Microsoft GIF Animator (1997) 5 Graphics Windows

Back before HTML 5, Flash, or fancy scripting, the only way you could be sure that you would annoy your readers was to use animated GIFs. Not wanting to disappoint, Microsoft made their own GIF creation program: GIF Construction Set. In the late 90's sprit of crushing competition, Microsoft gave it away for free. It was also bundled with Microsoft Image Composer and Microsoft FrontPage. Construction Set. Although in practice GIF Construction set worked better for building the animated GIFs, and then GIF Animator was useful for touching things up afterwards. (Mainly removing the shareware GIF Construction Set's "created by" comment text. :P )

• 1.0

Microsoft Office (1991) 438 Word Processor Spreadsheet Presentations Publishing PIM Database Windows MacOS

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.

• 2.x
• 3.x
• 4.0
• 4.2
• 4.3
• 95
• 97/98
• 2000
• 2001 (Mac)
• XP (2002 Beta)

Microsoft Outlook (1997) 8 Communications PIM Windows MacOS

Microsoft Outlook (not to be confused with Outlook Express) is an enterprise grade e-mail client. It is primarily intended for use with Microsoft Exchange Server. It was available as both a stand-alone product and as part of Microsoft Office.

• 97
• 98

Microsoft Paintbrush (1987) 8 Graphics DOS

Microsoft Paintbrush is Microsoft's OEM version of Zsoft PC/Publisher's Paintbrush for MS-DOS. It was commonly bundled with Microsoft mice in the late 80s and early 90s.

• 2.0
• 4.0

Microsoft Spell (1984) 0 Word Processor Utility DOS

Microsoft Spell is a spell checking application intended for use with Microsoft Word 1.x for DOS. You can also use it as a standalone program. Microsoft Spell 1.0 was available for purchase by itself, but later versions were bundled with Microsoft Word for DOS.

• 1.0

Microsoft Word (1983) 317 Word Processor DOS MacOS Unix OS2 Windows

The Microsoft Word word processor was first introduced for MS-DOS in 1983. Its design made use of a mouse and WYSIWYG graphics. Its crude WYSIWYG/mouse support was a direct response to the Apple Lisa/Mac, and VisiCorp Visi On. Initially it competed against many popular word processors such as WordStar, Multimate, and WordPerfect. Word for DOS was never really successful.

• 1.x (DOS)
• 1.x (Mac)
• 2.x (DOS)
• 3.x (DOS)
• 3.x (Mac)
• 3.x (Unix)
• 4.0 (DOS)
• 5.x (DOS and OS/2)
• 1.x (Windows)
• 4.0 (Mac)
• 1.x (OS/2)
• 5.x (UNIX)
• 2.x (Windows)
• 5.x (Mac)
• 6.x
• 95
• 97

Microsoft Works (1986) 220 Word Processor Spreadsheet Communications Database MacOS DOS Windows

Microsoft Works was an all-in-one scaled-down Word Processor, Spreadsheet, and Database geared towards the home user. It was released in variants for early DOS, Windows, and Macintosh. Microsoft Works competed against Lotus Jazz, FrameWork, AlphaWorks/LotusWorks, PFS First Choice, and many others.

• 1.x (Mac)
• 1.x (DOS)
• 2.x (Mac)
• 2.x (DOS)
• 2.x (Win)
• 3.x (DOS)
• 3.x (Mac)
• 3.x (Win)
• 4.0
• 4.5
• 5.x
• 6.0
• 9.0

New Deal Office (1999) 10 Word Processor Spreadsheet Presentations DOS

Based on GeoWorks, New Deal Office was a graphical operating environment for DOS which later became Breadbox Ensemble. New Deal adds a Windows-95 like user interface with a task bar and start menu. New Deal Office targeted low-end 386 and 486 computers that were not up to the task of running Windows 95. It was also released in a "WebSuite" edition only includes the internet connectivity and web browsing tools.

• 3.1b
• 3.2a
• 2000

OfficeWriter (1989) 0 Word Processor DOS

OfficeWriter, from Office Solutions, Inc and later Software Publishing Corporation, is a word processor that mimics the Wang word processor system. It was targeted at corporations and competed against Multimate, another Wang word processor workalike.

• 6.x

Perfect Writer (1983) 9 Word Processor DOS

Perfect Writer, from Perfect Software, Inc, is a simple word processor for MS-DOS and CP/M-80 systems. It was bundled with many 8-bit CP/M systems and some early MS-DOS and IBM PC compatible computers. It was generally considered a low end entry-level product, but it was designed with portability in mind.

• 1.x

PerfectOffice (1995) 11 Word Processor Spreadsheet Presentations Graphics Database Windows

PerfectOffice is a bundle of office applications that competed head on with Microsoft Office.It bundles WordPerfect and a number of other office applications. This bundle started out as "Borland Office", was briefly known as "Novell PerfectOffice", then "Corel Office", and under Corel it later became "WordPerfect Office". (Not to be confused with the unrelated ~1990 groupware program, also called "WordPerfect Office")

• 3.0

PerfectWorks (1995) 2 Word Processor Spreadsheet Graphics Database Windows

PerfectWorks is an all-in-one word processing/spreadsheet/database/drawing program originally sold by WordPerfect Corp, and later by Novell.

