Microsoft history is brief. Microsoft success story
Microsoft is one of the most successful and well-known American software companies for over 35 years.
Its products are used by every person who has a computer. Microsoft Corporation is represented in more than 190 countries around the world. The number of employees in the USA alone exceeded 120 thousand people. There is a queue of one million people for one vacancy. The employer attracts not only with high salaries, but also with a non-trivial approach to working conditions, the possibility of rapid career growth and bonuses.
Microsoft has been operating in Russia for 25 years and during this period it has become a leader in the Dream Employer competition many times.
Microsoft founders
The company was invented in Seattle by two students who became its founders. In 1975, the future software leader was developed in a couple of weeks based on Basic, a language that Paul Allen wrote and successfully sold. At the age of 25, the guys will become millionaires, their incomes will grow as rapidly as computerization. In 25 years, Gates will become the youngest president of a huge corporation and the richest man on the planet. By this time, the company's turnover will have grown to $ 20 billion, and three dozen items will appear in the line of proposals, each of which has a wide range of products and services. In 30 years, the company's stock has risen 70 percent, which is considered an incredibly successful indicator.
In 2008, the management of the company underwent a radical change: Bill Gates left the presidency, giving his business 32 years. But he remained a shareholder forever, and his name is firmly woven into the history of Microsoft Corporation.
Paul Allen left the company back in 1983 due to disagreements with his friend and partner. He did not lose, selling most of his shares, becoming a dollar billionaire and retaining his seat on the Board of Directors. For many years he has been one of the hundred richest people on the planet: according to Forbes, in 2015 he was in the golden middle of the prestigious list with a capital of more than $ 17 billion.
The dynamic development of the company has made two other employees billionaires, and in addition to them, 12 thousand people have entered the galaxy of millionaires.
Products
On the market information technologies the company is in the lead. Its assets include software, server, concept, cloud, platforms, game consoles, search engine and much more. Moreover, a wide range of services is provided to ordinary users free of charge.
The Windows operating system can be seen on almost all computers. She is the business card of the corporation, which has repeatedly had updated versions and applications since 1985. The most popular Windows 7 covers just under half the market share.
Microsoft products are constantly under a flurry of criticism, but, nevertheless, the software giant works like a clock and without it the world would be different.
The experts have compiled the top 10 products that have propelled the industry one step further. Among them:
- Windows 95 has been on the market for six years. It was in this operating system that the "start" menu, "taskbar", and window buttons "minimize", "expand" and "close" appeared in the menu.
- In business, Exchange Server is considered the ultimate companion. Created in 1993, the software product has a secure way to manage multiple applications.
- One of the first significant innovations was the development of Excel.
- The Xbox game console is a favorite of online gamers. The "toy" division has been one of the leading and profitable in the company for many years. By the way, the 5000th patent was received by MS for the technology of remote monitoring of the process of games on the Xbox.
In general, the corporation's innovations are like mushrooms after a rain. The harvest was especially rich in the 90s. These are early images of modern technologies, such as tablets - the know-how of the team, right down to the name, and various television devices. In total, the company owns more than 48 thousand patents.
Team
After Bill Gates left the post of the head of the company, he was succeeded by Steve Ballmer. Satya Nadella has become the third CEO in the company's history since 2014. In his subordination are more than 120 thousand people, many divisions and the search for talented developers around the world. The corporation assigns ambitious tasks to young people. The company spends a lot of money on their maintenance, but also expects breakthrough ideas.
Microsoft shows revenue growth every year: it is ranked third in terms of profitability. Its capitalization is more than $ 535 billion, last year's revenue was $ 85 billion, and its profit reached $ 16.7 billion.
Microsoft is a leading manufacturer of software for personal computers, mobile phones and other equipment. The most significant Microsoft developments were the Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite of office programs.
Microsoft is known all over the world today as a leading software manufacturer.
And the founders of the giant monopoly began in a company whose staff consisted of only three people. It all started with a little deception. In 1975, two friends - Bill Gates and Paul Allen proposed to MITS, which created a new personal computer Altair 8800, their own improved version of the Basik language, which they did not have.
The company's management was interested in the proposal. The appointment was three weeks later. During this time, young programmers managed to prepare a full-fledged interpreter for Basik. The contract has been signed. In the same year, Gates puts forward a proposal to create his own software company, and he also gives it the name Microsoft.
At the beginning of its business activities, the company experienced a lack of sales of products due to the lack of a good manager, and this function was taken over by Gates' mother. Programmers continue to improve the Basics, and very soon they buy a license to use the language Apple and Radio Shak. In 1979, the release of Basik for the 8086 microprocessor allowed the company to enter the 16-bit PC market. Thanks to the use of Basik, the 8086 microprocessor received wide use.
After such a large-scale success, serious players are paying attention to Microsoft. Among them was IBM, which offered the young firm to develop a new operating system. Gates was forced to refuse, since his company at that time did not have the necessary developments. This task was entrusted, on the advice of Bill himself, to his direct competitor - Digital Research.
Microsoft itself at this time bought a "raw" version of the operating system from Seattle Computer, and invited its creator, Tim Patterson, to cooperate. The new MS-DOS operating system is coming out soon. In addition to getting ahead of his competitors, Gates convinced IBM executives to sell their machines with MS-DOS preinstalled, and to deduct a percentage of the sale to his company.
In 1981, Microsoft became a corporation under the control of Gates and Allen. In the same year, IBM presents its personal computer with a preinstalled MS-DOS 1.0 operating system, which includes other Microsoft products - Cobol, Pascal and Basic. Next, the company begins to seriously think about the operating system based on the graphics module, which Apple already had at that time. To begin with, we successfully tested the capabilities of the graphics module on Word and Excel products.
In 1983, Microsoft created its mouse to make it easier to work with the graphical interface of the operating system. In addition, the company announces the imminent release of Windows as a graphics extension for MS-DOS. In 1986, the company's shares went into free sale, and almost instantly rose in price from $ 22 to $ 28 per share. In early March 1990, the company makes the first accrual of dividends on shares, and shareholders receive one share of the company as a gift.
In 1993, the number of registered Windows users alone exceeded 25 million. Since then, Windows has become the world's most popular operating system. In 1995, the legendary Windows95 was released, the appearance of which caused a huge stir - even people who did not have a computer stood in line for the coveted disk! In January 1996 alone, 25 million OS discs were sold.
1996-97 Microsoft devoted to the development and release of new generations of Windows NT, they were significantly improved and refined in comparison with the previous versions. And in 1998, Windows98 was released, which outwardly differed little from the 95th version, with the exception of significant improvements in functionality and protection. Then comes the best enterprise version of Windows 2000.
In 2000, Bill Gates leaves the post of the CEO of the company, leaving the powers to Steve Ballmer. 2001 became the year of release of the most popular and to this day operating system Windows XP. And only six years later, a new generation of Windows Vista operating system appeared, and a new version of Microsoft Word 2007.
In June 2008, Bill Gates finally leaves the corporation, and hands over the reins to Steve Ballmer. The company continues to work, and in 2009 there was Windows7, which is still in the "beta" stage, but has already earned a lot of positive feedback from users around the world. Despite the global crisis, Microsoft is still the first among software manufacturers, and is clearly not going to give up its positions. On the contrary, the company is gradually mastering new directions for itself, which include not only software development, but also the production of electronics.
Microsoft (Microsoft Corporation, read "microsoft")- the largest (profit for 2008 - 17.7 billion dollars with a turnover of 60.4 billion dollars) transnational company producing software for various kinds of computing equipment - personal computers, game consoles, PDAs, mobile phones and other things. Also produces some accessories for personal computers (keyboards, mice, etc.). The company is headquartered in Redmond, a suburb of Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, then students. The name of the company is an abbreviation for English. MICROcomputer SOFTware (software for microcomputers).
