HESware
Encyclopedia
HESware was an American
home computer
software and hardware developer/publisher during the 1980s, who concentrated on the Commodore 64
and the Atari 8-bit.
. Published titles included numerous games as well as educational and productivity programs. Among them were Project Space Station
, Mr. TNT, Turtle Graphics
by David Malmberg, several Jeff Minter
games (Llamasoft), such as Attack of the Mutant Camels
, Hes Games
, and HesMon, Graphics BASIC
, 64Forth (a cartridge-based Forth implementation), and the HesModem and HesModem II. At one point, HESware was the largest single-source supplier of software for the Commodore 64.
The company was started as HES by Jay Balakrishnan and Cy Shuster in 1980, in Jay's apartment in Los Angeles
. Typical of his creativity, Jay took down the door to his bedroom, put it across two file cabinets, and used that as a desk for his development (winding the cables around the doorknob!). With incredible amounts of research into the PET
ROM, Jay wrote the first 8K 6502 Assembler, HESbal (HES Basic Assembler Language) in BASIC
, and an accompanying text editor, HESedit. Having HESbal allowed numerous creative follow-on products, such as HEScom, software and a user port
cable that allowed VIC20 programs to be saved to a PET hard disk (since the first VIC20 didn't have a hard disk). Cy soldered the HEScom cables in his garage and wrote HESlister, a print utility for BASIC programs, that he ported from a TRS-80 Model I to the PET, to the VIC, and later to the IBM
PC.
Game writers Lawrence Holland
and Ron Gilbert
, later to be famous for their work at LucasArts
, started their careers at HESware.
In October 1984 HESware was acquired by Avant Guard Publishing Corp. and thus, already in deep financial troubles, avoided having to declare bankruptcy
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
home computer
Home computer
Home 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...
software and hardware developer/publisher during the 1980s, who concentrated on the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The 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...
and the Atari 8-bit.
History
The company was located in Brisbane, CaliforniaBrisbane, California
Brisbane is a small city located in the northern part of San Mateo County, California on the lower slopes of San Bruno Mountain. It is on the northeastern edge of South San Francisco, next to the San Francisco Bay and near the San Francisco International Airport.The population was 4,282 as of...
. Published titles included numerous games as well as educational and productivity programs. Among them were Project Space Station
Project Space Station
Project Space Station is a game published in 1985 by HESware, originally written for the Commodore 64 home computer, then ported out to both the Apple II series and PC compatibles.-Summary:...
, Mr. TNT, Turtle Graphics
Turtle graphics
Turtle graphics is a term in computer graphics for a method of programming vector graphics using a relative cursor upon a Cartesian plane...
by David Malmberg, several Jeff Minter
Jeff Minter
Jeff 'Yak' Minter is a British computer/video game designer and programmer. He is the founder of software house Llamasoft and his recent works include Neon , a non-game music visualization program that has been built into the Xbox 360 console, and the video games Space Giraffe , and Space Invaders...
games (Llamasoft), such as Attack of the Mutant Camels
Attack of the Mutant Camels
Attack of the Mutant Camels was a surrealist computer game released for the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers in the 1980s by Jeff Minter's Llamasoft. It is a horizontally-scrolling shooter.-Summary:...
, Hes Games
Hes Games
Hes Games is a 1984 sports game released for the Commodore 64 by HESware.It was originally developed by 321 Software and the Apple II conversion was done by Philip Thomas Kovilakath. It was released by Americana as Go For The Gold and Gold Medal Games elsewhere...
, and HesMon, Graphics BASIC
Graphics BASIC
Graphics BASIC is a third-party extension to the Commodore BASIC V2.0 programming language of the Commodore 64 computer. It was originally written in 1983 by Ron Gilbert and Tom McFarlane. The program was licensed to Hesware, who briefly sold the program in 1984 as part of their product line before...
, 64Forth (a cartridge-based Forth implementation), and the HesModem and HesModem II. At one point, HESware was the largest single-source supplier of software for the Commodore 64.
The company was started as HES by Jay Balakrishnan and Cy Shuster in 1980, in Jay's apartment in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Typical of his creativity, Jay took down the door to his bedroom, put it across two file cabinets, and used that as a desk for his development (winding the cables around the doorknob!). With incredible amounts of research into the PET
Commodore PET
The Commodore PET was a home/personal computer produced from 1977 by Commodore International...
ROM, Jay wrote the first 8K 6502 Assembler, HESbal (HES Basic Assembler Language) in BASIC
BASIC
BASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....
, and an accompanying text editor, HESedit. Having HESbal allowed numerous creative follow-on products, such as HEScom, software and a user port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
cable that allowed VIC20 programs to be saved to a PET hard disk (since the first VIC20 didn't have a hard disk). Cy soldered the HEScom cables in his garage and wrote HESlister, a print utility for BASIC programs, that he ported from a TRS-80 Model I to the PET, to the VIC, and later to the IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
PC.
Game writers Lawrence Holland
Lawrence Holland
Lawrence Holland is an American game designer, and president of Totally Games. He is most famous for the Star Wars: X-Wing computer game series published by LucasArts.-Early life:...
and Ron Gilbert
Ron Gilbert
Ron Gilbert is an American computer game designer, programmer, and producer, best known for his work on several classic LucasArts adventure games, including Maniac Mansion and the first two Monkey Island games. Gilbert was also co-founder of Humongous Entertainment and its sister company Cavedog...
, later to be famous for their work at LucasArts
LucasArts
LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC is an American video game developer and publisher. The company was once famous for its innovative line of graphic adventure games, the critical and commercial success of which peaked in the mid 1990s...
, started their careers at HESware.
In October 1984 HESware was acquired by Avant Guard Publishing Corp. and thus, already in deep financial troubles, avoided having to declare bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
.