Software Publishing Corporation
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Fred Gibbons, Janelle Bedke, John Page |
| Defunct | 1996 |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, California , United States |
| Products | pfs: suite, Harvard Graphics, Harvard Total Project Manager, ActiveOffice, ASAP WordPower, ASAP WebShow, Harvard ChartXL, Harvard Spotlight, Superbase 2.0, Personal Publisher |
Software Publishing Corporation (SPC), headquartered in Mountain View, California, was a developer of business software recognized for its "pfs:" product line and the innovative Harvard Graphics presentation software. Originally created for the Apple II, SPC redirected its efforts toward the MS-DOS desktop environment, offering primarily text-based applications before graphical user interfaces gained widespread adoption. Harvard Graphics distinguished itself by providing sophisticated on-screen graphics capabilities on DOS platforms, which was a significant advantage at that time. Nevertheless, as Windows with integrated graphics became prevalent, SPC's delayed adaptation to Windows versions of its software led to falling sales and ultimately the company's shutdown in 1996.
Early history
Established in 1980 by ex-Hewlett-Packard staff members Fred Gibbons, Janelle Bedke, and John Page, SPC began with the development of the "Personal Filing System" (PFS), a straightforward database program for Apple II computers. With the emergence of IBM PC compatibles, the firm shifted focus to the growing MS-DOS sector, expanding PFS into a broader "pfs:" suite of products.
By 1984, SPC was ranked as the ninth-largest microcomputer software company globally, generating $14 million in revenue. That same year, IBM entered into an OEM agreement with SPC to produce the IBM Assistant Series—a rebranded version of the "pfs:" suite without SPC's branding—pre-installed on IBM PC and PCjr systems. IBM aggressively marketed this suite through extensive advertising campaigns, which helped SPC’s revenue soar to $50 million by 1985 solely from this collaboration.
Major products
SPC’s initial offering, a "PFS" branded database for Apple II systems, was adapted and released as pfs:File—a flat-file database designed for DOS. This product was the foundation for an expanding family of "pfs:" applications that collectively formed an office suite comprising pfs:Write (word processing), pfs:Plan (spreadsheet), pfs:Report (report generation), and pfs:Graph (business graphics). Additional functional "pfs:" titles included pfs:Access (data communications), pfs:Easy Start (menu utility), and pfs:Proof (proofreading tool). SPC also provided a desktop publishing solution aimed at entry- to mid-level users called pfs:Publisher and packaged essential word processing, database, and spreadsheet programs into the suite named pfs:Office. While not as feature-rich as competitors such as dBase III, Lotus 1-2-3, or WordPerfect, SPC’s core trio gained traction due to their user-friendly design suited for novice and intermediate DOS users.
A more streamlined set of core "pfs:" applications was introduced under the integrated package pfs:First Choice for DOS, aimed at offering a cost-effective alternative to Microsoft Works. This spawned a series of lightweight "pfs:First" products including the basic desktop publishing tool pfs:First Publisher with supplementary fonts and graphics modules, alongside the business graphics package pfs:First Graphics. The "pfs:First" line was not compatible with the original "pfs:" series.
To address corporate demand for more robust yet affordable word processing options competing with WordPerfect and Microsoft Word for DOS, SPC launched an upgraded version of pfs:Write titled pfs:Professional Write. This was complemented by pfs:Professional File (database) and pfs:Professional Plan (spreadsheet), constituting SPC’s premium business-focused product range designed for network environments. Starting with their second releases, these products dropped the "pfs:" prefix. When installed collectively, they operated as an office suite with limited integration alongside SPC’s separate Harvard Graphics presentation software and Harvard Total Project Manager. Nonetheless, these professional products were incompatible with earlier "pfs:" or "pfs:First" editions.
Beginning with version two of the Professional series, an optional networking add-on was sold separately to provide multi-user local area network (LAN) functionality through basic file locking using NetBIOS on systems such as Novell NetWare or Banyan VINES.
In 1986, SPC introduced Harvard Presentation Graphics, among the earliest PC programs allowing users to create presentation slides by combining charts, clip art images, and diverse font styles.
Corporate decline and dissolution
In 1987, Computer Intelligence reported that SPC controlled approximately 5% of the Fortune 1000 PC presentation software market. By 1990, the success of Harvard Graphics had propelled SPC’s sales to $150 million. As Harvard Graphics gained momentum, SPC redirected its efforts toward advanced business graphics software, divesting the "pfs:" product line and associated series to Spinnaker Software in 1991, effectively narrowing its focus to a single flagship product.
By 1993, Harvard Graphics, still running on DOS, generated 80% of SPC’s total revenue. Its significance lay in providing sophisticated graphical presentation capabilities within the otherwise text-based DOS platform. Nevertheless, with the increasing adoption of Windows versions 1.0 through 95 and Windows NT—which featured integrated graphics functionality—the market demand for DOS-based presentation tools diminished rapidly.
Although SPC launched a Windows 3.0 edition of Harvard Graphics in 1991, competitors such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Lotus Development Corporation’s IBM Lotus Freelance Graphics had already established dominance in the Windows environment, restricting Harvard Graphics’ Windows-generated income to less than 20% of SPC’s overall sales. Despite broadening its portfolio with products like ActiveOffice, ASAP WordPower, ASAP WebShow, Harvard ChartXL, Harvard Spotlight, Superbase 2.0, and Personal Publisher (acquired from T/Maker), these additions contributed only marginally to total revenue. As DOS-based personal computers became obsolete in corporate settings by 1994, SPC experienced a steep decline in revenue.
In response to these challenges, SPC reduced its workforce by half in 1994 and saw the departure of CEO Gibbons. Two years later, in 1996, Allegro New Media, Inc., a multimedia publisher based in New Jersey known for titles such as Entrepreneur Guides and Berlitz Executive Travel Guides, acquired SPC. Earlier that same year, Allegro had also purchased Serif Inc, recognized for SOHO publishing and graphic applications like PagePlus and DrawPlus, with the objective of expanding its product offerings and distribution reach.
Later in 1996, Allegro rebranded itself as Vizacom and actively promoted its suite of products. In 2001, Vizacom divested Serif back to its original management team, transferring licensing rights for the Harvard Graphics software line as part of the deal. Serif continued to distribute Harvard Graphics 98 for Windows until ceasing production in 2017.
See also
External links
- Articles with short description
- Defunct software companies of the United States
- Software companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Software companies based in Mountain View, California
- Software companies established in 1980
- Software companies disestablished in 1996
- 1980 establishments in California
- 1996 disestablishments in California
- Defunct companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Companies based in Mountain View, California