The Journey of an IT Veteran- Bill Gates

The software titan, the geek, the IT veteran – many titles can be entitled to a person who perceived a vision and dared to give it a real picture.

There are certain people who have an aptitude to go the different way and do something that leaves them distinguished from the crowd. “Bill Gates” is the one to name. A high school drop out who encashed on his leadership skills and distinguished abilities to interpret the need for a niche market for software; thus changing the entire IT outlook and Microsoft was born.

Microsoft the leader in software market – brain child of Bill Gates, till the time holds the title for ruling thoughts of million of consumers. Having a passion for coding and development from school times, Bill Gates developed a timetable program on teletype machine. He continued studies but an article in 1974 from a popular electronics magazine drew attention. He with Allen claimed to develop a BASIC language interpreter for the company and after that it was no looking back. The journey continued and in 1976 the duo patented their venture as Micro Soft.

Bill Gates founded “Microsoft” on November 26, 1976 with his school friend “Paul Allen” later on appointed Harvard University friend “Steve Ballmer” as the company’s first business manager on June 11, 1980.

Being a modern entrepreneur, Bill gates had a passion to create, without which life could not be imagined. The IBM’s offer to make an operating system for their computers proved a breakthrough deal. With this MS-DOS got birth and era of no looking backs in technical segments started. Down the line Microsoft prospered but it was 1985, when Windows were opened. An operating system with graphical interface and an extension to MS-DOS was incarnated. The incarnation changed the blooming computer revolution of those days and is still the ruling operating system in the market. It changed definition of computing and added new spectrum to what more can be achieved.

The biggest and motivating power backing these technical innovations was the vision of one man who loved technology and wanted to bring it down to every one’s desktop. He pursued the vision and succeeded to achieve it. It was 1986, after the first retail version of windows that Microsoft went public and on the very first date of trading the share prices rise from to .

With Microsoft’s Windows floating in, the time started getting tougher. At one end, it was the pressure of bringing in something new to create a difference and at the other end it was rivals hitting hard. Apple initiated it by filing a lawsuit against the feel and look of graphical Windows but lost it. Microsoft’s territory was expanding and riding high on Windows but taking away the calms of rivals. The computer world was under extreme pressure of unavoidable dominance but nothing can be done to salvage.

Bill Gates achieved what he visioned and made computers as the most eternal part of our life. Taking the lead with its dominating Windows, Bill Gates sensed “Internet” as the next power and came up with “Internet Explorer” with Windows ’95 and did inevitable to Netscape Navigator.
He is the man without whom the list for tech visionaries or any tech discussion is half done. He made the people to perceive computers with his eyes. He kept his work ongoing irrespective of the anti trust law suits or hitting back of rivals. “Microsoft” led and ruled the technical era with dominance and monopoly for over a decade. It was 2001 when XP the most successful (till date) operating system was launched by the company. The operating system is still the love of end users and created market chaos when Microsoft decided to roll out any new entry to the market.

The company always welcomed changes and has done a seamless transition under the supervision of great visionary, for instance, coming up with graphical interface, or with Internet Explorer or gaming console XBOX or with MSN or with solutions for mobile devices like Windows Mobile (sensing mini devices as future tide).

Bill Gates continued his lead while learning from rivals. Where others gave up, Microsoft continued to battle for the niche market. Not to forget the company started with a BASIC language but transitioned from programming language to operating systems. It was not one product miracle as like other rivals and worked to bring the best with new tools and enhanced efficiency. It seems that the competitors never think for the software in a broad manner and never cared to renew it for next generation.

These loopholes in competitors’ strategy paved the way of success for Microsoft.

Bill Gates with his technical bent of mind and leading qualities have led the company successfully.

But recent updates for Microsoft narrate a different story.

The biggest threat to such a monopolistic regime was laid by Google, the company that emerged in 1998, but made the software Czar to think for it seriously. Google sprouted as search engine but is now jack of all trades. It has expanded its reach to all the possible ventures and is arising as a new cyclone on technology front.

Google is monopolistic in search segment and is threat to Microsoft’s online business. Where at one end, Google is expanding and is also reaching at top slot in US markets; Microsoft has slipped to number three with its grip loosening. It has challenged Microsoft’s Office suite with its Google Docs and is also offering open solution for mobile platforms namely “Android” to compete with “Windows Mobile”.

To complement it Microsoft even tried to lure Yahoo for a potential bid but nothing concluding resulted and the deal was lastly turned down with no results. The bid somehow was a status quo for the company but was lastly abandoned.

Coming again to Microsoft’s product the company faced a big failure with launch of Vista. People are still in love with XP and are reluctant to switch to the latest operating system. The company could not taste the success with this product (then Yahoo). To some, this is the indication of some mess ups with the company.

Turning focus to Bill Gates, the leader with vision dreamt of fulfilling the dreams and really made to it. To some Google is a big threat; everyone wonders, “Can Ballmer and Ozzie lead the company with that excellence and efficiency that Gates maintained?” Even critics are saying that Microsoft still needs Bill Gates as Google is arising as big threat for the company.

What ever be the current situation is today; may be the company is facing anti law suits or people are criticizing it for patents, but the fact is that Bill Gates can be titled as Entrepreneur with vision and power to make them true. The person served the company as Chief Software Architect, Chairman and to outsiders Microsoft is still Bill Gates or the other way. As Gates is leaving to pursue his altruistic work, the internet increasingly looks like unfinished business for Microsoft.

What next for Microsoft is still unknown but one thing for sure Bill Gates can be undisputedly titled as biggest Orator and Clairvoyant leader ever. “Ultimate Geek, what next – may be Ultimate Philanthropist.”

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