Stone Tools

CP/M and dBASE were industry giants with everything to lose, and they did. For a time they were the power couple to beat.

It's no Toaster, but it doesn't need to be to hold its own. Possibly one of the most impressive cover disk giveaways in history?

Imagine an oven bakes gorgeous cakes, but gives random, severe burns. "When do the burns outweigh the beauty?" is posed by this cute word processor

In a supreme act of hubris, I use 80s "expert system" AI technology to turn a C64 into a rain predictor. Will it fair better than a coin flip?

There was once a tool so perfectly executed that careers, conventions, magazines, and entire companies were born from its vision and aesthetic.

Society was once hell-bent on "computers in the classroom." The promise to transform education never materialized, but a sharp word processor did.

Outliner software seems to attract a uniquely obsessive group. The lure of getting one's thoughts organized is powerfully strong, but does it work?

Historical "what ifs" are fun. What if IBM adopted CP/M over DOS? What if Atari delivered their TT line on time, becoming Hollywood's SFX king?

In 1978, Bricklin and Frankston took out a loan to develop "Calcu-ledger," a tool that could project the fiscal health of taking out that very loan

Into the 80s, the promise of a "paperless office" sat always out of reach, but definitely almost here, so long as your office never grows past 1999

A disillusioned filmmaker turned beach bum turned a hobby project into millions, creating the first word processor for home computers.

Back when EA was cool, they packaged their software in album-style sleeves and promoted their developers like rock stars. I was a Dan Silva groupie.

Exploring retro productivity software from the 8/16-bit era. No games, just work.