The history of the personal computer is inextricably linked to the life story of Bill Gates - the boy from Seattle who had the audacious vision of "a computer on every desk and in every home". EARLY INTEREST IN COMPUTERS Allen and Gates were fascinated by early computers 28 October 1955

Bill Gates is born to a wealthy Seattle family. He is the second child of William H Gates II, an attorney, and Mary Gates, a leading charity volunteer. 1968

Gates starts at Lakeside, an exclusive private school. He is two years junior to fellow student Paul Allen. The Lakeside Mothers' Club buys the school a Teletype machine - a special typewriter that can send electronic messages down a phone line to a primitive computer at the local university. Gates and Allen develop a passion for the machine and frequently sneak into the school at night to write programmes on it. 1972

Gates uses the Teletype machine to devise the Lakeside School timetable. It is a complicated job but Gates ensures the girls he finds most attractive are scheduled to be in his classes. Return to top DROPPING OUT The 1970s saw a leap forward in computing 1973

Gates graduates from Lakeside and starts at Harvard. His primary subject is "Pre-Law" but he also takes classes in Mathematics and Economics. He becomes friends with a student living along the hall called Steve Ballmer. December 1974

An article appears in Popular Electronics magazine about an exciting new "personal computer", the Altair 8800, which has been developed by a company called MITS. It uses the Intel 8080 microprocessor, making it the world's first mass-produced microcomputer. MITS is inviting readers to develop a programming language for it. Early 1975

Gates and his old school friend Allen call MITS and claim to have developed a BASIC language interpreter that will work with the Altair. MITS agrees to see it. Gates and Allen work night and day to get the programme ready in time. Some two-and-a-half thousand miles away in Silicon Valley, California, a loose association of computer "hobbyists", called the Homebrew Computer Club, is also taking an interest in the Altair. Among its number are Stephen Wozniak and Steve Jobs. Allen travels to Albuquerque in New Mexico where MITS is based and successfully demonstrates the version of the programming language BASIC that he and Gates have developed. MITS is delighted and makes Allen vice-president and director of software. Return to top FOUNDING MICROSOFT Gates' future success was tied to his Microsoft company Summer 1975 - Spring 1976

Gates joins Allen in Albuquerque, developing BASIC for the Altair. During this time, they start to refer to their own venture as Micro Soft or Micro-Soft. February 1976

Gates' "Open Letter to Hobbyists" is published in the Homebrew Computer Club newsletter. He makes the radical demand that computer enthusiasts respect the copyright of software developers. Spring 1976

Gates returns to Harvard to resume his studies. 1 April 1976

Steve Jobs and Stephen Wozniak, who have formed Apple Computer, launch their first product - the Apple I personal computer. 26 November 1976

Gates and Allen register the trademark "Microsoft". Their work has become independent of MITS. Gates has given up his Harvard studies altogether, and he and Allen are taking on staff. December 1978

Microsoft's revenues exceed $1m. 1 January 1979

Gates and Allen move Microsoft from Albuquerque to their home state of Washington. They open offices in Bellevue, a few miles from where they grew up. 11 June 1980

Gates hires his old Harvard friend Steve Ballmer as the company's first business manager. Return to top BREAKTHROUGH DEAL Gates took just over half the company and his pal Allen just under a third Summer and Autumn 1980

Gates agrees to produce the operating system for the personal computer being developed by IBM, the world's leading computer company. Crucially, Microsoft retains the right to license the operating system (MS-DOS) to other computer manufacturers. 1 July 1981

Microsoft is incorporated. Gates gets 53% of the company; Allen 31% and Ballmer 8%. The initial stock price is 95 cents. 1981

Microsoft's revenues reach $16m. The company employs 128 people. 1983

Allen is diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease. Although his treatment is successful, he never returns to full-time work at Microsoft. 1985

Microsoft's revenue reaches $140m. The company employs 910 staff. Return to top OPENING WINDOWS Harvard friends Gates and Ballmer have worked together for 28 years 20 November 1985

Microsoft releases a graphical extension to its MS-DOS operating system. This is the first retail version of Windows. February 1986

Microsoft moves to Redmond, a leafy suburb of Seattle. This is where the company's headquarters have been located ever since. 13 March 1986

Microsoft goes public. On the first day of trading, the share price rises from $21 to $28. 1987

A young Texan called Melinda French joins Microsoft as a marketing manager. She and Gates start dating. 18 March 1988

Apple files a lawsuit against Microsoft, claiming that the "look and feel" of Windows is too similar to the Apple "graphical user interface". The legal battle is to last six years and Apple eventually loses. 1989

Microsoft Office is released. 22 May 1990

Windows 3.0 is launched and sells 100 000 copies in two weeks. Microsoft had also been working with IBM on a similar product - called OS/2. 20 August 1990

Microsoft executives attending a special meeting at the Shumway Mansion decide to abandon OS/2 and focus on Windows 3.0. Headlines later declare that Microsoft and IBM had "divorced". Return to top RIVALS HIT BACK Gates faced tough commercial and legal challenges as his wealth soared 1992

Some of Microsoft's competitors start to meet to share concerns about the increasing dominance of Gates' company. October 1992

Forbes declares Gates to be the richest man in America, worth $6.3bn.

