Bill Gates, the magician of the Computer World

   Bill Gates is one of the most successful business personalities in the world. He is a computer programmer, inventor, business magnate and generous donor.  Bill Gates is co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, world’s largest software company. Microsoft is one of the most recognized brands in the computer industry with nearly every desk top computer using at least one software program of them. Bill Gates was the richest man in the world and he had held the number one position for many years.
   William Henry “Bill” Gates III was born and grew up in Seattle, Washington, USA in 1955. His father, William H. Gates II was a lawyer and his mother, Mary Maxwell Gates was a school teacher. He is the second of three kids in Gates family. He has an older and a younger sister. His father was a famous lawyer and he was expected that his son, young Bill would follow his footsteps. Bill Gates was an especially gifted student. He did well in all subjects but showed a special talent in mathematics. When Bill Gates was only13, his parents believed he was not being challenged in his public school and enrolled him in the private and highly standard, Lakeside School. The school obtained a computer terminal and young Bill Gates was immediately interested on that. He and a group of his friends, including his future business partner Paul Allen, took every chance to explore the possibilities of the new technology. From here they taught themselves the basics of computer programming. 
   Bill Gates and his friends were working part-time and summers, writing computer program for large businesses around his native town. Bill Gates and Paul Allen closely followed events in the computer industry and foresaw that the development of microprocessors would lead to the creation of solid affordable a personal computer that would someday replace the large mainframe systems used in business and industry. 

   Bill Gates started studying at Harvard University in 1973 where he spent time with his friend Paul Allen. Bill Gates and Paul Allen worked on a version of the programming language (BASIC) that was the basis for the MITS Altair, which was the first available microcomputer. Bill Gates did not complete his graduation from the Harvard University as he left in his junior year to start their own business, which was to become the largest computer software company in the world, the Microsoft Corporation.

   After dropping out of the Harvard Bill Gates and his partner Paul Allen set about revolutionizing the computer industry. They believed there should be a computer on every desk in an office and in every home. In 1975 the company Micro-soft was formed, which was an abbreviation of microcomputer software. It soon became simply “Microsoft®” and went on to completely change the way people use computers. Microsoft helped to make the computer easier to use with its developed and purchased software, and made it a commercial success. The success of Microsoft began with the MS-DOS computer operating system that Bill Gates licensed to IBM.
   With his great success in the computer software industry, Bill Gates also got many criticisms for his ambitious and aggressive business philosophy. The Microsoft monopoly sets about completely dominating in every IT market. Many of the largest technology companies have fought legally against the Microsoft.
   Bill Gates had with an estimated wealth of $53 billion in 2006. Bill Gates was the richest man in the world and held the position from the mid-nineties up until now. Now he is in the second position.
   Being the richest man in the world Bill Gates created one of the world's largest charitable foundations. “The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation” has a donation of more than $28 billion, with donations totaling more than $1 billion every year. Their aim is to bring innovations in health and learning to the global community. The foundation was formed in 2000 after combining the "Gates Learning Foundation" and "William H. Gates Foundation".

   In March, 2005 Bill Gates received an (honorary) knighthood from the Queen of England for his services in reducing poverty and improving health in the developing countries around the world.
   Bill Gates retired as CEO from the Microsoft Corporation in 2008. Now, Bill Gates lives near Lake Washington with his wife Melinda French Gates and their three children.