 | From Revolution to Evolution, Microsoft Continues a Tradition of Innovation In 1975, you couldn't buy a personal computer — unless you wanted to build it yourself. Collaborating with coworkers meant poring over photo or carbon copies of documents. And keeping in touch? Most of us still turned to Uncle Sam or Ma Bell.
Yet, in 1975, Bill Gates and Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen saw the potential to turn a hobbyist's toy into something more. They sold the first software language program, called BASIC, for the Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) Altair 8800, the first "personal computer." BASIC, and the many software programs that followed from Microsoft developers and partners, helped spark a technology revolution that has transformed how we do business, how we live, and how we learn.
At Microsoft, we create software — the instructions that help electronic devices like computers, cars, and digital cameras work. Millions of people around the world use our technology every day, from multinational corporations that do business in many currencies and languages to small companies that count on just-in-time inventory systems to keep orders flowing. Educators and students use our software for lesson plans, homework, and collaborating on projects. In the home, families manage their personal finances, share photographs, and communicate online.
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From revolution to evolutionInnovative software from Microsoft and our partners continues to transform how we work and how we play: | • | Mobile computing options such as the Microsoft® Windows®-based Tablet PC and Pocket PC 2002 Phone Edition let you work wherever you are, with many of the same powerful Microsoft Office programs that make creating and sharing documents, presentations, and data with others easy to do. At the Center for Information Work, Microsoft and partners like Sony, Intel, and Acer are prototyping ideas that may help us be more productive in the future.
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| • | New technologies such as Microsoft .NET XML Web Services help companies efficiently share data with internal applications or with suppliers via the Internet, making it easier to manage IT costs while making new business capabilities possible.
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| • | Our enterprise-ready servers are built with a scalable and reliable architecture that can grow as your company's needs evolve. Plus, our worldwide network of partners build innovative solutions that solve real business problems.
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| • | Technology for your home — TV programs, music, digital video, photos, and DVDs — can now be stored in one easy-to-access location with the Windows XP Media Center Edition.
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| • | Our communities bring people together, from developers working in real time on code to bridge players on MSN. Online gamers experience state-of-the-art graphics and an active community of players on Xbox®.
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The digital decadeThe next 10 years — what Bill Gates calls "the digital decade" — holds even more promise. We believe that computers powered by .NET technology will make Internet-based computing and communications easier, more personalized, and more productive for individuals and businesses. We envision smart software continuing to help integrate technology into the everyday fabric of our lives, keeping us connected to the people, activities, and information that are meaningful to us. And we know that we'll continue to be motivated and inspired by how innovative software helps change lives. At Microsoft, it's our belief that the true measure of our success is not in the power of our software, but in the power it unleashes in us all. | |
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