How CP/M-86's delay handed Microsoft the keys to the kingdom

CP/M-86, the 16-bit version of Digital Research's dominant business OS, arrived three years late in 1981 for Intel's 8086 processor released in 1978. This delay forced Seattle Computer Products to create 86-DOS as a compatible alternative. Microsoft licensed 86-DOS to supply IBM's PC, and because IBM didn't require exclusivity, Microsoft could sell DOS to other vendors, creating the PC industry and launching Microsoft's rise. Digital Research continued innovating with multitasking OSes like Concurrent DOS and GEM GUI, often ahead of Microsoft, but remained relegated to second place. The article dispels myths about Gary Kildall missing the IBM meeting, explaining his wife Dorothy handled negotiations and reasonably refused IBM's harsh terms. The delay of CP/M-86 fundamentally shaped the trillion-dollar PC industry.