Friendlyware
Encyclopedia
Friendlyware was a set of 30 computer programs that were written in BASIC
and bundled with certain IBM
personal computer
s. They were a collection of business, gaming and personal analysis software that pushed the power of BASIC to the maximum.
Friendlyware was published in 1983 by a company called Friendlysoft. Friendlyware was one of the first pieces of software to implement a boss key
.
There were several releases of Friendlyware. The original "demo" copy came on a 5.25" floppy with a green label. The demo copy (Friendlyware I) had one arcade game (Brick Out) and other "family" software, including strategy games like Reversi. The Friendlyware Arcade pack came on a floppy with a red label, and contained eight additional arcade style games reminiscent of the early 1980s. The BusinessWare release came with a blue label, and contained simple business software.
The FriendlySoft company was started by an investor named Michael Yaw, who also owned several Domino's Pizza stores. The software was written by a team of four programmers, who were paid royalties on the sales. Development was done on some of the earlier IBM PCs, which were so new at the time that they had to be ordered. One of the computers purchased was a PC with a CGA card (Color Graphics Adapter), which was an innovation. Over 29,000 copies of the original FriendlyWare were eventually sold.
BASIC
BASIC is a family of general-purpose, high-level programming languages whose design philosophy emphasizes ease of use - the name is an acronym from Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code....
and bundled with certain IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
s. They were a collection of business, gaming and personal analysis software that pushed the power of BASIC to the maximum.
Friendlyware was published in 1983 by a company called Friendlysoft. Friendlyware was one of the first pieces of software to implement a boss key
Boss key
A boss key or boss button is a special keyboard shortcut used in computer games or other programs to quickly hide the program and possibly display a special screen that appears to be a normal productivity program...
.
There were several releases of Friendlyware. The original "demo" copy came on a 5.25" floppy with a green label. The demo copy (Friendlyware I) had one arcade game (Brick Out) and other "family" software, including strategy games like Reversi. The Friendlyware Arcade pack came on a floppy with a red label, and contained eight additional arcade style games reminiscent of the early 1980s. The BusinessWare release came with a blue label, and contained simple business software.
The FriendlySoft company was started by an investor named Michael Yaw, who also owned several Domino's Pizza stores. The software was written by a team of four programmers, who were paid royalties on the sales. Development was done on some of the earlier IBM PCs, which were so new at the time that they had to be ordered. One of the computers purchased was a PC with a CGA card (Color Graphics Adapter), which was an innovation. Over 29,000 copies of the original FriendlyWare were eventually sold.
External links
- FriendlyWare profile (provided by GameSpy)