The year of 1980 came as a luck bringer for Bill. That year IBM decided to extend the hand of cooperative partnership to Microsoft. Infact IBM wanted the BASIC Interpreter technology from Microsoft for its new personal computer. The representatives of IBM revealed their objective of getting Microsoft operating system for their new personal computer. Bill asked them to go to Digital Research Institute that was using its own product CP/M operating system. IBM contacted DRI and negotiated without any fruitful result on issue of licence-contract. Then, IBM rep. James Sams met Bill again and told him about the licence problem. He urged Bill to help out on personal level in the matter of acceptable operating system.
After a few weeks Bill invited them to use 86-DOS in their personal computer, already being used by Seattle products in the similar hardware as IBM had. Microsoft offered to Seattle Computer Products to appoint it as its licencing agent. Bill did not reveal that after the deal IBM would be the major customer of that product. So, SCP agreed to the deal considering it a minor arrangement. Bill had made a kill. Later, he aquired the total ownership of 86-DOS. It proved that Bill was a clever businessman and a tricky customer.
He could never understand why DRI (Digital Research Institute) did not clinch that hugely profitable deal with IBM directly? May be, some personal antagonisms were at work. That was why IBM rep. James requested Bill to help at personal level. But it proved to be a golden opportunity for Bill.
At last, DOS supplied by Microsoft to IBM was on the basis of one time payment which was a fat sum. Bill and his Microsoft made a fortune out of this deal. Bill did not lose sight of the future in making a quick buck. He persuade IBM to let the copyright of the 86-DOS stay with Microsoft so as to protect it form piracy of duplicacy by other software or the hardware manufacturers. IBM agreed to Bill’s proposal as it gained the company right of lifetime use of the system without any further payment.
Thus, DOS became an important complement of the hardware in the computer world and Microsoft held its sole right. It could sell it to any other hardware manufacturer as well. But the credibility of the DOS was yet to be established. Hence, it was imperative to introduce it to the market with computer. The market would test its reliability and decide the future of DOS. The gamble of Bill Gates paid. DOS proved to be a roaring success. Now lucky Bill was besieged with demands of DOS from the hardware manufacturers. The flood gates of success was opened by DOS for Bill. He won’t be looking back any more because in front of him lay his fortune piling up.
