Additional information

Bill Gates about his start

The story of Microsoft really began one day in 1975, when my friend Paul Allen and I saw an article in Popular Electronics describing a new «personal computer» called the MITS ALTAIR 8800. The Altair was very different from the mainframe computers that we were used to back then. It was a build-it-yourself kit for hobbyists - what arrived in the mail wasn't fully assembled computer, just some bags of parts and a set of photocopied instructions. After a few days (or weeks) of soldering, you ended up with a computer roughly the size of a bread box, with rows of switches and blinking lights.

It wasn't much to look at, and it was pretty much impossible to make it do anything useful, but right away we thought the Altair was the start of a revolution that would change the world. The «brain» of the Altair - the inexpensive Intel 8080 microprocessor - made possible a truly human-scale computer that could fit on a desk. In those days, when computers usually lived in air-conditioned glass rooms sur­rounded by trained technicians, that was an amazing achievement.

To transform that achievement into a breakthrough, the Altair needed software that could make it perform useful computing tasks. That set Paul and me on the path to forming our own software compa­ny. We knew that microprocessors would become more powerful and less expensive, so the cost of computers would come down.

Taking Computer for Granted

We figured that would bring them within reach of far more people, from entrepreneurs to students to home users. And we concluded that this would create a huge demand for software. We formed a little part­nership called Microsoft so we could be a part of this transformation.

Over the years, the PC has grown from a hobbyist's toy into an indispensable tool that continuous to change the world. Its revolu­tionized how we deal with information, how we communicate, and how we work, learn, and play. And the little company Paul and I dreamed up sitting around my college dorm room is now the world's biggest software company, employing almost 40,000 people in more than 50 countries. From our roots in programming languages and op­erating systems, we've ventured into just about every kind of software you can imagine, from industrial-strength servers to games.

We started with a vision of «a computer on every desk and in every home». We turned that vision - which many critics saw as noth­ing but a fantasy - into reality. Hundreds of current and former Micro­soft employees were interviewed about our first 25 years - the suc­cesses and failures, the personal and professional challenges, and their dreams for the future. Those stories chronicle our growth from scrappy start-up to industry leader. They tell of the risks we've taken, the in­tense competition we've weathered, and the new trails we've blazed. They explain the complex process that takes us from good ideas to great products. They reveal what we're thinking about how technolo­gy can improve society and change the world. In 25 years we've ac­complished so many things that people said were impossible, and we've shattered every myth about what the PC can't do. As ambitious as we were at the outset, we had no idea that we would become such a large and influential company, or that we would lead an industry that's come to play such an important role in the global economy.

Looking back at what we've achieved in 25 years, I feel certain that we'll have even more impressive things to remember in our 50th year. Every day, we're finding new ways for technology to en­hance and enrich people's lives. We're really just getting started.

1. Read and try to understand the given above text

2. No doubt, a person who is willing to establish a new busi­ness must have certain skills, such as:

UNIT 2

Communication skills. Organizational skills.

Decision-making skills. Planning skills.

Problem solving skills. Creative skills.

Critical thinking skills. Financial management skills.

Team building skills. Scientific & investigative skills.

Besides that he or she must have administrative and leader­ship skills and, of course, be educated and experienced in the area of his activity and objectives.

He or she must be able to cope with stress and be prepared to take a risk preferably calculated one.

We give you free hand to add some more important skills that aren't listed above.

Now the questions are:

1. Why do you think Bill Gates is a success in his business? Prove your point of view.

2. Is it possible today to establish a new company either in the field of hardware or software that will be able in the future to com­pete with, for example, Microsoft, IBM or Intel. If «yes», what kind of a company it should be? If «not» - why «not»?

3. Do you feel yourself capable to be a head of a large hard­ware or software company? Give full answer, please.

4. Why the American Government wanted to divide Microsoft into two or maybe more independent companies?

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5. Vocabulary peculiarities

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1669