Gary Kildall
Creator of CP/M, the first popular microcomputer operating system
- Lived
- 52 yrs
- 1942 – 1994
- Works listed
- 2
- Operating system, Programming language
- Honours
- 1
- Most recent 2014
- Profile views
- 2
- 0 followers
Gary Kildall was an American computer scientist who created CP/M, the first widely used operating system for personal computers, and founded Digital Research. He introduced the idea of a BIOS that made software portable across machines. IBM chose Microsoft’s DOS instead for its PC, a famous turning point. He died in 1994.
Biography
Background
Kildall studied mathematics at the University of Washington and earned a PhD in computer science there. He taught at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey.
CP/M
Consulting for Intel, he wrote the PL/M language and, in 1974, CP/M, an operating system for floppy-disk microcomputers. He separated hardware-specific code into a BIOS, so CP/M ran on hundreds of different machines.
Digital Research
He and his wife Dorothy McEwen founded Digital Research in 1974. CP/M dominated business microcomputers in the late 1970s.
IBM
In 1980 IBM failed to reach a deal with Digital Research, and Microsoft supplied PC-DOS, based on Tim Paterson’s CP/M-like 86-DOS. Kildall later co-hosted the TV show The Computer Chronicles and created GEM. He died in 1994.
Timeline
-
1942
Born in Seattle, Washington, United States
-
1972
PhD; teaches at the Naval Postgraduate School
-
1973
PL/M for Intel
-
1974
CP/M; founds Digital Research
-
1980
IBM deal falls through
-
1983
Co-hosts The Computer Chronicles
-
1985
GEM desktop
-
1994
Dies
-
1994
Died, aged 52
Notable works
-
1974
CP/M Operating system
-
1973
PL/M Programming language
Awards and honours
-
IEEE Milestone for CP/M
2014 · Posthumous.
Did you know?
-
1
The story that he was out flying his plane when IBM visited is disputed.
-
2
His unpublished memoir was released by his children in 2016.
-
3
CP/M stood for Control Program for Microcomputers.
Connections
Related people
Also born on 19 May
-
Ruskin Bond
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1934
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Nawazuddin Siddiqui
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1974
-
Theo de Raadt
Technology · Founder of OpenBSD and OpenSSH
1968
-
James Gosling
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1955
-
Cheng Wei
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1983
Frequently asked
Who is Gary Kildall?
Gary Kildall was an American computer scientist who created CP/M, the first widely used operating system for personal computers, and founded Digital Research. He introduced the idea of a BIOS that made software portable across machines. IBM chose Microsoft’s DOS instead for its PC, a famous turning point. He died in 1994.
When did Gary Kildall die?
Gary Kildall died on 11 July 1994 at the age of 52.
Where is Gary Kildall from?
Gary Kildall was born in Seattle, Washington, United States.
What is Gary Kildall known for?
Gary Kildall is best known for CP/M (1974); PL/M; Digital Research; the BIOS concept.
What awards has Gary Kildall received?
Notable honours include IEEE Milestone for CP/M (2014).
References
- Gary Kildall — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Gary Kildall — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Gary Kildall — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Gary Kildall (Q92627) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Gary Kildall”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Gary Kildall.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/gary-kildall
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