He said yes anyway, and in a few weeks MS-DOS was born.

FORBES: How To Be The Next Bill Gates

The big break came in 1980 when an agreement was signed to provide the operating system that became known as MS-DOS, for IBM's new personal computer.

BBC: Bill Gates

We didn't make money on MS-DOS in its first release.

CNN: In Search Of The Real Bill Gates

MS-DOS, Microsoft's pre-Windows operating system, provides new detail.

ECONOMIST: Microsoft

MS-DOS and later Windows as the dominant operating system for the personal computer thanks to its own pioneering efforts, the brilliance of its business strategy and the network effects that give a single standard inherent advantages over any rivals.

ECONOMIST: Busted | The