Microsoft founders
William Henry Gates III (William Henry Gates III) was born October 28, 1955 in Seattle where his father William Henry Gates II (William Henry Gates II) worked as a lawyer. His mother, Mary Gates, was a schoolteacher and served on various board of directors, including the University of Washington, United Way International, USWest and First Interstate Bancorp. In addition to Bill, who received the nickname Trey in the family (the word "trey" means three in card games and in this case is associated with a "numbered" prefix to the name), the Gates raised two daughters: Kristi, a year older than his brother, and Libby ( Libby), who was nine years his junior.
After graduating from high school, he attended Harvard University, but dropped out for what became the main content of his life - creating software.
On January 1, 1994, Gates married Melinda French. Bill Gates first met Melinda in 1987 at a Microsoft press briefing in New York. She, as it turned out, had already worked for his company for a long time. Melinda left the service, marrying the boss, and soon they had a daughter, Jennifer. In the shadow of her husband, Melinda went headlong into charity work. Above all, she values her privacy and, as a rule, does not give interviews to journalists. They have three children, they live in a very big house on the hillside overlooking Lake Washington. This is a very modern 21st century house in the style of the "Pacific House", saturated with complex electronic systems.
(Paul Allen) was born on January 21, 1953 in Seattle (USA), in the family of a librarian. He studied at one private school Lakeside in Seattle (Lakeside School) with Bill Gates, with whom they were friends since childhood. Together they were fond of computer programming, together they skipped the last class of school. Of course, the decision to drop out of college after sophomore year is always attributed to Bill Gates. Be that as it may, together with Allen, they got a job in the same company. Paul spoke with the founder of Microsoft, which he retired in 1983. The official version claims that due to illness, evil tongues repeat about disagreements with Bill. Which of them was the main generator of ideas in the company is a mystery, but be that as it may, Allen was destined to forever remain "No. 2" in the history of Microsoft.
How it all began
When Bill graduated primary school, the parents decided that ordinary school would not be suitable for their son, and sent him to study on the other side of the city - at the private school Lakeside (Lakeside School). Gates enjoyed participating in the performances of the school theater, but most of all he was interested in classes in one of the educational buildings, where a computer terminal was installed. At the age of 13, Bill, who had demonstrated brilliant academic abilities, took up programming.
Bill is 13 years old, next to Paul Allen, with whom he later founded Microsoft (1968)
At school, along with his friend Paul Allen (Paul Allen), Bill studied the BASIC programming language from the textbook. And it should be noted that Paul's obsession with computers reached fanaticism. In a 1995 interview with the American publication Fortune, Bill Gates told the story of the embarrassment that happened to his friend at the ceremony to mark the end of the school year. The administration simply refused to issue a certificate to Allen, until the mother of the future billionaire attending the ceremony paid a debt of $ 200 for the computer time used by her son. Allen, in addition to such hobbies as: cinema, books, guitar, chess, scuba diving, had another passion - cards. During his school years, Paul Allen was famous for playing poker. As the legend says, it was while playing poker that he met his future friend, partner and colleague - Bill Gates.
In eighth grade, Bill Gates wrote his first programs: one converted numbers from one mathematical base to another, the other was a game of tic-tac-toe. Later, Bill created a computer analogue of the tabletop strategy game Risk, in which the goal is world domination. Soon, Gates and Allen were given unlimited time to use a computer at a local company. As a payment, the students had to identify and fix machine malfunctions. As Gates's father recalled, in order to work with the computer, Bill even secretly left the house at night. There is a legend according to which the fifteen-year-old Gates managed to hack two of the most advanced operating systems at that time - DEC and CDC.
In ninth grade, Gates set himself the goal of getting only excellent grades and safely entered the top ten. best students countries according to the results of mathematical testing. In the tenth grade, he already taught computer skills and wrote a program that was responsible for scheduling school classes, which earned 4200 dollars.
Together with Allen and another close friend, Kent Evans, Gates formed the Lakeside Programmers Group, which received an order for a payroll program for a Seattle firm. Then the first conflict occurred between Allen and Gates: Allen decided to do all the work on his own, but soon realized that he could not do without Gates. Bill agreed to return, but set a condition: "Okay, but I will be in charge and I will get used to being in charge, and now it will be difficult to deal with me if I am not in charge."
By the time he graduated from high school, Gates had developed into a self-employed entrepreneur. Together with friends, he organized a company that analyzed traffic in the city and made special schedules. This enterprise, which bore the name Traf-O-Data, brought its creators 20 thousand dollars. At seventeen, Gates was commissioned to write a software package for the power distribution of the Bonneville Dam. He received $ 30,000 for a year's work on this project, and in addition, the project was credited by the school as the majority of required coursework.
The greatest shock in the late school years for Bill was the death of Evans, who crashed while mountaineering. After that, Gates became even closer to Allen. Together they studied the artificial intelligence programming language.
Altair 8800 and Micro-soft blade
In 1971, Paul, who was admitted to Washington State University, read an article about the world's first microprocessor, the Intel 4004. The computer "brain" shrank to the size of a chip, and this made him and Bill a dream of a time when everyone would have their own own personal computer copy. Allen, inspired by what he had read, excitedly argued to his friend that microprocessors will now be constantly improving and will form the basis of future computing systems. A year later, friends, for 360 dollars, bought a miracle of the then technology - an Intel 8008 microprocessor. It was supposed to serve as the heart of a computer for traffic control: According to Paul Allen himself, his first joint venture with Bill, Traf-O- Data, founded in 1972, while generating some profit, was generally not very successful. The partners, crushed by price competition, were forced to “cover up” their business. However, what could break others was just a good lesson for Allen and Gates for the future.
In 1973, Gates entered his freshman year at Harvard University. At Harvard, he shared the same floor with Steve Ballmer, now Microsoft's vice president of sales and support.
Popular Electronics Magazine January 1975
In the winter of 1974, Paul Allen came across an article published in Popular Electronics magazine about the world's first microcomputer Altair 8800, assembled on the basis of Intel's latest 8080 microprocessor. The microcomputer was being sold by mail order as a DIY kit by a tiny company in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This company was called MITS and was headed by a certain Ed Roberts. Confident in the future success of desktop computers, he realized that this was exactly what he needed. As a programmer, Paul realized that without a convenient programming language, Altair was practically useless for computer enthusiasts. Gates was of the same opinion. There was little to do - to "teach" the first personal computer the language and not to miss this chance until others took up the work. The uniqueness of the situation was also in the fact that Allen and Gates had on hand an almost finished project of the interpreter of the BASIC language, created while working on their own project Traf-O-Data. It was a matter of technique to adapt it to the Altair. It remained to convince the MITS management of the correctness of their ideas.
MITS. Photo of the workshop where Altair computers were produced at 8800 (during lunchtime, when there are no workers)
Cunning Paul and Bill immediately contacted MITS and said that at the moment they have an excellent version of the BASIC language, which, frankly, they did not have at all. However, in addition to the trick, Bill and Paul had three weeks at their disposal, after which face-to-face contact with MITS representatives was supposed to take place. There remained a mere trifle - to compose the interpreter himself. And three weeks later, the plane was already carrying friends, so to speak, towards success. Negotiations with the Altair 8800 manufacturer Ed Roberts were conducted with perseverance and assertiveness typical of youth. As a result, Paul Allen was hired at MITS, and the buddies were awarded a contract to develop a programming language for Altair and an office to work with. Who would have known that this was the beginning of the legend. Soon, Basic punched cards hit the market for $ 150 a copy. From that moment on, Micro-soft originates, just like that, through a hyphen, an abbreviation from English. MICROcomputer SOFTware (software for microcomputers).
Among the most enthusiastic fans of "Altair", undoubtedly, can be attributed to the members of the club "Homemade Computer" organized at that time. Geographically, he was located in California, in the town of Palo Alto, and was an independent association of computer enthusiasts.
"Letter to amateurs"
At their meetings, held in a relaxed atmosphere, club members exchanged information, technical advice, parts for computers and programs. No information related to the hardware or software of computers, no matter how hard it was to get it, was not hidden.
