HiSoft
Encyclopedia
HiSoft Systems was a software company based in the UK, creators of a range of programming tools for microcomputers in 1980s and 1990s. Their first products were Pascal and Assembler implementations for the NASCOM 1 and 2 kit-based computers, followed by Pascal and C for ZX Spectrum
computers, as well as a BASIC
compiler for this platform and a C compiler for CP/M. While compilers for the Spectrum were typical products for this platform, with integrated editor, compiler and runtime environment fitting in RAM together with program's source, the C compiler for CP/M was typical for this operating system
, batch operated, with separate compilation and linking stages.
Their most well-known products were the Devpac assembler IDE environments (earlier known as GenST and GenAm for the Atari ST
and Amiga
, respectively). The Devpac IDE was a full editor/assembler/debugger environment written entirely in 68k assembler and was a favourite tool among programmers on the Atari GEM platform.
HiSoft also sold HiSoft BASIC, HiSoft C Interpreter for the Atari ST
, Aztec C, Personal Pascal and FTL Modula-2.
The Business was created in 1980 and was based in Dunstable, Bedfordshire before relocating to the village of Greenfield in the same county.
In November 2001, HiSoft's staff were employed by Maxon Computer Limited, the UK arm of Maxon Computer GmbH. to work on Cinema 4D
.
David Link, the founder and owner, ran a Café in the village of Emsworth
for a year until July 2007.
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
computers, as well as a 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....
compiler for this platform and a C compiler for CP/M. While compilers for the Spectrum were typical products for this platform, with integrated editor, compiler and runtime environment fitting in RAM together with program's source, the C compiler for CP/M was typical for this 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...
, batch operated, with separate compilation and linking stages.
Their most well-known products were the Devpac assembler IDE environments (earlier known as GenST and GenAm for the 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...
and Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, respectively). The Devpac IDE was a full editor/assembler/debugger environment written entirely in 68k assembler and was a favourite tool among programmers on the Atari GEM platform.
HiSoft also sold HiSoft BASIC, HiSoft C Interpreter for the 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...
, Aztec C, Personal Pascal and FTL Modula-2.
The Business was created in 1980 and was based in Dunstable, Bedfordshire before relocating to the village of Greenfield in the same county.
In November 2001, HiSoft's staff were employed by Maxon Computer Limited, the UK arm of Maxon Computer GmbH. to work on Cinema 4D
Cinema 4D
CINEMA 4D is a 3D modeling, animation and rendering application developed by MAXON Computer GmbH of Friedrichsdorf, Germany. It is capable of procedural and polygonal/subd modeling, animating, lighting, texturing, rendering, and common features found in 3d modelling applications.- Overview:The...
.
David Link, the founder and owner, ran a Café in the village of Emsworth
Emsworth
Emsworth is a large village the south coast of England, situated on the Hampshire side of the border between Hampshire and West Sussex. The village lies at the north end of an arm of Chichester Harbour, a large but shallow inlet of the English Channel....
for a year until July 2007.