Bill Gates A Biography Review
This article is a part of College English Band 4 homework. Reference only. Please do NOT copy.
Bill Gates: A Biography was written in 2014 by Michael B. Becraft, who was the Professor of Finance and Director in Business at Park University. Dr. Michael Becraft initially learned to program at a very young age, using a version of BASIC created by Microsoft. Consequently, he had great interest in Microsoft and Bill Gates. This book paints a vivid picture of Bill Gates that covers his early life and his years as an inquisitive and adventurous student to his experiences as a budding entrepreneur and billionaire philanthropist. Apart from technical details, the book also explores the ethical, financial, legal, management and leadership applications inherent in Gates’s work, and supplies a balanced and unbiased account of Bill Gates along with criticisms.
The book caught my eyes among the recommended books due to various reasons. First and foremost, majoring in computer science, I’m greatly intrigued by computer history, particularly the personal computer revolution, which took place with the efforts of Bill Gates and many others. The book delves deep into these changes, providing a magnificent historical perspective. Second, many people, including me, are undoubtedly curious about how Gates’s talent and foresight help shape the Microsoft Empire. Besides, for those who aspire to become people like Gates, the book is a must read.
According to the author and my own thoughts, the success of Gates and Microsoft was largely attributed to the time advantage earned with foresight and the later standardization bonus. Throughout Microsoft’s entire product history, the popularity and market dominance has always been essential. Take Microsoft’s most significant products for example, DOS was factual standard for 16-bit computers, Windows is by far the most popular graphical operating system on desktops, and Office is indispensable in word processing, spreadsheeting and presentation. This is because operating systems are fundamental platforms for applications, and Microsoft did a good job integrating their applications into operating systems.
On the other hand, Altair BASIC was the one that started all, including Microsoft and the home computer era. Gates instinctively realized the importance of software for computers far earlier than the public. He felt urged to write software for the promising Altair 8800. And only by being the first one to accomplish could he make the most benefit. Although Gates and Allen didn’t have a working Altair, experts in Intel who developed the microprocessor itself didn’t expect BASIC to run on 8080, and the memory size of Altair could be as small as 4 KB, they eventually managed to crunch BASIC into a preliminary computer. Gates even dropped out from Harvard University for full-time development. In this way, the newly-founded Microsoft entered the software market successfully, and later with a bit luck with IBM, Microsoft took off thoroughly.
Furthermore, I discovered some of my traits and experiences fairly resemble Gates’s. I have been fond of reading books from early on, though what I remembered might not be as much as Gates might have. Moreover, I learned programming in primary school, while Gates did in Lakeside prep school, despite the great difference between our times. What initially attracts me to programming was also the same as Gates – the fun and achievement of instructing a sophisticated machine under full control. Hence, I’m quite motivated to follow the example of Gates.
In conclusion, at the right time, with proper foresight and courage, Gates’s risk-taking and enthusiasm paid off, constructing a great company. Today, we should also seize the opportunities in fields with great potentials, and create a better future for humans.