it was because an IBM person saw a product of MSFT's that had CP/M on it at one of the many trade show get togethers, IBM assumed MSFT wrote CP/M..... so they called MSFT up..... but they were wrong..... that is all there is too it....
It took over a hundred messages, but at long last a piece of correct information from jonkai.
Indeeed, IBM wanted CP/M and BASIC on their new machine. MS produced the most popular BASIC at the time, and, as jonkai points out, IBM thought they wrote CP/M, or at least could license it to IBM. One trip to Seattle, solve two problems, or so the IBM executives thought.
As it turned out, MS did not manufacture nor could license CP/M and staggeringly, Kildall drop the ball with IBM. Gates saw the opportunity and jumped in. Luck favours the prepared mind, as they say. |
