[Am-info] Re: query about MS "Innovations"
Gene Gaines
Gene Gaines <gene.gaines@gainesgroup.com>
Sun, 31 Mar 2002 12:01:58 -0500
Dan Strychalski ask me to pass this on to the AM-INFO list.
In my opinion, Dan's information is correct.
I remember the first time I played with Microsoft's word (they
presume to call it "Word") and I can recall what a poor job it
was. I was using two word processors that worked together and both
were far better than Microsoft's word thingy was for its first few
years.
Also, remember Microsoft's big push to have developers adopt their
OLE? Big promises. Didn't work work a damn. Microsoft didn't
bother to correct their problems. Lots of companies who believed
Microsoft went out of business.
Also, to claim that Microsoft innovated / introduced the suite is
wrong.
See Dan's email below.
Gene Gaines
gene.gaines@gainesgroup.com
On Sunday, March 31, 2002, 6:54:05 AM, Dan wrote:
Regarding office suites, excerpts from a few relevant sites....
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Linkname: OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum
URL: http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=146
The ITT 3030 works under CP/M, MP/M or BOS (the ITT Operating
System).It was delivered with CP/M and user documentations.
The following software were sold with the machine : CP/M, Microsoft
Basic 5.0, Cobol, Fortran, Pascal (UCSB), Mailmerge and Supersport.
Were also available : Calcstar, Wordstar, Datastar and many
professional software (for doctors for example).
[...]
NAME 3030
MANUFACTURER ITT
TYPE Professional Computer
ORIGINE U.S.A.
-> YEAR February 1982
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Linkname: cv
URL: http://www.personal.u-net.com/~acaciagrove/pcvit.htm
1982 - 86
* STAG (gas transmission network analysis program), WordStar,
DataStar & CalcStar using in house RAIR supermicros serving
multiple terminals using extended CP/M. Later on the Rair's were
replaced by VAX's serving DOS.
[...]
-> 1980 - 82
* PAN using remote batch processing terminals connected to
mainframe. WordStar, DataStar & CalcStar using CP/M on Intertec's
Superbrain desktop microcomputers.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Linkname: Bondwell 12 & 14
URL: http://users.knoware.nl/users/stuurmn/bw1214.htm
Computer BW 12, 14
Brand Bondwell
CPU Z80A 4 MHz
Memory 64Kb or 128Kb RAM, 2Kb video RAM, 4Kb ROM
O.S. CP/M 2.2 CP/M 3.0 (plus)
-> Year 1984
[...]
* The Bondwell came standard with:
+ CP/M 2.2 for the BW12 and CP/M 3.0 for the BW14
+ utilities (speech,
+ WordStar
+ CalcStar
+ mailmerge
+ Datastar
[see also <http://www.digidome.nl/prod03.htm> -- dski]
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Linkname: ALMOST PERFECT by W. E. Peterson [section on 1984 -- dski]
URL: http://www.fitnesoft.com/AlmostPerfect/ap_chap05.html
Like almost every other software company, we were caught up in the
rage to have a complete suite of applications, all with a similar
brand name. Software Publishing had PFS:Write and PFS:File. Micropro
had WordStar, CalcStar, and DataStar. The PerfectWriter people also
had PerfectCalc. There was a company formed by a few Micropro exiles
with the products WriteIt and CalcIt and plans for DataIt and DrawIt.
Of course, none of these product families were successful, but that
did not stop any of us from trying.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Linkname: A Potted History of WordStar
URL: http://www.petrie.u-net.com/wordstar/history/history.htm
In 1980 Rubinstein brought in a venture capitalist named Fred Adler.
In 1981 WordStar was ported from CP/M to CP/M-86 and by Fox, to MS-DOS
for the PC. The first MS-DOS version, released in April 1982, was
version 3. During the 1980's the company released CalcStar and
DataStar, integrating them into a system called StarBurst - the
makings of the first ever 'Office Suite'. But Adler killed it off.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Linkname: zia.hss.cmu.edu/miller/eep/news/wordstar.ne.txt
URL: http://zia.hss.cmu.edu/miller/eep/news/wordstar.ne.txt
Rubenstein's original vision for the company, which was renamed
WordStar International, was to bring out a complete suite of
integrated systems. In the early 1980s, the company released Calcstar
and Datastar, and integrated them with WordStar in a system called
Starburst. It was phenomenal for its era. In fact, it was the original
"office" suite. Adler and company killed the idea.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
[It seems there was also something called "ReportStar" -- dski]
Linkname: Used software for sale, M
URL: http://www.emsps.com/oldtools/misc-m.htm
Product, version, Price In stock? Condition Shipping Inventory
media US$ Weight number
[...]
Wordstar, CalcStar, $99 Yes, box of 5.25" 1 pound MP010324
ReportStar, DataStar, diskettes for CP/M
CP/M 2.2 , S-BASIC,
MicroPlan, ProfitPlan,
BASIC-80, etc.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Regarding data sharing among applications, wasn't Apple's OpenDoc earlier
and better than OLE?
It has been a profound shock to find that otherwise well-informed people
on this list give even a moment's credence to the notions that --
- Microsoft originated the office suite concept;
- Microsoft's word processor was the market leader in the eighties;
- pointing devices made the keyboard irrelevant from the mid-eighties on;
- keyboard commands are always hidden;
- only computer and electronics hobbyists used computers before 1984-85;
- the ten-year-long disabling of certain keystrokes was the result of
market demand and concern for consumers.
Many here need to consider whether their perceptions of software history
and software design principles have been molded by Microsoft (and
another company equally fears a certain platform-independent resource).
Dan Strychalski <dski@ms17.hinet.net>