Ability (1985) 2 Word Processor Spreadsheet Presentations Communications Database Windows

Originally released in 1984 by the Canadian company Xanaro that went bankrupt, and then by Migent, Ability is an integrated office suite for DOS that includes word processor, spreadsheet, database, telecommunications, business graphing, presentation graphics capabilities, and built in file management. It features good integration between the different components, with the ability to import, share, and dynamically update data between them. It was advertised as a very easy to use and a quick to learn system.

• 1.5 for Windows

Arts and Letters Graphics Editor (1989) 3 Publishing Windows

Arts & Letters, from Computer Support Corporation, is an easy to use line based illustration package. It competed against Corel Draw, and Micrografx Designer. Features include multitasking, rotation, different viewing levels, shading, color, and image combining. The first version was for MS-DOS, and version 2 ran under Windows 2. It later repositioned itself as a sign/banner type program like the Print Shop.

• 5.0

AutoSketch (1987) 5 Graphics Windows

AutoSketch is a 2D vector program sold by Autodesk. Unlike artistic drawing programs, AutoSketch is specifically geared towards engineering applications. Although not as powerful as AutoCAD, it can work with 2D AutoCAD files. Autodesk also produced AutoCAD LT, a higher end 2-D drawing program. But unlike AutoSketch, AutoCAD LT was based directly on AutoCAD and worked similarly.

• 2.x (Win)

BitWare (1995) 0 Communications Windows

BitWare, from Cheyenne, is a Fax program for Windows that was often bundled with modems. It also includes the BitCom terminal program. It competed against Delrina Winfax and FaxWorks.

• 3.x

ClarisDraw (1995) 0 Graphics Windows MacOS

ClarisDraw is a vector based drawing program and the successor to MacDraw. The name was changed partially because there was now also a Microsoft Windows port. The final release was 1.0v4.

• 1.0x

ClarisWorks (1991) 6 Word Processor Spreadsheet Presentations Graphics Publishing Database Windows MacOS

ClarisWorks is an all-in-one Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Database, Graphics Editor, and Presentations tool from Claris. In 1998, after version 5.0.2, ClairsWorks was purchased by Apple and re-branded under the "AppleWorks" name. It is not related to the Apple II AppleWorks product.

• 4.x

CompuServe Information Manager (1989) 0 Communications Windows

CompuServe Information Manager is the client software used for accessing the CompuServe service.

• 2.x (Win)

Corel Photo-Paint (1995) 0 Graphics Windows

Corel Photo Paint is a bit-mapped graphics editor optimized for photo manipulation. It competed against Adobe Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro, and was often a companion product to the vector based CorelDRAW. It includes a large number of special effects, a color management system, brushes, layers, and scanner support.

• 5.0

Design It! 3-D (1995) 0 Graphics Windows MacOS

Design It! 3D is an easy to use budget 3D modeling tool. It is suitable for creating home arrangement designs, and features a 3D preview that lets you "walk" through your creation.

• 1.0

Eudora Pro (1995) 0 Communications Windows

Eudora Pro, originally developed at the University of Illinois, was a very popular commercial POP 3/SMTP internet e-mail client for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh. Qualcomm also produced a free, less featured version called Eudora Light.

• 2.x

FileMaker (1984) 7 Database Windows MacOS

FileMaker is a very easy to use graphical flat-file database management tool from Claris that allows for visual form and report creation. Originally for DOS, there were Macintosh versions and later it was ported to Windows.

• Pro 3.x

FontMinder (1993) 0 Utility Publishing Windows

FontMinder, by Dennis Harrington & Costas Kistos, is a font management tool that streamlines the installation and archival of Windows TrueType and Adobe Type Manager fonts.

• 2.5

FrameMaker (1990) 0 Publishing Windows

FrameMaker, originally from Frame Technology Corporation and later Adobe, is a professional document system for creating large, complex documents with highly structured layout. It was often accompanied by FrameReader.

