Where did the name ‘Microsoft’ come from?

Paul Allen and Bill Gates, then and now.

It’s simple really, and even if you don’t know right away, it’s obvious once you read the explanation. The name is actually a «blend word» of sorts, in which two other words combine to make one.

From a 1995 Forbes magazine interview with Microsoft cofounders Bill Gates and Paul Allen:

Gates: When we signed that first contract with MITS, we referred to ourselves as ‘Paul Allen and Bill Gates doing business as Micro-Soft.’ I don’t remember why we spelled it with a hyphen and a capital ‘S.’ We put a credit line in the source code of our first product that said, ‘Micro-Soft BASIC: Bill Gates wrote a lot of stuff; Paul Allen wrote some other stuff.»

Allen: We had talked about a lot of different names back in Boston, and at some point I said, ‘Well, the totally obvious name would be Microsoft.’

Gates: We also had mentioned names like Outcorporated Inc. and Unlimited Ltd., but we were, you know, joking around. We talked a lot about whether we should call it Allen & Gates, but decided that was not a good idea.

Allen: Yeah. Because companies like DEC and IBM weren’t named after personalities, they would have a longevity and identity way beyond the founders.

Gates: . and it seemed like a law firm or like a consulting company to call it Allen & Gates. So we picked Microsoft even before we had a company to name.

So why combine «micro» and «soft?» In the 1970s, before Microsoft was a thing, Gates and Allen got their start developing MICROcomputer, or MICROprocessor, SOFTware. And it was actually Allen that originally came up with the name.

The company was originally formed in 1975, but it didn’t officially incorporate until years later in 1981.

Did you know where Microsoft got its name?

So, come on, be honest, did you know the origin of the name Microsoft before you read this post? Hit the poll below and sound off. (We’ll know if you’re lying … )

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Where did the moon come from?

You are here

Where did the moon come from?

How much do you know about the moon? Is it older or younger than the Earth? Where did it come from? Watch and find out!

Instructions

Watch the video and then do the exercises. Remember you can read the transcript at any time.

Preparation

Worksheets and downloads

Transcript

Let me take you back to the earliest days of our planet, four and a half billion years ago. At this time, the Earth had no moon. It was orbiting the Sun alone, and it was being assaulted by rocks and comets.

Today, there are no scars left from this cosmic pinball but to get a sense of the damage that was done, I’ve come to the Arizona desert to a great hole in the ground.

This is a beautiful crater, a near-perfect circle a mile in diameter. It was formed when a meteor crashed into the Earth a mere fifty thousand years ago. That’s nothing on the timescale that we’re talking about. But, it’s amazing how much damage that one passing rock can cause. The early Earth was bombarded with rocks; it must have been mayhem. And then along came something much, much bigger.

Another planet the size of Mars drifted into the path of Earth. It was on a collision course.

It hit the Earth with a glancing blow. Imagine the power released by such a collision!

The impact sent a mass of liquid rock into orbit. This debris coalesced into a ball and the moon was formed, just fourteen thousand miles away from the early Earth. This was the closest point it could have been. Any closer, and gravity would have pulled the debris crashing back to Earth and there’d be no moon.

Today the moon is just a rock, reflecting the sun’s light, but back then it was a molten sphere burning brightly. It must have looked amazing: an enormous orange disc in the sky.

Imagine the scene: the first moonrise over the early Earth. Our world was no longer alone. It had a huge, powerful neighbour, and ever since this has been a very different type of planet.

Where does ‘Hello world’ come from?

‘ hello, world ‘ is usually the first example for any programming language. I’ve always wondered where this sentence came from and where was it first used.

I’ve once been told that it was the first sentence ever to be displayed on a computer screen, but I’ve not been able to find any reference to this.

So my question is:
Where does the practice to use ‘ hello, world ‘ as the first example for computer languages originate from?
Where was it first used?

Update
Although the answers are quite interesting, I should have noted that I had read the Wikipedia article. It does answer the question about the first use in literature, but does not answer when ‘ hello world ‘ was first used.
So I think that it is safe to conclude that it was not the first sentence ever to be displayed on a computer screen and that there is no record about when it was first used?

