The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):
Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft
    The biggest supplier of operating systems and
   other software for IBM PC compatibles.  Software products
   include MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Windows NT,
   Microsoft Access, LAN Manager, MS Client, SQL Server,
   Open Data Base Connectivity (ODBC), MS Mail, and SNA
   Server for Windows NT.
   Microsoft was founded as "Micro-soft" in 1975 by Bill Gates
   (now CEO) and his high school pal Paul Allen.  Their first
   product was a version of BASIC for the new Altair computer
   [which one?].  In 1980, IBM chose Microsoft to supply the
   operating system for the IBM PC.
   On the UK television program "The Net" in May 1994, Bill
   Gates said he was betting his company on the information
   highway".
   Quarterly sales $1293M, profits $362M (Aug 1994).
   (http://microsoft.com/).
   (ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/).
   Interesting Info and Other Microsoft WWW Servers
   (http://www-drg.microsoft.com/devinfo.htm).
   Microsoft Windows Developer Information
   (http://www-drg.microsoft.com/devinfo.htm).
   Microsoft Research Group Information
   (http://research.microsoft.com).
   Win_News
   (http://microsoft.com/chicago/ms-www/ms-intro.htm).
   maintained by the Personal Operating Systems Division to
   distribute information on Microsoft Windows, MS-DOS and
   Windows 95.
   (1998-11-06)