The Legacy of Gary Kildall: Pioneering Computer Scientist

Gary Kildall, a pioneering computer scientist, passed away at the age of 52 in California in 1994. Kildall was responsible for creating the first popular operating system for personal computers, Control Program/Monitor (CP/M), which was a fundamental program that controlled the way the computer's central processing unit stored and retrieved information from a floppy disk drive. He founded Digital Research in 1974 to sell the system, and by the early 1980s, the company's yearly revenues had reached $US5 million.

Kildall's CP/M became the standard operating system for the first generation of eight-bit microcomputers. However, in 1980, Kildall was approached by IBM to develop a version of his program for its new personal computer. Kildall attended the meeting and believed he had struck a deal with IBM, but IBM executives later met with Microsoft's Bill Gates, leading to the development of PC-DOS, which eventually became the industry standard. Despite Microsoft's success with MS-DOS, many people in the computer industry argued that Microsoft's operating system infringed on CP/M patents. Kildall, however, decided not to sue, citing the fact that copying was rife in the industry at the time.

Key Takeaways:

• Gary Kildall created the first popular operating system for personal computers, Control Program/Monitor (CP/M).
• Kildall founded Digital Research in 1974 to sell the CP/M system, which became the standard operating system for the first generation of eight-bit microcomputers.
• In 1980, Kildall was approached by IBM to develop a version of CP/M for its new personal computer, but IBM executives later met with Microsoft's Bill Gates.
• Microsoft's PC-DOS eventually became the industry standard, and the company became the leading supplier of computer software.
• Kildall decided not to sue Microsoft over alleged infringement of CP/M patents, citing the fact that copying was common in the industry at the time.
• Digital Research was sold to Novell in 1991, and Kildall remained involved as chairman until then.

Statistics:

• $US5 million: Digital Research's yearly revenues by the early 1980s.
• 1973: The year Kildall wrote the first CP/M operating system.
• 1974: The year Kildall founded Digital Research.
• 1980: The year IBM approached Kildall to develop a version of CP/M for its new personal computer.
• 1991: The year Digital Research was sold to Novell.

Sources:

• Back Talk (no date).
• Peter Schumpeter, Obituary, Gary Kildall, 1942-1994 (no date).
• Back Talk. The Top Radio Topics (no date).
• Various radio programs and articles, including 3LO's Elaine Canty program, 3AW's Neil Mitchell program, and 3AW's Sarah Henderson program.