When Bill met Steve

On the first day I was talking to a crowd of people about our Extended BASIC when out of the corner of my eye I noticed a handsome guy around my age with long black hair, a tightly cropped beard, and a three-piece suit. He was a few booths away, holding court with his own gaggle of people. Even from a distance I could tell he had a certain aura about him. I said to myself, "Who is that guy?" That was the day I met Steve Jobs.

Pertec Computer Corporation (PCC),  was a computer company based in Chatsworth, California which originally designed and manufactured peripherals such as floppy drives, tape drives, instrumentation control and other hardware for computers.

nuisance: a thing, person or situation that is annoying or causes trouble or problems

acquisition: the act of getting something, especially knowledge, a skill, etc.

subsidiary: a company wholly controlled by another

obligate: to bind legally or morally

sublicense: a subordinate license granted to another by one already having a license

stipulate: to state clearly and definitely that something must be done, or how it must be done

lodge: to make a formal statement about something to a public organization or authority

An exclusive license gives one single licensee the sole right to use intellectual property, which blocks all other parties from using it.

aforesaid: mentioned before, in an earlier sentence

strident: aggressive and determined

even-keeled: characterized by stability or consistency

intimidated: feeling frightened and not confident in a particular situation

hash out: to discuss something carefully and completely in order to reach an agreement or decide something

suitor: a company that wants to buy another company

devolve into: describe a situation, discussion, or process that deteriorates over time

standstill: ​a situation in which all activity or movement has stopped

simmer: to be filled with a strong feeling, especially anger, that you have difficulty controlling

yank: to pull something/somebody hard, quickly and suddenly

stark: harsh

ambush: to make a surprise attack on somebody/something from a hidden position

appalled: feeling or showing horror at something unpleasant or wrong

standoff:  a situation in which no agreement can be reached

astounded: very surprised or shocked by something, because it seems very unlikely

gaggle: ​a group of noisy people

sleek: smooth and shiny

beige: light yellow-brown in color

signage: ​signs, especially ones that give instructions or directions to the public

rivalry: a state in which two people, companies, etc. are competing for the same thing

chicken out: to decide not to do something because you are afraid

pony up: to pay money for something

breach: to not keep to an agreement or not keep a promise

swift: happening or done quickly and immediately; doing something quickly

Bill Gates "Source Code"

Online Dictionaries Used:

hk.dictionary.search.yahoo.com

www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

www.merriam-webster.com