Rating: 
Summary: My Review
Review: I felt that this is one of the best books i have ever read. This book is loaded with details describing his life from the time he was pulling all nighters at C-Cubed to working with BIG BLUE (IBM). It is extremly fascinating to know how he made all his money.
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Summary: An Accurate Account of How It All Started
Review: I fine myself re-reading this novel from time to time. It's that good. From the time Bill Gates recited passages from the bible to win a dinner at Seattle Space Needle to becoming the riches man in world has led many people including myself to "emulate" this figure's work ethics if not his flaws. In some small way, we can be just as sucessful as a billionaire as long as we stay away from the "Darkside". It's how Microsoft got the contracts to support the Altair; the flourishing program language business; they're plan for oversea expansion with Kay Nishi; what they did with the money that rolled in and yes, Bill's hygene problem.(LOL) This is how it happen - not how Pirates of SV wrongfully portrayed events for the sake of entertainment.
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Summary: A great book written by two very talented journalists
Review: I had heard a lot about this book and I finally got around to reading it a while back and have to say that it was time well spent. Not only the book is a well versed discussion of how to succeed through hard drive, it is also a reflection and warning on how ambition, when unchecked, and an unbalanced life can turn into greed, complete paranoia and life driven by fear rather than the excitement of accomplishment. The book tries to be balanced and shows the evolution of a boy genius to a driven shrewd industry leader to a completely paranoid ego maniac. Not having any opinions of Gates when I started to read the book, besides the fact that he was a successful and driven person worthy of examination, I could not help but to admire him in his youth for his dedication and drive. By the middle of the book when Microsoft finally establishes itself in Bellevue, one sees the transformation of a workaholic and challenge driven person, to a paranoid almost parasitic individual, who surrounds himself with technologically unaccomplished little demons -- such as Steve Ballmer and Mike Maples -- who will do his dirty job for him and will fetch/steal and confiscate other people's hard earned technologies such as C-U-SeeMe, Go, Inuit, Borland technologies and even DOS etc. Paul Alan by this point is out of the picture suffering from cancer (probably from the guilt of being part of it all) and shunned by his old partner Bill. When one reads the account of Microsoft's attitude toward Lotus (putting bugs in DOS allegedly to break Lotus 123), one understands why Chairman Bill -- like Chairman Mao -- is being credited for transforming/destroying a culture, and according the the founder of Lotus creating a kingdom of the dead. By this time pity turns into complete dislike. Following Microsoft's recent attitude toward Java/Netscape/Inuit/3COM one is left but to wonder 1). where the heck has the justice department been upto now! and 2). will Xanadu be Citizen's Gates last place in history.
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Summary: My thoughts on the book...
Review: I have enjoyed reading this book very much. I definitely recommend this book. This was my first book on Bill Gates and the history of Microsoft, yet I believe this book to be the best on the matter. No wonder, it is rated five stars. The authors were not biased one way or the other. The fact that the authors had plainly presented Bill's life and his characters as they were helped me even more to get to know him better. Not only did I learn of Bill Gates and Microsoft, but also I was intrigued to read about how other technology companies had dealt with Microsoft success. I hope this kindles your interest in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: History of Personal Computing
Review: I have read this book two years ago. This is the first book which gave me good picture of evolution of personal computing industry. Though it is Microsoft side of story most of the time but the side by side comparisions with other products of the time provide a broader view. One of the interesting thing about the book is that I can now visiaulize the development of computing industry for a year or two in advance. This book also clears many misconceptions regarding the initial microsoft, development of windows and personality of Bill Gates.
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Summary: Great coverage of the early years.
Review: If you want to read up on Bill Gates, this is definitely the book to start with. The author does a great job balancing Microsoft's successes and failures. Each chapter gives insight in to why Microsoft is the monstrosity it has become. This book covers the history of Bill G. up to windows 3.0.
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Summary: good reading
Review: it made me understand what it takes to be number 1. pretty smart guy and most of all lucky.
Rating:
Summary: Hard Drive: From Dream to Virtual Reality
Review: Microsoft Empire, What an Empire -
How did he do it. -
We all want to know -
Genius Man, What a Genius -
Where did he learn it. - Thats where I want to go -
Before I knew nothing -
Nothing at all -
Now I'm informed -
The Book told all -
If your inquistive -
As to what makes him tick -
Buy the book -
Get an insight -
as the pages you flick.
Anthony Kirran
Rating:
Summary: A Must Buy About the #1 Guy at the Pinnacle
Review: Should I Buy This Book?The story is starting to get a bit dated but the book still has 95% of the Gates story warts and all. He is one of the most compelling and admired and maybe feared business leaders today. Unlike Jack Welch, another great leader and manager, he started from zero or near zero in a new field and (largely) owned the company. I remember seeing the personal computers for sale in the 70's - just pre Microsoft - that did not come with anything other than a very rudimentary software. He was one of the first people to recognize the dollar value of the software and to charge for its use in the hobby market. Since then he has dominated the market. Now there is a computer in virtually every office and home using his (expensive high margin) software. Now he has the resources to buy anything he wants, or to support any charity or university, or buy a sizeable portion of the stock in almost any company that he wishes. And of course he has no debt. He used no risky leverage or tricks. He took the software and generated billions of dollars in cash and securities on hand. It is quite the story. This is a relatively short book and an easy read. Frankly it is a must read for anyone running their own business and or in the Tech field. Gates is the statistical anomaly who sits at the very pinnacle. He is perched even above Warren Buffet the financial guru who is at least 20 years older than Gates. But Gates was astute enough to buy DOS for $50,000. and then had the business smarts and drive to market and sell the product. He was a hands on manager working long hours and a technical leader. He was (is) as smart or smarter than anyone else in the field. He did not invent any major new invention but he had the practical ability to take the product to market and make it work, make it better, and build a winning business. He hired great people and built a team that literally crushed the opposition including IBM and all foreign competitors in that area. It is only now two decades later that people are (seriously) starting to consider alternatives such as Linux, and these still have a lot of catch up to do. Still a great book and a great yarn. A must buy 5 stars. Jack in Toronto
Rating:
Summary: good research, good insights
Review: The authors have done a pretty good job at guessing what the future might hold, as we look back from several years after its publication. (As some gifted souls have so insightfully noted, the computer industry does actually change fairly rapidly, thus a book from the early-mid 1990s might be sort of dated in 2000.) What is impressive is how well it's held up over the years. The analysis of Gates' psychology, the corporate culture of Microsoft and its evolution, and the various spasms of its early years are all right on the money, and particularly interesting in light of the current DOJ proceedings. The material about Ballmer will be of interest to anyone keeping current with his rise in management at the company. It also paints an irresistable picture of the IBM that once was certain it could tell us all how we would use computers. Strongly recommended.
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