Time Line (1986) 0 Planning DOS

A once popular, powerful, easy to use project management program first released in 1984 from Breakthrough Software. Has unlimited number of tasks, dependencies, resources, and cost categories. It competed against Microsoft Project, and CA-SuperProject. Breakthrough Software merged with Symantec in 1987. The final version was 6.x for Windows.

• 2.00

MultiLink Advanced (1986) 0 Server DOS

Multilink is a multitasking program that turns an IBM PC XT or PC AT into a multi-user, multitasking system supporting up to eight dumb terminals. A good alternative to XENIX on the PC AT.

• 4.00

PFS Professional File (1986) 0 Database DOS

PFS Professional File is an easy to use flat-file database for DOS. It is a combination of the earlier PFS:File and PFS:Report products.

• 1.x
• 2.0

ClickArt Personal Publisher (1986) 1 Publishing DOS

ClickArt Personal Publisher is a simplified, Mac-like desktop publishing program. It was later purchased by Software Publishing Corporation and turned in to PFS:First Publisher, who then in turn sold it to Spinnaker Software where it became Easy Working Desktop Publisher

• 1.x

MatLab (1986) 14 Mathematics DOS

MatLab is a high speed, interactive programming utility for manipulating, calculating, and plotting complicated mathematical equations. It is considered easy to use for those familiar with typical algebra equations.

• 1.x (DOS)
• 3.5 (DOS)

DRI Access Manager (1986) 0 DOS CPM

Access Manager is a database programming library sold by Digital Research. It supports key fields, b-tree indexes, record locking, and deleted records. It is designed for use with Digital Research language products including DR C, CBASIC, PL/I, and Pascal MT+, and may be used alongside the Display Manager programming libraries. There were versions for both CP/M and MS-DOS.

• 1.x

Springboard Certificate Maker (1986) 0 Publishing DOS

Certificate Maker, from Springboard, is a fun little program for printing a variety of styled certificates on your dot-matrix printer. You must refer to the manual to see what the templates look like, as it provides no on screen preview. Award Maker seems to be an offshoot of this product.

• 1

Hercules Graphics Plus Drivers and RAMFont (1986) 0 DOS

Lotus 1-2-3, Lotus Symphony, FrameWork , and Microsoft Word for DOS 3.0 drivers and utilities for the Hercules Graphics Plus video card. Also includes diagnostics, and HBASIC - an extension to IBM PC basic that enables graphics commands on the Hercules Monographics card.

• 1986

The Twin (1986) 0 Spreadsheet DOS

"The Twin", from Mosaic Software, is a spreadsheet that touts compatibility and visual similarity with Lotus 1-2-3. better graphics, a much lower price, and was not copy protected. It was a little slower than Lotus 1-2-3, but this was less of an issue for budget users. The Twin, along with Paperback VP-Planner and Borland Quattro Pro were the subject of a lawsuit claiming that duplicating the "look and feel" violated Lotus's copyrights.

• 1.x
• 2.x

DB Master (1986) 0 Database DOS

DB Master is a powerful and flexible database for early personal computers. It was produced by Stoneware Inc., and in 1986 it switched ownership to Macon Software Inc.

• 3.0

The Visible Computer 8088 (1986) 0 DOS

TVC, from Software Masters Inc., is an educational tool for teaching assembly language.

• 1.x

SY-TOS (1986) 0 Utility DOS

SY-TOS is a powerful backup program for DOS, and other operating systems. It was commonly customized for and bundled with OEM backup hardware. SY-TOS Plus was the first retail standalone version.

• 1.x (DOS)
• 3.x (DOS)

VP-Planner (1986) 0 Spreadsheet DOS

VP Planner is a Lotus 123-type spreadsheet, but featuring 3-D (paged) spreadsheets and other advances over Lotus 123. This was the subject of a lawsuit, also involving The Twin, and Borland Quattro Pro, which Paperback Software eventually won, but which sank the company.

