Samna
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Fate | Acquired by Lotus Software |
| Successor | Lotus Software |
| Headquarters | Atlanta , United States |
| Products | Samna, Ami, Ami Professional word processors |
Samna was a notable contender in the 1980s DOS word processing arena, competing against products like WordStar and MultiMate. Its design drew heavily from the Lanier enterprise word processing platform, aiming primarily at organizations moving away from Lanier systems toward cost-effective PC alternatives. Created by Samna Corp., a software firm located in Atlanta, Georgia, the company was acquired by Lotus Software in November 1990 for $65 million USD.
In addition to Samna, the company also produced the Ami and Ami Professional word processing applications.
Overview
While Samna earned recognition for its innovative features, it frequently faced criticism regarding performance speed. Prior to the widespread adoption of GUI systems like Windows, it introduced a 'scratchpad' editing approach that enabled users to position characters anywhere on a printable page. This contrasted with contemporaries such as WordPerfect and Word, which did not allow space beyond the last entered character. With the emergence of the Hercules Graphics Card, Samna Word incorporated a Print Preview mode that was non-editable but accurately displayed fonts and formatting.
In 1988, Samna released Ami, the pioneering Windows-based graphical word processor offering true WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) functionality, predating Microsoft Word for Windows by several months. By the time Lotus acquired Samna, versions compatible with Windows 3.0 were already available. Ami Pro was absorbed into Lotus’s portfolio, developing into Lotus Ami Pro and later becoming Lotus Word Pro. The .sam file extension used by Ami Pro reflects its Samna heritage.
Feature growth
During the early 1990s, when storage capacity and memory were constrained, a 1991 update significantly enhanced functionality by permitting "as many fonts as disk space permits," an increase from the previous limit of 30 fonts. Printer compatibility was broadened to support additional laser printer models, reflecting a period when device-specific drivers were necessary due to a lack of Windows-driven device independence.
By this stage, feature offerings had become critical selling points and standard criteria in product evaluations, as evidenced since the 1986 launch of Version III.
From Samna to IBM
Samna’s DOS editions competed directly with WordStar, WordPerfect, IBM DisplayWrite, MultiMate, and Microsoft’s DOS-based Word, with WordPerfect and WordStar dominating market share.
As Windows gained prominence, Ami Pro and Microsoft Word for Windows emerged as market leaders, while WordPerfect retained strength within the diminishing DOS user base. Following Lotus Software’s acquisition of Samna, IBM purchased Lotus and marketed IBM Lotus Word Pro alongside DisplayWrite. Ami Pro achieved considerable market penetration in its Windows iteration.
Although IBM Lotus Word Pro continues to be utilized, Microsoft Word for Windows—building on its successful Macintosh variant—has become the prevailing word processing solution.