Gary Kildall
Gary Kildall | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 19, 1942 Seattle, Washington |
| Died | July 11, 1994 (aged 52) |
| Resting place | Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park |
| Alma mater | University of Washington |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1972–1994 |
| Known for |
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| Title | Founder, chairman and CEO of Digital Research |
| Board member of | Digital Research |
| Spouse(s) | Dorothy McEwen Kildall Karen Kildall |
| Children | 2, including Scott |
Gary Arlen Kildall (/ˈkɪldˌɔːl/; May 19, 1942 – July 11, 1994) was an American computer scientist and microcomputer entrepreneur. During the 1970s, Kildall created the CP/M operating system among other operating systems and programming tools, and subsequently founded Digital Research, Inc. to market and sell his software products. He is considered a pioneer of the personal computer revolution.
In 1974 in Pacific Grove, California, Kildall demonstrated the first working prototype of CP/M, which would go on to become the dominant operating system on microcomputers. Together with his invention of the BIOS (Basic Input Output System), his operating system allowed a microprocessor-based computer to communicate with a disk storage. Kildall was among the earliest individuals to recognize microprocessors as fully capable computers. During the 1980s, Kildall also appeared on PBS as co-host of Computer Chronicles, a weekly informational program that covered the latest developments in personal computing.