GATES, Bill

‘An Open Letter To Hobbyists’, [in:] People’s Computer Company Vol. 4, No. 5

(Menlo Park, California, March–April 1976)

A LANDMARK IN THE HISTORY OF SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

287 x 345mm, newspaper format; pp. 39.

In 1975 computer enthusiasts Bill Gates and Paul Allen created a version of basic for the Altair 8800, soon striking a deal with the electronics company mits for the distribution of the package. No sooner was the program demonstrated at a hobbyists’ gathering than pirate copies were being made and distributed. Gates and Allen were collecting royalties on their creation, and so they found themselves in conflict with the very culture of make-and-share that they came from. Early in 1976 Gates wrote an ‘open letter’ that was published in all the major hobbyists’ magazines – as offered here.

Gates’ argument was that piracy stood in the way of software development itself: without the motive of financial reward, coders would not develop high-quality software, and computing as a whole would suffer.

This issue also contains an early response from an anonymous hobbyist – one of many in a controversy that was to continue in one form or another for decades. Few can doubt, however, that Gates was right in the sense that coding needed professionalization, and coders should get paid for their work.

Very good condition: age-toned and worn along the mailing fold (now preserved

flattened); but almost near fine given the paper stock.