Softdisk
Encyclopedia
Softdisk is a software
and Internet
company based in Shreveport, Louisiana
. Founded in 1981, its original products were disk magazine
s (which they termed "magazettes", for "magazine on diskette"). They were affiliated and partly owned by paper magazine Softalk
at their founding, but survived its demise.
Names they have been known by at various times and for various purposes include: Softdisk Magazette, Softdisk Publishing, Softdisk, Inc., Softdisk Internet Services, Softdisk, L.L.C., and Magazines On Disk.
By the late 1990s, however, these publications were discontinued, although Loadstar
had a continued life as an independent company catering to a cult following
of Commodore buffs.
creator Screen Saver Studio (which is now published by Flat Rock Software).
However, they are probably most famous for being the former workplace of several of the founders of id Software
, who worked on a short-lived game subscription product, Gamer's Edge. Gamer's Edge was a bi-monthly PC game disk started in 1990 by John Romero
. The disk's developers were John Carmack, John Romero
, and Adrian Carmack
. Tom Hall
, then a programmer who worked in the Apple II department of Softdisk, would come in at night to help with the game design. Lane Roathe was the editor.
These developers later left Softdisk to found id Software. However, to complete their contract
ual obligation to Softdisk, they did several more games for them including Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion
, Rescue Rover
, Hovertank 3D
, Rescue Rover 2, Tiles of the Dragon
, Catacomb 3D
and Keen Dreams (the "lost" episode of the Commander Keen
series). Softdisk later published games by other developers using the game engine
s of the earlier games. This connection led to Softdisk being mentioned extensively in the earlier parts of the id chronicling book Masters of Doom
.
Also, some of the earliest employees of Origin Systems
worked there before moving on: Greg Malone (Moebius, Windwalker), Dallas Snell (The Quest and Ring Quest), Joel Rea (The Quest and Ring Quest), and Alan Gardner (Windwalker, Ultima VI
).
Since 1995, Softdisk has been an Internet service provider
, Web hosting service
, and Internet developer as well, and this eventually became their primary area of business. They have offered local dialup
service in the Shreveport
area, and Web hosting and development services.
As of 2006, their Web site redirects to that of Bayou Internet, which has taken over their Internet operations. The downloadstore.com site formerly owned and operated by Softdisk is now run by Flat Rock Software, which also publishes former Softdisk product Screen Saver Studio.
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
and Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
company based in Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
. Founded in 1981, its original products were disk magazine
Disk magazine
A disk magazine, colloquially known as a diskmag, is a magazine that is distributed in electronic form to be read using computers. These had some popularity in the 1980s and 1990s as periodicals distributed on floppy disk, hence their name...
s (which they termed "magazettes", for "magazine on diskette"). They were affiliated and partly owned by paper magazine Softalk
Softalk
Softalk was a magazine of the early 1980s that focused on the Apple II computer. Published from 1979 through 1984, it featured articles about hardware and software associated with the Apple II platform and the people and companies who made them...
at their founding, but survived its demise.
Names they have been known by at various times and for various purposes include: Softdisk Magazette, Softdisk Publishing, Softdisk, Inc., Softdisk Internet Services, Softdisk, L.L.C., and Magazines On Disk.
Publications
Publications included:- SoftdiskSoftdisk (disk magazine)Softdisk , originally Softdisk Magazette, was a disk magazine for the Apple II computer line, published from 1981 through 1995. It was the first publication of the company that was also known as Softdisk, which would go on to publish disk magazines for other systems, other software, and later be...
for the Apple IIApple II seriesThe Apple II series is a set of 8-bit home computers, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977 with the original Apple II... - LoadstarLoadstarLoadstar was a disk magazine for the Commodore 64 computer, published starting in 1984. It derived its name from the command commonly used to execute commercial software from a Commodore 1541 disk: LOAD "*",8,1, with inspiration from the word "lodestar"....
for the Commodore 64Commodore 64The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595... - Big Blue DiskBig Blue DiskBig Blue Disk was a monthly disk magazine that was published by Softdisk Publishing starting in 1986, getting its name from the nickname for IBM, "Big Blue". It carried various games and applications for DOS as well as reviews and various extras. Some of them were freeware or shareware, or demo...
(later On Disk Monthly and Softdisk PC) for the IBM PC - PC Business Disk for the IBM PC
- DiskworldDiskworldDiskworld was a disk magazine for the Apple Macintosh computer system, published by Softdisk beginning in 1988. It was a sister publication of Softdisk for the Apple II, Loadstar for the Commodore 64, and Big Blue Disk for the IBM PC....
(later Softdisk for Mac) for the Apple MacintoshMacintoshThe Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a... - Softdisk G-S for the Apple IIGSApple IIGSThe Apple , the fifth and most powerful model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The "GS" in the name stands for Graphics and Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line...
- Softdisk for Windows for the WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
platform, published from 1994-1999.
By the late 1990s, however, these publications were discontinued, although Loadstar
Loadstar
Loadstar was a disk magazine for the Commodore 64 computer, published starting in 1984. It derived its name from the command commonly used to execute commercial software from a Commodore 1541 disk: LOAD "*",8,1, with inspiration from the word "lodestar"....
had a continued life as an independent company catering to a cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
of Commodore buffs.
