In February 1976, Bill Gates wrote an “open letter” to all those using home computers and sent it off to be published in a dozen computer-enthusiast zines. In the letter — barely a page long — Gates asks, “Will quality software be written for [home computer users]?” and tells users that the answer is up to them. The answer did not follow a philosophical musing nor an inspiring call to action. Instead, it was the equivalent of that peculiar “FBI Warning” at the beginning of movies: The people using his software were stealing his goods and needed to stop — end of discussion.
But what were they stealing exactly? Gates’ position was that his company’s software — in this case, Altair BASIC, or a piece of
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