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Did Gates really say 640K is enough for anyone?
June 23, 2008 — — Some of the most oft-repeated comments attributed to Bill Gates through the years were not uttered by Bill Gates. Take for instance “640K ought to be enough for anybody,” which he supposedly said in 1981 to note that the 640K bytes of memory in IBM’s PC was a significant breakthrough.
Who would ever need more than 640K?
Bill Gates denies making 1981 comment about limits of RAM needs, despite popular legend. Here’s the legend: at a computer trade show in 1981, Bill Gates supposedly uttered this statement, in defense of the just-introduced IBM PC’s 640KB usable RAM limit: “640K ought to be enough for anybody.”
What is the 640K barrier?
The 640 KB barrier is an architectural limitation of IBM PC compatible PCs. The Intel 8088 CPU, used in the original IBM PC, was able to address 1 MB (220 bytes), since the chip offered 20 address lines.
Who really invented DOS?
American computer programmer Timothy Paterson, a developer for Seattle Computer Products, wrote the original operating system for the Intel Corporation’s 8086 microprocessor in 1980, initially calling it QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System), which was soon renamed 86-DOS.
How much RAM did Bill Gates say enough?
640K
Gates said that 640K of memory is all that anybody with a computer would ever need.
Who would ever need more than 64k?
Nobody will ever need more than 640KB of memory “No one will need more than 637KB of memory for a personal computer. 640KB ought to be enough for anybody,” Bill Gates is alleged to have said in 1981. Interestingly, Gates now denies saying this.
Is ROM a volatile memory?
ROM is non-volatile memory, which means the information is permanently stored on the chip. Turning off the computer does not have any effect on ROM. Non-volatile memory cannot be changed by users.
Did Microsoft Invent DOS?
The system was initially named QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System), before being made commercially available as 86-DOS. Microsoft purchased 86-DOS, allegedly for US$50,000. This became Microsoft Disk Operating System, MS-DOS, introduced in 1981.
What was before DOS?
“When IBM introduced their first microcomputer in 1980, built with the Intel 8088 microprocessor, they needed an operating system. The system was initially named “QDOS” (Quick and Dirty Operating System), before being made commercially available as 86-DOS.
How much memory does Bill Gates have?
Gates said that 640K of memory is all that anybody with a computer would ever need. Where’s the stuff?”
Did Steve Jobs know Bill Gates?
Bill Gates and Steve Jobs never quite got along. Over the course of 30-plus years, the two went from cautious allies to bitter rivals to something almost approaching friends — sometimes, they were all three at the same time.
Why was there a 640KB memory limit?
The initial PC was based on the Intel 8088, which was a hybrid 8/16-bit processor — thus the reason for the 640KB memory limit.
What did Bill Gates say about the 640k RAM limit?
The ‘640K’ quote won’t go away — but did Gates really say it? Here’s the legend: at a computer trade show in 1981, Bill Gates supposedly uttered this statement, in defense of the just-introduced IBM PC’s 640KB usable RAM limit: “640K ought to be enough for anybody.”
How long did it take to move from 64K to 640k?
That is, a move from 64k to 640k felt like something that would last a great deal of time. Well, it didn’t – it took about only 6 years before people started to see that as a real problem. More details available in the above link.
Why was 640 KB memory used in the 8086?
To maintain compatibility with older operating systems and applications, the 640 KB barrier remained part of the PC design even after the 8086/8088 had been replaced with the Intel 80286 processor, which could address up to 16 MB of memory in protected mode.