Editing Gary Kildall

{{short description|American computer scientist and microcomputer entrepreneur (1942–1994)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019|cs1-dates=y}}
{{Use list-defined references|date=December 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Gary Kildall
| image       = GaryKildall.jpg
| caption     = Kildall at the [[Digital Research European Development Centre|European Development Centre]] (EDC) in [[Hungerford]], [[United Kingdom]], 1988
| birth_date  = {{birth date|1942|05|19|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Seattle]], Washington
| death_date  = {{death date and age|1994|07|11|1942|05|19|mf=yes}}
| death_place = [[Monterey, California]]
| resting_place = [[Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park]]{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}
| alma_mater  = [[University of Washington]]<ref name="Kildall_1968"/><ref name="Kildall_1972"/>
| occupation  = {{hlist|Computer scientist|entrepreneur}}
| known_for   = {{hlist|Creator of [[CP/M]]|Pioneer of the [[microcomputer revolution|personal computer revolution]]}}
| title              = Founder, chairman and CEO of [[Digital Research]]
| boards        = Digital Research
| years_active = 1972–1994
| spouse       = [[Dorothy McEwen Kildall]]<br />Karen Kildall<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wearcam.org/ece385/lecture2/worlds_first_microprocessor_operatingsystem.htm|title=PC pioneer Kildall dies in Monterey |first=Rory J |last=O'Connor |access-date=2022-01-19|website=wearcam.org}}</ref>
| children     = 2, including [[Scott Kildall|Scott]]<ref name="Markoff_1994"/>
}}

'''Gary Arlen Kildall''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɪ|l|d|ˌ|ɔː|l}}; May 19, 1942&nbsp;– July 11, 1994) was an American [[computer scientist]] and [[microcomputer]] entrepreneur. During the 1970s, Kildall created the [[CP/M]] [[operating system]] among other operating systems and [[programming tool]]s,<ref name="Kildall_1993"/> and subsequently founded [[Digital Research|Digital Research, Inc.]] to market and sell his software products. He is considered a [[list of pioneers in computer science|pioneer]] of the [[History of personal computers|personal computer revolution]].<ref name="Chronicles_1995" /><ref name="Evans_2004" />
[[File:Kildall 801lighthouse.jpg|thumb|Kildall information plaque Pacific Grove, California]]

In 1974 in [[Pacific Grove, California|Pacific Grove]], California, Kildall demonstrated the first working prototype of CP/M, which would go on to become the dominant operating system on [[microcomputers]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theregister.com/2024/08/02/cpm_50th_anniversary | title=50 years ago, CP/M started the microcomputer revolution }}</ref> Together with his invention of the [[BIOS]] (Basic Input Output System), his operating system allowed a microprocessor-based computer to communicate with a disk storage.{{r|KildallLegacy}} Kildall was among the earliest individuals to recognize [[microprocessor]]s as fully capable computers.<ref name="Chronicles_1995"/> During the 1980s, Kildall also appeared on [[PBS]] as co-host of ''[[Computer Chronicles]]'', a weekly informational program that covered the latest developments in personal computing.

== Early life ==
Gary Kildall was born and grew up in [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], where his family operated a [[seamanship]] school. His father, Joseph Kildall, was a captain of Norwegian heritage. His mother Emma was of half [[Sweden|Swedish]] descent, as Kildall's grandmother was born in Långbäck, Sweden, in [[Skellefteå Municipality]], but emigrated to Canada at 23 years of age.<ref name="Andersson_2009"/>

=== Education ===

Kildall earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1967 and a master's degree in Computer Science in 1968, both from the [[University of Washington]]. At one point, he had hoped to become a mathematics teacher. During his studies, Kildall became increasingly interested in computer technology and enrolled to attain a Ph.D. in Computer Science.<ref name="Kildall_1968"/><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Bishop |first=Todd |date=2014-04-25 |title='A real inventor': UW's Gary Kildall, father of the PC operating system, honored for key work |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2014/real-inventor-uws-gary-kildall-father-pc-os-recognized-landmark-contributions/ |access-date=2022-06-22 |website=GeekWire |language=en-US}}</ref>

Kildall fulfilled his [[conscription|draft]] obligation by teaching at the [[Naval Postgraduate School]] in [[Monterey, California]].<ref name="Swaine_1997"/>

Kildall briefly returned to UW and finished his doctorate in computer science in 1972.<ref name="Kildall_1972"/>

Intel lent him systems using the [[Intel 8008|8008]] and [[Intel 8080|8080]] processors, and in 1973, he developed the first [[high-level programming language]] for microprocessors, called [[PL/M]].<ref name="Swaine_1997"/> For Intel he also wrote<!-- probably 1972-1973, exact date still unknown at present --> 8008 and 8080 [[instruction set simulator]]s named [[INTERP/8]]<ref name="Intel_1973"/><ref name="Kildall_1974"/><ref name="Intel_1975_INTERP8"/> and [[INTERP/80]].<ref name="Intel_1975_INTERP80"/> He created [[CP/M]] the same year to enable the 8080 to control a floppy drive, combining for the first time all the essential components of a computer at the microcomputer scale. He demonstrated CP/M to Intel, but Intel had little interest and chose to market PL/M instead.<ref name="Swaine_1997"/>

== Business career ==
[[File:Gary kildall801lighthouse.jpg|thumb|Digital Research house in Pacific Grove, California. On the sidewalk, to the left, commemorative plaque.]]

=== CP/M ===
{{Main|CP/M}}
In 1973 Kildall and [[Kathryn Strutynski]] developed the language [[PL/M]]<ref name="Shustek_2016"/> to produce [[CP/M]], one of the first operating systems for [[personal computer]]s, they used as reference their experience with the [[IBM]] [[mainframe computer]]s and the [[operating system]] [[VM (operating system)|VM]].