7 Answers 7

Brian Kernighan actually wrote the first «hello, world» program as part of the documentation for the BCPL programming language developed by Martin Richards. BCPL was used while C was being developed at Bell Labs a few years before the publication of Kernighan and Ritchie’s C book in 1972.

As part of the research for a book I was writing about the Alice programming environment, I corresponded with both Prof. Kernighan at Princeton and Martin Richards at Cambridge (when I was teaching a seminar there in the 1990’s). They helped me to track the first documented use of code to print the message «Hello, World!” Brian Kernighan remembered writing the code for part of the I/O section of the BCPL manual. Martin Richards — who seems to have a treasure trove of notes, old documents, etc. — found the manual and confirmed that this was the original appearance of the program. The code was used for early testing of the C compiler and made its way into Kernighan and Ritchie’s book. Later, it was one of the first programs used to test Bjarne Stroustrup’s C++ compiler.

It became a standard for new programmers after it appeared in Kernighan and Ritchie, which is probably the best selling introduction to programming of all time.

Where does Steve come from

Вы услышите интервью. Выберите цифру 1, 2 или 3, соответствующую выбранному вами варианту ответа. Вы услышите запись дважды.

Where does Steve come from?

1. He comes from the United States.
2. He comes from Italy.
3. He comes from Britain.

Presenter: Today in our studio we meet Steve, a young man inspired by his job. You’re welcome, Steve! So, at what age did you decide to become a circus performer and what inspired you to join the circus?

Steve: My father and grandfather were both performers in the circus, so I was really born into it. My grandfather had taught my father and my father taught my brother and me but it wasn’t until I was about 10 years old that I decided to follow in their footsteps because I was very shy. After a couple of years of practicing to become a clown, I became more confident and outgoing. We started with a circus in my home country of Italy and now we are traveling the United States.

Presenter: What is a typical day like at the circus for you?

Steve: It’s hard to describe a typical day at the circus as there is always something new and different going on, but normally I’ll wake up, drink a cup of coffee, eat some breakfast, and then begin to do my spiky hair while I listen to music. My hair normally takes about two hours. I then go into the arena and put on my makeup on and practice the Diabolo, which is a juggling accessory that consists of a spool being tossed and whirled on a string attached to two sticks, it’s my specialty, and then I get ready for the show. Some days I get up early to do interviews and or visit schools and hospitals to put on a special performance.

Presenter: What is one of your favorite routines?

Steve: My favorite act has to be the act that my family and I perform in. The act is called Boom Boom Pow; it’s my favourite act because I get to interact with the audience and have fun with them. Plus, I get to perform with my brother and father, so it’s a good combination.

Presenter: Are you part of a traveling circus, or do you typically stay in one place?

Steve: We travel all around America by recreational vehicles so every week we are in a different city and usually a different state, and I get to meet different people. It’s a cool experience and I’m enjoying every minute of it.

Presenter: How many hours do you have to practice in a week?

Steve: I try to practice my Diabolo as much as possible, but it depends on how many shows we have each week, how much I have to travel, and how many events we have. Overall I probably practice about four hours a week not to mention show rehearsals.

Presenter: What is it like living and working with other circus employees all the time?

Steve: Living and working with other circus employees is an amazing experience. We have performers from all over the world so to be able to learn different cultures, languages, and trying food from their country is really cool. We have nine different countries represented and we all help and learn from each other. It’s like we are one big international family.

Presenter: What skills do you think are needed to be a successful circus performer?

Steve: In order to be a successful circus performer I think you need to find a talent that you are passionate about. I was passionate about clowning because my grandfather and father were clowns and I really looked up to them. They were able to combine their love for music with the art of clowning to create a new unique style and I loved that. The other reason that I got attracted to clowning was the ability to put smiles on the faces of thousands each night; it’s an awesome feeling that I can do that.

Presenter: Are you planning to be involved with the circus your entire career or do you have other plans?

Steve: I hope to be a circus performer for as long as possible. Working with my family and being able to perform is something that I truly enjoy and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Presenter: Who has been a mentor for you that has helped you reach for your dreams?

Steve: Other than my family who I’ve looked up to and have helped me and supported me throughout my career, I would say that I am my own motivation. I want to be the best that I can be and that is what motivates me. In order to create and build my own character I watched a lot of comedy shows to get inspiration from but a lot of my character has come from within me and my desire to succeed.

