Seymour I. Rubinstein
Encyclopedia
Seymour Ivan Rubinstein is a pioneer of the PC software industry. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and after a six year stint in New Hampshire, later moved to California
. Programs developed partially or entirely under his direction include WordStar
, HelpDesk, Quattro Pro
, and WebSleuth, among others. WordStar was the first truly successful program for the personal computer (in a commercial sense) and gave reasonably priced access to word processing for the general population for the first time.
Rubinstein began his involvement with microcomputers as director of marketing at IMSAI.
He currently lives in Northern California
.
In 1964, he was given the opportunity to participate in the design and implementation a classified system for identifying unknown vessels at sea by their sound fingerprint. Following his success with this and other related projects, he moved to New Hampshire to be put in charge of the computer software development for a line of IBM compatible programmable CRT terminals. As part of this assignment, Rubinstein went to San Francisco. Two years later, Rubinstein moved to the Bay Area and landed an assignment to implement a law office management system on a Varian Data Machines minicomputer. Following this, he formed the Systems Division of Prodata International Corporation which was subsequently acquired by Varian Data Machines. As a consequence, Rubinstein temporarily moved to Zürich, Switzerland to utilize the technology he developed as part of a branch banking system for Credit Suisse.
Upon his return to California, he visited the Byte Shop of San Rafael and began his love affair with the microcomputer.
Rubinstein developed the specifications for the new program including many innovations unavailable in commercial word processing at the time, such as showing page breaks, providing an integrated help system and a keyboard design specifically for touch typists. Barnaby did the initial foundation for MailMerge, which was finished by others.
In mid-1979 was born the Wordstar word processor
. A year and a half later, several IMSAI employees joined Rubinstein at Micropro, including Bruce Van Natta, Joe Killian, Dianne Hajicek, and Glen Ewing.
In 1982, WordStar was ported
to MS-DOS
.
In 1987 Rubinstein became involved with a spreadsheet
he called Surpass. This spreadsheet was later sold to Borland International
. Borland renamed it Quattro Pro
.
In 1990 Rubinstein was sued by Bill Millard, former CEO of IMSAI, regarding theft of trade secret
s regarding WordStar. Rubinstein was successfully defended by Davis Wright Tremaine
http://www.dwt.com/practc/int_prop/iptech_clients.htm.
In a Video History Interview with the David Allison of the Smithsonian Institution
, Bill Gates
referred to Rubinstein as starting one of the first software companies http://americanhistory.si.edu/csr/comphist/gates.htm.
In 1992 he founded UDICO Holdings, a company which—using a "surveillance engine" licensed from a French company—sought to create an interactive context sensitive help engine which would intercept "F1" calls for help within Microsoft Word and direct users at that point to an interactive training session for the feature which they sought help with. Though this product (Developed by T. Lindgren and A. Bennedsen) was never released, the company did release a WinHelp authoring tool called W.Y.S.I. Help Composer.
In 1995 he founded a company called Prompt Software to investigate document management, internet research, and worked with Garnet R. Chaney to patent a series of discoveries regarding Content Discovery. This software connected to multiple search sites and used complex word algorithms to refine searches.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Programs developed partially or entirely under his direction include WordStar
WordStar
WordStar is a word processor application, published by MicroPro International, originally written for the CP/M operating system but later ported to DOS, that enjoyed a dominant market share during the early to mid-1980s. Although Seymour I...
, HelpDesk, Quattro Pro
Quattro Pro
Quattro Pro is a spreadsheet program developed by Borland and now sold by Corel, most often as part of Corel's WordPerfect Office.Historically, Quattro Pro used keyboard commands similar to Lotus 1-2-3. It is commonly said to have been the first program to use tabbed sheets. Actually, Boeing Calc...
, and WebSleuth, among others. WordStar was the first truly successful program for the personal computer (in a commercial sense) and gave reasonably priced access to word processing for the general population for the first time.
Rubinstein began his involvement with microcomputers as director of marketing at IMSAI.
He currently lives in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
.
Introduction to Electronics, Computers, and Software
During his teenage years, Rubinstein was a television repairman. After his military service he became a technical writer and continued his undergraduate studies at night.In 1964, he was given the opportunity to participate in the design and implementation a classified system for identifying unknown vessels at sea by their sound fingerprint. Following his success with this and other related projects, he moved to New Hampshire to be put in charge of the computer software development for a line of IBM compatible programmable CRT terminals. As part of this assignment, Rubinstein went to San Francisco. Two years later, Rubinstein moved to the Bay Area and landed an assignment to implement a law office management system on a Varian Data Machines minicomputer. Following this, he formed the Systems Division of Prodata International Corporation which was subsequently acquired by Varian Data Machines. As a consequence, Rubinstein temporarily moved to Zürich, Switzerland to utilize the technology he developed as part of a branch banking system for Credit Suisse.
