Gary Kildall: The Inventor of Operating System
Gary is long forgotten by the tech industry.
Today a very few know the inventor of Disk Operating System(DOS) Gary Kildall. DOS went on to transform into Operating systems that we all use today. Before his invention, every computer chip needed to have its own set of codes for users to interact with the computer. Imagine if you had to have a different type of charger connector for every phone model ever made. It would have been a menace for everyone.
Early Life
Gary was not good at his high school. He was fond of high-speed cars and boats from the very beginning and applied his technological mind to rebuild old classical cars. His growing interest in technology cost him a year at high school. After completing his studies, he went on to attend college, hoping to become a Mathematics Teacher. But at college his affinity towards computers grew up. He enrolled at the University of Washington to pursue Mathematics.
While pursuing his degree, the University commissioned a new B5500, one of the powerful computers in those days. This computer was capable of running ALGOL. ALGOL could allow the computer to perform calculations much faster than humans.
He managed to get a job maintaining the B5500 and used to play with it the whole night. His hard work and sleepless nights paid off when university accepted him for their first master’s degree in Computer Science. But the joy was short-lived as he got a call letter from the army, commissioning him for the Vietnam war. His Dad helped him procure some relaxation and complete his degree. While completing his degree the Kildall impressed President of University by his works in the computer department. The President later went on to help him stay back as a professor at NPS(Naval Postgraduate School).
Kildall completed his Masters in 1969 and went on to serve at NPS. After his three years of duty were over, he returned to pursue his Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 1972. While pursuing his Ph.D., he wrote his research paper on data flow analysis, often referred to as Kildall’s method. While at university, he came across Intel 4004 microprocessors, he went ahead and developed a simulator to fake operations of 4004 on his IBM 370. At that time Kildall could not afford the microprocessor. While tweaking with the chipset, he got frustrated over the limitations of the chip but recognized it’s potential over mainframe computers.
It was at a very primitive stage by anyone’s standards but foretold the possibility of personal computers that need not be shared by anyone else. It may be hard to believe but this little thing started the whole damn industry.
Stint at Intel
Kildall’s continued involvement with Intel’s 4004 made him an interesting candidate for Intel. The 4004 chip had no trigonometric functions, but Kildall spent months programming the chip to calculate these functions. He traded the software running trigonometric functions for a new Intel 4004. Using his new microprocessor he created a briefcase computer that he would carry with himself everywhere and showcase its capabilities. This new briefcase computer inspired many young minds.
Kildall was later offered a part-time role as a consultant at Intel. Intel provided him with the new Intel 8008 to play with. While experimenting with the processor, he came up with an idea to make a compiler. This compiler would help users to use high-level language to communicate with the computer. He went with this idea to his manager at Intel and asked for his permission. The manager had a word with some of his customers and said these three words of significance, “Go For It.” These words made what is possibly the most used tool in computing.
CP/M(Control Program for Microcomputers)
Firstly, Kildall made PL/M(Programming Language for Microcomputers) for Intel. This was first of a kind compiler where the users could just put in their commands in high-level language instead of typing long-form codes in binary language.
But after having success with PL/M, Kildall started facing issues with his computers at home and work. He could not use his Intellec individually from the expensive minicomputer installed at his institute. “Without a disk operating system the computer is too dumb to do anything.” He stored the code on an eight-inch floppy disk, but had no ways to run it. This disk drive needed a complex electronic controller board to deal with the electronics. The project remained a theory for almost a year until Kildall got help from his colleague from University. The new microcontroller for the floppy was ready. Kildall loaded the code into the diskette, and booted CP/M from the disk. The computer successfully started, Kildall then opened a file and stored it on the disk. It worked.
This was one of the most exciting moments of my life. This was the next big thing.
But in the early days, they were not able to find clients for their product. It was, until Omron used CP/M for building its hardware for newspaper editing. They paid Kildall around $25000 for the license to CP/M. He split this money with his colleague, who helped him develop the electronics. This let to the early success of CP/M.
When one of Kildall’s early age students came to him asking if he could adapt CP/M for use in IMSAI hardware. By this time, Kildall’s fingers were sore typing codes for all separate clients. This was the time that he developed the BIOS(Basic Input/output system). A good programmer could tweak this set of code for use with certain hardware. The BIOS became the secret ingredient for the success of CP/M.
To date Windows uses BIOS for use on various computers.
After developing BIOS, he integrated a new program {int21: any application could interface with CP/M}. This way, he had made software and hardware independent of each other. Now any piece of software could run on any hardware.
Intergalactic Digital Research(Digital Research Inc.)
