>Actually, they bought DOS from someone else, and pitched it to IBM, >who decided to license it from them.
It is more insiderish than that. Gates's mother knew IBM was looking for something. Gary Kildall had the inside track. But he as arrogant, and either cancelled a meeting, or declined to visit IBM, I don't remember. Gates tracked down Seattle Software, bought the rights for $50,000, and went to the meeting with IBM, with "look what we created" and got the deal. Seattle had no idea Gates was buying it to sell to IBM of course. No one has ever written what specific influence his parents had any decision, if any, outside of arranging the meeting. They may have had none, or may have helped swung it, after Killdall pissed off the IBM field rep. I don't remember what his parents did, but his mother was well connected in financial circles, which is how the IBM deal was arrranged. So it definitely fits the bill of steal it, show it as something I was working on... ;-) Microsoft Windows: It just keeps getting beta and beta. Mark James SoftRAID, LLC mjames@ softraid.com ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe send a mail message with a SUBJECT line of "unsubscribe" to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