20 January 1993

Microsoft's market value overtakes that of computer giant IBM. 5 February 1993

The Federal Trade Commission is deadlocked when it meets to rule on whether Microsoft has broken anti-trust rules. The matter is referred to the Justice Department in August. 20 March 1993

On his way back from Palm Springs with Melinda French, Gates diverts their private plane to Omaha. Gates' friend, billionaire Warren Buffet, takes them to a jewellery shop he owns. Gates buys French an engagement ring. 1 January 1994

Gates marries Melinda French. 9 June 1994

Gates' mother, Mary, dies of cancer at the age of 64. 14 October 1994

The company Netscape offers its Mosaic Navigator as a free download on the internet. December 1994

Spoof stories start circulating that Microsoft has plans to buy the Catholic Church. Microsoft issues a press release denying the story. 5 July 1995

Forbes declares Gates the richest man in the world, a position he holds continuously until 2008. Return to top INTERNET DAWNS 26 May 1995

Gates reveals the future direction in which he wants to take Microsoft. In his "Internet Tidal Wave" memo to senior staff, he says: "I now assign the internet the highest level of importance." READ THE DOCUMENT

Read Bill Gates' internet memo [446KB] Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader here 24 August 1995

With a lavish publicity drive, Windows 95 and Microsoft's online service MSN are launched. September 1995

Gates takes his second proper holiday in 20 years when he travels to China with his family and close friends. October 1995

With seven million copies of Windows 95 already sold, Microsoft's profits climb by 58% in a year. 7 December 1995

Gates announces Microsoft's internet strategy to the world's press. In his controversial "Pearl Harbor" speech, he reveals plans for Microsoft's own internet browser - Explorer. August 1996

Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 3.0. 1996

Netscape asks the Department of Justice to investigate Microsoft's discount to computer manufacturers that install Internet Explorer 3.0. May 1998

The Department of Justice and the Attorneys General of 20 states sue Microsoft for illegally thwarting competition. 25 June 1998

Microsoft launches Windows 98. Gates urged Microsoft to ride the internet 'tidal wave' of the 1990s August 1998

Gates spends three days giving his deposition by video to the Department of Justice inquiry. September 1998

Google is incorporated by founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin January 2000

Ballmer is appointed chief executive of Microsoft. He and Gates later acknowledge that they both had a difficult time adjusting to their new roles. 7 June 2000

Following the Department of Justice inquiry, Judge Jackson rules that Microsoft should be split into two units: one to produce operating systems, the other to make other software components. He calls Microsoft an "abusive monopoly". 2000

Microsoft's revenues reach $229bn. The dot-com crash does not affect it as badly as many other companies in the sector. The company's headcount climbs to over 39,000. Return to top DIGITAL DECADE Bill Gates combined charitable work with continuing to develop Microsoft 2000

The Gates family launches the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable organisation intended to "reduce inequalities in the United States and around the world". They donate billions of dollars of their own money, and it soon becomes the world's biggest philanthropic organisation. June 2001

The Court of Appeal overturns Judge Jackson's order to break up Microsoft into two corporations. However, it upholds his ruling that Microsoft illegally used licensing agreements with internet service providers and PC manufacturers to freeze out the Netscape internet browser. 25 October 2001

Microsoft launches Windows XP. 15 November 2001

Microsoft branches out into the gaming console market with its high-profile launch of the Xbox. This product is a direct competitor to Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube. March 2004

The European Commission brings anti-trust action against Microsoft. August 2004

Google's flotation paves the way for a dramatic acceleration in the company's growth: two months later it overtakes Yahoo!'s market capitalisation with a value of $50bn. January 2005

The Gates' endowments to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation reach almost $29bn. Return to top NEW FRONTIERS In 2008 Gates finally withdrew from the Microsoft front line 15 June 2006

Gates announces that he will step back from Microsoft in two years to concentrate on his philanthropic endeavours. He reveals he has a carefully thought-through "transition" period planned and that he hopes to remain chairman of the company for life. January 2007

Windows Vista and Office 2007 are launched. 7 June 2007

Gates returns to Harvard to collect an Honorary degree. 1 Feb 2008

Microsoft makes a bid of $44.6bn for search engine company Yahoo!. For the first time in its history, Microsoft plans to borrow some of the necessary funds. Yahoo! rejects the bid. 27 February 2008

Microsoft is fined a record 899m euros by the European Commission because of the company's failure to comply with earlier anti-trust rulings. Microsoft is appealing against the fine. Summer 2008

The Microsoft headcount is now almost 90,000 worldwide. 27 June 2008

Gates is leaving his full-time role at Microsoft to concentrate on the work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Return to top



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