Gary Kildall

Updated: 09/12/2023 by Computer Hope
Gary Kildall

Name: Gary Kildall

Born: May 19, 1942, in Seattle, Washington USA

Death: July 11, 1994 (Age: 52)

Computer-related contributions

  • Often called the man who gave Bill Gates the world.
  • American computer scientist and microcomputer entrepreneur who invented the CP/M operating system.
  • Founded DRI (Digital Research, Inc.) (1974).
  • Created the first diskette track buffering schemes, read-ahead algorithms, file directory caches, and RAM (random-access memory) disk emulators.
  • Introduced a binary recompiler in the 1980s.
  • Developed the file system and data structures for the first consumer CD-ROM (compact disc read-only memory).
  • One of the first people to see microprocessors as fully capable computers rather than equipment controllers and to organize a company around this concept.
  • Co-hosted the PBS TV show The Computer Chronicles.

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