You Can Now Download The Operating System That Inspired Windows
1 min read
Summary
Bill Gates has released the source code for Altair BASIC on his Gates Notes blog to celebrate Microsoft’s 50th anniversary.
The code was written in 1975 using an assembly language and inspired Gates and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen to create a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800 microprocessor.
The product would allow users to write their own programs using the BASIC language, making it more accessible for those who didn’t want to use Assembly code.
Gates and Allen bluffed their way into contacting the founder of MITS – the manufacturer of the Altair 8800 – and created the software package over the next two months.
It became Microsoft’s first ever licensed software product.
The blog post and source code can be accessed here.
