MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., AP -The Computer History Museum, the world”s largest institution dedicated to preserving Information Age artifacts, is getting a hefty financial boost from one of the biggest names in the computing industry.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged a $15 million gift — the museum”s largest donation yet, museum officials said. The gift means the Silicon Valley-based museum needs only about $50 million more to reach its $125 million goal of creating a full range of educational programs and exhibits and establishing a long-term endowment.

&#34The impact on our society of the computing revolution is simply breathtaking — it has changed the way we work, play, learn, and communicate,&#34 said Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp. and the world”s wealthiest man. &#34It”s our responsibility to collect the artifacts and stories today that will explain this incredible change to future generations.&#34

The museum opened in Mountain View in 1996.

Gates, who began his interest in software and programming computers at age 13, founded Microsoft Corp. in 1975.