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About
Canadian American software engineer and YouTube creator known for creating Windows Task Manager and for running the tech history YouTube channel Dave's Garage, which has amassed over 1.1 million subscribers. He is also known for bringing Space Cadet Pinball to Windows NT.
Before fame
He developed an early love for tools and tinkering as a child. He first encountered a computer at a local RadioShack when he was 11 years old and helped set it up despite never having used one before. He attended Miller High School but dropped out during his senior year, eventually returning and graduating when he was 21 years old. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with high honors from the University of Regina in 1994. He moved to Redmond, Washington in 1993 to be a Microsoft intern in the MS-DOS group. His internship quickly turned into a full-time role and led him into the heart of Microsoft's Windows development era. He created Task Manager around 1994-1995, and the tool first shipped publicly with Windows NT 4.0 in 1996.
Trivia
He holds six software patents. He once held the world record score for the arcade game Tempest. He went viral in 2020 after introducing himself on Reddit as "the guy who wrote Task Manager" and answering questions about Windows history. He originally built Task Manager at home.
Family life
His full name is David William Plummer. He was born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. He spent time in his father's hardware store and his grandfather's workshop as a child. He has lived in Sammamish, Washington with his wife Nicole and their four children. He has spoken openly about being autistic and having ADHD and has written about his experiences.
Associated with
He built core Windows features at Microsoft which was cofounded by Bill Gates.
