The Greatest Geek of All Times – Is He Worthy of the Name – Guess Who?

I have been called a lot of things in my day but being labelled a geek is a title I am not sure that I am comfortable with. The term geek where I come from is seen as calling a person a prat. However after some research, I believe that I now fit the bill as to being a geek, not only on July 13th but everyday of the year, and proud of it. However I have to be honest that I am still in a state of confusion as to the real meaning of the word. Is a geek a highly intelligent technically minded computer boffin, or a carnival performer who carries out vile acts which include biting heads off chickens, eating worms and drinking vomit, if this be the case then I retract being proud to be a geek.

If it had not been for the main geek himself Mr Bill Gates, I wonder would we have as many geeks sitting behind a computer today. Gates gave us the foundation to build upon. I personally owe a debt of gratitude to this man for his contribution to making my life on the internet a lot easier. Sir William Henry Gates III was born October 28, 1955 in Seattle Washington USA. Although Bill Gates family had wealth, he was never supported with any trust funds or financially helped in his business ventures, other than that of mom and dad paying for his school fees.

Two main topics he excelled at were science and maths. He was commissioned by the high school he attended to write programming with other pupils for a national company called COBOL. His test results were high therefore giving him the opening to attend Harvard with a focus on computer science. Over three decades ago in 1975 he and a fellow classmate wrote programming for a new microcomputer platform. It was this design and the sale of their basic software rights that permitted Gates and friend (Allen) to begin Microsoft Company. His software programs claimed recognition in great numbers, so did his business practice where purchase for the software they developed was made. Before, software was an ‘open-source' system that could be downloaded at no cost. However, with Gates at the lead, other businesses followed in their footsteps. A licence would have to be bought to use their new platform. And, with the introduction of the PC-DOS program and the shortly released MS-DOS that would run on IBM computers, Bill Gates and Allen's future software transactions and distribution were sealed.

This man is an inspiration to us all, who with his geek intelligence gave us the opportunity to venture forth and enjoy the internet, or on a more serious note a pathway to freedom in earning a living from it. Bill Gates was always faced with having to make crucial decisions and one of those being that all computers should come with Windows pre-installed. The benefits of this meant that all users have instant access to the software and it would be a complete purchase with the hardware. Bill Gates is a very rich man indeed where greed plays no part in his life. His wealth he shares with many different charities. He has donated over one-third of his riches, currently surpassing 100 billion U.S. dollars, to charities through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. As his proposed retirement date nears from Microsoft, he stated he will continue to support his chosen charities.