Mustang Software
Encyclopedia
Mustang Software, Inc. was a California-based corporation that developed telecommunications software products. Mustang was incorporated in 1988, became a public corporation (NASDAQ
ticker symbol MSTG) in 1995, and was finally merged into Quintus Corporation in 2000.
Mustang's first software products were sold using the shareware
model. As the company grew, the products were soon migrated to shrinkware. During the rise of the Internet and electronic software distribution, Mustang stopped distributing physical products and instead sold license
s to its software.
. Wildcat! was a bulletin board system
that computer users could dial into using a modem
, and communicate with other users online. Initially, only one user could be dialed into the system at one time, but technological advances later allowed more than one user to be online simultaneously and to interact with one another.
The first versions of Wildcat! ran on the DOS
platform. In the mid-1990s, Mustang developed a new version called WINServer that ran on 32-bit
Windows
platforms.
Wildcat! was sold to Santronics Software, Inc. in 1998 as Mustang wanted to concentrate on its new software products.
from The Forbin Project in 1992 and renamed it to QmodemPro. QmodemPro was a DOS
-based communications program, intended for use by computer users to dial in to BBS systems.
Mustang developed versions of QmodemPro for 16-bit
and 32-bit
version of Windows. Support for RIP
was added in 1993.
QmodemPro continued to be sold by Mustang through 2000, and the rights to it were purchased by Quintus. Its status is now abandonware
.
market due to the rise of the Internet. Internet Message Center, or IMC as it was known, was designed to handle incoming corporate email. The email was filtered, sorted, tracked, and distributed to agents (people who would respond to the email). Agent responses would be routed back through IMC so a complete history of email conversations with a customer could be recorded. IMC also provided reporting features to analyze email performance.
The rights to IMC were purchased by Quintus in 2000. Its status is now abandonware
.
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
ticker symbol MSTG) in 1995, and was finally merged into Quintus Corporation in 2000.
Mustang's first software products were sold using the shareware
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
model. As the company grew, the products were soon migrated to shrinkware. During the rise of the Internet and electronic software distribution, Mustang stopped distributing physical products and instead sold license
License
The verb license or grant licence means to give permission. The noun license or licence refers to that permission as well as to the document recording that permission.A license may be granted by a party to another party as an element of an agreement...
s to its software.
Wildcat! BBS
For most of its lifetime, Mustang's flagship product was Wildcat! BBSWildcat! BBS
Wildcat! BBS was a bulletin board system server application that Mustang Software developed in 1986 for DOS, and later ported to Microsoft Windows. By the release of Version 4 it was the basis for more than 50,000 bulletin board systems worldwide....
. Wildcat! was a bulletin board system
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
that computer users could dial into using a modem
Modem
A modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
, and communicate with other users online. Initially, only one user could be dialed into the system at one time, but technological advances later allowed more than one user to be online simultaneously and to interact with one another.
The first versions of Wildcat! ran on the DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
platform. In the mid-1990s, Mustang developed a new version called WINServer that ran on 32-bit
32-bit
The range of integer values that can be stored in 32 bits is 0 through 4,294,967,295. Hence, a processor with 32-bit memory addresses can directly access 4 GB of byte-addressable memory....
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...
platforms.
Wildcat! was sold to Santronics Software, Inc. in 1998 as Mustang wanted to concentrate on its new software products.
QmodemPro
Mustang bought QmodemQmodem
Qmodem was an MS-DOS shareware telecommunications program and terminal emulator. Qmodem was widely used to access bulletin boards in the 1980s and was well respected in the Bulletin Board System community. Qmodem was also known as Qmodem SST and Qmodem Pro....
from The Forbin Project in 1992 and renamed it to QmodemPro. QmodemPro was a DOS
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
-based communications program, intended for use by computer users to dial in to BBS systems.
