Lots has been written about Microsoft – some good, some bad. The company that started 40 years ago has changed so much that apart from Bill Gates still being on the Board (and ostensibly the world’s richest man and philanthropist) that it is better if you read the potted history at Wikipedia.

Let’s first start by reading Bill Gates letter to staff to commemorate this point in time.

Tomorrow is a special day: Microsoft's 40th anniversary.

Early on, Paul Allen and I set the goal of a computer on every desk and in every home. It was a bold idea and a lot of people thought we were out of our minds to imagine it was possible. It is amazing to think about how far computing has come since then, and we can all be proud of the role Microsoft played in that revolution.

Today though, I am thinking much more about Microsoft's future than its past. I believe computing will evolve faster in the next 10 years than it ever has before. We already live in a multi-platform world, and computing will become even more pervasive. We are nearing the point where computers and robots will be able to see, move, and interact naturally, unlocking many new applications and empowering people even more.

Under Satya's leadership, Microsoft is better positioned than ever to lead these advances. We have the resources to drive and solve tough problems. We are engaged in every facet of modern computing and have the deepest commitment to research in the industry. In my role as technical advisor to Satya, I get to join product reviews and am impressed by the vision and talent I see. The result is evident in products like Cortana, Skype Translator, and HoloLens -- and those are just a few of the many innovations that are on the way.

In the coming years, Microsoft has the opportunity to reach even more people and organizations around the world. Technology is still out of reach for many people, because it is complex or expensive, or they simply do not have access. So I hope you will think about what you can do to make the power of technology accessible to everyone, to connect people to each other, and make personal computing available everywhere even as the very notion of what a PC delivers makes its way into all devices.

We have accomplished a lot together during our first 40 years and empowered countless businesses and people to realize their full potential. But what matters most now is what we do next. Thank you for helping make Microsoft a fantastic company now and for decades to come.

From my perspective I have been in the IT industry for 36 of those 40 years as a software developer; importer, distributor and manufacturer of PCs; retailer and repairer; and journalist/commentator including a stint from 1994 to 2004 on ABC radio running an hour-long consumer based IT segment. I have seen so many changes for good bought about by Microsoft.

Operating Systems (OS)

Let’s start in 1980 with Microsoft’s collaboration with IBM to develop PC-DOS allowing IBM PCs to exist. At the same time, it developed MS-DOS that allowed ‘clone’ IBM-PCs to exist. If not for DOS, I doubt that Gate’s vision for “A PC on every desk” could have ever existed.

Little however is known of their efforts to develop a business operating system based on Unix called Xenix. It allowed early adopters to run multiple terminals (server side computing) and was the cornerstone of my burgeoning business in the early 80s. In 1987, Microsoft transferred ownership of Xenix to SCO and stopped developing it further – but its 25% stake in SCO meant that it controlled much of the IP that continues to bring it revenue from Android, Unix, Linux etc., to this day.

Later it worked with IBM on OS/2 for its PS/2 line of PCs. It also started work on a multi-user version of MS-DOS that became known as NT (New Technology) when it was released in 1993. It was significant because it ran on Intel (and later AMD) x86 processors. NT is the basis of all Windows workstation and server versions from 1993 to today – including the unified Windows 10.

So to segue slightly – Microsoft has been at the foundation of all ‘micro-computer’ technology and largely responsible for developing standards allowing original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to thrive. Without it, companies like HP, Dell, Acer, Asus, Lenovo, Toshiba and countless thousands of white box clone and peripheral makers would not have existed. Gates was demonised for his grand plan, but without him, PCs would not have developed as quickly as they have.

GUI - graphic user interface

In mid-1984, Microsoft released Windows 1.0, a GUI that sat on top of MS-DOS. It did not invent the mouse but it popularised it.

I know of no person who yearns for a command line interface and Windows is now on the verge of a voice, touch and gesture interface. GUI is so yesterday!

