Kildall Gary (1 results)

Condition: Near Fine. First Edition. Special first edition, one of 50 copies signed by Gary Kildall on the limitation page. Bound in publisher's maroon leatherette boards stamped in gilt, with a reproduced typed letter about the book with holograph inscription to former owners and hand signed by Gary laid in. Near Fine with light wear. A legendary figure in the early history of personal computing, Kildall is known as the man who might have been Bill Gates. He and a partner developed the language PL/M to produce CP/M, one of the first operating systems for personal computers. An untimely death at age 52 after a head injury sustained at a biker bar, with conflicting accounts claiming he fell or was assaulted for wearing Harley-Davidson leathers, has sparked conspiracy theories and added to Kildall's mythos.Original copies of Kildall's memoir are a legendary rarity, revealing the history of early personal computing and development from an inside perspective, as well as Kildall's feelings about the people involved. Of Bill Gates, Kildall writes he was "more of an opportunist than a technical type, and severely opinionated, even when the opinion he holds is absurd [.] Don't think for a minute that [Bill] Gates made it 'big time' because of his technical savvy."While in 2016 the Kildall family made the first seven chapters of this book publicly available, only a handful of the original unexpurgated copies exist, as only 50 copies were given out by the author to family and friends. Signed.