Upon his return to California, he visited the Byte Shop of San Rafael and began his love affair with the microcomputer.
Business Ventures
Rubinstein founded MicroPro International Inc. in June, 1978. Subsequently, Rubinstein made an arrangement with Robb Barnaby, a programmer Rubinstein met at IMSAI. While at IMSAI, Barnaby wrote a screen editor which was called ‘NED.’ Rubinstein had Barnaby totally rewrite NED into a new product called “WordMaster.” MicroPro was officially launched in September, 1978 using Barnaby’s first two programs, WordMaster and SuperSort. Feedback from the computer store dealers, who were MicroPro’s first customers, said they wanted a program with integrated printing.Rubinstein developed the specifications for the new program including many innovations unavailable in commercial word processing at the time, such as showing page breaks, providing an integrated help system and a keyboard design specifically for touch typists. Barnaby did the initial foundation for MailMerge, which was finished by others.
In mid-1979 was born the Wordstar word processor
Word processor
A word processor is a computer application used for the production of any sort of printable material....
. A year and a half later, several IMSAI employees joined Rubinstein at Micropro, including Bruce Van Natta, Joe Killian, Dianne Hajicek, and Glen Ewing.
In 1982, WordStar was ported
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
.
"So while WordMaster, SuperSort, and WordStar were developed on IMSAIs (I used mine til I got an IBM PC), few customers used them."
-- Rob Barnaby in email to Mike Petrie 2 May 2000
In 1987 Rubinstein became involved with a spreadsheet
Spreadsheet
A spreadsheet is a computer application that simulates a paper accounting worksheet. It displays multiple cells usually in a two-dimensional matrix or grid consisting of rows and columns. Each cell contains alphanumeric text, numeric values or formulas...
he called Surpass. This spreadsheet was later sold to Borland International
Borland
Borland Software Corporation is a software company first headquartered in Scotts Valley, California, Cupertino, California and finally Austin, Texas. It is now a Micro Focus subsidiary. It was founded in 1983 by Niels Jensen, Ole Henriksen, Mogens Glad and Philippe Kahn.-The 1980s:...
. Borland renamed it Quattro Pro
Quattro Pro
Quattro Pro is a spreadsheet program developed by Borland and now sold by Corel, most often as part of Corel's WordPerfect Office.Historically, Quattro Pro used keyboard commands similar to Lotus 1-2-3. It is commonly said to have been the first program to use tabbed sheets. Actually, Boeing Calc...
.
In 1990 Rubinstein was sued by Bill Millard, former CEO of IMSAI, regarding theft of trade secret
Trade secret
A trade secret is a formula, practice, process, design, instrument, pattern, or compilation of information which is not generally known or reasonably ascertainable, by which a business can obtain an economic advantage over competitors or customers...
s regarding WordStar. Rubinstein was successfully defended by Davis Wright Tremaine
Davis Wright Tremaine
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is a national business and litigation law firm representing clients in the United States and in China. In 2008, the National Law Journal ranked the firm 98th largest in the United States based on attorney headcount. In 2008 , Davis Wright Tremaine ranked No...
http://www.dwt.com/practc/int_prop/iptech_clients.htm.
In a Video History Interview with the David Allison of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
referred to Rubinstein as starting one of the first software companies http://americanhistory.si.edu/csr/comphist/gates.htm.
In 1992 he founded UDICO Holdings, a company which—using a "surveillance engine" licensed from a French company—sought to create an interactive context sensitive help engine which would intercept "F1" calls for help within Microsoft Word and direct users at that point to an interactive training session for the feature which they sought help with. Though this product (Developed by T. Lindgren and A. Bennedsen) was never released, the company did release a WinHelp authoring tool called W.Y.S.I. Help Composer.
In 1995 he founded a company called Prompt Software to investigate document management, internet research, and worked with Garnet R. Chaney to patent a series of discoveries regarding Content Discovery. This software connected to multiple search sites and used complex word algorithms to refine searches.
Improper Credit
Similar to many early pioneers in the software industry, Rubinstein is sometimes credited with actually writing the software that his companies have marketed. Some things Rubinstein is improperly credited with are:- Development of a BASIC compiler http://sluglug.ucsc.edu/pipermail/sluglug/2002-June.txt. The real BASIC compilers of the day were MBasic — Bill Gates' big success — and CBASICCBASICCBASIC is a compiled version of the BASIC programming language written for the CP/M operating system by Gordon Eubanks in 1976–77. It is an enhanced version of BASIC-E, his master's thesis project.-History:...
by Gordon EubanksGordon EubanksGordon Eubanks is a microcomputer industry pioneer who worked with Gary Kildall in the early days of Digital Research. Eubanks attended Oklahoma State University. Dr. Kildall was his graduate thesis advisor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California...