Интегрированный урок английского и русского языка по теме «Where does the Russian language come from?» («История возникновения русского языка»)

Инновационные процессы, идущие сегодня в системе образования, наиболее остро ставят вопрос о поисках резервов совершенствования обучения. Одна из самых перспективных методик в этом направлении- интеграция учебных дисциплин, которая способствует реализации когнитивно-коммуникативного, личностно – ориентированного подхода к обучению, оптимизации учебно-познавательной деятельности. Практически любой урок английского языка, особенно на основе культурологического материала, по своему содержанию уже является интегрированным.Для иллюстрации ответов дети могут использовать знания, полученные на уроках литературы, истории, географии, языкознания. Интегрированный подход при изучении различных школьных дисциплин и английского языка может предложить целый ряд преимуществ в обучении и преподавании:

• Улучшает знание языка и навыков устного общения.
• Не требует дополнительных учебных часов.
• Повышает мотивацию и уверенность в интегрируемых учебных предметах.
• Учебные дисциплины дополняют друг друга, а не конкурируют между собой.

Урок по теме: “Where does the Russian language come from?” (“История возникновения русского языка”), разработка которого приведена ниже — интегрированный урок и, с одной стороны, является систематизированием знаний внутри определенной дисциплины (английский язык), а, с другой стороны, представляет собой синтез фактов, понятий двух дисциплин – русский язык (раздел “Языкознание”) и английский язык, переход от разрозненных фактов к их системе, уточнения картины мира. Такая интеграция направлена на “спрессование” материала в более крупные блоки, что, в конечном счете, ведет к изменению структуры содержания дисциплины. В этом смысле интегрированное содержание является информационно более емким и направлено на формирование способности мыслить информационно емкими категориями.

Воспитательная цель: 1). формировать у учащихся чувство уважения и интереса к истории родной страны и родного языка; 2) .Воспитание толерантного отношения учащихся к иным культурам, воспитание чувства сопричастности к мировой культуре и её общечеловеческим ценностям.

Развивающие цели (психологический аспект): 1) формирование у учащихся внутренней мотивации к изучению языка и культуры, развитие у детей внимания и восприятия, слуховой памяти, мышления и воображения, способностей к аналитической деятельности; 2) развитие учебно-интеллектуальных умений: обобщения, сравнения; развитие способности к языковой догадке и умения мыслить абстрактными категориями; развитие коммуникативных умений логически излагать высказывание и обосновывать свою точку зрения.

Образовательная цель: расширение кругозора учащихся, за счет ознакомления с историей возникновения русского языка и заимствованиями из других языков.

Практические цели (учебный аспект): 1) Развитие умений устной речи, чтения с пониманием основного содержания. 2) Развитие умения выборочно понимать необходимую информацию в воспринимаемом на слух тексте. 3) Расширить потенциальный словарь учащихся за счет новых слов, и обеспечить отработку данного материала в серии языковых упражнений 4. формировать умение видеть ошибки и исправлять их.

Средства обучения и оборудование: УМК по англ. яз. “Happy English.ru-8” авторы Кауфман К. И. , Кауфман М.Ю., магнитофон, доска, компьютер с мультимедийным проектором, учебная и учебно-методическая литература, карта мира с флажками-флагами государств.

Межпредметные связи: русский язык, география, история.

Продолжительность урока : 2 ак. Часа.

Ход урока

I. Организационный момент. Сообщение темы и целей урока

Учитель английского языка. — Good morning, boys and girls! I am glad to see you again. I hope you are ready for the lesson. Let’s start our lesson . Today we’ll continue to learn the topic (Unit 4) ”You live a new life for every new language you speak”(What does this proverb mean?) and discuss where the Russian language comes from.(Учащиеся могут объяснить значение пословицы по-русски)

II. Речевая зарядка.

(Речевую зарядку можно провести на основе упр.1 стр.98 учебника)

Учитель английского языка. — I want you to answer some questions about the different languages. Choose the correct answer.

Which is the language most spoken in the world?

a) Chinese; b) English; c) Russian.

How many people speak English as their first language?
a) about 375 million; b) over 200 million; c) a billion and a half.

