Code as a Struggle. A Short History of IT. 5. Gary Kildall

This article from the 'Code as a Struggle' series focuses on Gary Kildall, the creator of the CP/M operating system. The author examines one of the most famous legends in IT history: the story that Kildall supposedly missed the deal of a lifetime with IBM by choosing to go flying instead of attending a business meeting. The piece provides a critical analysis of this myth, which has become part of industrial folklore. The author relies on historical documents and evidence to prove that the popular version of events is inaccurate. The article encourages looking at Kildall not through the lens of repeated anecdotes, but through the actual facts of his contribution to the development of computer technology. It is a deep dive into how myths are formed in the tech industry and why they often overshadow the real history of successes and failures of the computer era's pioneers.