Kildall and his wife Dorothy established a company, originally called "Intergalactic Digital Research" (later renamed as [[Digital Research, Inc.]]), to market the operating system CP/M through advertisements in hobbyist magazines. Digital Research licensed CP/M for the [[IMSAI 8080]], a popular clone of the [[Altair 8800]]. As more manufacturers licensed CP/M, it became a [[de facto standard]] and had to support an increasing number of hardware variations. In response, Kildall pioneered the concept of a [[BIOS]], a set of simple programs stored in the computer hardware (ROM or EPROM chip) that enabled CP/M to run on different systems without modification.<ref name="Swaine_1997"/>

CP/M's quick success took Kildall by surprise, and he was slow to update it for [[Floppy disk format|high density floppy disks]] and [[hard disk drive]]s. After hardware manufacturers talked about creating a rival operating system, Kildall started a rush project to develop [[CP/M#2.0|CP/M 2]].<ref name="Akass"/> By 1981, at the peak of its popularity, CP/M ran on {{val|3000}} different computer models and DRI had {{currency|amount=5.4|code=USD|linked=yes}}&nbsp;million in yearly revenues.<ref name="Swaine_1997"/>

Between 1983 and 1984, [[Digital Research]] offered several of their business and educational applications for the IBM PC on [[Self-booting disk#Examples|bootable floppy diskettes]] bundled with SpeedStart CP/M, a reduced version of [[CP/M-86]] as a bootable [[runtime environment]].<ref>http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/digitalResearch/brochures/CPM_PC_Applications_Library_Brochure_1983.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref>

=== IBM dealings ===
[[IBM]] approached Digital Research in 1980, at [[Bill Gates]]' suggestion,<ref name="Isaacson_2014"/> to negotiate the purchase of a forthcoming version of CP/M called [[CP/M-86]] for the [[IBM PC]]. Gary had left initial negotiations to his wife, Dorothy, as he usually did, while he and colleague and developer of the [[MP/M]] operating system [[Tom Rolander]] used Gary's private aeroplane to deliver software to manufacturer [[Bill Godbout]].<ref name="Chronicles_1995"/><ref name="Wallace_1993"/> Before the IBM representatives would explain the purpose of their visit, they insisted that Dorothy sign a [[non-disclosure agreement]]. On the advice of DRI attorney Gerry Davis, Dorothy refused to sign the agreement without Gary's approval. Gary returned in the afternoon and tried to move the discussion with IBM forward, and accounts disagree on whether he signed the non-disclosure agreement, as well as whether he ever met with the IBM representatives.<ref name="Freiberger_2000"/>

Various reasons have been given for the two companies failing to reach an agreement. DRI, which had only a few products, might have been unwilling to sell its main product to IBM for a one-time payment rather than its usual [[Royalty payment|royalty]]-based plan.<ref name="Young_1997"/> Dorothy might have believed that the company could not deliver CP/M-86 on IBM's proposed schedule, as the company was busy developing an implementation of the [[PL/I]] programming language for [[Data General]].<ref name="Evans_2004"/> Also possible, the IBM representatives might have been annoyed that DRI had spent hours on what they considered a routine formality.<ref name="Wallace_1993"/> According to Kildall, the IBM representatives took the same flight to [[Florida]] that night that he and Dorothy took for their vacation, and they negotiated further on the flight, reaching a handshake agreement. IBM lead negotiator Jack Sams insisted that he never met Gary, and one IBM colleague has confirmed that Sams said so at the time. He accepted that someone else in his group might have been on the same flight, and noted that he flew back to Seattle to talk with [[Microsoft]] again.<ref name="Wallace_1993"/>

Sams related the story to Gates, who had already agreed to provide a [[BASIC]] interpreter and several other programs for the PC. Gates' impression of the story was that Gary capriciously "went flying", as he would later tell reporters.<ref name="Manes_1992"/> Sams left Gates with the task of finding a usable operating system, and a few weeks later he proposed using the operating system [[86-DOS]]—an independently developed operating system that implemented Kildall's CP/M [[Application programming interface|API]]—from [[Seattle Computer Products]] (SCP). [[Paul Allen]] negotiated a licensing deal with SCP. Allen had 86-DOS adapted for IBM's hardware, and IBM shipped it as [[IBM PC&nbsp;DOS]].<ref name="Freiberger_2000"/>

Kildall obtained a copy of PC&nbsp;DOS, examined it, and concluded that it infringed on CP/M. When he asked Gerry Davis what legal options were available, Davis told him that intellectual property law for software was not clear enough to sue.<ref name="Hamm_2004"/> Instead Kildall only threatened IBM with legal action, and IBM responded with a proposal to offer CP/M-86 as an option for the PC in return for a release of liability.<ref name="Morrow_2000"/> Kildall accepted, believing that IBM's new system (like its previous personal computers) would not be a significant commercial success.<ref name="Scoble_2007"/> When the IBM PC was introduced, IBM sold its operating system as an unbundled option. One of the operating system options was PC&nbsp;DOS, priced at {{currency|amount=40|code=USD|linked=no}}. PC&nbsp;DOS was seen as a practically necessary option; most software titles required it and without it the IBM PC was limited to its built-in [[Cassette BASIC]]. CP/M-86 shipped a few months later six times more expensive at {{currency|amount=240|code=USD|linked=no}}, and sold poorly against DOS and enjoyed far less software support.<ref name="Chronicles_1995"/>

=== Multi-Programming Monitor Control Program (MP/M) ===
{{Main|MP/M}}
With the loss of the IBM deal, Gary and Dorothy found themselves under pressure to bring in more experienced management, and Gary's influence over the company waned. He worked in various experimental and research projects, such as a version of CP/M with [[Computer multitasking|multitasking]] ([[MP/M]]), created by [[Digital Research]] developer [[Tom Rolander]] in 1979. Kildall also worked on an implementation of the [[Logo (programming language)|Logo programming language]].<ref name="Swaine_1997"/> He hoped that Logo, an educational dialect of [[Lisp (programming language)|LISP]], would supplant BASIC in education, but it did not.<ref name="Rolander_1994"/>

=== FlexOS ===
{{Main|FlexOS}}

In 1985 Digital Research developed [[FlexOS]], a modular real-time multiuser multitasking operating system ([[Real-time operating system|RTOS]]).<ref name="Watt_1986_Reorg"/><ref name="BW_1991"/>

=== Graphics Environment Manager (GEM) ===
{{Main|GEM (desktop environment)}}
After seeing a demonstration of the [[Apple Lisa]], Kildall oversaw the creation of DRI's own [[graphical user interface]], called [[Graphics Environment Manager|GEM]], which was introduced on February 28, 1985.<ref>http://bitsavers.org/pdf/digitalResearch/concurrent/1090-1411-002_Concurrent_DOS_Brochure_1988.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=August 2024}}</ref> [[Novell]] acquired DRI in 1991 in a deal that netted millions for Kildall.<ref name="Hamm_2004"/>

<!-- John Rowley became COO and president of the company in late 1981. -->Kildall resigned as CEO of Digital Research on 28 June 1985<!-- taken over by John Rowley -->, but remained chairman of the board.<ref name="Burton_1985_Short"/>

=== Computer Chronicles ===
{{Main|Computer Chronicles}}{{See also|List of Computer Chronicles episodes}}

Kildall co-hosted a [[Public broadcasting|public television]] program produced by [[PBS]] called ''[[Computer Chronicles]]''. It followed trends in personal computing. Gary co-hosted the program for seven years during the first eight seasons from 1983 to 1990. After this time the program continued through its 19th season, with the last episode aired on June 25, 2002.

