Q 01/05

Microsoft was founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and which childhood friend?

A) Paul Allen

B) Steve Wozniak

C) Nathan Myhrvold

D) Steve Ballmer

Answer · why

A) Paul Allen

The two had already run a company called Traf-O-Data that sold a rudimentary computer for analysing road traffic.

Q 02/05

The company's name, first written with a hyphen, was coined by a co-founder from what two words?

A) Microprocessor softworks

B) Micro-computer software

C) Miniature software

D) Microchip soft-coding

Answer · why

B) Micro-computer software

The company was formally established on April 4, 1975, with Gates as CEO.

Q 03/05

Microsoft's first product was a BASIC interpreter for which early microcomputer?

A) Commodore PET

B) IBM 5100

C) Apple I

D) Altair 8800

Answer · why

D) Altair 8800

Gates told the maker, MITS, that he had a working interpreter before he had written a line; the demo in Albuquerque in March 1975 worked flawlessly an...

Q 04/05

In which city was Microsoft based when it demonstrated Altair BASIC in 1975?

A) Boston, Massachusetts

B) Austin, Texas

C) Albuquerque, New Mexico

D) Palo Alto, California

Answer · why

C) Albuquerque, New Mexico

The company moved its headquarters to Bellevue in January 1979 and to Redmond in 1986.

Q 05/05

Microsoft's headquarters are in which Washington city?

A) Seattle

B) Bellevue

C) Redmond

D) Tacoma

Answer · why

C) Redmond

The move from Bellevue to Redmond came on February 26, 1986, weeks before the company's stock market debut.