RIP John Wharton, another of the early home-computing pioneers.
Quote:Wharton was the architect of the machine-language instruction set of the Intel 8051 micro-controller, one of the most widely used (for a time, the most widely used) chip in history (PDF). In a 1999 profile, The New York Times described him as "a Zelig-like presence in Silicon Valley for more than two decades", detailing his skill at reverse engineering.
Quote:Wharton made a discovery in the document Gates had left behind. It was the technical reference for an Intel-compatible operating system developed and sold with a plug-in board. In July 1980, Gates' Microsoft bought the one-man outfit who sold it without revealing its purpose: the default operating system for the new IBM PC.
"I had to inform Mr Gates that the operating system he thought he had bought was a copy of CP/M. Not only were the first 36 functions identical, but also the parameter passing mechanism."
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Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
Boycotting ALL products from the USA as long as that country's leader continues to lie about my native country.
Government of Canada: How to immigrate to Canada
Government of Canada: Claiming refugee protection (asylum) from within Canada
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
Boycotting ALL products from the USA as long as that country's leader continues to lie about my native country.
Government of Canada: How to immigrate to Canada
Government of Canada: Claiming refugee protection (asylum) from within Canada