=== Activenture ===

In 1984 Gary started another company, ''Activenture'', which adapted [[optical disc]] technology for computer use,<ref name="Allan_2001"/> using as reference the [[Rainbow Books#Red Book (1980)|Red Book]] developed by Sony and Phillips in 1980. In 1985 the [[CD-ROM]] was presented by [[Philips]] and [[Sony]], the same year Activenture was renamed ''KnowledgeSet''.

==== The Electronic Encyclopedia ====

In June 1985 Digital Research released ''[[Grolier#CD-ROM|The Electronic Encyclopedia]]''<!-- 1985 version, later version called "The New Electronic Encyclopedia" -->,<ref name="Stark_1986"/> a [[CD-ROM]] version of [[Grolier]]'s ''[[Academic American Encyclopedia]]''.<ref name="Freiberger_2000"/><ref name="Allan_2001"/><ref name="Evans_2004"/> The first computer [[encyclopedia]], it included pictures in 1990 and added audio and videos in 1992. The encyclopedia was acquired by [[Banta Corporation]]; its last CD-ROM version was published in 2003.<ref name="F6S_2013"/> {{anchor|Intelliphone}}

=== Prometheus Light and Sound (PLS) ===

Kildall's final business venture, known as ''Prometheus Light and Sound'' (PLS) and based in [[Austin, Texas]], developed a modular [[Private branch exchange|PBX]] communication system<ref name="Swaine_1997"/> that integrated [[plain old telephone service|land-line telephone]]s with [[mobile phone]]s (called "Intelliphone") to reduce the then-high online costs and to remotely connect with home appliances.<ref name="Huitt_2014"/>

Prometheus Light and Sound system included a [[UUCP]]-based store and forward system to exchange emails and files between the various nodes and was planned to include [[TCP/IP]] support at a later point in time.

=== Computer Animation ===

According to Brian Halla, Intel's technical liaison to Digital Research in the 1970s, Gary Kildall showed him a VAX 11/780 running in his house generating a Coke bottle spinning. According to Halla, Kildall sold it a few months later to [[Pixar]].<ref name="halla_interview">{{cite web |last1=Douglas |first1=Fairbairn |title=Oral History of Brian L. Halla |url=https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2013/09/102746664-05-01-acc.pdf |website=Computer History Museum |access-date=27 April 2024}}</ref>

== ''Computer Connections'' ==
In 1992, Kildall was invited to the University of Washington computer science program's 25th anniversary event. As a distinguished graduate of the program, Kildall was disappointed when asked to attend simply as an audience member. He also took offense at the decision to give the keynote speech to Bill Gates, a [[Harvard University|Harvard]] dropout who had donated to UW, but had never attended.<ref name="Evans_2004"/>

In response, Kildall began writing a memoir, entitled ''Computer Connections: People, Places, and Events in the Evolution of the Personal Computer Industry''.<ref name="Hamm_2004"/> The memoir,<ref name="Shustek_2016"/><ref name="Perry_2016"/><ref name="Kildall_1993"/> which Kildall sought to publish, expressed his frustration that people did not seem to value elegance in computer software.<ref name="Rolander_1994"/> 
{{Quote box
| width = 30em
| quote = Don't think for a minute that [Bill] Gates made it 'big time' because of his technical savvy.
| author = Gary Kildall
| source = ''Computer Connections''<ref name="Kildall_1993"/>{{rp|62}}
}}
Writing about Bill Gates, Kildall described him as "more of an opportunist than a technical type, and severely opinionated, even when the opinion he holds is absurd."<ref name="Kildall_1993"/>{{rp|62}}

In an appendix, he called DOS "plain and simple theft"<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Career Spent in Gates' Shadow -- Computer Pioneer Dies at 52|url=https://www.tech-insider.org/personal-computers/research/1994/0714.html|access-date=2022-01-19|website=www.tech-insider.org}}</ref> because its first 26 [[system call]]s worked the same as CP/M's.<ref name="Andrews_1994"/> He accused IBM of contriving the price difference between PC&nbsp;DOS and CP/M-86 in order to marginalize CP/M.<ref name="Evans_2004"/>

Kildall had completed a rough draft of the manuscript by the end of 1993,<ref name="Kildall_1993"/> but the full text remains unpublished.  Journalist [[Harold Evans]] used the memoir as a primary source for a chapter about Kildall in the 2004 book ''They Made America'', concluding that Microsoft had robbed Kildall of his inventions.<ref name="Evans_2004"/> IBM veterans from the PC project disputed the book's description of events, and Microsoft described it as "one-sided and inaccurate."<ref name="Hamm_2004"/>

In August 2016, Kildall's family made the first seven chapters of ''Computer Connections'' available as a free public download.<ref name="Perry_2016"/><ref name="Shustek_2016"/><ref name="Kildall_1993"/>

== Personal life ==
Kildall self-described as a "[[Greaser (subculture)|greaser]]" during high school,<ref name="Kildall_1993" />{{rp|12}} and his colleagues recall him as creative, easygoing, and adventurous. In addition to flying, he loved [[sports car]]s, [[auto racing]], and [[boating]], and had a lifelong love of the sea.<ref name="Chronicles_1995" /><ref name="Swaine_1997" />

{{Quote box
| width = 30em
| quote = I think I’ll make a [[cassette tape]] of the ‘IBM Flying Story.’ I’ll carry a few copies in my jacket to give out on occasion. There’s only one problem. I [will] tell this story [to someone], and after I’m done, the same person [will say], ‘Yeah, but did you go flying and blow IBM off?’
| author = Gary Kildall
| source = ''Computer Connections''<ref name="Evans_2004"/>
}}

Although Kildall preferred to leave the IBM affair in the past and to be known for his work before and afterward, he continually faced comparisons between himself and Bill Gates, as well as fading memories of his contributions. A legend grew around the fateful IBM-DRI meeting, encouraged by Gates and various journalists,<ref name="Manes_1992" /><ref name="Cringely_1992" /> suggesting that Kildall had irresponsibly taken the day off for a recreational flight.<ref name="Evans_2004" />

In later years, Kildall privately expressed bitter feelings about being overshadowed by Microsoft,<ref name="Swaine_1997" /> and began suffering from [[alcoholism]].<ref name="Hamm_2004" /><ref name="Rivlin_1999" />

Selling DRI to Novell had made Kildall a wealthy man, and he moved to the [[West Lake Hills, Texas|West Lake Hills]] suburb of Austin. His Austin house was a lakeside property, with stalls for several sports cars, and a video studio in the basement. Kildall owned and flew his own [[Learjet]] and had at least one boat on the lake. While in Austin he also participated in volunteer efforts to assist children with [[HIV/AIDS]]. He also owned a mansion with a panoramic ocean view in [[Pebble Beach, California]], near the headquarters of DRI.{{r|Swaine_1997}}{{r|Evans_2004}}

