Software Publishing Corporation
Encyclopedia
Software Publishing Corporation (SPC) was a Mountain View
, California
-based manufacturer of business software, best known for its pioneering Harvard Graphics
presentation
package.
SPC was established in 1980 by three former Hewlett-Packard
employees, Fred Gibbons, Janelle Bedke, and John Page, with an eye to producing packaged software for personal computer
s like the Apple II
. The first application to be launched was the "Personal Filing System" (PFS), a desktop database program. With the advent of the IBM Personal Computer the following year, the company quickly shifted focus to the burgeoning DOS
desktop market.
The PFS brand was extended to other office software, such as pfs:Plan, a spreadsheet
, and pfs:Write
, a word processor
. While relatively limited in their capabilities, they proved popular with beginners for their simplicity. IBM licensed the software as its "Personal Computer Assistant" series for the PC and IBM PCjr
in 1984. By 1985 the company had achieved $50 million in revenue
In 1986, SPC released Harvard Presentation Graphics
, one of the first PC applications which allowed users to combine charts, clip art, and text into presentation slides, which drove the company to new heights. Revenues reached $150 million in 1990. As the popularity of Harvard Graphics soared, SPC shifted focus to high-end business software. It sold the PFS lineup to Spinnaker Software
in 1991.
The shift led, however, to the company's demise. By 1993, Harvard Graphics accounted for 80% of SPC's revenue, but its market performance in the Microsoft Windows
world was lackluster compared to competitors like Lotus Freelance and Microsoft Powerpoint
which came bundled with office suite
s. In 1994, the firm laid off half its staff and Gibbons stepped down as chief executive. In 1996 SPC was purchased by and became a subsidiary of Allegro New Media, a New Jersey-based multimedia publisher, which had purchased Serif Inc
the same year, and renamed itself Vizacom in the fall.
Vizacom sold Serif back to its management in 2001, and with it the rights to the Harvard Graphics line of products, which continue to be marketed by Serif.
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
-based manufacturer of business software, best known for its pioneering Harvard Graphics
Harvard Graphics
Harvard Graphics was a pioneering presentation program developed for DOS and Microsoft Windows by Software Publishing Corporation . Harvard Graphics, Inc...
presentation
Presentation program
A presentation program is a computer software package used to display information, normally in the form of a slide show...
package.
SPC was established in 1980 by three former Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard
Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
employees, Fred Gibbons, Janelle Bedke, and John Page, with an eye to producing packaged software for personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
s like the Apple II
Apple II series
The Apple II series is a set of 8-bit home computers, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977 with the original Apple II...
. The first application to be launched was the "Personal Filing System" (PFS), a desktop database program. With the advent of the IBM Personal Computer the following year, the company quickly shifted focus to the burgeoning 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...
desktop market.
The PFS brand was extended to other office software, such as pfs:Plan, a spreadsheet
Spreadsheet
A spreadsheet is a computer application that simulates a paper accounting worksheet. It displays multiple cells usually in a two-dimensional matrix or grid consisting of rows and columns. Each cell contains alphanumeric text, numeric values or formulas...
, and pfs:Write
Pfs:Write
pfs:Write was a simple early word processor for Apple II and DOS systems created by Software Publishing Corporation. It included basic features such as automatic word wrapping, spell checking, copy and paste, underlining, and boldfacing...
, a word processor
Word processor
A word processor is a computer application used for the production of any sort of printable material....
. While relatively limited in their capabilities, they proved popular with beginners for their simplicity. IBM licensed the software as its "Personal Computer Assistant" series for the PC and IBM PCjr
IBM PCjr
The IBM PCjr was IBM's first attempt to enter the home computer market. The PCjr, IBM model number 4860, retained the IBM PC's 8088 CPU and BIOS interface for compatibility, but various design and implementation decisions led the PCjr to be a commercial failure.- Features :Announced November 1,...
in 1984. By 1985 the company had achieved $50 million in revenue
In 1986, SPC released Harvard Presentation Graphics
Harvard Graphics
Harvard Graphics was a pioneering presentation program developed for DOS and Microsoft Windows by Software Publishing Corporation . Harvard Graphics, Inc...
, one of the first PC applications which allowed users to combine charts, clip art, and text into presentation slides, which drove the company to new heights. Revenues reached $150 million in 1990. As the popularity of Harvard Graphics soared, SPC shifted focus to high-end business software. It sold the PFS lineup to Spinnaker Software
Spinnaker Software
Spinnaker Software was a 1982 founded software company known primarily for its line of non-curriculum based educational software, which was a major seller during the 1980s. It was founded by chairman Bill Bowman and president C. David Seuss....
in 1991.
The shift led, however, to the company's demise. By 1993, Harvard Graphics accounted for 80% of SPC's revenue, but its market performance in the Microsoft 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...
world was lackluster compared to competitors like Lotus Freelance and Microsoft Powerpoint
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint, usually just called PowerPoint, is a non-free commercial presentation program developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Office suite, and runs on Microsoft Windows and Apple's Mac OS X operating system...
which came bundled with office suite
Office suite
In computing, an office suite, sometimes called an office software suite or productivity suite is a collection of programs intended to be used by knowledge workers...
s. In 1994, the firm laid off half its staff and Gibbons stepped down as chief executive. In 1996 SPC was purchased by and became a subsidiary of Allegro New Media, a New Jersey-based multimedia publisher, which had purchased Serif Inc
Serif europe
Serif is an independent developer and publisher of desktop publishing and graphic design software for the PC. Established in 1987, Serif is a privately owned British company with operations in Europe and North America...
the same year, and renamed itself Vizacom in the fall.
Vizacom sold Serif back to its management in 2001, and with it the rights to the Harvard Graphics line of products, which continue to be marketed by Serif.