• 5.0

FreeHand (1988) 0 Graphics Publishing Windows

FreeHand is a vector based drawing program used to create illustrations. It is similar to CorelDraw and Adobe Illustrator. Initially it offered more features and flexibility than illustrator. It was created by Altsys, sold through Aldus, then sold to Macromedia, and then finally was assimilated by Adobe. Later versions repositioned itself as a content creation system for the web through Flash. The final version was Freehand MX (version 11) in 2003.

• 5.0

Harvard Graphics (1986) 11 Graphics Windows

Harvard Graphics, from Software Publishing Corporation and initially called Harvard Presentation Graphics, is a graphing/plotting/presentation creation application for DOS. It was extremely popular in the late 1980s. At release, it competed against many graphing products such as PFS:Graph (AKA IBM Graphing Assistant ), Microsoft Chart, ChartMaster, and Cricket Graph, just to name a small few. A Windows port was released in 1991, but it lost out to Microsoft Powerpoint.

• 4.0 for Windows

HiJaak (1991) 1 Graphics Publishing Windows

The original HiJaak program, from Inset Systems, is a powerful screen capture tool and image converter that can perform batch conversion between a large number of formats. The later Windows version are a powerful raster-to-vector graphics conversion and editing tool that can convert between a huge number of bitmap and vector file formats.

• 95

Key Design Center 3D (1995) 0 Graphics Windows MacOS

Design Center 3D is an easy to use budget 3D modeling tool. It is suitable for creating home arrangement designs, and features a 3D preview that lets you "walk" through your creation. This appears to be a slightly earlier version of Softkey Design It!.

• 1.0

Lotus Approach (1993) 3 Database Windows

Lotus Approach, originally from Approach Software Corporation, is a relational database management system. Approach promises "instant productivity" with its WYSIWYG form and report designer, and is compatible with many existing database formats. Approach started off as an independent product, was purchased by Lotus, and later IBM. It was included in Lotus SmartSuite for Microsoft Windows.

• 96

Lotus SmartSuite (1992) 39 Word Processor Spreadsheet Presentations PIM Database Windows

IBM/Lotus SmartSuite is an office suite from Lotus software for Windows and OS/2. SmartSuite includes SmartCenter, 1-2-3, Word Pro, Freelance Graphics, Approach, Organizer, and ScreenCam.

• 4.0
• 96

MacComCenter (1995) 0 Communications MacOS

MacComCenter is a telecommunication program for the Apple Macintosh that includes a terminal emulator and Fax manager. MacComCenter was bundled with modems, sometimes accompanied by Smith Micro's IBM PC communication suite, Quicklink.

• 1.x

Microsoft Access (1992) 21 Database Windows

Microsoft Access is a powerful and friendly desktop database. You can design complex tables, forms, and reports through selection and drag-and drop. You can make a fully usable interactive database application without a line of code, but for more advanced functionality it supports built-in Visual Basic for Applications. It is also bundled with some versions of Microsoft Office

• 95 (7.0)

Microsoft FrontPage (1995) 14 Publishing Windows

Microsoft FrontPage is a WYSIWYG HTML editor/Cuisinart for Microsoft Windows.

• 1.0

Microsoft Great Greetings (1995) 0 Publishing Windows

Microsoft Great Greetings is a greeting card creation program that runs within the Microsoft BOB environment. It is unique in that it was the only retail product produced for Microsoft BOB. It is not quite the same as Microsoft's mainstream card software: Microsoft Greetings.

• 1.0

Microsoft Mail (1991) 0 Communications Windows

There were two distinct "Microsoft Mail" products. One for AppleTalk Networks, and one for PC Networks.

• 3.5

Microsoft Office (1991) 199 Word Processor Spreadsheet Presentations Publishing PIM Database Windows

Microsoft Office is a bundle of Microsoft's productivity application. This includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and later Mail, Office Manager, and Outlook. The "1.x" versions of Microsoft Office were simply a marketing bundle of the standalone products sold together with no other packaging changes. Even though these were distinct applications, rather than one single monolithic program, they shared a similar user interface, integrated well together and shared the ability to embed documents from one application in the documents of another.

• 95