== Death and legacy ==
On July 8, 1994, at the age of 52,<ref name=":0" /> Kildall sustained a head injury at the Franklin Street Bar & Grill, a [[biker bar]] in Monterey, California.<ref name="Akass_2006"/> The exact circumstances of the injury are unclear. Various sources have claimed he fell from a chair, fell down steps, or was [[assault]]ed because he had entered the establishment wearing [[Harley-Davidson]] leathers.<ref name="Young_1997"/> Harold Evans, in ''They Made America'', states that Kildall "stumbled and hit his head" inside the premises, and "was found on the floor."<ref name="Evans_2004"/>

Following the injury, Kildall was discharged from the hospital twice. He was pronounced dead at the [[Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula]], on July 11, 1994. An autopsy, conducted on July 12, did not conclusively determine the cause of death.<ref name="Andrews_1994" /><ref name="Markoff_1994" /> Evans states that Kildall's head injury triggered a [[Intracerebral hemorrhage|cerebral hemorrhage]], causing a [[Thrombus|blood clot]] to form inside the skull.<ref name="Evans_2004" /> A CP/M [[Usenet]] [[FAQ]] states that Kildall was [[concussion|concussed]] due to his injury, and died of a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]]; the connection between the two is unclear.<ref name="Kirkpatrick_1999" /> Medical evidence of chronic alcoholism was found during the autopsy.<ref name="Whitely_1994">{{cite news |last1=Whitely |first1=Peyton |title=Computer Pioneer's Death Probed -- Kildall Called Possible Victim Of Homicide |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19940716&slug=1920582 |access-date=3 August 2024 |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |date=July 16, 1994}}</ref>

Initial news reports and police investigation viewed Kildall's death as a possible homicide. According to the coroner's report, Kildall's fatal injury may have taken place "as a result of foul play," and the case was referred to the Monterey Police Department. "We're going to investigate it as a possible homicide," said police Sgt. Frank Sollecito. "I'm not going to flat-out say it's a homicide".<ref name="Whitely_1994"/>

Kildall's body was [[cremation|cremated]]. His remains were buried in [[Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park]], in north Seattle.<ref name="Evans_2004"/>

=== Recognition ===
Following the announcement of Kildall's death, Bill Gates commented that he was "one of the original pioneers of the PC revolution" and "a very creative computer scientist who did excellent work. Although we were competitors, I always had tremendous respect for his contributions to the PC industry. His untimely death was very unfortunate and his work will be missed."<ref name="Chronicles_1995" />

[[Stewart Cheifet]], his co-host on ''Computer Chronicles'', said that Kildall was his "favorite guy" and praised his skills and contributions in the development of personal computing. Cheifet also commented: "Gary's problem was that he was too much of a gentleman. He wasn't a killer business kind of guy", adding that he was "a decent man in a business that was hard to succeed in if you were decent."<ref>{{cite web |title=Triangulation 114: Stewart Cheifet |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdtHS_X1ibg |website=YouTube | date=August 7, 2013 |publisher=[[TWiT.tv]]}}</ref>

In March 1995, Kildall was posthumously honored by the [[Software Publishers Association]] (SPA) for his contributions to the microcomputer industry:<ref name="Wharton_1994"/><ref name="SPA_1995"/><ref name="Swaine_1997"/>

* The first [[programming language]] and first [[compiler]] specifically for microprocessors: [[PL/M]]. (1973)
* The first microprocessor disk operating system, which eventually sold a quarter of a million copies: [[CP/M]]. (1974)
* The first successful [[Open system (computing)|open system]] architecture by segregating system-specific hardware interfaces in a set of [[BIOS]] routines.<ref name="Kildall_1975_BDOS"/><ref name="Kildall_1980_CPM"/><ref name="Fischer_2001_Ewing"/><ref name="Fraley_2007_Killian"/> (1975)
* Creation of the first diskette track buffering schemes, [[Disk buffer#READ-AHEAD|read-ahead]] algorithms, file directory caches, and [[RAM drive]] emulators.
* Introduction of operating systems with [[Preemption (computing)#PREEMPTIVE|preemptive multitasking]] and windowing capabilities and menu-driven user interfaces (with Digital Research): [[MP/M]], [[Concurrent CP/M]], [[Concurrent DOS]], [[DOS Plus]], [[Graphics Environment Manager|GEM]].
* Introduction of a [[binary recompiler]]: [[XLT86]]. (1981)<ref name="XLT86_1981"/>
* The first computer interface for video disks to allow automatic [[Non-linear editing system|nonlinear playback]], presaging today's interactive multimedia. (1984, with Activenture)
* The file system and data structures for the first consumer [[CD-ROM]]. (1985, with KnowledgeSet)

In April 2014, the city of [[Pacific Grove, California|Pacific Grove]] installed a commemorative plaque outside Kildall's former residence, which also served as the early headquarters of Digital Research.<ref name="Sammon_2014"/>

==In popular culture==
[[Steve Hauk]] wrote a play ''A Mild Concussion''.{{r|AMildConcussion}}  Later, with [[Stewart Cheifet]], a second version of the play was written under the title ''The Forgotten Computer Genius''. The play looks at the final days of a computer genius.{{r|mild1995}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [[History of personal computers]]

== References ==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="Chronicles_1995">{{Cite episode |title=Special Edition: Gary Kildall |series=The Computer Chronicles |series-link=Computer Chronicles |airdate=1995 |url=https://archive.org/details/GaryKild |access-date=2014-06-13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702204119/https://archive.org/details/GaryKild |archive-date=2014-07-02}}</ref>
<ref name="Andersson_2009">{{Cite news |author-first=Ulrika |author-last=Andersson |title=Skellefteåättling kunde ha varit Bill Gates |language=sv |work=Norra Västerbotten |date=2009-01-19 |access-date=2009-05-07 |url=http://norran.se/familj/article233923.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090524153356/http://norran.se/familj/article233923.ece |archive-date=2009-05-24}}</ref>
<ref name="Kildall_1968">{{Cite book |title=Experiments in large-scale computer direct access storage manipulation |author-first=Gary Arlen |author-last=Kildall |author-link=Gary Kildall |type=M.Sc. thesis |publisher=[[University of Washington]] |date=December 1968 |id=Thesis No. 17341<!-- GKMS.WS4 -->}}</ref>
<ref name="Swaine_1997">{{Cite journal |author-first=Michael |author-last=Swaine |author-link=Michael Swaine (technical author) |date=1997-04-01 |title=Gary Kildall and Collegial Entrepreneurship |journal=[[Dr. Dobb's Journal]] |url=https://drdobbs.com/architecture-and-design/gary-kildall-and-collegial-entrepreneurs/184410428 |access-date=2023-05-02}}</ref>
<ref name="Kildall_1972">{{Cite book |title=Global expression optimization during compilation |author-first=Gary Arlen |author-last=Kildall |author-link=Gary Kildall |type=Ph.D. dissertation |publisher=[[University of Washington]], Computer Science Group |location=Seattle, Washington, USA |date=May 1972 |id=Thesis No. 20506, Technical Report No. 72-06-02}}</ref>