Naturally, amateurs - true carriers of the spirit of hackers - were eager to get a BASIC interpreter for the Altair machine. But the MITS company was selling the ribbon with the program for $ 500, which created an insurmountable barrier between Basic and the main part of computer hobbyists. In June 1975, a group of engineers from MITS demonstrated the Altair at a workshop in Palo Alto. To the delight of many hackers from the Homemade Computer club who were present, the model shown made it possible to work with BASIC.
Unable to resist the temptation, one of the club members grabbed a spare tape that happened to be near the working Altair teleprinter. At the next meeting in the club, he asked one of the participants to make several copies of this tape. Soon every member of the club who wished to have a ribbon was able to get it. And then on the national hacker network BASIC for the Altair machine quickly spread to other hacker clubs.
Paul Allen and Bill Gates, who sold their software to MITS on a royalty-free basis for every copy sold, were more than discouraged by this development. Their irritation increased even more when it became obvious that the number of buyers would have been much higher if this "samizdat" version of the program had not appeared.
After the initial outrage subsided somewhat, Bill Gates sent an "open letter to amateurs", which was published in several publications devoted to computers. The letter noted that Bill Gates and Paul Allen received a lot of praise for their program, but it turned out that most of those who do not skimp on praise did not actually buy the program. “How could this have happened? - asked Bill Gates, and then he himself answered it, expressing a sharp accusation against amateurs. “All these numerous amateurs must be aware that they have actually stolen the program,” he wrote. - Who can afford to do professional work for nothing? How many hobbyists can spend three man-years programming, finding all the bugs, documenting the product and then giving it away for free? "
For Bill Gates, the answer to this question was obvious, but not everyone shared his point of view. For example, the editor of a small amateur publication said that "the most correct thing was to tear up the letter and forget about it." And members of one computer club even discussed the question of whether Bill Gates should be brought to trial for an unsubstantiated charge of theft. Of the several hundred letters Gates received in response to his protest, most were negative, and only five or six had Bill Gates demanded a check in payment for a smuggled BASIC interpreter.
The controversy that erupted between Bill Gates and hackers in computer circles has become known as the software scandal. Some hackers remained unconvinced for years after the scandal had died down. They wrote and distributed so-called public domain software that anyone could use free of charge. These programs can still be found in hundreds of computer bulletins distributed throughout the United States.
Cooperation with IBM
Let's go back to Microsoft. At first, the company was not doing very well. Gates, Allen and their associates worked around the clock, but did not have the strength and resources to create any ingenious product. Opportunities (and maybe talent) at that time were enough for all sorts of particulars: for example, improvements were made to BASIC. The company could not afford to hire a product sales manager; Bill's mother did it, offering Microsoft software to huge corporations like IBM and AT&T without the slightest embarrassment.
1977. July. Microsoft begins selling its second programming language, FORTRAN.
1978.11 April. Sales of COBOL-80, a third programming language, for the 8080, Z-80 and 8085 microprocessor systems.
1979.4 April. BASIC 8080 is the first software product to receive the million dollar ICP award. This award, presented to Paul, is Microsoft's first award.
1979.18 June. Microsoft introduces BASIC for computer systems based on the 8086 microprocessor. It is the first resident language high level which appeared for 16-bit machines. From this moment, the widespread adoption of this processor begins.
All this is great, but the real ascent of Everest began when, in the bowels of International Business Machines, the decision to seriously engage in the production of personal computers was ripe. In 1980, IBM asked Microsoft to begin developing the base operating system for all personal computers it manufactures. By that time, 39 people already worked at Microsoft - the company developed and supplied IBM programming languages, but Bill did not have a suitable OS. He had to recommend IBM to rival Microsoft, Digital Research, which already had the popular CP / M system at its disposal on many 8-bit computers. Deliberately contributing to the success of a competitor, Gates immediately corrected himself: an entire dissertation was sent to the IBM management about the need to switch to a more powerful 16-bit 8080 processor from Intel. Apparently, the text turned out to be convincing, as a result of which CP / M was rejected, and signed an agreement with Digital Research to develop a new operating system. (however, some reliable sources claim that IBM already had an 8085A processor, quite a 16-bit one, with the exception of an 8-bit data bus; we will not judge where it is true).
Microsoft had time to get ahead of DR, and the firm didn't waste a second. Moreover, the fate was more than condescending: Paul Allen established contact with a small company Seattle Compute Products, which had the necessary operating system, but simply did not have time to optimize it by the time the IBM PC appeared, which was to be "released" in a month. In addition to purchasing Seattle Computer's development, 86-DOS, Microsoft hired Tim Patterson, its creator. Gates and the company actively perfected the OS they bought from Seattle Computer, working 25 hours a day.
The second time was lucky when we managed to persuade IBM to conclude a contract with Microsoft for the supply of a new operating system. Conditions of a contract (managers are now learning as an example of a classic mistake) were done. According to him, IBM took upon itself the costs of manufacturing the system and promised to sell computers only with PC-DOS. (first version of MS-DOS) and deducting interest from Microsoft on each machine sold.
1979.25 June. Microsoft becomes a privately held corporation, led by Bill Gates, chairman of the board, and Paul Allen, executive vice president. August 2. IBM unveils its PC running Microsoft's 16-bit MS-DOS 1.0 operating system, as well as BASIC, COBOL, Pascal and other Microsoft Inc. software products.
1982.1 April. The first sales and marketing office in Europe is opened, as well as the first overseas office in the UK.
1982.27 April. Microsoft announces BW-BASIC, a graphics support product that gives you more options to work with Microsoft BASIC.
1982. November. The number of installations of MS-DOS is growing rapidly - in the first 16 months, 50 computer manufacturers bought a license from Microsoft for this 16-bit operating system.
Microsoft's dependence on IBM alone ran counter to Gates' freedom-loving spirit. The next direction to the patrons was a lengthy letter devoted to the expediency of selling MS-DOS under license to other computer manufacturers. “The proliferation of MS-DOS will help fight the influence of its main competitor, Apple Computer - IBM gave up on this argument. But that was not all.
From the beginning of the eighties, the production of computers in the West began to grow, one might say exponentially. IBM retained its leadership so far, however, it could no longer be considered a monopoly: Compaq was formed and began to actively develop, the PC market attracted the attention of Hewlett-Packard and Texas Instruments. But it seems unlikely that these and other firms would have been able to compete successfully with IBM if they had to develop their own operating systems amid the growing popularity of MS-DOS. Seizing the moment, Bill encouraged some of the leading PC manufacturers (such as Compaq) to create products designed to be fully compatible with IBM machines so that any program written for IBM could be used on those computers. Gates' gift of persuasion led to the fact that MS-DOS began to be bought wholesale and retail, almost getting in line for it - on 80% of all PCs it was MS-DOS installed, which gave rise to the concept of "IBM-compatibility". The successful promotion of MS-DOS was Microsoft's first step towards a monopoly.
Realizing the results of the agreement with Microsoft, IBM management tried to renegotiate the terms of the agreement. But since there were only moral grounds for this, the attempts came to nothing.
OS / 2
Windows 1.0 users finally have the opportunity to work simultaneously with several programs and freely switch between them. However, overlapping windows is not allowed, which sharply reduces the convenience of the environment. In addition, quite a few programs are written for Windows 1.0, as a result, it did not gain popularity on the market.
1986.13 March. Microsoft shares go public and start selling at $ 21 per share, but by the end of the day, their value rises to $ 28. The initial offering of shares climbed to $ 61 million.
1986.18 April. The Software Vendors Association awards annual Best Software Products awards for Best Business Software and Most Performing Product. Microsoft Excel for PC Macintosh, in the categories "Best Technical Achievement", "Best User Interface" and "Best Product of the Year" - Microsoft Windows.
1987. April. Microsoft and IBM announce an agreement to develop the OS / 2 operating system.
1987.8 September. The first Microsoft application on CD, Bookshelf, is released.
1987.1 November. Windows 2.0 has been released. Unlike previous versions with a tiled window placement system, this has an overlapping window system. It also takes advantage of the protected mode 80826 and better, which allows programs to overcome the 640KB DOS main memory limit.
