Gary Kildall

Gary Arlen Kildall (May 19, 1942 - July 11, 1994) was the creator of the CP/M operating system and GEM Desktop graphical user interface, and founder of Digital Research, Inc.

Award

In March 1995, Kildall was posthumously honored by the Software Publishers Association (now the Software and Information Industry Association) for his contributions to the computer industry:

Related Topics:
March - 1995 - Software Publishers Association

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• Introduction of operating systems with preemptive multitasking and windowing capabilities and menu-driven user interfaces.
• Creation of the first diskette track buffering schemes, read-ahead algorithms, file directory caches, and RAM disk emulators.
• Introduction of a binary recompiler in the 1980s.
• The first programming language and first compiler specifically for microprocessors.
• The first microprocessor disk operating system, which eventually sold a quarter million copies.
• The first computer interface for video disks to allow automatic nonlinear playback, presaging today's interactive multimedia.
• The file system and data structures for the first consumer CD-ROM.
• The first successful open-system architecture by segregating system-specific hardware interfaces in a set of BIOS routines, making the whole third-party software industry possible.