<!--<ref name="Kildall_1973">{{Cite journal |author-first=Gary Arlen |author-last=Kildall |author-link=Gary Kildall |date=1973-10-01 |title=A Unified Approach to Global Program Optimization |journal=Proceedings of the 1st Annual ACM SIGACT-SIGPLAN Symposium on Principles of Programming Languages (POPL) |location=Boston, Massachusetts, USA |pages=194–206 |doi=10.1145/512927.512945 |hdl=10945/42162 |s2cid=10219496 |url=https://static.aminer.org/pdf/PDF/000/546/451/a_unified_approach_to_global_program_optimization.pdf |access-date=2023-05-02}}</ref>  -->

<ref name="Akass">{{Cite interview |editor-first=Clive |editor-last=Akass |author-first=Gordon |author-last=Eubanks |author-link=Gordon Eubanks |title=Interview: Gordon Eubanks, Former Student & CEO of Oblix, Inc. |work=Recollections of Gary Kildall |publisher=DigitalResearch.biz |url=https://digitalresearch.biz/EUBANKS.HTM |access-date=2023-05-02}}</ref>
<ref name="Isaacson_2014">{{Cite book |author-first=Walter |author-last=Isaacson |author-link=Walter Isaacson |title=The Innovators: How a Group of Inventors, Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution |title-link=The Innovators (book) |date=2014 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=978-1476708690 |page=358}}</ref>
<ref name="Wallace_1993">{{Cite book |author-first1=James |author-last1=Wallace |author-first2=Jim |author-last2=Erickson |date=1993 |title=Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire |isbn=0-88730-629-2 |publisher=[[HarperCollins#Imprints|HarperBusiness]] |location=New York |url=https://archive.org/details/harddrivebillgat00wall |url-access=registration}}</ref>
<ref name="Freiberger_2000">{{Cite book |author-last1=Freiberger |author-first1=Paul |author-link1=Paul Freiberger |author-first2=Michael |author-last2=Swaine |author-link2=Michael Swaine (technical author) |title=Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer |orig-year=1984 |edition=2nd |date=2000 |publisher=[[McGraw-Hill Education|McGraw-Hill]] |location=New York, N.Y., USA |isbn=0-07-135892-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/fireinvalleymaki00frei_0 |url-access=registration}}</ref>
<ref name="Young_1997">{{Cite journal |author-first=Jeffrey |author-last=Young |date=1997-07-07 |title=Gary Kildall: The DOS That Wasn't |journal=[[Forbes]] |url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/1997/0707/6001336a.html |access-date=2011-08-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623055652/http://www.forbes.com/forbes/1997/0707/6001336a.html |archive-date=2011-06-23}}</ref>
<ref name="Evans_2004">{{Cite book |author-first1=Harold |author-last1=Evans |author-link1=Harold Evans |author-first2=Gail |author-last2=Buckland |author-first3=David |author-last3=Lefer |author-link3=David Lefer |date=2004 |title=They Made America: From the Steam Engine to the Search Engine: Two Centuries of Innovators |publisher=[[Little, Brown and Company]] |isbn=978-0-316-27766-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/theymadeamericaf00evan |url-access=registration}}</ref>
<ref name="Manes_1992">{{Cite book |author-first1=Stephen |author-last1=Manes |author-link1=Stephen Manes |author-first2=Paul |author-last2=Andrews |date=1992 |title=Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry—and Made Himself the Richest Man in America |publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] |isbn=0-671-88074-8 }}</ref>
<ref name="Hamm_2004">{{Cite journal |author-first1=Steve |author-last1=Hamm |author-first2=Jay |author-last2=Greene |title=The Man Who Could Have Been Bill Gates - A new book says Gates got the rewards due Gary Kildall. What's the real story? |date=2004-10-25 |journal=BusinessWeek |publisher=[[Bloomberg Businessweek]] |url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_43/b3905109_mz063.htm |access-date=2006-11-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120629044944/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_43/b3905109_mz063.htm |archive-date=2012-06-29}}</ref>
<ref name="Morrow_2000">{{Cite interview |author-first=Gordon |author-last=Eubanks |author-link=Gordon Eubanks |editor-last=Morrow |editor-first=Daniel S. |date=2000-11-08 |location=Cupertino, CA, USA |title=Gordon Eubanks Oral History |work=[[Computerworld]] Honors Program International Archives |url=http://www.cwhonors.org/archives/histories/Eubanks.pdf |access-date=2006-11-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326073320/http://www.cwhonors.org/archives/histories/Eubanks.pdf |archive-date=2009-03-26}}</ref>
<ref name="Scoble_2007">{{Cite interview |author-first=Tom |author-last=Rolander |author-link=Tom Rolander |editor-last=Scoble |editor-first=Robert |title=Scoble Show |work=PodTech.net |date=2007-08-08 |url=https://scobleizer.blog/2007/08/08/the-rest-of-the-story-behind-microsofts-os-deal-with-ibm/ |access-date=2023-05-02 <!-- https://web.archive.org/web/20091226162826if_/http://www.podtech.net/scobleshow/technology/1593/the-rest-of-the-story-how-bill-gates-beat-gary-kildall-in-os-war-part-1 --> }}</ref>
<ref name="Rolander_1994">{{Cite web |author-first=Tom |author-last=Rolander |author-link=Tom Rolander |title=In Memory of GARY A. KILDALL May 19, 1942 -- July 11, 1994 |type=Memorial service |date=1994-07-15 |location=[[Naval Postgraduate School]], Monterey, Calif., USA |work=Tom Rolander's Website and Album |url=http://www.tomrolander.com/GaryKildall/In%20memory%20of%20Gary%20Kildall.htm |access-date=2006-11-30 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927175414/http://www.tomrolander.com/GaryKildall/In%20memory%20of%20Gary%20Kildall.htm |archive-date=2007-09-27}}</ref>
<ref name="Allan_2001">{{Cite book |title=A History of the Personal Computer - The People and the Technology |author-first=Roy A. |author-last=Allan |publisher=Allan Publishing |date=2001 |edition=1 |type=ebook |isbn=0-9689108-3-1 |url=https://archive.org/stream/A_History_of_the_Personal_Computer/eBook00#page/n3/mode/1up<!-- https://archive.org/stream/A_History_of_the_Personal_Computer/eBook20_djvu.txt--> |access-date=2016-11-18}}</ref>
