Компания Майкрософт (в разделе Известные люди. Изобретения.)
методическая разработка

Microsoft

It is strange to think that one of the richest and most powerful business in the world only 25 years old.

Early in 1975 Bill Gates and his friend Paul Allen, both undergraduates at Harvard University, ordered a «personal computer» called the «MITS Altair 600» from Popular Electronics magazine. When it arrived they had to assemble the different parts and try to make it work.

In less than one month, Bill and Paul had written their first computer language, BASIC, and sold it to manufacturer MITS. One month later, Paul Allen was appointed Director of Software at MITS.

Bill Gates and Paul Allen formed a partnership under the name Microsoft.

By July 1975, they had already developed version 2.0 of their BASIC software.

Two years later, Microsoft published its second computer language, which was called FORTRAN-80.

For the next few years, Microsoft published its second computer language including COBOL and Pascal, but their big breakthrough came in 1981 with Microsoft MS-DOS. In 1983, we saw the first Microsoft word processing program, Microsoft word. In the same year Microsoft announced Windows, an extension of MS-DOS which provided a graphical «point and click» operating environment.

Even though the early version of Windows did not work very well, most computer users were happy with MS-DOS. By 1985, Microsoft was celebrating its tenth anniversary and annual sales of $140 million.

The following year, Microsoft Excel, a spreadsheet package for Windows was published.

Over the following years, Microsoft continued to grow. By 1993 10 million people around the world were using Microsoft Word in its various versions.

Many people in the computer world have pointed out that Microsoft has never been a great innovator in software. Most of their best products have been developed from ideas created by others. The success of the company, they say, has been based on the publics need to use common software and Microsoft has to frequently defend its business practices in the US courts.

I. Answer the questions.

1. How old is Microsoft?

2. Who are the founders of Microsoft?

3. What languages did Bill Gates and Paul Allen invent?

4. What was the most successful product of Microsoft?

5. What did Microsoft celebrate in 1985?

6. What do people say about Microsoft products?

II. Choose the right answer.

1. What was the name of computer Bill Gates and

Paul Allen ordered in 1975?

A. IBM 475

B. MITS Altair 600;

C. Pentium IV

2. Windows appeared in . . .

A. 1993; B. 1995; C. 1983

3. The early version of Windows didn’t work well…

A. But computer users were happy with MS-DOS

B. And computer users were dissatisfied with MS-DOS

4. By 1985 the annual sales of Microsoft were…

A. $1 million; B. $140 million: C. $354 million

5. Some people say that best Microsoft products have been developed…

A. Very quickly and therefore had many drawbacks.

B. For a long time but were very complicated and user-un-friendly.

C. From ideas created by others.

III. Insert the missing word or a phrase.

1. One of the richest and most (fill in) business in the world is only 25 years old.

2. In 1975 Bill Gates and Paul Allen were both undergraduates at (fill in) University.

3. Some months later they founded a (fill in) under the name of Microsoft.

4. Microsoft big (fill in) came in 1981 with Microsoft MS-DOS.

5. Windows (fill in) a graphical «point and click» operating environment.

6. In 1983 Microsoft Word (fill in).