Standalone programs and Gamer's Edge
Softdisk has also published some standalone programs, including screensaverScreensaver
A screensaver is a type of computer program initially designed to prevent phosphor burn-in on CRT and plasma computer monitors by blanking the screen or filling it with moving images or patterns when the computer is not in use...
creator Screen Saver Studio (which is now published by Flat Rock Software).
However, they are probably most famous for being the former workplace of several of the founders of id Software
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
, who worked on a short-lived game subscription product, Gamer's Edge. Gamer's Edge was a bi-monthly PC game disk started in 1990 by John Romero
John Romero
Alfonso John Romero is a game designer, programmer, and developer in the video game industry. He is best known as a co-founder of id Software and was a designer for many of their games, including Wolfenstein 3D, Dangerous Dave, Doom and Quake...
. The disk's developers were John Carmack, John Romero
John Romero
Alfonso John Romero is a game designer, programmer, and developer in the video game industry. He is best known as a co-founder of id Software and was a designer for many of their games, including Wolfenstein 3D, Dangerous Dave, Doom and Quake...
, and Adrian Carmack
Adrian Carmack
Adrian Carmack is one of the four founders of id Software, along with Tom Hall, John Romero, and John D. Carmack . He had worked there as an artist. He was a major stock owner of id Software until he left the company....
. Tom Hall
Tom Hall
Tom A. Hall is a game designer born in Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he received a B.S. in Computer Science. In 1987, he worked at Softdisk Inc., where he was both a programmer and the editor of Softdisk, a software bundle delivered monthly...
, then a programmer who worked in the Apple II department of Softdisk, would come in at night to help with the game design. Lane Roathe was the editor.
These developers later left Softdisk to found id Software. However, to complete their contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
ual obligation to Softdisk, they did several more games for them including Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion
Dangerous Dave In The Haunted Mansion
Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion is a 1991 sequel of the computer game Dangerous Dave. It was created by John Romero, John Carmack, Adrian Carmack and Tom Hall. It was developed on the Shadow Knights engine with some extra code for smoother character movement...
, Rescue Rover
Rescue Rover
Rescue Rover is a computer puzzle game from id Software, published by Softdisk in 1991. The game was distributed as shareware, with the first 10 levels making up the shareware version, and another 20 levels being present in the registered version....
, Hovertank 3D
Hovertank 3D
Hovertank 3D is a vehicular combat game developed by id Software and published by Softdisk in April, 1991. It is considered a significant precursor of the first-person shooter genre, made popular by id Software's subsequent releases, Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM...
, Rescue Rover 2, Tiles of the Dragon
Tiles of the Dragon
Tiles of the Dragon is mahjong solitaire game for DOS created by Jason Blochowiak , Tom Hall and Adrian Carmack for Softdisk in 1993....
, Catacomb 3D
Catacomb 3D
Catacomb 3-D is the third in the Catacomb series of video games , and the first of these games to feature 3D computer graphics...
and Keen Dreams (the "lost" episode of the Commander Keen
Commander Keen
Commander Keen is a series of video games developed by id Software in the early 1990s. The series focuses on the adventures of Billy Blaze, an 8-year old boy who travels through space and assumes the identity "Commander Keen". The series was successful at replicating the side-scrolling action of...
series). Softdisk later published games by other developers using the game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
s of the earlier games. This connection led to Softdisk being mentioned extensively in the earlier parts of the id chronicling book Masters of Doom
Masters of Doom
Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture is a book by David Kushner about id Software and its influence on popular culture, focusing chiefly on John D. Carmack and John Romero.-Content:...
.
Also, some of the earliest employees of Origin Systems
Origin Systems
Origin Systems, Inc. was a computer game developer based in Austin, Texas that was active from 1983 to 2004...
worked there before moving on: Greg Malone (Moebius, Windwalker), Dallas Snell (The Quest and Ring Quest), Joel Rea (The Quest and Ring Quest), and Alan Gardner (Windwalker, Ultima VI
Ultima VI
Ultima VI: The False Prophet, released by Origin Systems in 1990, is the sixth part in the computer role-playing game series of Ultima. It was the last in the "Age of Enlightenment" trilogy....
).
Current state
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
, Web hosting service
Web hosting service
A web hosting service is a type of Internet hosting service that allows individuals and organizations to make their own website accessible via the World Wide Web. Web hosts are companies that provide space on a server they own or lease for use by their clients as well as providing Internet...
, and Internet developer as well, and this eventually became their primary area of business. They have offered local dialup
Dial-up access
Dial-up Internet access is a form of Internet access that uses the facilities of the public switched telephone network to establish a dialled connection to an Internet service provider via telephone lines...
service in the Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
area, and Web hosting and development services.
As of 2006, their Web site redirects to that of Bayou Internet, which has taken over their Internet operations. The downloadstore.com site formerly owned and operated by Softdisk is now run by Flat Rock Software, which also publishes former Softdisk product Screen Saver Studio.
External links
(redirects to bayou.com)- Softdisk Legacy Software Information (Official Site)
- Licensed collection of the Apple versions: Softdisk Magazine; Softdisk G-S and UpTime (includes Mac)
- Softdisk at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...