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Chyist Dec 11, 1998 A
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========================================================================= Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1998 11:01:15 EST
Reply-To: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Comments: Converted from OV/VM to RFC822 format by PUMP V2.2X
From: Paul Ceruzzi <NASEM001@SIVM.SI.EDU>
Subject: CM: gates & Microsoft BASIC
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Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________
When discusing the BASIC that Gates & Allen developed for the Alair, two things stand out: 1) It could be shoehorned into a computer with very little memory (recall Dartmouth BASIC needed a large GE mainframe). 2) It allowed the user to do lots of things that one could not normally do in BASIC -- often regarded as a "toy" language. It did that through the use of commands like "PEEK," "POKE," and "USR," none of which would have been feasible on the time-shared Dartmouth version.
All of these characteristics of BASIC had been pioneered by programmers at DEC, specifically for a system running on a small PDP-11/20. When I was researching this story for my book (A History of Modern Computing -- shameless plug), I talked to some of the DEC people who came up with those ideas. Not one of them was bitter or in any way angry with Gates for talking "their" ideas. I even called one of them a few days after he had been "downsized" from DEC. His response was that he was flattered and honored to have played a role in one of the most incredible achievements of the 20th Century.
I think we should give Gates & Allen credit for knowing what to borrow -- or steal if you insist -- I don't care what word you use and it isn't important. What realy amazes me is how DEC had so much of this in their hands and let it slip away.
______________________________________________________________________
Reply-To: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Comments: Converted from OV/VM to RFC822 format by PUMP V2.2X
From: Paul Ceruzzi <NASEM001@SIVM.SI.EDU>
Subject: CM: gates & Microsoft BASIC
______________________________________________________________________
Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________
When discusing the BASIC that Gates & Allen developed for the Alair, two things stand out: 1) It could be shoehorned into a computer with very little memory (recall Dartmouth BASIC needed a large GE mainframe). 2) It allowed the user to do lots of things that one could not normally do in BASIC -- often regarded as a "toy" language. It did that through the use of commands like "PEEK," "POKE," and "USR," none of which would have been feasible on the time-shared Dartmouth version.
All of these characteristics of BASIC had been pioneered by programmers at DEC, specifically for a system running on a small PDP-11/20. When I was researching this story for my book (A History of Modern Computing -- shameless plug), I talked to some of the DEC people who came up with those ideas. Not one of them was bitter or in any way angry with Gates for talking "their" ideas. I even called one of them a few days after he had been "downsized" from DEC. His response was that he was flattered and honored to have played a role in one of the most incredible achievements of the 20th Century.
I think we should give Gates & Allen credit for knowing what to borrow -- or steal if you insist -- I don't care what word you use and it isn't important. What realy amazes me is how DEC had so much of this in their hands and let it slip away.
______________________________________________________________________
