Prokey (1989) 0 Utility DOS

Prokey is a DOS TSR macro recording and playback program. It adds lotus-style menus to applications, lets users create their own help messages, can copy text from the screen, remembers the last 300 keystrokes, and supports timed reminder alerts.

• 5.x

QuarkXPress (1986) 11 Publishing DOS

QuarkXPress was THE standard publishing software during the 1990s. However it failed to update its product line to newer technologies in a timely manager, charged insane amounts for updates or additional features that should have been built in to the software, and became very abusive to their customers. Later versions required a parallel port/ADB copy protection dongle. They lost most of their market share to Adobe InDesign.

• 3.x

Quarterdeck GameRunner (1995) 0 Utility DOS

Quarterdeck GameRunner, from Quarterdeck Corporation, is a specialized packaging of their QEMM memory management product that is specifically designed to automatically maximize the memory and speed available to known games. DOS based games of the time used a hodgepodge of memory access methods, that varied from product to product and often created conflicts. GameRunner attempts to mitigate some of this chaos by providing automatic configuration and management.

• 2.x

Quarterdeck Manifest (1988) 1 Utility DOS

Manifest is an easy to use diagnostic program that provides incredibly detailed information about DOS resource usage, loaded programs, IO devices, and memory usage including EMS, XMS, and UMB memory. It was available as a standalone program and bundled with QEMM and Deskview. Tools like this were essential for resolving compatibility problems between poorly behaved DOS programs and highly customized environments, especially in task switched or multitasking environments.

• 1.x

QuickBasic (1985) 25 DOS

Microsoft QuickBasic, not to be confused with the lesser QBasic, was a Basic interpreter and compiler product loosely based on GW-Basic. Version 2.0 for DOS and later included an Integrated Development Environment. Microsoft also produced QuickPascal and QuickC with similar integrated environments.

• 1.x
• 2.x
• 3.0
• 4.0
• 4.5

QuickBooks (1993) 5 Financial DOS

First introduced in 1992, QuickBooks from from Intuit, is an easy to use accounting and bookkeeping program targeted at small businesses and accounting novices. It features check writing, accounts payable and receivable, invoices, cash flow forecasting, and reporting. It provides more functionality than the home-user based Quicken.

• 2.x (DOS)

QuickC (1987) 11 DOS

Microsoft QuickC is a C compiler with an Integrated Development Environment, designed to compete with Borland Turbo C. It was targeted at home/hobbyist users with a much lower price tag than Microsoft's corporate-oriented professional products. Microsoft also produced QuickPascal and QuickBasic with similar integrated environments.

• 1.x
• 2.x

Quicken (1989) 5 Financial DOS Windows

Quicken, from Intuit, is a financial management tool for home users. It was first released in 1984 for DOS and later ported to Apple II, Macintosh, and Windows. Intuit also provided a more powerful product, QuickBooks, for small businesses.

• 3.x (DOS)
• 4.x (DOS)
• 5.x (DOS)
• 6.0 (DOS)
• 7.x (DOS)
• 3.x (Win)
• 8.x (DOS)

QuickEntry (1988) 1 Database DOS

QuickEntry is an easy to use tool for creating standalone dBase entry forms. It works with any existing dBase compatible database file. It includes a menu-driven form builder that lets you simply "draw" your form on the screen. QuickEntry runs as its own DOS program, rather than as part of a database application, such as those created by Fox & Geller's QuickCode Plus dBase code compiler.

• 1.x

QuickLink (1990) 3 Communications DOS Windows

Quick Link Fax, from Smith Micro Software, is a program for receiving and sending Faxes under DOS and Windows 3.1 with a compatible FAXModem. It competed against Delrina WinFax. On the Macintosh, Smith Micro provided MacComCenter.

• II 1.0
• II 2.0
• II 3.2 (Win)

QuickMenu (1991) 0 Utility DOS

QuikMenu III is an icon-based graphical menu and desktop for DOS.

• 1.x

QuickPascal (1989) 4 DOS

Microsoft QuickPascal was a short-lived dialect of Pascal created specifically to compete with Borland Turbo Pascal. It incorporated many Borland-specific features at the expense of backwards compatiblity with the earlier Microsoft Pascal product.

