Beagle Bros
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Bert Kersey |
| Defunct | 1991 |
| Fate | Licensed product portfolio to Quality Computers; brand later revived for I. O. Silver anniversary in 2014 |
| Headquarters | San Diego , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Bert Kersey (founder), Mark Simonsen (owner) |
| Products | Apple II software applications, utilities, games, AppleWorks enhancements, Macintosh and PC utilities |
Beagle Bros was a U.S.-based software company focused on creating personal computing applications, mainly for the Apple II series. Established in 1980 by entrepreneur Bert Kersey and operating out of San Diego, California, the firm concentrated on serving the hobbyist community rather than corporate business users. Although it discontinued business activities in 1991, owner Mark Simonsen later permitted the use of the Beagle Bros name for a 30th anniversary revival of I. O. Silver in 2014.
History
Beagle Bros expanded by recruiting a group of developers and designers dedicated to producing innovative software for the Apple II platform. Their offerings featured products such as Apple Mechanic, which allowed users to design custom shape tables (precursors to sprites), DOS Boss, a tool for modifying disk operating system functions, and Beagle Bag, a compilation of BASIC games. Marketing efforts emphasized entertaining programming hints and concise Applesoft BASIC scripts that utilized hidden Apple II functionalities. The company’s printed materials were distinguished by the use of 19th-century woodcut illustrations, strengthening its brand image.
Following the introduction of the Apple IIGS, Beagle Bros swiftly entered this segment with significant titles like Platinum Paint and BeagleWrite GS, both considered among the finest commercial software for the IIGS.
The company also created enhancements for AppleWorks, starting with Randy Brandt’s MacroWorks keyboard macro utility. Alan Bird developed the TimeOut API for AppleWorks extensions, which was later incorporated into AppleWorks versions 3.0 and 4.0 after collaboration with Claris. This API was eventually made publicly available, encouraging a wider range of third-party software development.
In 1991, Mark Simonsen licensed Beagle Bros’ Apple II product portfolio to Quality Computers, which subsequently underwent acquisitions and ceased operations. Numerous early utilities and games were released as freeware during the mid-1990s and remain accessible online.
Their main Macintosh product, BeagleWorks, was licensed to WordPerfect Corporation in 1992 and rebranded as WordPerfect Works before being discontinued following WordPerfect’s acquisition by Novell. Additionally, Beagle Bros developed various small utilities for Macintosh and PC platforms.
Several former staff members went on to have notable careers in software development: Joe Holt co-developed iMovie, Alan Bird contributed to Eudora (email client) and OneClick for Macintosh, Randy Brandt created the award-winning Online Army Knife spell checker and continued publishing AppleWorks-related content through JEM Software, while Mark Munz developed Deja ][ to run AppleWorks on Mac OS X. Founder Bert Kersey shifted his focus to the model train industry before retiring.
Software
| Title | Author(s) | Published | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Printer | Program for low-resolution graphics and titling | ||
| Alpha Plot | Bert Kersey and Jack Cassidy | 1980 | High-resolution graphics application |
| Apple Mechanic/Shape Mechanic | Bert Kersey | 1982 | Editor for high-resolution shapes/fonts; includes multiple utilities |
| Apple Mechanic Typefaces | Bert Kersey | Set of twenty-six fonts designed for Apple Mechanic | |
| AppleWorks 3.0 Companion | Patches enhancing AppleWorks 3.0 modules | ||
| Beagle Bag | Bert Kersey and staff | Collection featuring games such as Buzzword!, Elevators, Hang Person, plus Beagle Menu | |
| Beagle BASIC | Mark Simonsen | 1983 | Enhanced variant of Applesoft BASIC with additional commands |
| The Beagle Compiler | Alan Bird | 1986 | Compiler for AppleSoft BASIC programs |
| BeagleDraw | Robert A. Hearn and Jeff G. Erickson | 1989 | Graphics application for Apple IIGS, previously known as TopDraw |
| Beagle Graphics | Mark Simonsen | Editor supporting 16-color double high-resolution graphics | |
| Beagle Screens | Fred & Sara Crone, Matt Reimer, Bert Kersey, Robert Renstrom | 1986 | Full-screen captionable clip art collection |
| BeagleWorks | 1992 | Later renamed to WordPerfect Works, then PerfectWorks | |
| BeagleWrite, BeagleWrite GS | Kevin Harvey, Alex Perelberg, Mark Munz | 1989 | ProDOS-based graphical user interface word processor acquired from Styleware (formerly MultiScribe) |
| BeagleWrite Desk Accessories | Adds utilities such as clock, calendar, calculator | ||
| BeagleWrite Picture Manager | Supports importing images from Print Shop (8-bit) and Newsroom | ||
| Big U | Randy Brandt | 1986 | ProDOS utility suite including CRT.WRITER, FILE.MOVER |
| D Code | Alan Bird | Optimizer/debugger for AppleSoft programs | |
| DiskQuik | Harry Bruce and Gene Hite | Creates virtual RAM disks | |
| DOS Boss | Bert Kersey and Jack Cassidy | Enhancer and command editor for DOS 3.3 | |
| Double-Take | Mark Simonsen | Utilities featuring two-way text scrolling | |