. Rubinstein never had any involvement with a BASIC compiler. He was a COBOL man at that time.
- Developing WordStar — The code was actually written by Rob Barnaby http://www.imsai.net/history/ffc_hist/ffc_images.htm, who originally wrote a screen editor for IMSAI called NuEDit, (or NED). However, no part of the NED source code was used to develop a MicroPro program named WordMaster. The features that turned WordMaster (a programming editor, similar to viVivi is a screen-oriented text editor originally created for the Unix operating system. The portable subset of the behavior of vi and programs based on it, and the ex editor language supported within these programs, is described by the Single Unix Specification and POSIX.The original code for vi...
in some ways) into WordStar — the common man's word processor — were mostly Rubinstein's.
"Seymour was the marketing brains — it was he that said we should address word processing to get a larger market. The defining change was to add margins and word wrap. Additional changes included getting rid of command mode and adding a print function. I was the technical brains — I figured out how to do it, and did it, and documented it. The product's success I think related both to it being the right product (Seymour) and to it being a fairly good implementation given the equipment (me)."
-- Rob Barnaby in email to Mike Petrie 3 May 2000
- Developing Quattro Pro — The original Quattro Pro was a DOS program. The development environment — a Modula-2 compiler and a windowing system and a crude spreadsheet — were developed in Texas by a company started by Bob Warfield. Rubinstein bought that program and hired the developers and brought on Bob Richardson, former chief programmer at MicroPro to work on the compiler. Surpass (the program name) was developed in Novato, CaliforniaNovato, CaliforniaNovato is a city located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, in northern Marin County. Novato is located about north-northwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 30 feet above sea level . The 2010 U.S. Census estimated the city population to be about 51,904. Novato is about ...
by Bob Warfield, Dave Anderson, Weikuo Liaw, and Bob Richardson. Barnaby, from the WordStar days did a minor amount of work, as did Jim Fox. Surpass was developed by Surpass Software Systems and at one time was a major spreadsheet competitor as measured by P.C. Magazine. Surpass got great benchmarksBenchmark (computing)In computing, a benchmark is the act of running a computer program, a set of programs, or other operations, in order to assess the relative performance of an object, normally by running a number of standard tests and trials against it...
and was popular, but due to a bad marketing division was never widely sold. Ingram was given an exclusive on the program but never sold it because Lotus was a major source of income for them. Surpass did not have the money to sue. Quattro was developed by Borland at about the same time sold considerably more units than Surpass and was probably profitable for Borland, but both products were clearly far behind the market leader Lotus. Phillipe Kahn saw the chance to double the development team and get some new technology ideas by buying the Surpass product at a bargain rate, giving him another shot at gaining the lead. So the entire operation was sold to Borland who moved the development to Santa Cruz and Scott's Valley. The Surpass codebase was converted to C and merged with existing Borland code from Quattro to form Quattro Pro, an extremely popular program — although the features such as Hot Links were largely first implemented in Surpass.
- Developing WebSleuth — A widely used metasearch software for Windows 98. The actual code was written by Garnet R. Chaney and Bob Richardson (formerly of WordStar and Quattro Pro) with two weeks support from Jon HibbinsJon HibbinsJonathan Haydon Hibbins born in 1975 also known as Jon Hibbins.He currently lives in United Kingdom. In 1993 his first published game - Squigs - appeared in Amiga Power Magazine on the September 1993 coverdisk, with a review inside the magazine....
and team with some interface re-design and installation improvements. This company suffered from a lack of funding. The marketing effort was spearheaded by Penelope Lamars. The product is still being developed by a new company called Intesoft Systems. Rubinstein is a principal in the new company.
External links
- Oral history interview with Seymour Rubenstein, Charles Babbage InstituteCharles Babbage InstituteThe Charles Babbage Institute is a research center at the University of Minnesota specializing in the history of information technology, particularly the history since 1935 of digital computing, programming/software, and computer networking....
. University of Minnesota. - A Potted History of WordStar
- Fire-In-The-Valley Chronology with 1977 picture of Seymour
- Software vet plots comeback, 11 November 1996 San Francisco Business Times
- Starting Up Again — and Again and Again 25 August 1997
- Listing of American Software Pioneers
- WordStar 2000 in Unix Version