As Microsoft celebrates its 50th anniversary, co-founder Bill Gates has chosen to commemorate the milestone by releasing a key piece of tech history — the original source code that launched the company. In a blog post on Gates Notes dated Wednesday, April 2, Gates announced that he is making “the coolest code” he ever wrote available for free download.

“Reaching 50 years is an incredible achievement,” Gates noted, crediting visionary leaders like Steve Ballmer and Satya Nadella, as well as countless Microsoft employees, for the company’s success. Calling the anniversary both proud and nostalgic, Gates reflected on the early days: “It feels like just yesterday that Paul [Allen] and I were working late in Harvard’s computer lab on the code that would become our first product.” The post includes historic photos from Microsoft’s early years.

Before Microsoft became a tech giant, it began as “Micro-Soft.” Gates shared that the company’s origin was sparked by a January 1975 issue of Popular Electronics, which featured the Altair 8800 — an early personal computer from a small firm called MITS. At just 19, Gates and his Harvard friend Paul Allen contacted the makers of the Altair, claiming they had developed a version of BASIC for its processor. The truth? They hadn’t written it yet.

Faced with the challenge, the duo worked tirelessly for two months to create the software they had promised. That program, Altair BASIC, became the first product of their startup, initially named “Micro-Soft” — with the hyphen later dropped. And so began the journey of what would become one of the most influential tech companies in history.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from The Indian Express.