• 1.x
• Plus 2.x

IBM PC 3270 Emulation Program (1986) 1 Communications DOS

This is a program that enables an IBM PC to emulate an IBM 3270 terminal. IBM 3270 terminals were used to communicate with IBM mainframe products. These terminals were optimized to minimize traffic flow while still providing a responsive user interface.

• 2.00
• 3.00

Arity Prolog Compiler (1986) 3 DOS

The Arity Prolog Compiler is an implementation of the Prolog language. It features a compiler that creates high speed executables in addition to an interpreter. It competed against the less expensive Borland Turbo Prolog.

• 4.x
• 6.x

Turbo Prolog (1986) 9 DOS

Borland Turbo Prolog is an implementation of the Prolog language, a "natural" language used for "Artificial Intelligence" software development. Turbo Prolog is a Borland licensed version of PDC Prolog. It competed against Arity Prolog. Borland also produced a companion Turbo Pascal Toolbox product.

• 1.x
• 2.x

FlickerFree (1986) 0 DOS

FlickerFree, from Steve Gibson, is a utility that greatly increases the speed at which an IBM PC or XT displays text on a CGA or Monochrome display adapter. It operates by overriding built-in BIOS routines with highly optimized screen writing code. It could vastly speed up many common applications at the time. It is notable as being an early commercial product from Steve Gibson of Gibson Research.

• 1.0

Project Manager Workbench (1986) 0 Planning DOS

Project Manager Workbench, later just called Project Workbench, is a powerful, full featured, professional project management program for DOS. At the time, it was also very pricey.

• 2.x
• 3.x

Executive Card Manager (1986) 2 Utility Database DOS

Executive Card Manager, from Hewlett-Packard, is a Rolodex-like database for storing contact information. It features the ability to transfer information between other common applications. screen.

• 1.x

GEM WordChart (1986) 0 Database DOS

WordChart is a simple flat file database with customizable forms for the GEM Desktop.

• 1.0

Intel PLM Compiler (1986) 0 DOS

PLM is a high-level programming language with many low-level features, originally developed in 1972 by Gary Kildall. PL/M was the first high-level language for microprocessor-based computers, and was used to implement CP/M. The Intel PLM Compiler is a tool that compiles PL/M to 8088/8086 machine code.

• 2.7
• 3.1

Mark Williams Let's C (1986) 0 DOS

The Mark Williams Let's C compiler was powerful C compiler for MS-DOS. Let's C was a subset of the Mark Williams C Programming System, and the first low cost entry-level professional C compiler for the IBM PC. It was also the first compiler to have a C source-level debugger. executables than any other compiler on the market at the time. It supports both large and small x86 models, and supports the 8087 math co-processor. It competed against compilers from Digital Research, Lattice, Computer Innovations, and Microsoft. language, plus extensions to C implemented under UNIX. Includes an assembler, loader, archiver, advanced symbolic debugger. C shell, utilities and Micro-EMACS, a full-screen editor. Unix and the Atari ST. Let's C is fully compatible, so C programs can easily be ported between the ST and IBM PC. Coherent, the first commercially viable Unix clone.

• 3.x
• 4.x

IBM FTTerm (1986) 0 Communications DOS

The IBM PC/Host File Transfer and Terminal Emulator Program, or "FTTERM", is a resident TSR program for interactively sending and receiving files between DOS programs and a remote host. Used with IBM mainframe products.

• 1.00
• 2.00

Jingle Disk (1986) 0 Novelty DOS

ThoughtWare's Jingle Disk was a stocking stuffer for the computer geek in 1986. It plays several pieces of music on the PC speaker as it animates several winter images. It can also print a simple greeting card to a dot matrix printer using these images. While there were similar shareware or freeware programs, this was a commercial program

• 1986

Turbo Lightning (1986) 0 Utility DOS

Borland's Turbo Lightning is a DOS based TSR spell checker. It can also look up Synonyms.

• 1.x