←back to thread

Microsoft’s original source code

(www.gatesnotes.com)
617 points EvgeniyZh | 3 comments | 03 Apr 25 21:49 UTC | HN request time: 0.846s | source
Show context
santiagobasulto ◴[03 Apr 25 22:46 UTC] No.43576378[source]▶
Microsoft (and maybe even Bill Gates personally) generated a strong "dislike" sentiment to the hacker community. But we can't deny that he and Paul Allen were pure breed hackers and helped a lot the development of technology. Of course, we all prefer OSS and we'd pick Linus (or insert OSS dev name here) 100 times over one of the "evil capitalists"/s, but nevertheless they have to be recognized.
replies(9): >>43576677 #>>43576921 #>>43577033 #>>43577209 #>>43577563 #>>43578156 #>>43579422 #>>43579491 #>>43588088 #
mmooss ◴[04 Apr 25 03:51 UTC] No.43578156[source]▶
How were they "pure bread hackers"? Was Gates especially proficient with code? I've never heard that. From what I read, they were the enemies of hackers. This really seems like looking back with rose-colored glasses.

My understanding of Microsoft's success was it came from marketplace maneuvers, many ranging from unethical to illegal, not from quality or innovative hacking. Compare Windows with any contemporaneous MacOS, for example. They took over the office productivity software market by illegally leveraging their Windows monopoly. Their initial and core success - getting DOS on IBM PCs, which led to the Windows monopoly - was simply leaping at a business opportunity, I think even before they began developing the product.

Didn't they generate fake errors for Windows running on DR-DOS, or something like that, even though it ran fine? Do you mind that they tried to destroy and monopolize the open web (thank you Mozilla!)?

replies(8): >>43578704 #>>43578844 #>>43579055 #>>43579319 #>>43581196 #>>43584713 #>>43586533 #>>43589230 #
1. timewizard ◴[04 Apr 25 06:46 UTC] No.43579055[source]▶
BASIC was written as a team in Albuquerque. Altair had good reason to support their efforts. They then purchased DOS from Seattle Computer Products after they made a deal with IBM to sell it. To be fair Xerox gave away the office suite and the hardware to anyone who asked.
replies(1): >>43588281 #
2. themadturk ◴[04 Apr 25 22:16 UTC] No.43588281[source]▶
BASIC was written as a team in Bellevue. Altair did nothing to support them until they traveled to Albuquerque and proved the code worked.
replies(1): >>43588853 #
3. timewizard ◴[04 Apr 25 23:34 UTC] No.43588853[source]▶
A pretty limited version of it was written there the only purpose of which was to get the contract. The majority of actual BASIC development happened afterwards. In any case it was commentary on the "pure breed hackers" question so I was trying to highlight the commercial aspect of it. The work in Bellevue was only to achieve this outcome.