> [Bill Gates] attended Lakeside School in Seattle, a private prep school that in 1968 when Gates was 13 bought a computer terminal for its students. This was e

> [Bill Gates] attended Lakeside School in Seattle, a private prep school that in 1968 when Gates was 13 bought a computer terminal for its students. This was extraordinarily rare... By the time he dropped out of Harvard, Gates had accumulated hours of programming practice, an almost impossible number for someone his age. I thought this but reading Gates biography (Source Code), it's very much overplayed. He did have access, but this idea that his skill somehow manifested from having access to a computer is just wrong. His access is constantly being cutoff and he finds creative ways to gain access. It's not like his dad installed a mainframe in his bedroom. The typical teenager has 10x the amount of access as Gates had. The reason most people don't spend 20h a day programming is not access. It's drive. If you're that captivated and willing to do work, you'll likely find a creative way to gain access, which is exactly what he did. > [Chris Langan] got a full scholarship to Reed College in Oregon, but when his mother forgot to file the financial aid renewal paperwork, his scholarship was cancelled. He went to the administration to explain the situation and got nowhere. He had no one in his corner, no parent who knew how to navigate bureaucracy, no mentor who could make a call on his behalf. He dropped out... Chris arguably had more. It wasn't work ethic either. It was the doors that happened to be open when they arrived. Read through the summary and you'll see that it's exactly the opposite. It is work ethic. This dude couldn't just coast of being high IQ, while Gates hustled like hell to gain computer time. This dude's car breaks down and he gives up on university? Why is his mother filling out paperwork? He was an adult at that point. Why did he need his mother? How do much dumber kids manage? A brief summary of Gates access: Fall 1968, age 12 turning 13: Gates first starts programming through Lakeside’s terminal. A few months later he gets effectively unlimited free access at C-Cubed in exchange for finding bugs. He later calls this period his “first 500 hours.” Spring 1969, age 13: After about eight months of computer access, Gates and his friends are caught exploiting the system and are banned from C-Cubed. Gates says computers were then off-limits. Late 1969 / early 1970, age 14: After about a six-month hiatus, Gates gets back into C-Cubed through Paul Allen and resumes programming. C-Cubed then shuts down in March 1970. Late 1970 to early 1971, age 15: Gates and friends get computer time from ISI in exchange for writing a payroll program. They also talk their way into the University of Washington computer lab and spend nights and weekends there. March 1971, age 15: They are banned from the University of Washington lab after Paul Allen takes an acoustic coupler without permission. They continue using other terminals, including one at Gates’s father’s office. 1971–72, ages 15–16: Gates keeps getting access through Lakeside and paid programming projects. During one scheduling project he works about three weeks of 20-hour days. In summer 1972, he and Paul Allen spend roughly a month living in the Lakeside computer room, coding in 12-hour stretches and sleeping there. 1973, age 17: He takes time off high school to work professionally at TRW/Bonneville on PDP-10 systems. He says he once stayed at the computer facility nearly 100 hours straight. Fall 1973, age 17: At Harvard, he gets his own account and key to the Aiken computer lab, giving him 24-hour access. Source