1988.31 May. The operating system OS / 2, version 1.1 with Presentation Manager appears.
1988.9 October. Windows 386 Released - Windows 2.0 revision optimized for the latest processor from Intel; it lays the foundation for most of the future features of Windows 3.0.
1988. November. International sales account for 48% of all Microsoft software sales. Excel for Windows 2.0, the first graphical spreadsheet for an IBM-compatible PC, was conceived as the program Microsoft hoped to use to squeeze out the spreadsheet market leader, LOTUS. True, Excel was quite resource-demanding, and its use required its own device drivers, which somewhat reduced the competitiveness of the product.
The OS / 2 operating system started out as a joint development between IBM and Microsoft (although most of the work had to be done by Microsoft). It was originally conceived as a replacement for DOS. Even then, it was clear that DOS, with its limitations in memory and in the capabilities of the file system, would not be able to take advantage of the computing power of the emerging computers. OS / 2 was a well thought out system. It had to support preemptive multitasking, virtual memory, graphical user interface, virtual machine for running DOS applications.
The early versions of OS / 2 did not have a significant impact on the market. OS / 2 version 1.0, released in 1987, had most technical properties required for a multitasking OS. However, it lacked a presentation manager (PM), as well as drivers for many popular printers and other devices. OS / 2 1.1, released in 1989, included a rudimentary version of PM that finally made it possible to use graphical applications in multiple windows. Released in 1990, version 1.2 had an improved PM, although it did not follow generally accepted GUI concepts. There are drivers for most printers and other peripherals.
But OS / 2 has already been discredited. Version 1.2 didn't get much better than the previous ones and still had significant hardware requirements. In addition, many popular DOS applications were not available to OS / 2 users, and those that were available could not interact with the OS / 2 environment, remaining with tried-and-true, albeit not very perfect, DOS. Many users have decided to upgrade to the new Windows 3.0 platform or wait until something fundamentally better appears.
The difficulties of OS / 2 are forcing Microsoft to continue working on Windows, while IBM is still developing OS / 2. Over the years, IBM officials have complained that Microsoft is shifting its focus to Windows development. After the advent of Windows 3.0, when 3 million copies of the system were sold in a year (whereas only 300,000 OS / 2 packages have been sold since the end of development in 1987), the paths of the two corporations completely diverged. Gates himself, dismissing all the accusations as having no basis, modestly says that the whole point is that "Microsoft has changed the world a lot."
In June 1988, Digital Research released DR-DOS, which the press said was superior to MS-DOS due to more powerful utilities. However, further development of the OS was hampered by the need to make changes to ensure compatibility with Windows, and DR-DOS never gained significant market share, successfully passing away in 94.
1990.13 March. The corporation announces the accrual of 100% dividends on shares. Shareholders learn that they will receive one additional share for each share purchased prior to March 26, 1990.
1990.2 April. The Russian version of MS-DOS appears - the first software product localized for the Soviet market. The number of foreign language versions of MS-DOS has reached 13.
1990.25 July. In celebration of its 15th anniversary, the company announced annual revenue of $ 1 billion 18 million. Microsoft becomes the first software company to surpass $ 1 billion in annual sales. The number of Microsoft employees by that time was 5975 people.
1990.17 September. Announced the launch of the Windows Marketing Program, the largest single-product marketing program in Microsoft's 15-year history.
Windows 3.0
When Windows 3.0 came out, many agreed that this system, which had a graphical interface and could multitask, actually felt more user-friendly and intuitive. Programmer-centric improvements have led to an explosion in the Windows software market. OS stability is poor, but Windows 3.0 is emerging as the dominant product in the market thanks to preinstallation on new computers and extensive support from independent hardware and software vendors. Microsoft's relentless drive to make Windows a workable OS is finally paying off. After Windows 3.0 hit the market, making the computer accessible to the layman, Apple sued Microsoft, accusing it of copyright infringement.
Almost the entire team of the company has been working on Windows for about 10 years without looking up from the displays. And those who could not stand the frantic pace quit. In 1986, Gates even parted ways with Paul Allen, who developed blood cancer from prolonged computer exposure and overwork. Fortunately, Paul managed to overcome the fatal ailment, but the doctors categorically prescribed a sparing regimen for him. Learning that best friend will never be able to work at full strength, Gates decided to call him into a conversation, as a result of which Allen was forced to leave the company, having conceded his shares to Bill, albeit at a very favorable price.
Windows 95
After numerous delays and unprecedented advertising hype for a software product, Windows 95 was released. Succumbing to the general excitement, even people without a computer are queuing up behind it. "Windows 95 is the most user-friendly version of Windows that doesn't require DOS to install!" Windows 95 has significantly improved the interface, there is a built-in set of TCP / IP protocols, the Dial-Up Networking utility and long file names are allowed.
1996. January. Sold 25 million copies of Windows 95. 2 million users switch to this operating system every month.
1996.12 March. America Online and Microsoft forge a strategic partnership — AOL is integrating Microsoft Internet Explorer as the standard Web browsing program for its 5 million users.
Windows NT 4.0
1996.31 July. Microsoft is releasing Windows NT 4.0, significantly improving from version 3.51 with a Windows 95 user interface, advanced hardware functions, and numerous built-in server processes such as the Internet Information Server. Initially, the share of this OS, intended to replace Unix, in the US corporate market was small, but over time it will increase dramatically, and Windows NT is increasingly becoming the platform for intranets and public Internet sites.
1996. October. Microsoft is releasing OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2) for Windows 95 to help PC manufacturers install the OS on new machines. It fixes known bugs and improves many of the built-in functions and applets of the Windows 95 Control Panel. Several "innovations" in Windows 98 appeared in OSR2, including the FAT32 file system, which provides more efficient use of hard disk space, and the improved Dial-Up Networking utility. ... OSR2 includes Internet Explorer 3.3, the first successful browser from Microsoft. 1997.23 September. The first beta version of Windows NT 5.0 presented at the Programmers' Conference. The fundamental new version will provide compatibility with next-generation hardware, as well as enhanced management and data protection functions. Date of issue - January 1997
Windows 98
1998.25 June. Following Windows 95, already recognized as the de facto standard for home users, breathing evenly down the back of the head and stepping on its heels, this year a new version of Windows has loudly declared itself, which has received the corresponding symbolic serial number - 98. The motto “Works better ... Plays better ”, which Microsoft provided it, directly indicated that the company, in its opinion, this time managed to achieve significant success, and the user with the help of its new product will be able to work better and play - too. It was the first Windows built specifically for, so to speak, buyers or consumers. And I must say that the success of this system is obvious and incredible to this day.
So. Let's go back to 1998. Internet Explorer is fully integrated into the system. Windows Explorer (Explorer) has undergone significant changes, and the integration of IE significantly "helped" him in this. The user now has the ability to manage resources and files in the same way as the browser controls the transition between web pages (the Forward and Back buttons appeared on the toolbar). In addition, the list of available disks and folders is also displayed on the screen like a web page: general information about a disk or folder - on the left, a list of disks or folders - on the right. A single click of the mouse button is enough to launch a file, just like following a link on the Internet. In the help system, the content is styled as well - similar to the design of a web page. There is a Quick Launch panel that can be integrated with the start menu. In general, all these web special effects that have been stuffed with the new OS are very familiar to you, so we also mark Active Desktop as a plus, which adds a greater web identity to the system (at the user's request) and go further, past the interface.
The hard disk file system was replaced by FAT32 (although it was implemented in Windows 95 OSR2, there was no means to convert FAT16 to FAT32), which allowed organizing large partitions and provided more reliable and efficient data storage. And, of course, Microsoft has done a good job on the compatibility of the operating system with hardware, especially with peripheral devices - USB and FireWire (IEEE1394).