Mustang developed versions of QmodemPro for 16-bit
16-bit
-16-bit architecture:The HP BPC, introduced in 1975, was the world's first 16-bit microprocessor. Prominent 16-bit processors include the PDP-11, Intel 8086, Intel 80286 and the WDC 65C816. The Intel 8088 was program-compatible with the Intel 8086, and was 16-bit in that its registers were 16...
and 32-bit
32-bit
The range of integer values that can be stored in 32 bits is 0 through 4,294,967,295. Hence, a processor with 32-bit memory addresses can directly access 4 GB of byte-addressable memory....
version of Windows. Support for RIP
Remote imaging protocol
The Remote Imaging Protocol Scripting Language, more commonly known as the Remote Imaging Protocol or RIPscrip, is a scripting language created by Jeff Reeder, Jim Bergman, and Mark Hayton to enhance bulletin board systems and other applications.RIPscrip was introduced in 1993 and consisted of...
was added in 1993.
QmodemPro continued to be sold by Mustang through 2000, and the rights to it were purchased by Quintus. Its status is now abandonware
Abandonware
Abandonware are discontinued products for which no product support is available, or whose copyright ownership may be unclear for various reasons...
.
Internet Message Center
Mustang developed Internet Message Center in 1997 in response to the drop in the bulletin board systemBulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
market due to the rise of the Internet. Internet Message Center, or IMC as it was known, was designed to handle incoming corporate email. The email was filtered, sorted, tracked, and distributed to agents (people who would respond to the email). Agent responses would be routed back through IMC so a complete history of email conversations with a customer could be recorded. IMC also provided reporting features to analyze email performance.
The rights to IMC were purchased by Quintus in 2000. Its status is now abandonware
Abandonware
Abandonware are discontinued products for which no product support is available, or whose copyright ownership may be unclear for various reasons...
.
History
- September 1986: Jim Harrer starts Mustang Software in the bedroom of his Bakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield, CaliforniaBakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
home.
- March 1987: The first version of the company's Wildcat! software ships. It is designed to let computers connect to electronic bulletin boardBulletin board systemA Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
s via modemModemA modem is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital data...
.
- December 23, 1988: Mustang Software is incorporated in California.
- 1991: The third version of Mustang's Wildcat! software is released, generating success for the fledgling business.
- April 1995: Mustang Software completes its first offering of common stockCommon stockCommon stock is a form of corporate equity ownership, a type of security. It is called "common" to distinguish it from preferred stock. In the event of bankruptcy, common stock investors receive their funds after preferred stock holders, bondholders, creditors, etc...
. Almost immediately following its decision to go public, the company's fortunes began to erode as bulletin board software is rendered obsolete by internet browserWeb browserA web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
s.
- 1995 and 1996: Mustang's first attempts to develop Web browser software are overshadowed by Netscape NavigatorNetscape NavigatorNetscape Navigator was a proprietary web browser that was popular in the 1990s. It was the flagship product of the Netscape Communications Corporation and the dominant web browser in terms of usage share, although by 2002 its usage had almost disappeared...
and Microsoft Internet ExplorerInternet ExplorerWindows Internet Explorer is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year...
. Cutbacks shrink company staff from a high of around 60 people to only 30. Mustang records heavy losses as profits plummet.
- September 1997: Mustang releases Internet Message Center software to critical acclaim. Supporting software is also released that year. The software allows companies to efficiently route, track and answer e-mail from customers.
- September 1998: Mustang issues an additional $1.5 million in company stock to bolster dwindling cash resources. Investors also provide a $5 million line of equity credit. The move prevents Mustang from losing its place on the Nasdaq Small Cap market.
- November 19, 1998: Mustang sells its Wildcat! software to FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
-based Santronics Software, Inc.
- April 1999: Mustang posts its first profit in 12 consecutive quarters, recording a $10,299 improvement in its bottom line.
- Second through fourth quarters 1999: Mustang again posts moderate losses as it builds a national sales force, regenerating its employee rolls to 62 people. Profits skyrocket as Internet Message Center finds a host of major clients in the business world.
- October 1999: Mustang Software changes its name to Mustang.com.
- February 28, 2000: Mustang.com announces a planned merger with Quintus Corp. Quintus will acquire Mustang for $290 million in stock. Quintus's IMC is eventually purchased by Avaya http://www.avaya.com/