Business and enterprise software, and other applications that help a business run

In the beginning, all software was either business or scientific software. The science side of things were concerned primarily with the computers themselves. The business side was, so early on, confined mainly to the business of government, simply because no one else could afford it. But even then, the beginnings of Moore’s Law were taking shape, and soon prices started to fall.

A few fledgling companies like IBM and Burroughs were quick to see the commercial possibilities, and soon very large companies began to buy mainframe computers to help run their businesses. I worked at one such company, a huge East Coast insurance carrier (now absorbed) on machines like the photo at the right. As software became available, or was written internally, these mainframes performed more varied tasks, from accounting to actuarial duties. In short, they crunched large numbers and a lot of them

IBM was the most successful of the early computer companies. Their software was largely written internally and was completely proprietary. At first, these programs did not appear on desktops anywhere. They were written by computer experts, run by computer experts, and the output was delivered to user’s desk on paper. Reams of paper, usually with alternating bars of green and white. At this stage, there was very little, if any, business software for everyman.

More in the next installment…