RARRRRR!!!!! Quick links!
http://microsoft.com/billgates -- His official webpage
http://www.angelfire.com/rebellion2/billgates/ -- My friends Bill Gates fansite.
http://jmusheneaux.com -- A computer history site, very good. A little pro-Apple, but they respect our opinions.
http://corbis.com -- Stock photography. Yet another company Billy founded. |
BIOGRAPHY (stolen from another site. Woops.)
These bios are stolen from a site that stole them from a different site. Wup der dum. (in case you were wondering, Wup der dum means wup dee do, in my language.)
This bio is from the Microsoft Website: (so therefore NOT MINE!)
William H. Gates Chairman and Chief Software Architect Microsoft Corporation
William (Bill) H. Gates is chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft Corporation, the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Microsoft had revenues of US$36.84 billion for the fiscal year ending June 2004, and employs more than 55,000 people in 85 countries and regions.
Born on Oct. 28, 1955, Gates grew up in Seattle with his two sisters. Their father, William H. Gates II, is a Seattle attorney. Their late mother, Mary Gates, was a schoolteacher, University of Washington regent, and chairwoman of United Way International.
Gates attended public elementary school and the private Lakeside School. There, he discovered his interest in software and began programming computers at age 13.
In 1973, Gates entered Harvard University as a freshman, where he lived down the hall from Steve Ballmer, now Microsoft's chief executive officer. While at Harvard, Gates developed a version of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer - the MITS Altair.
In his junior year, Gates left Harvard to devote his energies to Microsoft, a company he had begun in 1975 with his childhood friend Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the computer would be a valuable tool on every office desktop and in every home, they began developing software for personal computers. Gates' foresight and his vision for personal computing have been central to the success of Microsoft and the software industry.
Under Gates' leadership, Microsoft's mission has been to continually advance and improve software technology, and to make it easier, more cost-effective and more enjoyable for people to use computers. The company is committed to a long-term view, reflected in its investment of approximately $6.2 billion on research and development in the 2005 fiscal year.
In 1999, Gates wrote Business @ the Speed of Thought, a book that shows how computer technology can solve business problems in fundamentally new ways. The book was published in 25 languages and is available in more than 60 countries. Business @ the Speed of Thought has received wide critical acclaim, and was listed on the best-seller lists of the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal and Amazon.com. Gates' previous book, The Road Ahead, published in 1995, held the No. 1 spot on the New York Times' bestseller list for seven weeks.
Gates has donated the proceeds of both books to non-profit organizations that support the use of technology in education and skills development.
In addition to his love of computers and software, Gates founded Corbis, which is developing one of the world's largest resources of visual information - a comprehensive digital archive of art and photography from public and private collections around the globe. He is also a member of the board of directors of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which invests in companies engaged in diverse business activities.
Philanthropy is also important to Gates. He and his wife, Melinda, have endowed a foundation with more than $27 billion (as of March 2004) to support philanthropic initiatives in the areas of global health and learning, with the hope that in the 21st century, advances in these critical areas will be available for all people. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has committed more than $3.2 billion to organizations working in global health; more than $2 billion to improve learning opportunities, including the Gates Library Initiative to bring computers, Internet Access and training to public libraries in low-income communities in the United States and Canada; more than $477 million to community projects in the Pacific Northwest; and more than $488 million to special projects and annual giving campaigns.
Gates was married on Jan. 1, 1994, to Melinda French Gates. They have three children. Gates is an avid reader, and enjoys playing golf and bridge.
Okay, that was the Microsoft version. Let's hear from someone else. This one is from AskMen.com I have to credit them for this or else they will sue. So they are credited! THIS ISN'T MINE!
William H. Gates was born October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington. The son of William H. Gates II, a Seattle attorney, and the late Mary Gates, a former schoolteacher, University of Washington regent and chairwoman of United Way International, Gates' fascination with computers began at an early age.
After attending a public elementary school, Gates attended the private Lakeside School, where his career in computers would begin to manifest itself. A math whiz, Gates was already on the road to programming -- tic-tac-toe games -- and scrounging for programming remnants outside a computer company, with classmate Paul Allen.
Gates went off to Harvard University with the original intention of becoming a math professor. It was during his Harvard days that he and Allen developed Basic, the programming language for the MITS Altair (the first microcomputer). Incidentally, Gates lived down the hall from the present CEO of Microsoft and fellow Harvard student, Steve Ballmer.
Gates never made it to graduation, as he had bigger and better plans. He opted to focus his energy on his and Paul Allen's company -- a then small Microsoft. Gates and Allen were driven by the belief that in a matter of time, every home and office would need a personal computer, and thus the company was born.
Microsoft's road to success began after Gates and Allen struck a deal with IBM to install the Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS) in their computers. After Microsoft developed more software applications, the company eventually became the standard in the PC market. The IBM/Microsoft relationship started after Big Blue asked Microsoft to develop an operating system for its PCs... and the rest is history.
CEO and President of the biggest software company in the world -- to say the least -- until November 2000, Bill Gates passed the throne to Steve Ballmer. Presently Chairman of the corporation, Bill Gates holds the title of Chief Software Architect, where he remains an active force at Microsoft.
Involved in management and strategic decisions, Gates is an important part of the technical development of the company, and devotes his time to customer service (the millions of customers, might we add) and employee relations.
Venturing into the world of publishing, Gates followed up his 1995 book, The Road Ahead, with the bestseller, Business @ the Speed of Thought. Released in 1999 and co-written by Collins Hemingway, the book was published in 25 languages and aims at showing the ways digital processes can solve business problems.
Not only have the proceeds of both books been donated to non-profit organizations supporting the use of technology in education, but Gates' charitable nature has paved the way to organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, aimed at improving the standard of living for underprivileged people.
Gates has also greatly contributed to the Global Fund for Children's Vaccines with $750 million in grants, and launched the Gates Millennium Scholars Program, awarding scholarships to low-income children. He has also donated $200 million in computers and Internet access to low-income public libraries.
He may be the name people will forever associate with Microsoft, but at home he is husband to Melinda French Gates, a former Microsoft employee. Married on New Years Day, 1994, the couple resides in Seattle with their two children, Jennifer Katharine and Rory John.
A billionaire at 31, and presently one of the wealthiest men in the world (his estimated worth stands at approximately $70 billion, as of November 2000), Bill Gates is a 20th century visionary who proved to the world that it's the software that makes the computer, not the machine.
What else do you need to know?
Okay, so now we have heard from everyone. Yay!
END OF COPYWRIGHT INFRINGEMENT |
