer of computer programming languages to a diversified computer software company producing computer operating systems and applications software as well as programming tools. This transition began with the introduction of MS-DOS, the operating system for the new IBM Personal Computer in 1981. Gates took a personal role in convincing other computer companies to standardize on MS-DOS, fueling computer industry growth in the 1980’s through software compatibility. Gates also pushed Microsoft toward the introduction of application software such as the Microsoft Word word processing software for the IBM-PC. A key strategic move by Gates was to agree to develop application software for the Apple Macintosh prior to the release of the first Mac in 1984. This led to a strong position for Microsoft in applications that take advantage of the graphical user interface (GUI).

Much of Gates’ success rests on his ability to translate technical visions into market strategy, and to blend creativity with technical acumen. His willingness to bet on new technologies such as Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, and workgroup applications has paid off in keeping Microsoft at the forefront of computer hardware and software evolution.

Unit 6

Grammar: 1. Perfect Tenses.

2. Подчинительные союзы и союзные слова.

3. Побудительные предложения.

Date: 2015-10-18; view: 433; Нарушение авторских прав