• 1.x

QuickPay (1994) 1 Financial DOS

Intuit QuickPay is a payroll management tool that works on top of Quicken. It Includes customizable payroll account/category names, tracking of emplyees' work, sick and vacation hours.

• 3.0

Quickpro Plus (1989) 0 DOS

Quickpro Plus is a programming utility that automatically creates simple custom database applications as standalone BASIC program source files. The Quickpro Plus user can then take the resulting BASIC program and customize it further. It features reporting functionality, database calculations, and the ability to target multiple BASIC variants. There were versions for CP/M, DOS, TRS-80, Atari, and OASIS.

• III

Quicksilver (1988) 2 DOS

Quicksilver, originally named WordTech dBIII Compiler, is a dBase III Plus application compiler that produces high-speed ready to run standalone executables. It boasts assembler level speeds often faster than competing compilers. Plus clone. Both of these add a number of features such as Windowing, user defined functions, EMS memory support, graphing, and networking capability.

• 1.x

Roland Ease Songmaker Software (1988) 0 Media Player DOS

Roland EASE is a MIDI music editor and playback program designed specifically for the Roland MT32. It supports a variety of effects, and editing features.

• 1.0

Sidekick (1984) 14 Utility PIM DOS

Borland Sidekick is a DOS based PIM (Personal Information Manager) and one of the first widely-used TSR (terminate and stay resident) programs. The key feature of Sidekick was that one could use Sidekick's utilities while using most other MS-DOS applications. This was important because MS-DOS had no built-in multi-tasking or task switching capabilities.

• 1.x
• Plus
• 2.0

SitBack (1991) 1 Utility DOS

SitBack is a unique backup tool that backs up files in the background while users are using their systems. This is based on the reality that most users do not want to take the time or effort to manually back up their work. SitBack can backup up to local drives or network shares, and can back up from many kinds of media.

• 3.x

SoftLogic Disk Optimizer (1987) 0 Utility DOS

Disk Optimizer, from SoftLogic Solutions Inc., was a low cost disk defragmentation utility that competed directly against the Norton Utilities. Like other disk optimizers, it re-arranges where files are stored on a hard drive to decrease file access time. It was, however, not as full featured or robust as the Norton Utilities.

• 2.x

Software Toolworks World Atlas (1992) 1 Education DOS

World Atlas is a computerized world map with thousands of facts and statistics for over 200 counties. Includes detailed city data, country flags, and anthems.

• 3.0

Sound Blaster Developer Kit (1991) 0 DOS

Sound Blaster Developer Kit is a set of libraries used to develop programs that support the Creative Labs Sound Blaster sound card. 6.0, Turbo C version 2.0, Microsoft QuickBasic version 4.5, Microsoft Basic PDS version 7.0, and Turbo Pascal version 6.0.

• 2.00

Spinnaker Splash (1988) 0 Graphics DOS

Splash is a VGA-centric paint program created by Spinnaker Software in 1988. Considering that VGA was only introduced in 1987 in conjunction with the IBM PS2 line, this is a pretty early entry in the VGA-compatible paint program market. pixel-level editing, an extensive internal help system, and can export images to TIFF and PC Paintbrush compatible files.

• 1988

Springboard Certificate Maker (1986) 1 Publishing DOS

Certificate Maker, from Springboard, is a fun little program for printing a variety of styled certificates on your dot-matrix printer. You must refer to the manual to see what the templates look like, as it provides no on screen preview. Award Maker seems to be an offshoot of this product.

• 1

Stacker (1991) 3 Utility Archive DOS Windows

Stacker, from Stack Electronics, was a hard drive compression tool. It was wildly popular until Microsoft virtually eliminated the third party market for this by including their own drive compression tool with MS-DOS 6. and Expandz! Plus.

• 1.0 (DOS)
• 2.0 (DOS)
• 3.x (DOS)
• 4.0 (DOS)

StepWay Desktop Publisher (1994) 0 Graphics Publishing DOS

StepWay Desktop Publisher is a very low-end budget graphics editor and desktop publisher for DOS. It appears to have been targeted at new computer users and educational markets. The StepWay software is considered "modular", with additional functionality added in separate modules, sold separately. The separate modules they sold included Desktop Publisher, Art Shop, To Do List, Checkbook, Banner, Cookbook, Home Inventory, Greeting Cards, Mail List, and Calendar.

• 1.x