Peter Norton Computing
| Company type | Private (until acquisition) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder | Peter Norton |
| Fate | Acquired by Symantec in 1990 |
| Successor | Peter Norton Computing Group (under Symantec) |
Key people | Peter Norton |
| Products | Norton Utilities, Norton Commander, Norton Editor, Norton Guides, Norton Backup |
Number of employees | 115 |
| Parent | Symantec (from 1990) |
Peter Norton Computing, Inc. was established by Peter Norton in 1982 and gained recognition primarily for its leading product, Norton Utilities, as well as the widely used DOS file management software, Norton Commander. The company remained autonomous until 1990, when it was purchased by Symantec (currently known as Gen Digital).
Following its acquisition by Symantec, Peter Norton Computing experienced a resurgence in its market standing, overcoming setbacks against rivals such as Central Point Software. From June 1990 through September 1991, the firm’s income increased threefold, and by November 1991, it had reclaimed its top position in the industry.
History
Peter Norton founded the enterprise in 1982 with an initial investment of $30,000 and an IBM computer. It was a pioneer in DOS utility software, launching Norton Utilities that same year, which included the UNERASE feature to recover deleted files from DOS-based disks.
By 1984, after releasing Norton Utilities version 3.0, the company achieved $1 million in sales. During this period, Norton personally oversaw all aspects of development, documentation, and business functions with a small group. In July 1985, Brad Kingsbury joined as the first programmer hired by the company, soon followed by John Socha who developed Norton Commander until 1989. Between late 1985 and early 1986, Warren Woodford created Norton Guides, a terminate-and-stay-resident utility providing assembly language and IBM PC internal references. Additionally, a business manager was appointed in late 1985 to handle daily operational responsibilities.
In 1985, alongside Norton Guides, the company introduced Norton Editor—a text editor tailored for programmers—developed by Stanley Reifel. The following year saw the launch of Norton Commander as a DOS file management solution. Revenues reached $5 million in 1986, with Norton Utilities continuing as the primary source of income.
Symantec acquired Peter Norton Computing in 1990 and rebranded it as the Peter Norton Computing Group. The majority of its workforce of 115 employees remained with the company after the acquisition.
PNC software released before Symantec acquisition
- Norton Utilities (1982) (✓ Incorporated into Norton System Works)
- Norton Editor (1985)
- Norton Guides (1985)
- Norton Commander (1986) ✓
- Norton Backup (1990) ✓
- Norton Utilities for Macintosh (1990) ✓
- ✓ denotes products that continued to be published post-acquisition by Symantec, either as standalone programs or bundled within suites.
PNC software introduced after Symantec acquisition
- Norton AntiVirus (NAV)
- Norton AntiVirus for Mac (NAVMAC)
- Norton AntiVirus (Windows) (NavW)
- Norton CleanSweep (NCS)
- Norton Crashguard (NCG)
- Norton Desktop for DOS (NDD)
- Norton Desktop for Apple (NDA)
- Norton Desktop for Windows (NDW)
- Norton Internet Security (NIS)
- Norton Internet Security for Macintosh (NISMAC)
- Norton SystemWorks (NSW)
- Norton Uninstall (NUD)
- Norton Uninstaller (NUW)
- Norton 360 (N360)
- Norton 360 Multi-Device (N360MD)
- Norton One (NO)
- Norton Security (NS)
- Norton Security Deluxe with LifeLock Standard