MainView
| Company type | Software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Systems management software |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | Boole & Babbage |
| Fate | Acquired by BMC Software in 1998 |
| Successor | BMC MainView |
| Parent | BMC Software |
MainView, now promoted as BMC MainView, is a systems management application created by BMC Software. Initially developed in 1990 by Boole & Babbage, it was incorporated into BMC's product lineup following the acquisition of Boole & Babbage through a stock swap transaction.
History
Introduced in 1990 by Boole & Babbage, MainView was designed as office automation software specifically for IBM systems, allowing organizations to streamline and oversee enterprise data management processes. By 1993, the software had been upgraded to accommodate parallel processor architectures.
The solution became popular for its ability to provide real-time data insights, although some users expressed reservations regarding its decision-making methodology. Following BMC Software’s 1998 acquisition of Boole & Babbage, MainView was incorporated into BMC’s IBM hardware product suite rather than being marketed independently. BMC has consistently updated MainView to keep pace with technological advances, including a significant 2016 update enabling support for Java Environments.
Advertising
In 1993, Boole & Babbage obtained rights from Paramount Pictures to use Star Trek in marketing their MainView software. They produced a promotional short film titled "The Vision," which featured Star Trek: The Next Generation character Commander William Riker (portrayed by Jonathan Frakes, who also served as a company spokesperson) demonstrating MainView on the USS Enterprise bridge. Frakes promoted MainView at the Computer Measurement Group conference and announced plans for its release on individual desktop computers.