1. Which of these languages has the most words?

   a) Russian; b) French; c) English.

   Which language is most like (похож) English?

   a) German; b) Latin; c) Irish.

   Which language is most like Russian?

   a) Polish; b) Ukrainian; c) Moldavian.

2. How many words do people really use for their everyday communication?
   a) about 10,000; b) about 3,000; c) about 200.

1. How many languages are there in the world?

   a) 6,800; b) more than 10,000; c) over 1,000.

2. Which language is youngest of the three?
   a) Scottish; b) English; c) Latin.

(Упражнение является повторением, обобщением той информации, которую учащиеся получили на предыдущих уроках, в нем также есть вопросы, об ответах на которые учащиеся могут догадываться, их при необходимости учитель корректирует ответы)

Answers: 1a) ; 2a); 3c); 4a); 5b); 6b); 7a); 8b).

III. Вступительное слово учителя русского языка

О роли русского языка в современном мире (по материалам газеты “Аргументы и факты” №16 2007 г. и “Советская Россия”№9 2007г.)

IV. Проверка домашнего задания (защита мини-проектов и презентаций)

Мультимедийная презентация мини-проектов на английском языке по теме “ Мой родной язык” (форма подачи материала может быть различной: эссе, таблицы, схемы и т.д., но основной критерий — достоверность и исчерпывающий характер информации, для этого учащиеся должны указать источники информации)

Учитель английского языка. — Could you make presentations about your language or write short compositions as answers to the questions? ( Учащимся напоминаются вопросы к проекту “The passport of my language” и затем 2-3 ученика демонстрируют свои проекты)

The name of my language — .

It is the official language of (names of the countries) —…

How many people speak it as a first language —.

People understand it in (names of the countries) — .

How many people speak it as a second language? — .

The origin of my language — .

English words in my language — .

Easy things for an English person to say in my language — .

Difficult things for an English person to say in my language — .

Why should people learn my language? — .

V. Развитие речевых умений.

Учитель английского языка. Well, pupils. I am sure you want to know more about the history of the Russian language. Open your textbooks and find ex.3 ,p.98. Listen, read , think about the Russian language and answer the question: Did any other language contribute to it? If yes, which one? (учащиеся прослушивают текст с визуальной опорой, читают его, получая новую информацию об истории формировании русского языка, которая позволит ответить на заданный учителем вопрос).

In about the 6th century AD Slav tribes migrated west to the river Elbe and to the south into the Balkans. By the 10th century there were three Slavonic language groups: Western, Southern and Eastern. Russian together with Ukrainian and Belorussian, comes from the Eastern Slavonic language group.

In the 12th century the Mongols came. You may think that Mongol invaders who stayed in Russia changed the language forever, but it isn’t true. The Russian language didn’t change much and stayed Slavic. All Slavonic languages are still similar and people who speak them can understand each other.

Учитель русского языка. — Русский язык заимствовал слова из других языков. В своей жизни мы постоянно используем турецкие, немецкие, французские, голландские, греческие и английские слова. Найдите соответствия между группами русских слов и языками из которых они заимствованы. (Эти слова – в упражнении 5 на странице 99 учебника УМК, но лучше если они для наглядности будут спроецированы на экран или выписаны на доске. В случае затруднений учитель может предложить проанализировать некоторые из них, вспомнить некоторые события Российской истории. Ответы учащихся целесообразно сопровождать работой с географической картой , прикалывая государственные флажки к найденной на карте стране.)

1. Рейд, вымпел, рупор, яхта, шлюпка, шлюз, фрегат, крейсер, штурман, матрос, юнга, верфь, каюта, люк
2. Алтарь, архангел, патриарх, идол, сатана, канон, Евангелие
3. Галстук, китель, футляр, штопор, крендель, пудель, картофель, кухня, лазарет, бинт, шрам, солдат, офицер, лагерь, плац, фланг, штурм
4. Тулуп, сарафан, башмак, каблук, чулок, войлок, амбар, сарай, балаган, чулан, очаг, лачуга, шалаш, таз, утюг, тюфяк, колчан, капкан, лошадь, табун, деньги, аршин, товар, караул, богатырь, карандаш, туман, сундук, карман, чугун
5. Костюм, жилет, пальто, мебель, кабинет, салон, буфет, суп, бульон, компот, котлета, сюжет, жанр, эскиз, актер
6. Рельс, тоннель, экспресс, трамвай, трактор, клуб, комбайн, теннис, спорт, рекорд, старт, финиш, лидер, бифштекс, пудинг, пикник, веранда, сквер