To the defragmenter and "scandisk" supplied by default and updated in this version of the OS, a disk cleaning utility was added, with which the user could delete temporary files and files in the "Recycle Bin", and also some other utilities appeared, such as a tool for search the Web for updated versions of the system and the latest device drivers.
In 1998, Microsoft released Office 98 for the Macintosh - as an extension of the previously released Office 97 suite. Ironically, Mac users use Microsoft software.
On November 22, 1998, Shane Brooks wrote an installer that Windows 98 users could use to remove the integrated Internet Explorer from their system. That, in fact, proved the fact that Windows 98 can easily exist without Microsoft Internet Explorer. Until that moment, users of this OS had only the opportunity to install an alternative browser (Netscape Navigator, for example) in addition to IE and use it, and not Microsoft's built-in surfing tool.
In 1998, having made a significant career path, Ballmer was named President of Microsoft.
Operating system Microsoft Windows 98 SE - 1999
On May 5, 1999, the release of Windows 98 SE (Second Edition) was released, in which the errors of the previous version of the operating system were fixed, and users got more advanced system compatibility with the hardware and new Internet capabilities. Windows 98 SE included Internet Explorer 5; Microsoft program Windows NetMeeting 3.0 - a tool for audio and video conferencing on the Web; DirectX 6.1, loaded automatically; new function Internet connection sharing (ICS-general access to the Internet), which allows you to use a computer under Windows control 98 as a gateway to the Internet for other computers on the local network; and finally, improved multimedia tools.
Windows 2000
On February 17, 2000, Windows 2000 was released, which was positioned as an upgrade that replaced Windows NT Workstation 4.0, but was already much more than just an improved reincarnation of the already well-known NT line system. Actually, Windows 2000 was created to replace Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT Workstation 4.0 on all business desktops and laptops.
As a desktop and server version of the OS, Windows 2000 was released in four different versions:
Professional - client version for desktop and laptop computers;
Server - for entry-level servers (entry-level), a fairly reliable server platform for the most critical e-commerce and business applications in a specific area or for intranet servers;
Advanced Server - for high-performance applications and servers;
Data Center Server - for complex and high-performance cluster systems.
Windows 2000 has a very similar interface to Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0 with Internet Explorer 4.0. But Internet Explorer 5 is integrated into this operating system.
For IT professionals, the Windows NT Server family has brought capabilities such as centralized, policy-based management with the same new management technologies — Microsoft IntelliMirror management and the Microsoft Active Directory service. During the development of the Windows 2000 operating system, the company launched the Change and Configuration Management (CCM) initiative to reduce the cost of installing and maintaining desktops. For example, the IntelliMirror package includes a subset of the technologies used in Windows 2000 that you can use to implement CCM.
Companies, having become convinced of the reliability and prospects of this system, are slowly beginning to migrate to Windows 2000.
Operating system Microsoft Windows Me - 2000
Windows Millennium Edition (ME) is released on September 14, 2000. An optional and expired upgrade for Windows 98. Windows Me was positioned as a system for home users who are actually ready to change the 98th to something newer and more advanced.
The system was stuffed with improved multimedia tools (the new media player supported more file types and removable skins), games, more convenient processing of digital images, digital and analog video, digital music was implemented ...
Xbox
The official launch of the Xbox took place on November 14-15, 2001. The first set-top boxes arrived in US stores on the evening of November 14th. Bill Gates personally took part in the official launch of the console by handing out the first copies of the Xbox to customers. The price of the box was only $ 299. Despite the fact that many still thought the console was ugly, the joystick was too big, and the price was too high, Microsoft managed to sell one million consoles in three weeks. It was an incredible result. An interesting fact is that the launch of the Nintendo GameCube (working title Dolphin) in the United States took place just three days later on November 18th. It was a real battle between Microsoft and Nintendo that dragged on for many years. It was the GameCube that became the main contender for the Xbox for the next three years, while the Playstation 2 remained in first place. Now there is an approximately equal volume of Playstation 2 and Xbox, while the GameCube is noticeably inferior to them, the reason is that many use PS2 and Xbox as a DVD player, while the Nintendo set-top box is not capable of playing DVD discs (everyone knows Nintendo's piratophobia: the set-top box The Nintendo 64 was still on cartridges, since counterfeiting them was not cost-effective, the GameCube used special 1.5GB disks, in both cases nothing good came of it).
Windows XP
Operating system Microsoft Windows XP - 2001
Windows XP is released on October 25, 2001. The most enchanting output of the system that you can imagine: a holiday, fireworks, firecrackers and all kinds of fun all over the States and Europe. When the release of Windows XP was celebrated with fanfare, users around the world began to slowly figure out what exactly is new system.
Two main versions - Professional Edition and Home Edition, designed for users with different goals and objectives.
The Professional Edition is the base for three "secondary" editions - Media Center Edition, TabletPC Edition, and Windows XP Embedded. Windows PE (Preinstallation Environment) is also based on the Windows XP kernel. In Windows XP Professional, the primary programming code used in Windows 2000 and Windows NT Workstation. This code, called the NT kernel or the new Windows kernel, makes Windows XP more efficient, secure, and more stable than Windows 9x / Me.
Windows XP Home Edition is designed for home users, provides faster and more convenient access to OS functions, and its external design greatly simplifies and at the same time makes it more efficient to perform common tasks: working with digital images; work with music and video files - efficient search, download and storage; quick and easy organization of shared access to a computer and a lightweight approach to creating a home network; effective communication tools for instant messaging, voice and video conferencing, and collaboration.
Court
In 2002, after nine US states filed a lawsuit demanding that Microsoft release a simplified version of Windows without such applications as Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player, Gates was forced to admit the possibility of such a simplified version of the system. The corporation later faced similar demands outside the United States. In 2004, the European Commission imposed a € 497 million fine on Microsoft and ordered the corporation to release a version of Windows without a media player. In 2006, following an appeal filed by Microsoft, the antitrust process in Europe continued.
Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003 is released on April 24, 2003. The evolution of server-side Windows systems So far, I have settled on Windows Server 2003, a system based on the principles of increased reliability, scalability and manageability. Windows Server 2003 is a high-performance infrastructure platform for supporting connected applications, networking, and XML Web services at any scale from the workgroup to the datacenter.
It is a multitasking operating system capable of centrally or distributed management of different sets of roles, depending on the needs of the users. Available: file server and print server; web server and web application server; mail server; terminal server; Remote Access Server / Virtual Private Network (VPN) Server; Directory Service, Domain Name System (DNS), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, and Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS); streaming media broadcast server.
Windows Server 2003 is available in four versions. The Standard Edition is the ideal choice for small businesses and individual business units. Supports file and printer sharing; provides a secure internet connection; allows you to centralize the deployment of desktop applications.
Enterprise Edition - Designed to meet the common IT requirements of businesses of all sizes. Designed for applications, web services, and infrastructures for high reliability and performance. Supports up to eight processors; Provides enterprise-class features such as eight-node clustering and support for up to 32GB of memory; available for computers based on the Intel Itanium processor; will be available for 64-bit computing platforms capable of supporting eight processors and 64GB of RAM.
Datacenter Edition - For mission-critical business applications and for mission-critical applications that require high-level scalability and availability. The most powerful and feature-rich server operating system ever offered by Microsoft; Supports 32-thread SMP multiprocessing and up to 64GB of RAM; Provides eight-node clustering and load balancing services as standard features; will be available for 64-bit computing platforms capable of supporting 32 processors and 128 GB of RAM.
Web Edition is a new product in the family of Windows operating systems designed for use as a web server. Designed for developing and hosting web applications, web pages and XML web services; designed for use primarily as an IIS 6.0 web server; provides a framework for the rapid development and deployment of XML Web services that uses ASP .NET technology, which is the core of the .NET Framework.
Xbox-360
On May 19, at E3 2005 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), the new Microsoft project Xbox-360 was officially launched - the result of three years of joint work of several companies, including ATI.
