Time is the measurement of a life. Through different time phases a person’s life becomes easy to grasp and classify. A life is made of evolutionary phases marked by the time. It is more important for a biographist who has to present a character’s life in logical sequence of progression. Hence it is our duty to present the life of Bill Gates as a sequence of time phases to depict his evolution.
October 28, 1955
❑ Arrival of Bill Gates as the second child of William and Mary Gates at 9 p.m.
1959-1968
❑ Study in Seattle Elementary School.
1968-1972
❑ Admission in Lakeside School of Seattle and the completion of schooling phase.
❑ First introduction to computer.
❑ Striking friendship with Paul Allen.
❑ Creation of ‘Traff-O-Data’ in cooperation with Paul Allen as partner. Formed ‘Lakeside School Computer Programming Group’.
❑ Parents engaged a psychologist to analyse the solitude loving and brooding nature of Bill Gates.
❑ Bill and Paul Allen earn $ 20,000 through their computer skills.
❑ Bill Gates served as a Computer Teacher for his school while being a student himelf. Started computer programming.
❑ Went into a depresive spell when one of his dearest friends Evans died in a mountaineering accident. Bill, Paul Allen and Evans were an item.
❑ But Bill and Paul Allen were still uncertain about the future. The computer science was still in the fledgeling stage and its future was in the grey area of speculation. Immature Bill and Allen were not sure about their assesment that the computer was going to rule the world. It could be a youthful fantasy.
1973-1975
❑ After completing school education Bill Gates moved over to Harward University to be a law student.
❑ Bill’s heart was not in studying the law. He was more keen on computer classes. Continued to be in touch with Paul Allen.
❑ Bill left Harward and returned to Seattle. He told his parents that he had come for vacations although he had left Harward for good mentally.
❑ While studying at Harward Bill Gates and Paul Allen came together to develop ‘BASIC’ programming language for the first microcomputer. They did this for MITS-Altair model of computer.
1995-1997
❑ Bill and Allen founded Microsoft Corporation as partners. But on November 26, 1975 the firm was registered at ‘Microsoft’. Bill Gates and Paul Allen were recorded as founder members.
❑ In February 1976 on behalf of MITS Bill Gates got a delaration made that for the use of BASIC the users will have to pay royalty. Thus, the concept of royalty for the use of quality computer software got introduced.
❑ By the end of 1976 Microsoft completely delinked itself from MITS and it started developing programming Software Language for various sytems.
❑ By 1980 the concept of personal computer was getting accepted and was becoming a reality. Bill Gates designed PC-DOS and registered its copyright to challenge the monopoly of operating system being made by a company called DRI. The software made by Microsoft gained immense popularity and it made pots of money. In 1986 Windows 3.0 introduced by Microsoft laid the foundation stone of company’s empire that was to overtake the world.
❑ IBM had become biggest consumer of the software of Microsoft. It was also allowed only a limited rights over Microsoft products.
1989
Bill Gates set up CORBIS company to provide digital services of the new era. CORBIS library became the first choice of the people for information on various subjects under the sun.
❑ TRS-80 model 100 line Operating System became the front line products of the Microsoft.
1993
❑ According to ‘Forbes’ magazine Bill Gates had reached the top spot of the list of the ‘World’s Richest’.
1994-January
❑ Bill Gates married Melinda French at the age of 38 years. Melinda was nine years younger to him.
1996
❑ Bill was blessed with his first child, a female christened Jeniffer Catherine Gates.
1998
❑ The year brought legal challenges for Bill Gates. His business ways came under scrutiny. Bill had to present himself to the court and clear his position. (In 2001 the case was withdrawn against Bill Gates in an out of the court settlement.)
1999
❑ Melinda presented Bill their second child, again a female. She was named Raurie Jane Gates.
2000
❑ Bill Gates founded ‘Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’ to implement their humanitarian projects.
2002
❑ A son was born to Gates couple. The boy was named ‘Fobe Adde Gates.’
2004
❑ Became director of the board of Birkshire Hathway Co.
❑ ‘Forbes’ magazine published a report revealing that in four years after being set up ‘Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’ had spent $ 29 billions on various humanitarian projects.
❑ ‘Time’ magazine named Bill and Melinda besides singer Bono for humanitarian deeds.
2006
❑ ‘New Statesman’ placed Bill Gates on 8th spot in its list of ‘The Leaders of our times’.
2006—May
❑ Bill and Melinda were honoured with the title of ‘Prince of Austria’ for charity and humanitarian works.
2006—November
❑ Bill and Melinda were jointly awarded ‘The Order of the Aztec Eagle’ for remarkable works in the fields of the health and education.
food for thought?
2007—June
❑ Harward University conferred honorary degree of Doctorate on its ex-student, Bill Gates. It should be noted that Bill left the university even before completing graduation course in law.
FUTURE
❑ Bill plans to dedicate himself totally to the humanitarian works while retaining chairmanship of Microsoft in name only.