Bill Gates Leak ‘Coolest Code’ from Microsoft’s Early Days – And It’s Free to Download!
As Microsoft celebrates its 50th anniversary, co-founder Bill Gates is offering tech fans a unique treat: the original source code that launched the company, which he dubs “the coolest code” he’s ever crafted. In a reflective blog post, Gates revisits Microsoft’s modest origins and its remarkable evolution. “Reaching 50 years is a major milestone,” he noted, praising the contributions of leaders like Steve Ballmer and Satya Nadella, alongside the countless employees who’ve driven the company’s success over the decades.
Gates described the anniversary as “bittersweet,” transporting him back to 1975. That’s when he and his childhood friend Paul Allen, both young and ambitious, were hard at work on a PDP-10 computer at Harvard, building what would become Microsoft’s debut product.
Microsoft’s origin story reads like a classic tech saga. It kicked off in January 1975, when Popular Electronics spotlighted the Altair 8800, a personal computer from MITS. Inspired, Gates and Allen reached out to MITS, boldly asserting they’d developed a BASIC programming language for the device’s chip. The twist? They hadn’t written a single line of code yet.
Under intense pressure, the pair spent two months in a coding frenzy, creating Altair BASIC. Their efforts paid off: the software functioned, MITS was won over, and Micro-Soft—later simplified to Microsoft—was born.
Today, Gates is pulling back the curtain on this foundational moment. His blog post not only shares the historic code but also includes rare snapshots from Microsoft’s early years, providing a window into the company’s roots.
Downlaod Code Here: https://www.gatesnotes.com/microsoft-original-source-code
For coding enthusiasts and history buffs, this freely available code is an ideal way to mark Microsoft’s 50th anniversary. It’s a testament to how a blend of ingenuity, grit, and a dash of daring can spark a tech empire.