Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems: differenze tra le versioni

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Versione delle 07:38, 29 nov 2010

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Il 22 giugno 1975 MITS firmò con Gates e Allen un contratto per l'Altair BASIC. Ai programmatori andavano 3.000$ in contanti ed una [[royalty]] per ogni copia dell'interprete venduto: 30$ per la versione da 4K, 35$ per quella da 8K e 60$ per la versione espansa. Il contratto aveva un tetto massimo di 180.000$ di royalty. A MITS andava una licenza mondiale di esclusiva sul programma per 10 anni accettando di usare i "migliori sforzi" per dare in licenza, promuovere e commercializzare il programma. MITS fornì a Gates e Allen l'accesso ad un PDP-10 per completare lo sviluppo dell'interprete.

Allen lasciò il suo lavoro presso [[Honeywell]] e divenne il Vice-presidente e Direttore del Reparto Software di MITS con un salario annuo di 30.000$<ref>Young (1998), 164.</ref>. Gates era ancora uno studente ad Harvard e fu messo a contratto da MITS come consulente esterno: nella newsletter del mese di ottobre del 1975 veniva classificato come "specialista software".<ref name = "Computer Notes Oct 1975">{{cita pubblicazione | titolo = Contributors | rivista = Computer Notes | volume = 1 | numero = 5 | pagine = 13 | editore = MITS | località = Albuquerque NM | data = ottobre 1975 | url = http://www.startupgallery.org/gallery/notesViewer.php?ii=75_10&p=13}}</ref> Il prezzo dell'Altair BASIC per i clienti che acquistavano le schede di memoria e l'interfaccia seriale era di 75$. Gli utenti avrebbero potuto acquistarlo a quel prezzo se solo le schede di memoria di MITS fossero state affidabili. Invece, per i problemi legati all'uso delle DRAM, acquistavano il solo computer dalla società e poi delle schede di memoria funzionanti da altri produttori quali Processor Technology. Invece che pagarlo quasi 500$, gli utenti acquistavano delle copie [[bootleg]] dell'interprete. Per questo motivo solo il 10% dei primi clienti acquistò l'Altair BASIC.<ref>Manes (1994), 90. "Roughly 900 copies had been accounted for between July and year's end." "MITS was shipping maybe a thousand machines a month, yet BASIC was selling in the low hundreds."</ref> Con una royalty di 30$ a copia, Gates percepì tale azione di copia del suo software come un "furto" ai danni della sua compagnia, la Micro-Soft. Nel febbraio del [[1976]] Gates scrisse una "Lettera Aperta agli Hobbisti" in cui li accusava di essere dei ladri.

Allen lasciò il suo lavoro presso [[Honeywell]] e divenne il Vice-presidente e Direttore del Reparto Software di MITS con un salario annuo di 30.000$<ref>Young (1998), 164.</ref>.

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was still a student at Harvard and just a contractor with MITS. The October 1975 company newsletter gives his title as "Software Specialist".<ref name = "Computer Notes Oct 1975">{{cite journal | title = Contributors | journal = Computer Notes | volume = 1 | issue = 5 | page = p.13 | publisher = MITS | ___location = Albuquerque NM | date = October 1975 | url = http://www.startupgallery.org/gallery/notesViewer.php?ii=75_10&p=13}}</ref>

The price of Altair BASIC to customers who purchased additional memory and I/O boards from MITS was $75. Users may have gone along with that if the memory board were reliable. Customers bought the computer from MITS, and working memory from companies like Processor Technology. Rather than pay $500 for BASIC, they would acquire bootleg copies of the software. Only about ten percent of the early customers actually purchased BASIC.<ref>Manes (1994), 90. "Roughly 900 copies had been accounted for between July and year's end." "MITS was shipping maybe a thousand machines a month, yet BASIC was selling in the low hundreds."</ref> With a royalty due of $30 per copy, Gates felt that the computer hobbyist were stealing money from him. In February 1976 Bill Gates, "General Partner, Micro-Soft", wrote an "[[Open Letter to Hobbyists]]" that was sent to every computer publication inferring that the hobbyists were thieves.

MITS had announced a new computer based on the [[Motorola 6800]] microprocessor in November 1975, the Altair 680. The machines were supposed to ship in January 1976, but hardware design problems delayed shipment until May.<ref name = "CN Apr 1976">{{cite journal | last = Pollini | first = Steve | title = 680-b ready for production | journal = Computer Notes | volume = 1 | issue = 11 | page = p. 8 | publisher = MITS | date = April 1976 |quote = MITS is now ready to begin full production of the Altair 680b | url = http://www.startupgallery.org/gallery/notesViewer.php?ii=76_4&p=8}}</ref> Paul Allen rewrote their 8080 simulator to support the 6800 microprocessor. Ric Weiland, a high school friend of Gates and Allen, converted the Altair BASIC's 8080 assembly language to 6800 assembly language. To eliminate the per copy royalty loss issue, the 6800 BASIC was licensed to MITS on a non-exclusive basis for a flat fee of $31,200.<ref>Manes (1994), 95.</ref> Weiland and Marc McDonald were impressed with the new [[MOS Technology 6502]] microprocessor that was a derivative of the 6800. They modified the 6800 development system to support the 6502 and "cranked out" a 6502 edition of BASIC. This version was later sold to Commodore and Apple.<ref> Manes (1994), 99–100. "Weiland cranked out a 6502 edition of BASIC."</ref>