Xbox 360 is the seventh generation game console from Microsoft. Developed in collaboration with IBM, ATI and SiS. Xbox Live service! allows you to play online, download a variety of content like demos, trailers, music, TV shows, etc. Positioned as the main competitor to Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. There are three console options available: Core, Premium, Elite.
In 2005, Google came to the fore among Microsoft's competitors. Search engines on the Internet became the area of competition between the two giant firms, and in addition, Google announced its intention to release programs that directly compete with the products of the Gates corporation. As for Internet Explorer, it was seriously competed with the free browser Mozilla Firefox, and in 2008 Google released its Chrome browser.
Zune
In September 2006, Microsoft officially introduced the Zune portable media player, co-developed with Toshiba. According to Microsoft vice president Jay Allard, the Zune is not just a pocket player, but a complete entertainment platform for playing media files and exchanging digital information. The device has a built-in wireless controller, thanks to which owners can connect with other similar players and send, for example, music or videos.
The built-in hard drive has a capacity of 30 GB. This volume, according to the developers, is enough to store about 7,500 musical compositions, 25,000 photos or one hundred hours of video. The image on the three-inch display can be displayed in portrait and landscape orientations. In addition, the Zune has a built-in FM tuner.
Windows Vista
Operating system Microsoft Windows Vista - 2007
On November 30, 2006, Microsoft officially released Windows Vista and Office 2007 for corporate customers. On January 30, 2007, sales of the system to regular users began.
Windows Vista (codenamed Longhorn) is an operating system in the Microsoft Windows NT family, a line of operating systems used on user's personal computers. In the Windows NT product line, the new system is version 6.0 (Windows 2000 - 5.0, Windows XP - 5.1, Windows Server 2003 - 5.2). The abbreviation "WinVI" is sometimes used to refer to "Windows Vista", which combines the name "Vista" with the version number written in Roman numerals. Windows Vista, like Windows XP, is a purely client system. Microsoft also released a server version of Windows Vista - Windows Server 2008.
Second generation Zune
In October 2007 Microsoft introduced the second generation Zune multimedia players with 4GB and 8GB flash memory, 1.8-inch display, built-in FM tuner and Wi-Fi module. In addition, a second generation hard disk player was introduced. The new model has an 80GB hard drive instead of last year's 30GB. The player's screen has also been enlarged, and its thickness has become significantly thinner. All players will be available in black, green, pink and red, except for the last one, which will only go on sale in black. The second generation devices will have a new labeling. For example, Zune 4 would mean a player with 4GB of storage, Zune 8 with 8GB, and so on.
A characteristic feature of the new devices is the so-called Zune Pad - a touch-sensitive area under the screen designed to control the device. Microsoft said the introduction of the Zune Pad was a carefully considered decision: the user can switch tracks or adjust the volume blindly. The second generation of players will support modern video codecs H.264 and MPEG-4, and the built-in Wi-Fi module will give owners the ability to synchronize images, audio and video files with a computer. Moreover, synchronization will be performed automatically as soon as the player reaches the range of the transmitter. Similar features are planned to be added to the new firmware for the first generation of players. It will still not be possible to download music wirelessly, as Apple suggests doing, but you will still be able to transfer files between devices.
Bill's departure
In July 2008, Bill Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft. Gates himself, who has long become a legend not only in the computer world, but also in the real world, no longer runs the company - he only creates the philosophy of the computer world.
Gates' longtime partner Steve Ballmer provides direct management.
September 2008. Microsoft introduced BlueTrack technology and the first mice to use it. A special feature of the new technology is the ability to accurately track the movement of the mouse on any surface, from granite countertops in the kitchen to carpets of living rooms. This omnivorousness is provided by a new backlight source and an optical sensor, which are able to form a surface image with high contrast. The beam used in BlueTrack is four times larger than the beam used in today's mice.
Windows 7 (formerly codenamed Blackcomb and Vienna) is the name of the new Windows operating system, the successor to Windows Vista, due out in late 2009.
Windows 7 should include some developments excluded from Windows Vista, as well as innovations in the interface and built-in programs. Windows 7 should be the next step in the development of Microsoft operating systems.
The story continues ...
Rather, Micro-Soft - Paul Allen named the company with a hyphen, since it was an abbreviation of two words: microprocessor (microprocessor) and software (software). Young developers - Gates was 20 years old when the company was founded, Allen - 22 - entered into the first agreement with MITS, which created Altair, two months before the company was founded. However, even then, the program code contained the following humorous phrase: “Micro-Soft BASIC: Bill Gates wrote a lot of stuff; Paul Allen wrote some other stuff "(" Micro-Soft BASIC: wrote a lot, Paul Allen wrote the rest ").
Success comes to friends almost instantly - their software becomes popular, and already in 1978, three years after the creation of the company, Microsoft has a sales office in Japan. But the real success came to the company in 1981, at the moment when a PC that ran on MS-DOS appeared on the market. The system was based on 86-DOS, which Gates and Allen bought from Seattle Computer Products and modified to meet the requirements of IBM.
The history of Microsoft's most important product, Windows, began in 1984. Then it was just a shell for MS-DOS. And although conservative users did not take the add-on seriously (“you need to interact with the computer using commands, not graphics!”), The windowed interface ultimately showed its worth.
It is noteworthy that Gates was accused of stealing the interface, whose Macintosh computers already had a similar interface.
However, Gates countered this by the fact that initially such an interface appeared at Xerox, which were known not only as manufacturers of office equipment.
“I think it was more likely that we had a rich neighbor named Xerox, and when I got into his house to steal his TV, I saw that you had already done it before me,” Gates addressed directly to Jobs, implying that it was not his invention either.
By that time, Allen, who served as vice president, had already left Microsoft. In 1983, he sold his shares to Bill for $ 10 apiece, retaining only a small part and a seat on the company's board of directors. He later recalled that Gates wanted to earn as much as possible and did not let go of anything.
In the same 1983, Microsoft introduced its first device - a mouse simply called the Microsoft Mouse. It was intended to make it easier to work with the text editor Word. The Office suite did not yet exist at the time. Moreover, the invariable "friends" of Word, Excel and PowerPoint, themselves appeared in 1985 and 1987, respectively. They became a single package of applications in 1989, and first there was a version for the Macintosh, and only in 1990 a Windows version was released.
By that time, Windows itself had already become the most popular add-on over MS-DOS.
But still a superstructure. Independent system it became in Windows 95 when it finally "swallowed" MS-DOS. At the same time, the "Start" menu, which conquered users, appeared, the abandonment of which in Windows 8 became one of the main reasons for criticism of the company.
With Windows 95, the principle of alternating "success" of Microsoft systems, which has become the talk of the town, comes into play. According to the humorous rule, successful Windows come out in one company, and the countdown of good Windows starts with Windows 95. Oddly enough, it still works: if XP was extremely successful, Vista caused a wave of indignation. It was replaced by Windows 7, which many have called a worthy successor to "piggy". In turn, Windows 8 has again become an object of abuse.
The history of Microsoft mobile products also begins in the 1990s. The first version of Windows CE (Compact Edition), intended for portable devices and embedded systems, was released in 1996 and was based on Windows 95. In 2000, the Pocket PC platform appeared on the basis of Windows CE, which contributed to the spread of communicators - by modern standards of plump pocket devices with tiny screens designed to work with a stylus.
But then it was a breakthrough - a Pocket PC communicator, which was later renamed to Windows Mobile, every self-respecting businessman should have had to work with documents.
Now pocket devices on Windows are not that popular anymore. To strengthen the currently weak positions in the mobile device market, the company took a very important step in 2013 - Microsoft acquired the Finnish mobile division, having received its full line of Lumia smartphones, a team of engineers and a license for the company's patents until 2023.
The current Windows Phone used in Lumia is partly a descendant of Windows CE - Windows Phone 7 was nothing more than WinMobile with an interface written in Silverlight. Later, Microsoft dropped the CE platform in handheld devices in favor of the NT desktop kernel. In Windows 10, the company will finally merge mobile and desktop systems into one.