<ref name="Stark_1986">{{Cite journal |title=CD ROM Conference: Lured by 600 Megabytes on Disk |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lmtbry-ytXgC&pg=PA42 |access-date=2016-11-19 |author-first=Craig L. |author-last=Stark |journal=[[PC Magazine]] |date=1986-04-29 |page=42}}</ref>
<ref name="F6S_2013">{{Cite web |title=Tom Rolander - Serial entrepreneur and Emergent Farming co-founder |url=https://www.f6s.com/tomrolander |access-date=2016-11-11}}</ref>
<ref name="Andrews_1994">{{Cite journal |url=https://www.tech-insider.org/personal-computers/research/1994/0714.html |author-last=Andrews |author-first=Paul |date=1994-07-14 |title=A Career Spent in Gates' Shadow—Computer Pioneer Dies at 52 |journal=[[The Seattle Times]] |access-date=2023-05-02}}</ref>
<ref name="Perry_2016">{{Cite web |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/geek-life/history/cpm-creator-gary-kildalls-memoirs-released-as-free-download |title=CP/M Creator Gary Kildall's Memoirs Released as Free Download |url-status=dead|author-first=Tekla S. |author-last=Perry |publisher=[[IEEE Spectrum]] |date=2016-08-03 |access-date=2016-11-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117232914/https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/geek-life/history/cpm-creator-gary-kildalls-memoirs-released-as-free-download |archive-date=2016-11-17 }}</ref>
<ref name="Shustek_2016">{{Cite web |url=https://computerhistory.org/blog/in-his-own-words-gary-kildall/ |title=In His Own Words: Gary Kildall |author-first=Len |author-last=Shustek |date=2016-08-02 |work=Remarkable People |publisher=[[Computer History Museum]] |access-date=2023-05-02}}</ref>
<ref name="Kildall_1993">{{Cite book|author-link=Gary Kildall|date=2016-08-02|orig-year=1993|editor-link=Scott Kildall|title=Computer Connections: People, Places, and Events in the Evolution of the Personal Computer Industry|url=https://computerhistory.org/blogs/computer-history-museum-license-agreement-for-the-kildall-manuscript/|type=Manuscript, part 1|publisher=Kildall Family|access-date=2023-05-02|author-first=Gary Arlen|author-last=Kildall|editor-first1=Scott|editor-last1=Kildall|editor-first2=Kristin|editor-last2=Kildall}}</ref>
<ref name="Akass_2006">{{Cite journal |author-first=Clive |author-last=Akass |title=The man who gave Bill Gates the world - Gary Kildall was one of the founding fathers of the PC but he is remembered now for his greatest mistake |journal=[[Personal Computer World]] |date=2006-08-11 |url=http://www.pcw.co.uk/personal-computer-world/analysis/2162044/man-gave-bill-gates-world |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011233635/http://www.pcw.co.uk/personal-computer-world/analysis/2162044/man-gave-bill-gates-world |archive-date=2008-10-11}}</ref>
<ref name="Rivlin_1999">{{Cite book |author-first=Gary |author-last=Rivlin |author-link=Gary Rivlin |date=1999 |publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group|Crown Business]] |title=The Plot to Get Bill Gates |isbn=978-0-8129-3006-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/plottogetbillgat00rivl |url-access=registration}}</ref>
<ref name="Kirkpatrick_1999">{{Cite web |author-last=Kirkpatrick |author-first=Don |date=1999-01-12 |title=comp.os.cpm Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) |url=http://www.faqs.org/faqs/CPM-faq/ |access-date=2006-11-20 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929132136/http://www.faqs.org/faqs/CPM-faq/ |archive-date=2007-09-29}}</ref>
<ref name="Wharton_1994">{{Cite journal |url=https://www.tech-insider.org/personal-computers/research/1994/0801.html |access-date=2023-05-02 |title=Gary Kildall, industry pioneer, dead at 52: created first microcomputer languages, disk operating systems |journal=[[Microprocessor Report]] |publisher=[[MicroDesign Resources Inc.]] (MDR) |author-first=John Harrison |author-last=Wharton |author-link=John Harrison Wharton |volume=8 |number=10 |date=1994-08-01}}</ref>
<ref name="XLT86_1981">{{Cite book |author=Digital Research |author-link=Digital Research |date=1981 |title=XLT86 - 8080 to 8086 Assembly Language Translator - User's Guide |publisher=[[Digital Research]], Inc. |location=Pacific Grove, California, USA |url=http://www.s100computers.com/Software%20Folder/Assembler%20Collection/Digital%20Research%20XLT86%20Manual.pdf |access-date=2016-11-18 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118230700/http://www.s100computers.com/Software%20Folder/Assembler%20Collection/Digital%20Research%20XLT86%20Manual.pdf |archive-date=2016-11-18}}</ref>
<ref name="Sammon_2014">{{Cite news |author-last=Sammon |author-first=John |title=Computer pioneer honored in Pacific Grove |url=https://www.montereyherald.com/2014/04/26/computer-pioneer-honored-in-pacific-grove/ |journal=[[The Monterey County Herald]] |date=2014-04-27 |access-date=2023-05-02}}</ref>
<ref name="Markoff_1994">{{Cite news |author-first=John Gregory |author-last=Markoff |author-link=John Gregory Markoff |date=1994-07-13 |title=Gary Kildall, 52, Crucial Player In Computer Development, Dies |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=D19 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/13/obituaries/gary-kildall-52-crucial-player-in-computer-development-dies.html |access-date=2023-05-02}}</ref>
<ref name="Kildall_1975_BDOS">{{Citation |title=CP/M 1.1 or 1.2 BIOS and BDOS for Lawrence Livermore Laboratories |date=June 1975 |author-first=Gary Arlen |author-last=Kildall |author-link=Gary Kildall }}</ref>
<ref name="Kildall_1980_CPM">{{Cite journal |title=The History of CP/M, The Evolution of an Industry: One Person's Viewpoint |author-first=Gary Arlen |author-last=Kildall |author-link=Gary Kildall |date=January 1980 |journal=[[Dr. Dobb's Journal of Computer Calisthenics & Orthodontia]] |pages=6–7 |volume=5 |issue=1 |id=#41<!-- |number=41 --> |url=https://retrotechnology.com/dri/CPM_history_kildall.txt |access-date=2023-05-02}}</ref>