Ответы к упражнению: 1 Dutch, 2 Greek, 3 German, 4 Turkish, 5 French, 6 English

Учитель английского языка. — Now let’s continue our work. You’ve got some new information about the history of the Russian language. Open your books and find ex.4 p.99. Match the facts and the explanations. (Упражнение выполняется устно)

1. Russian borrowed some Turkish words.
2. Russian borrowed some Greek words.
3. Russian borrowed some German words.
4. Russian borrowed some Dutch words.
5. Russian borrowed some French words.
6. Russian borrowed some English words.

1. more than two thousand years ago when Russia became a Christian country.
2. in the 11th and 12th centuries. They were military and trade words.
3. at the time of Peter the Great, who invited a lot of foreigners to Russia. He followed these people’s advice about military, medicine, food.
4. in the 19th and 20th centuries. They were words for sports and politics
5. at the time of Peter the Great, who invited a lot of foreigners to Russia. From these people he learned to build ships.
6. in the 19th century when this language was the language of the aristocracy, the arts and philosophy.

Answers: 1b), 2a), 3c), 4e), 5f), 6d).

VI. Развитие диалогической речи.

Учитель английского языка. — Read three myths about Russian. A lot of people think that these myths are true; that’s why they don’t want to learn Russian. What do you think about these myths? Do you agree with them? Try to think of some facts to change people’s opinion. ( ех.6, р.100)

Myth l. It’s very difficult to learn Russian.

Myth 2. Not so many people in the world — speak Russian.

Myth 3. Russian is useless, because Russia is a closed ,dangerous country. Visitors always have problems there.

VII. Развитие навыков аудирования.

Учитель английского языка. — Now, pupils, let’s listen to the text. Rob wants to learn Russian. He’s telling his friends why.

Текст написан американским школьником, поэтому по замыслу авторов УМК (см. Teacher’s book Happy English.ru-8 стр.30) обращая внимание учащихся на важность изучения английского языка, надо не перегнуть палку и не создать у них впечатления о том, что русский язык не популярен в мире, а русская культура не пользуется уважением. Здесь учителю русского языка стоит подчеркнуть, что русская литература по праву занимала и занимает ведущее место в мировой культуре и привести ряд аргументов , а также, в частности, о значении русского языка и в самых различных сферах мирового бизнеса в настоящее время.

I think everybody should learn Russian. Sometimes I hear that Russian has no future, because it is not a very popular language. That is so wrong! In fact Russian is the fifth most frequently spoken language in the world. Just listen to this statistic. Over 150 million people in the world speak Russian as their first language. You will hear Russian in Russia, in the former Soviet republics and in many areas in the USA, Israel, Germany and France. In Soviet times about 120 million people in Extern Europe and Asia learnt Russian as their second language. People may say that Russian is very difficult, but I don’t agree. The Russian language is not much harder than any other foreign language. The alphabet is different , but it is easy enough. After you learn the alphabet (which takes about a week), you will see that Russian spelling is not a problem at all. Believe me, reading and writing in Russian is easier than in English. And finally, Russia has always been one of the richest countries in the world. And today it is an open, friendly country. That’s why a lot of Western companies are interested in Russia and Russian business is becoming international. You shouldn’t forget that Russian scientists, writers and artists have always been world-famous. I think you should learn Russian just to be able to read Pushkin in the original language. Don’t you agree?

VIII. Контроль понимания текста.

Учитель английского языка. — Ok. You have understand the main idea. Now, let’s read the text once more and write down the facts against myth 1, myth 2 and myth 3 (ex.7, p.100)

Myth l

Myth 2

Myth3

(Учитель собирает письменные работы учащихся и оценивает их).

IX. Подведение итогов.

Учитель русского и английского языка подводят итоги урока и оценивают работу учащихся.

Учитель английского языка. — We’ve done a lot during our lesson. You were active and worked quickly. Thank you for your work.