The company's other highly successful product, the Xbox One game console, will also run on Windows 10. The family of consoles, which managed to impose the struggle on Sony Playstation and take away market share from Nintendo, appeared in 2001. The console ran on a heavily modified version of Windows 2000. Although the first generation was not a huge hit, the successor Xbox 360 became one of the best-selling consoles in history. And this is despite the fact that the first versions of the console had an almost 100% manufacturing defect, which led to overheating and "killed" the device beyond recovery.
Still, the Xbox is a marketing victory for the company. Oddly enough, there were not so many of them, despite the fact that Microsoft products are almost everywhere and de facto are the standard in mass computer technologies.
For example, few people know that Microsoft demonstrated the first "smart" watch back in 1994. It was a joint product with Timex called DataLink. Of course, they did not know how to show incoming messages and wake the user with vibration. But they could store their contacts (the phone book contained 50 numbers) and information about appointments and events from the calendar. The connection to the computer was carried out using a unique optical sensor, the reader of which was connected to the computer. Such watches, for example, were used by astronauts on the ISS.
Microsoft tried to enter the music player market as well. So, the Zune device had to impose a fight on its iPod. But in reality, the Zune was the company's failure. And the point is not in the device itself - it received a nice metal case, an excellent screen, and the amount of memory should have been enough for almost any music lover of 2006. As a result, the Zune project was canceled because it was too tough to compete with Microsoft's iPod.
Another crushing defeat for Microsoft is its tablet market share. Bill Gates presented the first such device already in 2002. It was standard Windows XP with some minor tweaks to optimize the system for the stylus. However, the fact remains: until 2010, when the iPad appeared, Microsoft did not take any serious steps to popularize the tablet form factor among the masses - then these were purely utilitarian devices.
Neither the calm and judicious Bill Gates, nor his eccentric and emotional successor, who took over as CEO of the company in 2008, could get things moving. In fact, he continued Gates' policies and brought nothing new to company policy. The first (and often the only) thing that comes to mind at the mention of his name is the famous "Developers!" ("Developers") - a word that he, jumping across the stage, shouted into the hall at one of the conferences 14 times. And since this happened even before he took the CEO's chair, this fact clearly shows that his personality and his character found a stronger response among the people than his leadership.
What's more, under Ballmer, Microsoft lost more than $ 1 billion on Surface RT tablets running ARM versions of Windows. One of the key disadvantages of this device is the inability to install familiar Windows applications due to the mobile architecture of the system.
But still, Ballmer cannot be blamed for the troubles of the company - under him it became richer and richer, increasing both capital and capitalization.
Now he has been replaced by the third CEO of Microsoft - the former vice president of the company Satya Nadella, who was previously responsible for cloud systems. Nadella continues to work in her usual direction. Under him, the company began to reorient itself towards selling services (including mobile) instead of selling boxed products.
It is also curious that under Nadella, Microsoft began to get rid of the image of a "boring" company and began to occupy the "cool" niche, gently pushing Apple out of it. The latest presentation at which the company showed Windows 10 and Windows HoloLens only confirmed this.
However, it cannot be said that all this is entirely the merit of Nadella - after all, the chairman of the board of directors of Microsoft is none other than Bill Gates. And although his authority is not enough to directly direct Nadella's actions, he is the person to whom absolutely everyone in the company listens. And if you allow yourself a little slyness, then we can say that it was Gates who, through the hands of Nadella, began to direct the company towards services, abandoning the usual business model.
And, apparently, Microsoft will be on horseback for a long time. After all, at 40, as you know, life is just beginning.
In the future, two types of companies will remain on the market:
those who are on the Internet and those who have gone out of business.
Bill Gates.
Dear readers, do you think a promising company is capable of turning its employees into rich people at the very first entry into the stock market (issuing its own shares for free circulation on the stock exchange)? Those who answered in the affirmative are right. History knows a lot of such examples. True, they usually talk about immediate managers who overnight became multimillionaires or billionaires.
Even more surprising is the case that occurred in March 1986, when the initial public offering of shares of one American company in an instant added four dollar billionaires to our planet and, here, attention, 12 thousand millionaires! No one has shown such charity in relation to ordinary workers. Neither before nor after.
This company-sponsor - known to everyone Microsoft. You guessed it, history of creation of Microsoft and is offered to you below.
Birth and first recognition of Microsoft (1972-1983)
From childhood Paul Allen and were known as bosom friends. These two personalities had a lot in common, but there was something that turns this tandem into a lasting alliance - they both got carried away. Already in 1972, this hobby led to concrete results - the guys created their own company Traf-O-Data specializing in the production of primitive computers for tracking and analyzing road traffic. It was assumed that the US road services would be interested in such computer technology. Traf-O-Data hasn't had much success. The main thing in this story was the experience, which was very useful to the creators of Microsoft a few years later. And it was like this ...
1975 has just begun. In the January issue of Popular Electronics, Paul, who had already dropped out of the University of Washington to work at Honeywell, read an interesting article about the new computer. Altair 8800 company MITS(Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems). I read and shared my thoughts on this matter with Bill. Like, it would be interesting to create an interpreter of the BASIC language for a new computing device. Bill took his friend's proposal literally and immediately called MITS, saying that he and his partner had created a working version of the interpreter. In response, the company said it would be wonderful to prove this in practice.
The problem was looming. After all, Gates and Allen had neither an interpreter, nor even an Altair 8800. This did not stop talented programmers. While Paul was creating a virtual computer simulator, Bill was working on an interpreter.
In just 8 weeks, in March 1975, at a presentation in Albuquerque (New Mexico), at the MITS headquarters, the program of genius friends showed itself interesting thing with potential in possibilities. MITS was pleased with this circumstance and announced that it was entering into an official contract with the performers for the development of Altair BASIC.
In the wake of this success, the friends left Boston (Paul paid off at Honeywell, and Bill dropped out at Harvard) and moved to Albuquerque. In this city April 4, 1975 our heroes founded the now world famous corporation Microsoft.
And Paul threw in the dey with the name of the company. He suggested calling the joint venture an abbreviated version of microprocessor / microcomputer and software. Initially, the name of the company was written with a hyphen: Micro-Soft... It was only in November 1979 that Bill Gates first used this word without a dividing line.
A further chronology of key events in the history of Microsoft Corporation within the described time span is as follows:
- 1976 year- Microsoft revenues exceeded $ 16 thousand.
- 1978 year- the first overseas representative office of the company (ASCII Microsoft) is opened in Japan.
- 1979 year- Microsoft changes its location. Due to difficulties in attracting top programmers in Albuquerque, Bill and Paul move to Washington state - a city Bellevue... By that time, Microsoft had 13 employees.
- 1981 year- The start of sales of the IBM PC in August marked the beginning of Microsoft's hegemony in the American and, a bit later, in the international market for operating system developers. The growth of the company forces the management to start reorganizing its legal form. Now it is no longer just Microsoft, but Microsoft Corporation Inc. Bill Gates took over as president of the corporation and Paul Allen as executive vice president.
- 1983 year- Microsoft is expanding its sphere of influence outside the United States. Including through a line of new products ( Microsoft Mouse) and with the help of a new division - the publishing house Microsoft Press.
1980 year- the release of the first "hardware" under the Microsoft logo. It's about Z-80 SoftCard- the device with which the CP / M operating system was launched on the computer. The product's release in March was an incredible success. In the first three months alone, 5 thousand units were sold ($ 349 each). As a result, at that time the contribution of "softcards" to Microsoft's profitable piggy bank became the main one.
Joins the Microsoft team in June Steve Ballmer... In the future, he will become the CEO of the company (in 2000, Bill Gates will leave this post).
In August this year, the first Microsoft operating system is released - Xenix... As it turns out, Xenix is yet another variation on the popular Unix OS. Not to say that Xenix caused a stir in the market, but it attracted attention. If only because a text editor first appeared in this OS. Multi-Tool Word- the ancestor of the popular Microsoft Word today.
