In an unprecedented move, Microsoft boss Bill Gates has made a first-person account of how he and Paul Allen persuaded the manufacturer of the Altair 8800 computer to let them write a new and easier-to-use software program for the machine.
The Microsoft founders deliberately omitted to mention that they had never actually seen the computer or written any code for it, and had to hurriedly complete their work in time for a demonstration for the manufacturer a few weeks later.
The story, as related on the Gates Notes website, also features scans of the original Altair BASIC software which users can download.
However, it is the website itself that has caught the attention of many commentators, with its retro-style layout, and ability to randomly generate ASCII characters when users pass their cursors over the text, reminiscent of the “decryption” effect in the 1992 film Sneakers.