<ref name="Fischer_2001_Ewing">{{Cite web |title=Gary Kildall's CP/M: Some early CP/M history - 1976-1977 |author-first=A. Joseph "Joe" |author-last=Killian |author-link=Joe Killian |publisher=[[IMS Associates, Inc.#Fischer|Thomas "Todd" Fischer]], IMSAI |date=2001 |url=http://www.imsai.net/history/imsai_history/cp-m_history.htm |access-date=2013-06-03 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121229064433/http://www.imsai.net/history/imsai_history/cp-m_history.htm |archive-date=2012-12-29 }}</ref>
<ref name="Fraley_2007_Killian">{{Cite web |title=Oral History of Joseph Killian, Interviewed by: Bob Fraley, Edited by: Dag Spicer, Recorded: January 26, 2007, Mountain View, California, CHM Reference number: X3879.2007 |author-first1=Bob |author-last1=Fraley |author-first2=Dag |author-last2=Spicer |date=2007-01-26 |publisher=[[Computer History Museum]] |url=https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2012/10/102658016-05-01-acc.pdf |access-date=2023-05-02}}</ref>
<ref name="SPA_1995">{{cite web |title=SPA Award to Dr. Gary A. Kildall: 1995 SPA Lifetime Achievement Award Winner |date=1995-03-13 |publisher=[[Software Publishers Association]] (SPA) |via=www.digitalresearch.biz |url=https://www.digitalresearch.biz/kildallr.htm |access-date=2019-12-21 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20191221150037/https://www.digitalresearch.biz/kildallr.htm |archive-date=2019-12-21}}</ref>
<ref name="Burton_1985_Short">{{cite news |author-last=Burton |author-first=Kathleen |title=Cash-short Digital Research cuts staff, seeks investors |series=Computer Industry |date=1985-07-29 |newspaper=[[Computerworld]] - The Newsweekly for the Computer Community |publisher=[[CW Communications, Inc.]] |issn=0010-4841 |volume=XIX |issue=30 |location=Monterey, California, USA |page=72 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Huij24Zmr0C&pg=PA72 |access-date=2020-02-17 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217102442/https://books.google.de/books?id=2Huij24Zmr0C&pg=PA72&lpg=PA72&ots=4yuH63ttiz&focus=viewport&dq=%2522Digital+Research%2522+total+revenue&hl=de |archive-date=2020-02-17}}</ref>
<ref name="Cringely_1992">{{cite book | title = [[Accidental Empires]]: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can't Get a Date | first = Robert X. | last = Cringely | author-link=Robert X. Cringely | year = 1992 | publisher = Harper Collins | isbn=978-0887308550}}</ref>
<ref name="Huitt_2014">{{Cite web |title=Legacy of Gary Kildall: The CP/M IEEE Milestone Dedication |author-first1=Robert |author-last1=Huitt |author-first2=Gordon |author-last2=Eubanks |author-link2=Gordon Eubanks |author-first3=Thomas "Tom" Alan |author-last3=Rolander |author-link3=Thomas Alan Rolander |author-first4=David |author-last4=Laws |author-first5=Howard E. |author-last5=Michel |author-first6=Brian |author-last6=Halla |author-first7=John Harrison |author-last7=Wharton |author-link7=John Harrison Wharton |author-first8=Brian |author-last8=Berg |author-first9=Weilian |author-last9=Su |author-first10=Scott |author-last10=Kildall |author-link10=Scott Kildall |author-first11=Bill |author-last11=Kampe |editor-first=David |editor-last=Laws |date=2014-04-25 |location=Pacific Grove, California, USA |type=video transscription |id=CHM Reference number: X7170.2014 |publisher=[[Computer History Museum]] |url=https://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/access/text/2014/06/102746909-05-01-acc.pdf |access-date=2023-05-02}} (33 pages) [https://ethw.org/Milestones:The_CP/M_Microcomputer_Operating_System,_1974][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO6IPpL0y8g]</ref>
<ref name="Intel_1973">{{cite book |title=MCS-8 Microcomputer Set - 8008 - 8 Bit Parallel Central Processor Unit - Users Manual |chapter=XI. Appendices III. MCS-8 Software Package - Simulator |date=1974 |orig-date=November 1973 |version=Revision 4, Second Printing |publisher=[[Intel Corporation]] |publication-place=Santa Clara, California, USA |id=MCS-056-0574/25K |pages=84–94 |url=https://en.wikichip.org/w/images/e/ec/MCS-8_User_Manual_%28Rev_4%29_%28Nov_1973%29.pdf |access-date=2023-11-25 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125221321/https://en.wikichip.org/w/images/e/ec/MCS-8_User_Manual_%28Rev_4%29_%28Nov_1973%29.pdf |archive-date=2023-11-25}} (132 pages)</ref>
<ref name="Kildall_1974">{{cite magazine |title=High-level language simplifies microcomputer programming |author-last=Kildall |author-first=Gary Arlen |author-link=Gary Arlen Kildall |website=[[Electronics (magazine)|Electronics]] |publisher=[[McGraw-Hill Education]] |date=1974-06-27 |pages=103–109 [108] |url=https://www.retrotechnology.com/dri/kildall_highlevel_1974.pdf |access-date=2021-11-14 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114174610/https://www.retrotechnology.com/dri/kildall_highlevel_1974.pdf |archive-date=2021-11-14}}</ref>
<ref name="Intel_1975_INTERP8">{{cite web |title=8008 Simulator INTERP/8 |series=Microcomputer Software |publisher=[[Intel Corporation]] |publication-place=Santa Clara, California, USA |date=March 1975 |id=Product Code 98-118A. MCS-514-0375/27.5K |url=https://mark-ogden.uk/files/intel/publications/98-118A%208008%20Simulator%20Interp_8-Mar75.pdf |access-date=2023-11-25 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125173745/https://mark-ogden.uk/files/intel/publications/98-118A%208008%20Simulator%20Interp_8-Mar75.pdf |archive-date=2023-11-25}} (2 pages)</ref>
<ref name="Intel_1975_INTERP80">{{cite web |title=8080 Simulator INTERP/80 |series=Microcomputer Software |publisher=[[Intel Corporation]] |date=March 1975 |id=Product Code 98-119A. MCS-516-0375/27.5K |url=https://mark-ogden.uk/files/intel/publications/98-119A%208080%20Simulator%20Interp_80-Mar75.pdf |access-date=2023-11-25 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231125172836/https://mark-ogden.uk/files/intel/publications/98-119A%208080%20Simulator%20Interp_80-Mar75.pdf |archive-date=2023-11-25}} (2 pages)</ref>