Office

In 1990, Microsoft released its first Office suite with Word and Excel. In the 80’s dozens of programs flourished like Data Star, Word Star, Word Perfect, SuperCalc, and Lotus etc. These were a bit like ink is to printers – you need software to make the PC do something useful. As an early adopter, I used all of these on a mix of PC clones, Xenix multiuser systems, and more. The key issue was that there were no standards, software was customised to the machine not the architecture, and I spent more time trying to make them work than I should have. Finally, I settled on WordPerfect and MS Excel spreadsheet from mid-80s to mid-90s when I adopted Office 95 and NT 4.0 – at this stage a pretty robust software suite and operating system.

To summarise Microsoft took – yes took – the best features from competitors products and added its special sauce to make them even better. By 1995, Office had surpassed all other productivity products and set the standards for the next 20 years.

Today it is still the benchmark that Google Docs, Apple Notes and other comers are measured against. Office compatibility is mandatory.

The Internet

If ever an OS had the rights to claim Internet superiority it was Unix/Xenix/Linux and the multiple versions that followed. I make this statement because most of the early Internet pioneers used these OS and built the Internet around their capabilities. I can remember setting up a Xenix server in 1992 to access early email – I registered a two letter domain im.com.au then (and it is worth a small fortune today), and starting to use the internet in 1995 when on a Windows 95 PC I added the Plus! Package that included Internet Explorer V1.0 (IE).

Yes, Mosaic/Netscape was first and Microsoft copied its functionality but it took Microsoft’s power to popularise it when by the early 2000s it had more than 95% of internet browser usage. That spawned Firefox (from Mosaic) and Google Chrome to name a few. Its move to Project Spartan in Windows 10 is truly to support open source and open standards – no longer will IE have its little quirks.

While Unix based OS still dominate the Internet, Microsoft based servers dominate enterprise and its Internet. MS Server made it easier for business to host its own web pages, email (Exchange) later Voice over IP (Lync/Skype) and Windows PCs made accessing the internet easy – with over 1 billion (around 92%) of all desktop devices. Of course, mobile has changed that paradigm.

Today Microsoft is a key player in the cloud (Azure) and is a member of the Open Network Foundation to develop software defined networking. The cloud is the next frontier that no computing user will escape.

Bill Gates steps down. Ballmer steps up – or is that in it!

In 2000, Gates retired as CEO and in 2008 as Chief Software architect. Some say that this loss to the daily direction of the company was akin to Apple’s tragic loss of Steve Jobs. In part, it was true because Steve Ballmer – CEO from 2000 to February 2014 and Microsoft’s 30th employee – had a ‘bad boy’ style that was controversial as he made changes that he considered were needed to ensure the future of Microsoft. He is famously quoted as saying “I am not going to need him [Gates] for anything … Use him, yes, need him, no.”

For all of Ballmer’s critics he took the company through some of its toughest times generally improving the company’s fortunes. But, he also presided over the loss of major ground to Apple and Google, especially in the new area of mobility. In 2007, Ballmer said, "There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance."

Satya Nadella became CEO in February 2014.

Satya Nadella is a Hindu – the world’s third largest religion. It prescribes the "eternal" duties, such as honesty, mercy, purity, self-restraint, among others. It would be trite to say that Nadella’s religion has made Microsoft a better company but having such a skilled businessperson with 22 years Microsoft experience who is also a Hindu says much.

Nadella is famously quoted as saying 'mobile-first, cloud-first' and bringing Office to Android and iOS in record time. No longer is Apple or Google the enemy but simply as ‘multi-platforms’’ as Gates puts it.

Nadella said, "The only way you are going to be able to orchestrate the mobility of these applications and data is through the cloud... That's why the juxtaposition of cloud infrastructure and mobile experiences is where the world is going."

I expect to see a newer, softer, more open Microsoft that uses its considerable resources to take computing into the next step. Gone is the demonised behemoth (extremely large or powerful entity) of old.

And to today

Most readers will see Microsoft as Office and Windows. Sorry that just does not cut it!

Microsoft has been at the foundation of almost every major advance in computing for 40 years. It has reinvented itself several times as computing has changed - perhaps not as often as it should have. It has made friends and enemies along the way.

For my part, I am glad they are a strong, vital, and cashed-up, company because strong competition is healthy. I am glad they are investing so much in the future because as Gates says “I believe computing will evolve faster in the next 10 years than it ever has before.”

I like Nadella’s new direction – cooperation - not domination - for the better good. Do a good job - rewards will follow!