Applied Data Research
| Company type | Subsidiary (from 1986) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | 1959 |
| Fate | Acquired by Ameritech in 1986; sold to Computer Associates in 1988 |
| Headquarters | Princeton Township, New Jersey (initial); Montgomery Township, New Jersey (from 1980) , United States |
| Products | Autoflow, Roscoe, MetaCOBOL, The Librarian, Datacom/DB, IDEAL |
Number of employees | Around 200 (dismissed in 1988 after CA acquisition) |
| Parent | Ameritech (1986–1988), Computer Associates (from 1988) |
Applied Data Research, Inc. (ADR) was a leading software provider from the 1960s until the mid-1980s, widely regarded as the pioneer among "independent software vendors."
Established in 1959 initially as a contract development firm, ADR went on to create several influential software solutions. Its principal products included: Autoflow, one of the earliest commercial tools for automatic flowchart generation; Roscoe, a system for remote job submission; MetaCOBOL, an extensible macro processor designed for COBOL programming; and The Librarian, a tool for managing source code versions.
The company’s first headquarters was a modest facility located on U.S. Route 206 in Princeton Township, New Jersey. During the 1960s, ADR operated a data center situated opposite Princeton Airport across Route 206. This center was destroyed in 1969 when a small aircraft crashed into it; fortunately, no serious injuries occurred. In 1980, ADR moved to a larger site further north along Route 206 in Montgomery Township, New Jersey.
First software patent
On April 23, 1968, ADR was granted the inaugural patent for a computer program, specifically for a sorting system created by Martin Goetz. ADR collaborated with the Association of Data Processing Service Organizations (ADAPSO), which advocated that software patents were crucial for smaller enterprises to compete effectively against larger corporations capable of freely copying and bundling software products.
ADR IBM lawsuit
ADR filed a Federal Court lawsuit against IBM, accusing the corporation of "hindering the development of the independent software industry" and engaging in "monopolistic practices within the software sector," actions that contributed to IBM’s 1969 decision to unbundle software and services. The legal effort also received backing from ADAPSO.
In 1970, ADR along with its wholly owned subsidiary Programmatics reached an out-of-court settlement with IBM amounting to $1.4 million. Furthermore, IBM agreed to distribute Autoflow, potentially generating $600,000 in revenue for ADR.
The Librarian
Among ADR’s flagship offerings was The Librarian, a version control solution tailored for IBM mainframe operating systems. By 1978, it had been implemented at more than 3,000 locations; ten years later, this figure nearly doubled, underscoring its widespread adoption.
Roscoe
Roscoe (Remote OS Conversational Operating Environment, initially marketed as ROSCOE) was developed for IBM Mainframes as both a text editor and an operating system interface supporting batch job submissions, similar in functionality to ISPF or XEDIT.
Its architecture utilized a single address space design enabling support for over 200 simultaneous users with minimal resource consumption.
The RPF (Roscoe Programming Facility) provided scripting capabilities including string manipulation features that enhanced automation within the environment.
Compass
In the late 1960s, ADR expanded its software offerings by acquiring Massachusetts Computer Associates, also known as Compass.
Datacom/DB and IDEAL
ADR acquired the Datacom/DB database management system from Insyte Datacom and subsequently created IDEAL (Interactive Development Environment for an Application’s Life), a fourth-generation programming language developed to work seamlessly with Datacom/DB.
Dispute with Nixdorf
ADR granted a license for DATACOM/DB to TCSC, which distributed altered versions of IBM's DOS/360 and DOS/VS operating systems under the brand name Edos. Following the 1980 acquisition of TCSC by Nixdorf Computer, a legal conflict emerged regarding the validity of the licensing agreement. The matter was resolved through an out-of-court settlement in 1981, permitting Nixdorf to continue marketing ADR’s software products.
Acquired, twice
In 1986, ADR became a subsidiary of Ameritech. Two years later, in 1988, Ameritech sold ADR to Computer Associates (CA). Renowned for significant staff reductions, CA dismissed around 200 employees from ADR's Montgomery location soon after the takeover. ADR was then incorporated into CA’s Systems Products and Information Products Divisions. Under CA’s management, ADR’s principal products were renamed CA-Roscoe and CA Librarian within their product lineup.
External links
- Articles with short description
- Defunct software companies of the United States
- Software companies established in 1959
- 1959 establishments in New Jersey
- Companies based in Princeton, New Jersey
- Information technology consulting firms of the United States
- Software companies disestablished in 1986
- Defunct companies based in New Jersey
- Electronics companies established in 1959
- CA Technologies