Fifty years ago, Bill Gates and Paul Allen signed their first deal with MITS to provide a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800 microcomputer. This July 22, 1975 agreement launched what would become Microsoft and shaped the entire computer industry. The Altair 8800, built around an Intel 8080 processor with modular card slots, was aimed at hobbyists and could run the famous Microsoft 4K BASIC with additional memory. This deal not only established Microsoft's dominance but also influenced the widespread adoption of BASIC programming language and set Intel on its path to industry leadership through standardized x86-compatible PCs.
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