• 2.x
• 3.x

PFS First Choice (1987) 13 Word Processor Spreadsheet Presentations Database DOS

PFS First Choice is a simple, easy to use integrated office suite marketed towards new users. It includes a word processor, spreadsheet, graphics, database, and telecommunications. First Choice is similar to, but not as feature rich as, the standalone PFS office products. It competed against AlphaWorks/LotusWorks and Microsoft Works.

• 1.x
• 2.x
• 3.x

PFS:Graph (1983) 14 Presentations Graphics DOS

PFS:Graph, from Software Publishing Corporation, is an easy to use graphing application for early IBM PC compatibles, Apple IIs, Apple IIIs, and Macintosh. Later it evolved in to PFS:First Graphics, and IBM rebranded a version as IBM Graphing Assistant.

• A:xx
• 01.00.00 (Tandy 2000)
• Bxx

PFS:WindowWorks (1991) 5 Word Processor Spreadsheet Presentations Communications PIM Database Windows

PFS WindowWorks, from Spinnaker Software and Ancier Technologies, is an integrated all-in-one office application that includes a word processor, spreadsheet, chart editor, telecommunications, database, label maker and address book. Supposedly it was the first of such office suites for Windows 3.0, but soon competed with Microsoft Works for Windows. for Windows"](/product/better-working-eight).

• 1.x
• 2.x

PFS:Write (1983) 11 Word Processor DOS

PFS:Write, originally from Software Publishing Corporation and later sold to Spinnaker Software, was an early and easy to use word processor for the IBM PC and Apple II. It was also licensed by IBM as IBM Writing Assistant. It can exchange data between PFS:Graph, PFS:File, and PFS:Report. SPC later replaced PFS:Write with Professional Write. Early versions had no built in spell checker, and were instead used with PFS:Proof.

• Axx
• 01.00.00 (Tandy 2000)
• Bxx
• Cxx
• 2.x

PhotoFinish (1992) 10 Graphics Windows

PhotoFinish is an image editor that features a number of effects geared towards photo touch-ups or enhancements. It also supports acquiring images from a scanner. It was produced and sold by ZSoft, who earlier created PC Paintbrush. PhotoFinish somewhat resembles PC Paintbrush, but has many more features. After SoftKey bought out ZSoft, they rebranded this product as "PC PaintBrush 1.0" and sold it a a budget title.

• 1.0
• 2.0
• 3.0
• 4.0

Professional Write (1986) 29 Word Processor DOS Windows

Professional Write, from Software Publishing Corporation, was a popular word processor for home use during the late 80s and early 90s. It features an easy to use menu system and an integrated spell checker. Professional Write was a revamp and replacement for SPC's earlier PFS:Write.

• 1.x
• 2.x
• Plus 1.x (Win)
• 3.0

Publisher's TypeFoundry (1988) 2 Graphics Publishing Windows

Publisher's TypeFoundry is a set of tools for creating and editing fonts. It includes an Outline Editor for use with vectored fonts, and a Bitmap Editor for use with bit-mapped fonts. It includes a copy of ZSoft PC Paintbrush for Windows so that fonts may be imported to or exported from a variety of sources. Its import/export tools can translate between HP LaserJet, GEM/Ventura Publisher, Windows/PageMaker, and PostScript fonts.

• 1.10

Select Freestyle (1985) 0 Word Processor DOS

Freestyle is a word processor that features a powerful outlining system used to organize and retrieve information in a document.

• 1.x

Serif DrawPlus (1995) 1 Graphics Windows

DrawPlus is home-oriented, easy to use, low cost, vector based illustration program that competed against high end programs such as CorelDRAW!. It was part of a publishing suite including Serif PagePlus, Serif PhotoPlus, and Serif TablePlus, Serif TypePlus, and Serif LogoPlus

• 2.0

Softkey Address Book Maker (1992) 1 PIM Windows

Softkey / Spinnaker Easy Working Address Book Maker is a personal information manager that stores and retrieves names, addresses, and phone numbers. with the ability to print them out in the format used by many popular paper organizers.

• 1992

Softkey/WordStar PC Paintbrush (1993) 5 Graphics Windows

Softkey/WordStar's PC Paintbrush is a paint program and photo editor for Windows 3.x. It only somewhat resembles Zsoft PC Paintbrush but is basically re-branded Zsoft PhotoFinish, released after Zsoft was bought out. It was initially sold by WordStar International, and then later SoftKey.

• 1.x

Stanford Graphics (1993) 7 Graphics Windows

Stanford Graphics is a combination of Presentation and Analysis software. It contains both common slide making and graphing abilities as well as powerful statistical and technical analysis tools. Specialized technical graphics include contour and color keyed contour plots, polar plots, smith and 3-D Smith chars, and planar and XYZ vector and trajectory plots. Sigma Plot, and BBN Software RS/1 Harvard Graphics.

• 2.x
• 3.0

StarOffice (1995) 41 Word Processor Windows OS2 Unix Linux

StarOffice, initially from Star Division GmbH is an office suite containing a word processor, spreadsheet, drawing program, and graphing program. It was later owned by Sun Microsystems and then Oracle, and spawned the open source OpenOffice and LibreOffice. Also see the earlier StarWriter

• Business Pack
• 3.0
• 3.1
• 4.x
• 5.x
• 6.0