The biggest supplier of operating systems and other software for IBM PC compatibles. Software products include MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, Microsoft Access, LAN Manager, MS Client, SQL Server, Open Data Base Connectivity (ODBC), MS Mail, and SNA Server for Windows NT. Microsoft was founded as "Micro-soft" in 1975 by Bill Gates and his high school pal Paul Allen. Their first product was a version of BASIC for the new Altair computer. In 1980, IBM chose Microsoft to supply the operating system for the IBM PC.