Gary Kildall was all into the OS thing just as a hobby, but his wife Dorothy wanted him to make a career out of this. She forced him to license the products and sell them under a new label. The closing of the deal with IMSAI led to the formation of a new company where Kildall and his wife Dorothy would sell his software. The business started as Intergalactic Digital Research. Dorothy handled the business while Kildall improved the Operating System.
At this point, coincidentally Intel decided to let go of his consultancy. According to sources, they wanted to develop an indigenous operating system.
By 1978 Kildall’s operating system was a success. Intel had launched its operating system, but it looked quite shabby as compared to CP/M. Kildall’s solution was cheaper and could run on all the Intel and competitor’s chipsets.
The IBM personal computer
By 1978 Apple-II was already a success, running CP/M while using the vast source of applications developed on the platform, with integrated Microsoft Basic. It was the first computer that was pre-configured, to use out of the box. The users did not need to assemble anything. In 1980 IBM saw the potential with the personal computers and decided to manufacture a personal computer. It would take years to design a computer from scratch, but IBM did not want to lose the market share to Apple. So, they commissioned a secret team to build a new business-oriented personal computer using off the shelf parts, to speed up the process.
By the end of 1980, IBM had the hardware ready, but one thing was missing, the software.
Who would make the software for IBM’s next big thing?
IBM approached Microsoft to build the software for the new computer. Before even disclosing anything to Bill Gates, IBM made him sign an agreement that forbids him to discuss anything with any other soul about what is to be spoken of. After the briefing, Bill Gates remarked that Microsoft did not have an Operating System and directed IBM towards Gary Kildall.
This is the most controversial part of the story. According to some sources, IBM and Kildall never met, and IBM flew back to Bill Gates to close the deal with Microsoft.
But, some state complete opposite. According to these reporters, IBM visited Kildall’s DRI and met with his wife Dorothy, while Kildall was out doing some business. She was very reluctant to sign the non-disclosure agreement until IBM revealed what they wanted from DRI. She even went too far and put forth DRI’s agreement which all other clients had signed. Due to this nature of Dorothy IBM left the office to meet Bill Gates.
But according to Kildall, in his biography, he states that he was back before the IBM guys left DRI and settled on the non-disclosure agreement. He proposed MP/M-86, a multiple programming language that could multitask easily. He was very ambitious about MP/M, but IBM insisted on CP/M-86 for the 16-bit chip. He decided to complete the deal, but the amount offered by IBM was way below expectations. Kildall tried to negotiate for the price with a royalty fee, but IBM did not agree on the deal, and hence the left DRI frustrated.
Eventually, IBM went to Bill Gates and told him to develop an Operating system. Bill did not want to miss this chance and immediately acquired Paterson’s adoption of Kildall’s CP/M, Q-DOS(Quick Dirty Operating System). Kildall had earlier sought claims to Q-DOS being an exact copy of his CP/M. Gates developed and modified the system a bit and renamed Q-DOS to PC-DOS.
Microsoft registered it’s PC-DOS under the name of MS-DOS(Microsoft Disk OS) and went on to sell them with IBM PC’s. Now every IBM PC came bundled with MS-DOS.
The Biggest deal in history of Computers
Bill Gates managed to prepare an Operating System for IBM and sold it for $50,000. He was a clever man and never mentioned that licensing was unique to IBM. Later, companies like Compaq and HP started producing their personal computers and went looking for an operating system. They all got their hands on the operating system running on one of the best selling personal computers in the market. Now MS-DOS was ruling the PC market. This deal later went on to become the greatest deal in the history of computers.
After this deal Bill Gates went on to become World’s richest man and Gary Kildall started losing money. He was able to prove that MS-DOS was essentially a copy of his creation, but the DOS sold for pretty cheap compared to his CP/M. He could never make for the lost opportunity.
A clone of his greatest inventions led to the downfall of Gary Kildall.
According to some users of the computers Kildall, was tricked by IBM. If IBM had accepted his deal, people would have had access to Windows(MP/M) almost a decade earlier. Due to IBM using MS-DOS, a clone of CP/M, the systems kept crashing, leading to loss of incalculable amounts of data.
The only person in the software business I’ve met who became more of a regular guy the more money and fame he had — Forbes on Gary Kildall
Kildall had a very kind heart and never sued Microsoft or IBM for cheating him. Instead, he went on to host the show Computer Chronicles and later on died a mysterious death in a biker’s bar, where he sustained multiple head injuries.
One of the greatest creators of the software world, and the most significant moments in his life are surrounded by controversies. Cause of his death was never revealed, and the actual happenings of the IBM deal are still a mystery.
Anyone in the tech world barely remembers this legend.
They made America by Harold Evans- Citations from Book
