Wang OFFICE
Encyclopedia
Wang OFFICE was the umbrella brand name for several suites of office automation
software sold by Wang Labs in the 1980s and early 1990s.
The VS OFFICE suite provided Email
, calendar and scheduling, bulletin board, and InfoCard (contact management) services, hosted on Wang VS minicomputers and with a user interface that ran on Wang's block-mode terminals. A character terminal "Traveling User" gateway using the Telnet
protocol was also available. Multiple hosts could be connected via a network, sharing a common directory
that was "synchronized" across hosts in an early example of replication. Email and scheduling data was also transmitted between hosts across the network. SMTP and X.400
gateways were available for email interoperability.
Additional suites sold under the Wang OFFICE brand included "PC OFFICE" for MS-DOS
based computers, and "OIS OFFICE" and "Alliance OFFICE" for proprietary multi-user systems sold by Wang under the corresponding brand names "OIS" and "Alliance".
Office Automation
Office automation refers to the varied computer machinery and software used to digitally create, collect, store, manipulate, and relay office information needed for accomplishing basic tasks. Raw data storage, electronic transfer, and the management of electronic business information comprise the...
software sold by Wang Labs in the 1980s and early 1990s.
The VS OFFICE suite provided Email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
, calendar and scheduling, bulletin board, and InfoCard (contact management) services, hosted on Wang VS minicomputers and with a user interface that ran on Wang's block-mode terminals. A character terminal "Traveling User" gateway using the Telnet
TELNET
Telnet is a network protocol used on the Internet or local area networks to provide a bidirectional interactive text-oriented communications facility using a virtual terminal connection...
protocol was also available. Multiple hosts could be connected via a network, sharing a common directory
Directory (file systems)
In computing, a folder, directory, catalog, or drawer, is a virtual container originally derived from an earlier Object-oriented programming concept by the same name within a digital file system, in which groups of computer files and other folders can be kept and organized.A typical file system may...
that was "synchronized" across hosts in an early example of replication. Email and scheduling data was also transmitted between hosts across the network. SMTP and X.400
X.400
X.400 is a suite of ITU-T Recommendations that define standards for Data Communication Networks for Message Handling Systems — more commonly known as "email"....
gateways were available for email interoperability.
Additional suites sold under the Wang OFFICE brand included "PC OFFICE" for MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
based computers, and "OIS OFFICE" and "Alliance OFFICE" for proprietary multi-user systems sold by Wang under the corresponding brand names "OIS" and "Alliance".