text: The Man Who Could Have Been Bill Gates (BusinessWeek Online) BusinessWeek Online - The saga of the computing industry is rich with outsize characters and surprising plot turns, but there's one story that has risen over time to mythic proportions. It's the tale of how software pioneer Gary Kildall missed out on the opportunity to supply IBM  with the operating system for its first PC -- essentially handing the chance of a lifetime, and control of tech's future, to rival Bill Gates and Microsoft Corp. . In the process, he may have missed out on becoming the world's richest man.