<ref name="KildallLegacy">{{cite web |last=Almanzan |first=Krista |title=Recognizing the Legacy of Pacific Grove Inventor Gary Kildall |website=KAZU |url=https://www.kazu.org/2014-04-24/recognizing-the-legacy-of-pacific-grove-inventor-gary-kildall |date=2014-04-24 |access-date=}}</ref>

<ref name="AMildConcussion">{{cite web |url=https://www.steinbecknow.com/2014/01/03/a-mild-concussion-play/ |title=A Mild Concussion: A Play in Two Acts |author=Hauk, Steve |date=2014-01-03 |website=SteinbeckNow |access-date=2024-02-06}}</ref>

<ref name="mild1995">{{cite book
|title=A mild concussion - The rapid rise and long fall of an idealistic computer genius - A play in two acts
|url=https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102724428
|author=Hauk, Steve
|date=1995
|publisher=Computer History Museum
|pages=85
|type=Document
|format=Paper/Record
|id=Catalog Number: 102724428, Lot Number: X7075.2014
|quote=Gift of Steve Hauk
}}</ref>

<ref name="Watt_1986_Reorg">{{cite news |author-last=Watt |author-first=Peggy |title=Digital Research tighens belt with layoffs, reorganization - Realign business units, product lines |series=Computer Industry |date=1986-10-27 |newspaper=[[Computerworld]] - The Newsweekly for the Computer Community |publisher=[[CW Communications, Inc.]] |issn=0010-4841 |volume=XX |issue=43 |location=Monterey, California, USA |page=95 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nI091j0HhhwC&pg=PA95 |access-date=2020-02-16 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216233625/https://books.google.de/books?id=nI091j0HhhwC&pg=PA95&lpg=PA95&redir_esc=y |archive-date=2020-02-16}}</ref>

<ref name="BW_1991">{{cite news |title=Novell and Digital Research sign definitive merger agreement |date=1991-07-17 |work=[[Business Wire]] |url=http://tech-insider.org/personal-computers/research/1991/0717.html |access-date=2017-01-24 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818133749/https://tech-insider.org/personal-computers/research/1991/0717.html |archive-date=2018-08-18}}</ref>
}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |author-last=Goldman Rohm |author-first=Wendy |date=1998-09-01 |title=The Microsoft File - The Secret Case Against Bill Gates |edition=1 |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]] <!-- |publisher=[[Crown Business]] |{{ISBN|978-0812927160}} --> |isbn=88-11-73868-7}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20030922092322/http://edition.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9810/27/msfile1.idg/]
* {{Cite web |author-first=David |author-last=Laws |title=Gary Kildall and the 40th Anniversary of the Birth of the PC Operating System |date=2014-02-26 |work=Remarkable People |publisher=[[Computer History Museum]] |url=https://computerhistory.org/blog/gary-kildall-40th-anniversary-of-the-birth-of-the-pc-operating-system/ |access-date=2023-05-02}}
* {{Cite web |title=IEEE Milestone in Electrical Engineering and Computing - CP/M - Microcomputer Operating System, 1974 |date=2014-04-25 |publisher=[[Computer History Museum]] |url=https://lazowska.cs.washington.edu/CPM_Program.pdf |access-date=2023-05-02}}
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.cadigital.com/kildall.htm |title=The Gary Kildall Legacy |publisher=Amateur Computer Group of New Jersey |date=1995 |author-first=Sol |author-last=Libes |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119154226/http://www.cadigital.com/kildall.htm |archive-date=2016-11-19}}
* {{Cite book |orig-year=1993 |date=2016-08-02 |title=Computer Connections: People, Places, and Events in the Evolution of the Personal Computer Industry |author-first=Gary Arlen |author-last=Kildall |author-link=Gary Kildall |editor-first1=Scott |editor-last1=Kildall |editor-link=Scott Kildall |editor-first2=Kristin |editor-last2=Kildall |publisher=Kildall Family |type=Manuscript, part 1 |url=https://computerhistory.org/blogs/computer-history-museum-license-agreement-for-the-kildall-manuscript/ |access-date=2023-05-02}} (Part 2 not released due to family privacy reasons.)<!-- For the reason why Part 2 was not released to the public, see url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/geek-life/history/cpm-creator-gary-kildalls-memoirs-released-as-free-download | Quote: "Later chapters, they indicated, did “not reflect his true self,” but rather his struggles with alcoholism, and will remain unpublished." -->
* {{cite web |title=CP/M Source |author-first=Stephen A. |author-last=Ness |date=2017-10-21 |orig-year=2016, 2014 |url=https://www.nesssoftware.com/www/cpm_source.php |access-date=2023-05-02}}<!-- worked at the garage of the Gary Kildall. -->
* {{cite book |title="Gary Kildall Conference Room" Dedication Ceremony |date=2017-04-21 |publisher=[[Naval Postgraduate School]] (NPS) |url=https://ethw.org/w/images/a/a8/GaryKildallConferenceRoomDedication%2821-April-17%29.pdf |access-date=2020-02-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102232814/https://ethw.org/w/images/a/a8/GaryKildallConferenceRoomDedication%2821-April-17%29.pdf |archive-date=January 2, 2020 }} (18 pages)

== External links ==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.digitalresearch.biz/Gary.Kildall.htm |title=Dr. Gary A. Kildall |publisher=MaxFrame Corporation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718074000/http://www.digitalresearch.biz/Gary.Kildall.htm |archive-date=July 18, 2024 }}
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.maxframe.com/DR.HTM<!-- |date=2004-10-10 --> |title=Gary Kildall Eulogies by Eubanks, Pierce, Swain, Rolander, Spitz, Libes, and more|publisher=MaxFrame Corporation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041010032349/http://www.maxframe.com/DR.HTM |archive-date=2004-10-10}}
'''Video'''
* {{YouTube|Tdj8gh9GPc4|title=The Computer Chronicles - Gary Kildall Special (1995)}}

{{Digital Research}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kildall, Gary}}
[[Category:1942 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:American computer programmers]]
[[Category:American computer scientists]]
[[Category:American computer businesspeople]]
[[Category:American technology company founders]]
[[Category:American technology chief executives]]
<!-- [[Category:Digital Research]] -->
[[Category:Digital Research people]]
[[Category:Digital Research employees]]
[[Category:CP/M people]]
[[Category:Naval Postgraduate School faculty]]
[[Category:Scientists from Seattle]]
[[Category:University of Washington alumni]]
[[Category:American people of Norwegian descent]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths from falls]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:Death conspiracy theories]]
[[Category:People from Pebble Beach, California]]
[[Category:American television hosts]]
[[Category:Kernel programmers]]