Microsoft is founded (PCGH-Retro, April 4)

…1975: It all started with the Altair 8800. This obscure device, mostly sold in kit form, was one of the first home computers – and while it offered little other than a few toggle switches and flashing LEDs, it was very popular in the computer hobby scene. However, two young students were fascinated by the 8800 and spent several nights creating the first programming language for a home computer – the Altair version of BASIC. The names of these men: Paul G. Allen and William Henry Gates III, called Bill. They offered the finished code to the Altair manufacturer MITS, which accepted the software and distributed it with the Altairs in the future.

The success encouraged Gates and Allen to start their own company in mid-1975: Microsoft. Exactly when this will happen is not quite certain, Microsoft itself does not give a more precise date apart from the founding year – but although the name “Microsoft” only appears later, April 4th is generally regarded as the founding date. An unprecedented success story begins on this day, in which Microsoft very soon says goodbye to the hobby scene in order to conquer the global computer market.

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