AppleWorks on the Apple II
1984 not only brought us the Mac, it brought us an 8-bit app that made it easy to resist purchasing a Mac.
Stone Tools
Exploring retro productivity software from the 8/16-bit era. No games, just work.
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Visual Basic on the PC w/Windows 3.1
Apple wasn't alone in creating a beloved visual programming environment only to yank it away at the height of its popularity.
PipeDream on the Acorn Archimedes
A productivity suite that willfully rejects common notions on how such software should behave, on an operating system most haven't heard of, running on a processor 30 years ahead of its time.
Aldus PageMaker on the Apple Macintosh
While resurrecting a 40-year old defunct magazine, I accidentally-on-purpose resurrect a 40-year old software rivalry.
Lotus 1-2-3 on the PC w/DOS
VisiCalc started it, but 1-2-3 finished it. "It" being the discussion of what a spreadsheet can be, and also VisiCalc itself.
dBASE on the Kaypro II
CP/M and dBASE were industry giants with everything to lose, and they did. For a time they were the power couple to beat.
Scala Multimedia on the Commodore Amiga
It's no Toaster, but it doesn't need to be to hold its own. Possibly one of the most impressive cover disk giveaways in history?
PaperClip on the Atari 8-Bit
Imagine an oven bakes gorgeous cakes, but gives random, severe burns. "When do the burns outweigh the beauty?" is posed by this cute word processor
XPER on the Commodore 64
In a supreme act of hubris, I use 80s "expert system" AI technology to turn a C64 into a rain predictor. Will it fair better than a coin flip?
HyperCard on the Macintosh
There was once a tool so perfectly executed that careers, conventions, magazines, and entire companies were born from its vision and aesthetic.
Bank Street Writer on the Apple II
Society was once hell-bent on "computers in the classroom." The promise to transform education never materialized, but a sharp word processor did.
ThinkTank on the PC w/DOS
Outliner software seems to attract a uniquely obsessive group. The lure of getting one's thoughts organized is powerfully strong, but does it work?
CAD-3D on the Atari ST
Historical "what ifs" are fun. What if IBM adopted CP/M over DOS? What if Atari delivered their TT line on time, becoming Hollywood's SFX king?
VisiCalc on the Apple II
In 1978, Bricklin and Frankston took out a loan to develop "Calcu-ledger," a tool that could project the fiscal health of taking out that very loan
Superbase on the Commodore 64
Into the 80s, the promise of a "paperless office" sat always out of reach, but definitely almost here, so long as your office never grows past 1999