What Xenix did not succeed was another Microsoft operating system. After the failure of negotiations with Digital Research, the company IBM approached Gates with a proposal to develop an analogue of CP / M, but for use in her new IBM PC. Microsoft coped with the task flawlessly, showing the world MS-DOS OS, which became the fundamental basis for the IBM PC and other IBM-shaped computers of the time.
3 completes the premiere stage in the history of Microsoft the same year, when it became known that Paul Allen was leaving the company. This turn of events was the result of accumulated disagreements with Bill Gates. Plus Paul was found serious illness- Hodgkin's lymphoma. Which he, fortunately, overcame.
The rise of the legendary "windows" and "office" (1984-1994)
During this period in the history of Microsoft, programs appeared without which it is difficult to imagine modern computers. During these years, the guys at Microsoft created their first versions.
In 1984, Bill Gates' company continues its collaboration with IBM. This time, Microsoft is the contractor that is developing the OS / 2 operating system for the new PS / 2 computer. In parallel, Microsoft is graphically improving MS-DOS. The practical result of such a refinement is the entry to the market in November 1985 of the first version of the already legendary Microsoft Windows... Initially unsightly MS-DOS has acquired a pleasant visual appearance.
- 1987 year- the premier version of OS / 2 developed by Microsoft for computers of the IBM corporation goes public. In addition, in the bowels of the "software" giant, work is underway to create a universal package of "office" programs.
- 1989 year- in August, the world learned what it is Microsoft Office and its main components: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and other programs from the office suite.
- 1992 year- released in May Windows 3.1... It is literally swept off the store shelves. Not least thanks to the aggressive TV advertising campaign (know-how for the time). In the first two months, over 3 million copies were sold. The history of operating system development has never known such a commercial success.
- 1993 year- official recognition of Windows as the most used operating system on planet Earth. Fortune magazine calls Microsoft "the most innovative company in the United States."
- 1994 year- the time of fabulous marketing spending at that time. By some estimates, Microsoft products that year cost the corporation a whopping $ 100 million.
1986 year- the next, now final, change of registration of the Microsoft headquarters. In February, Gates and company change Bellevue to Redmond(the state remains the same - Washington).
A month later, Microsoft's IPO took place on the stock exchange. It is noteworthy that the starting price of a share of $ 21 per share soared to $ 28 by the end of the first trading day. In the future, the growth in the value of the assets of Microsoft Corporation only continued.
1990 year- launched to the masses Windows 3.0- an updated Microsoft operating system for the latest processors at that time Intel 386... In the first two weeks of sales alone, over 100 thousand copies of this OS were sold. From that moment on, Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office took over the leadership in the operating system and office software market.
This success prompted Microsoft executives to rethink their relationship with. As a result, the company focused its resources on developing its own projects. In May 1991, Bill Gates made it clear to his subordinates that the collaboration with IBM on OS / 2 had come to an end. From now on, efforts are being made to further develop the line of Windows operating systems. The decision came out right: the Windows family awaited a bright future, and OS / 2 ingloriously sunk into oblivion.
This decade has seen more than a plus sign in the history of the Microsoft Corporation. The "disadvantages" include the beginning and continuation of numerous litigations, in which Gates' company acted as the defendant. In a nutshell, the complaints against Microsoft boiled down to the fact that the corporation was engaged in unfair competition. Well, the rivals could not calmly observe how good things are with Bill!
Internet, multiple windows and monopoly fees (1995-2005)
The next ten years of Microsoft's existence were equally eventful. Moreover, their scattering is so great that it is hardly possible to mention all of them. Within the framework of a dissertation, perhaps, but not within the framework of one article. Therefore, I will tell you about the key milestones of this period.
Firstly, the enormous potential of the World Wide Web, which was not previously taken into account in Microsoft products, was finally "officially" noticed in 1995. In May, Bill Gates told business executives that "now and forever" is becoming a Microsoft priority. This decision was influenced by the success of Netscape, which would be unforgivable to ignore, Bill says.
In practice, the Internet orientation of Microsoft Corporation has led to the emergence of new products of the company, one way or another focused on the Web. For example, already in August this year, Windows 95 Plus! The pack for the first time contained its own web browser -.
Secondly, each following year of this decade introduced users to a new "family member" of Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office. In 1995, the world saw a phenomenal Windows 95(over one million copies sold in 4 days from the date of release).
Further followed Windows NT 4.0 (1996), Microsoft Office 97 (1997), Windows 98 (1998), Windows 2000 and Windows Me (2000), Windows XP and Office XP(2001). Experience showed that each program included the achievements of its predecessor and a bunch of new user options.
Thirdly, this stage continued Microsoft's unpleasant tradition of being involved in litigation. The most resonant can be considered a lawsuit against the corporation, which appeared in 2004, as a result of which Microsoft was recognized as an "excessive monopolist" and ordered to pay the European Union $ 613 million.
Similar claims to Microsoft appeared in the United States (2000) and South Korea (2005). The result was a prescription, according to which Microsoft was prohibited in some cases from selling complex software products. Let's say Asians forced Microsoft to ship Windows in two flavors - with and without Windows Media Player and Windows Messenger.
During the same period, there were changes in the top management of the company. January 13, 2000 Years Bill Gates leaves the presidency of Microsoft in favor of Steve Ballmer. The co-founder of the IT monster appointed himself to another position - “Chief software architect” of the company.
Endless Windows and Microsoft's Growing Appetites (2006 - Present)
The main events of this period in the history of Microsoft boil down to two points.
The first is the further stamping of new Windows versions: Windows Vista (2007), Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 (2009), Windows 8 (2012).
The office package has not been forgotten either. The proof is - Microsoft Office 2007... The end of this holiday of "window" OS is not expected in the near future, because in October 2014 a public demonstration of the demo version took place Windows 10.
Secondly, these are the attempts of Microsoft Corporation to increase influence in the field of modern information technologies. Not least thanks to high-profile takeovers of startups or already well-known companies. Here are two of the most notorious of them:
2011- acquisition. The deal amounted to $ 8.5 billion;
year 2013- Purchase of Nokia's mobile device division. The Finns lost their phones for $ 7.2 billion.
2014 was Steve Ballmer's final year at the helm of Microsoft. He was succeeded by Indian American Satya Nadella. It seems that he, together with Gates (who is always somewhere around), will be engaged in shaping the new face of Microsoft in the next decade.
Microsoft: Forty Years Behind - What's the Output?
As you can see, the forty-year history of Microsoft Corporation is rich in events. Events that made the company what we know it today. The current face of the corporation is not only mega-popular software products from the Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office family.
Microsoft today is software for a bunch of computing hardware. In addition, it is a manufacturer of all kinds of PC accessories - keyboards and mice - and the famous game console Xbox- the main competitor Sony playstation... In addition, Microsoft, through its divisions, competes with recognized leaders in the tablet PC market ( Microsoft Surface) and smartphones ( Microsoft Lumia).
And internet search is another area of interest for Microsoft. Here, the forty-year-old brainchild of Bill Gates and Paul Allen is wielding with. In less than 6 years of existence, the latter became the second most popular in the United States after. And the third in the world after Google and Baidu. Moreover, the lag behind Baidu is conditional - less than one percent.
Microsoft's diverse interests are consistent with its status as a large multinational corporation. Forbes magazine named Microsoft the international leader among software companies in 2014. Microsoft's annual revenue is estimated at $ 87 billion. The closest pursuers are the American Oracle and the German SAP - 38 and 23 billion, respectively.
According to another rating, last year Microsoft Corporation rounded out the top three world leaders in terms of market capitalization of assets (how much a company is worth). In 2014, this amount is estimated at $ 383 billion. Only Apple Inc. is ahead. (647 billion) and Exxon Mobil (391 billion).
I propose to finish the story about Microsoft with what I started with - employees of the company. Over the years since the initial public offering of the corporation, the workforce has grown. Today it is 128 thousand people, including one thousand workers in Russia. Curious how many of them are now millionaires?
