Bill Gates’ Contribution to Computing
Bill Gates is recognized as one of the individuals who have made significant contributions to computing. He is the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, one of the largest computer hardware and software manufacturing companies in the world. In high school, he founded a programming company called Traf-O-Data which sold traffic-counting systems to local government authorities. While studying at Harvard, he co-founded Microsoft with Allen a company that had already dominated the market by the 1990s.
In 1995, Microsoft launched the first version of Microsoft Windows which was made available for retailers. Gates also led the company to develop OS/2 after their partnership with IBM deteriorated. Later, Microsoft developed Microsoft office, an application package for various functions. It immediately became very popular across the world after its launch.
Between the years 1995 and 1996, Gates turned Microsoft into a company that develops consumer and enterprise solutions. Windows CE operating system was developed as a platform for networking devices such as home televisions, and personal digital assistants, among other devices (Tweedie, 2013). The development of this firm became a turn-point for the computing world as it, the company, dealt with both software and hardware a customer would want to access or own.
Despite the above contributions, Bill Gates has been able to positively introduce and develop the computing world. For instance, Bill Gates is popularly known for his revolution of developing personal computers from the massive computers that were used for the commercial purposes. Looking at the history of the computer development, the world’s initial computers were so huge, hot, and slow meaning that they were tedious and ineffective for the use in massive tasks. It was because of these reasons that he stepped into the matter and developed it. Luckily, in the current world, we are able to use computers that can sit on our laps and perform very massive tasks with them as they have the capacity to handle the computations.
Bill did not stop there but he also promoted the accessibility of computers to the local people. For instance, most African children learned most of the computer studies only theoretically. However, he has aided such schools in better understanding of the computer classes by donating many desktop computers to the schools.
Through the already discussed company, Microsoft, Bill Gates has been named one of the giant members of the computing world. Despite facing challenges, Bill Gates has been able to provide key software needed in the running of not only the Microsoft computers, but also other brands’. For instance, the selling of millions of copies of the windows operating systems has led to their installation in both professional and personal computers all over the globe (Gates, 2013). The operating system is trusted all over the world meaning that his invention has hugely impacted the computer world.
Finally, Bill Gates has allowed the continuation of the visual information by creating the Corbis. Through Corbis, people all over the world can simply store, alter, or share their photographs and video clips in no time. The Corbis resource has no limitation as it can be used both publicly and privately by anyone.
There are other contributions that Bill Gates has achieved that are not related to computing such as eradication of inequalities among people through the Melinda and Gates Foundation, donation of many books to both profit and non-profit firms, and investment into the Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
References
Gates, B. (2013). Bill Gates: My Plan to Fix The World’s Biggest Problems. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323539804578261780648285770
Tweedie, N. (2013). Bill Gates interview: I have no use for money. This is God’s work. Retrieved from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/bill-gates/9812672/Bill-Gates-interview-I-have-no-use-for-money.-This-is-Gods-work.html