| Extra K | Alan Bird and Mark Simonsen | 1985 | Memory utility enabling AppleSoft BASIC to access an additional 64K bank on upgraded IIe/IIc models |
| FatCat | Alan Bird | Disk library cataloging tool | |
| Flash | Joe Holt | 1989 | File transfer application over AppleTalk; Beagle's inaugural Macintosh program |
| Flex Text | Mark Simonsen | 1982 | Variable-width high-resolution text utility |
| Font Mechanic | Mark & Jon Simonsen | 1985 | Thirty fonts designed for use with Shape Mechanic |
| Frame-Up | Tom Weishaar | 1982 | Presentation software for Apple computers |
| GPLE | Neil Konzen | 1983 | Global Program Line Editor tailored for AppleSoft BASIC; initially published by Synergistic Software in 1982 |
| GS Font Editor'' | Font editing tool compatible with AppleWorks | ||
| I.O. Silver | Brad Wilhelmsen | 1984 | Popular strategy/action game later revived as a mobile app for its 30th anniversary in 2014 |
| MacroWorks | Randy Brandt | 1986 | Keyboard macro utility designed for AppleWorks version 1.3 |
| 'Master Find' | Game similar to Mastermind | ||
| 'Minipix', Fred & Sara Crone | Three-disk clipart collections | ||
| 'Outliner', Randy Brandt | Outlining tool integrated into AppleWorks 3.0 Word Processor | ||
| 'Platinum Paint', Matt Reimer | Paint application for Apple IIGS | ||
| 'Point-to-Point', Gary Little | 1988 | Telecommunications software package | |
| 'Power Print', Robert Renstrom | Utility designed for dot matrix printers | ||
| 'Pro-Byter', 1985 | Disk editor along with ProDOS utilities | ||
| 'Program Writer', Alan Bird, 1987 | Editor tailored for AppleSoft programs | ||
| 'ProntoDOS', Tom Weishaar | Enhanced DOS 3.3 version offering speed improvements and additional features | ||
| 'Resource Disk', | Sample files accompanying SuperFonts Activity Guide | ||
| 'Shape Mechanic', Bert Kersey and Mark Simonsen | Toolset for shape animation and screen fonts | ||
| 'Silicon Salad', Bert Kersey and Mark Simonsen | Utilities compiled from Beagle Bros Tip Books volumes 5 through 7 | ||
| 'Super MacroWorks', Randy Brandt, 1986 | Keyboard macros designed for AppleWorks version 2.0 | ||
| 'TimeOut' series | Add-ons built on Alan Bird’s TimeOut core framework for AppleWorks including MacroEase, Paint, TeleComm, Utilities | ||
| 'TimeOut DeskTools', Howard Bangerter et al., 1987 | Suite containing calculator, calendar, clock, dialer, file encrypter, note pad, word count tools | ||
| 'TimeOut DeskTools II', Dan Verkade et al., 1988 | Includes area codes lookup, enhanced calculator, disk tester, file searcher, printer manager | ||
| 'TimeOut FileMaster', Randy Brandt, 1987 | File management and disk utilities | ||
| 'TimeOut Grammar', Dan Verkade | Grammar checking tool integrated into AppleWorks Word Processor | ||
| 'TimeOut Graph', Robert Renstrom, 1987 | Graphing functionality designed for AppleWorks Spreadsheet module | ||
| 'TimeOut MacroEase', Randy Brandt & Mark Munz, 1990 | Macro-related applications accompanied by example macros | ||
| 'TimeOut MacroTools', Randy Brandt, 1988 | Macro utilities with sample macros included | ||
| 'TimeOut MacroTools II', Randy Brandt, 1988 | Additional macro tools with sample macros provided | ||
| 'TimeOut PowerPack', Randy Brandt, 1988 | Utility package featuring ASCII value converter, file librarian, desktop sorter among others | ||
| 'TimeOut QuickSpell', Alan Bird, 1987 | Spell checking solution integrated into AppleWorks Word Processor | ||
| 'TimeOut ReportWriter', Dan Verkade, 1989 | Relational report generator supporting Database and Spreadsheet modules | ||
| 'TimeOut SpreadTools', Alan Bird et al., 1988 | Data manipulation tools including CelLink, Block Copy function, error analyzer | ||
| 'TimeOut SideSpread', Mark Simonsen, 1987 | Wide-format printing support for AppleWorks Spreadsheet | ||
| 'TimeOut SuperFonts', Mark Simonsen, 1987 | Graphical font collection designed for AppleWorks Word Processor | ||
| 'TimeOut SuperForms', Dan Verkade | Form creation utility | ||
| 'TimeOut TextTools', Mark Munz et al. | Various productivity enhancement tools | ||
| 'TimeOut Thesaurus', Alan Bird | Synonym support integrated within AppleWorks Word Processor | ||
| 'TimeOut UltraMacros', Randy Brandt, 1987 | Keystroke recording utility combined with a macro programming language | ||
| 'Tip Disk#1', Bert Kersey | Compilation of one hundred tips sourced from Beagle Bros Tip Books | ||
| 'Triple-Dump', Mark Simonsen & Robert Renstrom | Universal printing utility compatible with dot matrix printers | ||
| 'Utility City', Bert Kersey, 1982 | Collection comprising twenty-one distinct utilities for Apple computers | ||
| 'Zoom Graphix' | Utility that sends high-resolution images to printers supporting graphics |
External links
- The Beagle Bros Online Museum
- Repository of Beagle Brothers Software
- Beagle Bros applications featured in the Lost Classics Project
- Backyard Barn Owls — Official site of the Beagle Bros founder, providing contact details
- American companies established in 1980
- American companies disestablished in 1991
- Apple II software
- Software companies based in San Diego
- Software companies established in 1980
- Software companies disestablished in 1991
- Defunct computer companies based in California
- Defunct software companies of the United States
- Privately held companies based in California
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment