GST Computer Systems
Encyclopedia
GST was a group of computer companies based in Cambridge
, England
, founded by Dr Jeff Fenton in June 1979. The company worked with Sinclair Research, Torch Computers
, Acorn Computers
, Monotype Corporation
and Kwik-Fit
, amongst others.
The group included:
GST Computer Systems started as a contract software development company. In 1983, it became involved with Sinclair Research, producing the 68K/OS
operating system
(later rejected by Sinclair) and development software for the Sinclair QL
. In 1985 it was approached by Atari
to port products from the QL on to the just to be launched Atari ST
. The word processing
package 1st Word was bundled with every Atari ST for the first two years of its life and GST became the leading software supplier for the Atari ST platform.
In 1987 GST developed its first desktop publishing
application, Timeworks Publisher. This was sold in the USA by Timeworks, Inc. (a Chicago
based software publisher) as Publish-It!. This product went on to become the world-leading budget DTP product until competition from Microsoft Publisher
in 1993 caused the eventual demise of Timeworks, Inc. The product was sold under new names including NEBS PageMagic (changed after objections from Adobe
), Macmillan Publisher, Canon Publisher, and many other brands, distinguished by use of the .DTP file extension. The latest version was sold as Greenstreet Publisher 4 and is upwards file compatible with earlier versions.
In 2001 GST merged with eGames Europe as a new company, Greenstreet Software. It remains a developer and publisher of computer software for Windows
operating systems. In July 2008 the company was reconstructed and now trades as Greenstreet Online Limited.
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, founded by Dr Jeff Fenton in June 1979. The company worked with Sinclair Research, Torch Computers
Torch Computers
Torch Computers Ltd was a computer hardware company formed in 1982 in Great Shelford, near Cambridge, UK and became well known for its computer peripherals for the BBC Micro...
, Acorn Computers
Acorn Computers
Acorn Computers Ltd. was a British computer company established in Cambridge, England, in 1978. The company produced a number of computers which were especially popular in the UK. These included the Acorn Electron, the BBC Micro, and the Acorn Archimedes...
, Monotype Corporation
Monotype Corporation
Monotype Imaging Holdings is a Delaware corporation based in Woburn, Massachusetts and specializing in typesetting and typeface design as well as text and imaging solutions for use with consumer electronics devices. Monotype Imaging Holdings is the owner of Monotype Imaging Inc., Linotype,...
and Kwik-Fit
Kwik-Fit
Kwik-Fit is a British car servicing and repair company, specialising in tyres, brakes, exhausts, MOT testing, car servicing, air-conditioning recharge, oil changes and windscreen repair. They are the leading fast-fit supplier of tyres in the UK with over 600 Kwik-Fit centres.-History:Sir Tom Farmer...
, amongst others.
The group included:
- GST Computer Systems: the original name of the company.
- GST Professional Services: a software consultancy that was sold and became OTIB A.T.
- GST Software Products: produced retail softwareRetail softwareRetail software is computer software sold to end consumers, usually under restricted licenses. Until the emergence of the Internet, retail software represented, until the 2000s, the vast majority of all end consumer software used and was referred to as shrinkware because software almost always...
, most notably Timeworks PublisherTimeworks PublisherTimeworks Publisher was a desktop publishing program produced by GST Software in the United Kingdom.It is notable as the first affordable DTP program. In appearance and operation, it was a Ventura Publisher clone, but it was possible to run it on a computer without a hard disk...
.
- GST Training Centre: a class based software training provider in Cambridgeshire, UK.
- Electric Software: a games software label, producing titles for home computerHome computerHome computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
s such as the Commodore 64Commodore 64The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Sinclair ZX Spectrum and MSXMSXMSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
-compatible models in the early 1980s.
GST Computer Systems started as a contract software development company. In 1983, it became involved with Sinclair Research, producing the 68K/OS
68K/OS
68K/OS was a computer operating system developed by GST Computer Systems for the Sinclair QL microcomputer.It was commissioned by Sinclair Research in February 1983...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
(later rejected by Sinclair) and development software for the Sinclair QL
Sinclair QL
The Sinclair QL , was a personal computer launched by Sinclair Research in 1984, as the successor to the Sinclair ZX Spectrum...
. In 1985 it was approached by Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
to port products from the QL on to the just to be launched Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
. The word processing
Word processing
Word processing is the creation of documents using a word processor. It can also refer to advanced shorthand techniques, sometimes used in specialized contexts with a specially modified typewriter.-External links:...
package 1st Word was bundled with every Atari ST for the first two years of its life and GST became the leading software supplier for the Atari ST platform.
In 1987 GST developed its first desktop publishing
Desktop publishing
Desktop publishing is the creation of documents using page layout software on a personal computer.The term has been used for publishing at all levels, from small-circulation documents such as local newsletters to books, magazines and newspapers...
application, Timeworks Publisher. This was sold in the USA by Timeworks, Inc. (a Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
based software publisher) as Publish-It!. This product went on to become the world-leading budget DTP product until competition from Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft Publisher is a desktop publishing application from Microsoft. It is an entry-level application, differing from Microsoft Word in that the emphasis is placed on page layout and design rather than text composition and proofing...
in 1993 caused the eventual demise of Timeworks, Inc. The product was sold under new names including NEBS PageMagic (changed after objections from Adobe
Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
), Macmillan Publisher, Canon Publisher, and many other brands, distinguished by use of the .DTP file extension. The latest version was sold as Greenstreet Publisher 4 and is upwards file compatible with earlier versions.
In 2001 GST merged with eGames Europe as a new company, Greenstreet Software. It remains a developer and publisher of computer software for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating systems. In July 2008 the company was reconstructed and now trades as Greenstreet Online Limited.