Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft and one of the world richest men, has stepped down from running the worlds largest software company.

His first big break came in 1980 when the fledgling Microsoft signed an agreement with IBM to build an operating-system called MS-DOS. Microsoft subsequently went public in 1986 with Gates becoming worlds youngest self-made billionaire at the time.

This was about the same time when Microsoft released the first graphic interface to MS-DOS, know as Windows, but it would be 1989 when Windows 3.0 is released (selling 100,000 copies in the first two weeks). It is at this point that Microsoft decide to part ways with IBM and their OS/2 partnership.

Microsoft subsequently went from strength to strength, releasing several new versions of Windows including Windows XP in 2001, which is still predominant today.

However, Microsoft now face some of their biggest challenges - sales of Windows Vista have been disappointing and it has not been adopted a rapidly as hoped. This is largely attributed to teething compatibility issues with 3rd-party software, amonst other issues. Microsoft have rencently comitted to the next release of Windows (called 'Windows 7') in 2010 with a view to smoothing the transition from Windows XP.

In any case, there may be less demand for subsequent versions of Windows. The way we use computers is once again starting to change as high-speed broadband becomes ever more prevailant. This is leading to Cloud Computing concepts and 'hosted' applications - this may ultimately reduce our dependance on the personal computer and familiarity with operating systems such as Windows.