Essay, Research Paper

The Development of the Personal computer and Microsoft

Kasey Anderson

2/21/97

Computer Tech.

Essay

Xerox, Apple, IBM, and Compaq all played major functions in the development

of the Personal Computer, or? Personal computer, ? and the success of Microsoft. Though it may

seem so, the computing machine industry did non merely pop-up overnight. It took many

old ages of dedication, hard-work, and most significantly, larceny to turn the

personal computing machine from a machine the size of a Buick, used merely by zit-faced?

swots, ? to the really machine I am typing this study on.

Xerox started everything off by making the first personal computing machine,

the ALTO, in 1973. However, Xerox did non let go of the computing machine because they did

non believe that was the way the industry was traveling. This was the first of

many errors Xerox would do in the following two decennaries. So, in 1975, Ed Roberts

built the Altair 80800, which is mostly regarded as the first Personal computer. However, the

Altair truly served no existent intent. This left computer-lovers still hankering

for the? perfect? PC & # 8230 ; really, it didn? Ts have to be perfect, most? swots? merely

wanted their computing machine to make SOMETHING.

The firing demand for a Personal computer was met in 1977, when Apple, a company formed

by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, released it? s Apple II. Now the swots were

satisfied, but that wasn? t plenty. In order to catapult the Personal computer in to a big-time

merchandise, Apple needed to do it marketable to the mean Joe. This was made

possible by Visical, the place spread sheet. The Apple II was now a true-blue

merchandise.

In order to vie with Apple? s success, IBM needed something to put

its merchandise apart from the others. So they developed a procedure called? unfastened

architecture. ? Open architecture meant purchasing all the constituents individually,

patching them together, and so slapping the IBM name on it. It was rather

effectual. Now all IBM needed was package. Enter Bill Gates.

Gates, along with brother Paul Allen, had started a package company

called Microsoft. Gates was one of two major rivals for IBM. The other was

a adult male named Gary Kildall. IBM came to Kildall foremost, but he turned them away

( He has yet to halt kicking himself ) and so they turned to Big Bad Bill Gates

and Microsoft.

Microsoft would go on providing IBM with package until IBM insisted

& lt ;< p>Microsoft develop Q/DOS, which was compatible merely with IBM equipment.

Microsoft was besides technology Windows, their ain separate package, but IBM

wanted Q/DOS.

By this clip, Personal computer ringers were starting up all over. The most effectual

ringer was the Compaq. Compaq introduced the first BIOS ( Basic Input-Output

System ) bit. The spearheaded a ringer market that non merely used DOS, but subsequently

Windows every bit good, get downing the unbelievable success of Microsoft.

With all of these ringers, Apple was in desperate demand of something new and

spectacular. So when Steve Jobs got invited to Xerox to look into out some new

systems ( large error ) , he began salivating abundantly. There he saw the GUI

( graphical user interface ) , and instantly fell in love. SO, of course, Xerox

invited him back a 2nd clip ( BBBBIIIIGGGG error ) and he was allowed to

conveying his squad of applied scientists. Apple did the obvious and stole the GUI from Xerox.

After his ain computing machine, the LISA, flopped, Jobs latched on to the undertaking of

one of his applied scientists. In 1984, the Apple Macintosh was born. Jobs, non desiring

to burthen his employees with awards, accepted all of the recognition.

Even with the desired GUI, Apple still needed a good application. And

who do you name when you need package? Big Bad Bill Gates. Microsoft designed

? desktop publication? for Apple. However, at the same clip, Gates was glancing

over Jobs? s shoulder to acquire some? intimations? to assist along with the Windows

production.

About the same clip, IBM had Microsoft design OS/2 for them so they

could shut the market for ringers by shuting their architecture. This was the

last straw for Microsoft. They designed OS/2 and so divide with IBM to

dressed ore to the full on Windows. The first few versions of Windows were merely

mediocre, but Windows 3.0 was the reply to what everyone wanted. However, it

did non hold it? s ain operating system, something that Windows? 95 does. 3.0

sold 30 million transcripts in its first twelvemonth, impeling Microsoft to success.

So, neither the Personal computer industry nor Microsoft was built overnight. Each

owes a batch to several different people and companies. Isn? T it astonishing that so

much has developed in merely twenty-three old ages? Here? s something even more

astonishing. Remember the ALTO? Guess what it had & # 8230 ; a GUI, a mouse, a networking

system, everything. So possibly we haven? t come all that far.

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