Sidekick (1984) 0 Utility PIM DOS OS2 Windows

Borland Sidekick is a DOS based PIM (Personal Information Manager) and one of the first widely-used TSR (terminate and stay resident) programs. The key feature of Sidekick was that one could use Sidekick's utilities while using most other MS-DOS applications. This was important because MS-DOS had no built-in multi-tasking or task switching capabilities.

• 1.x
• Plus
• 1.0 for OS/2
• 2.0
• 1.0 for Windows
• 2.0 for Windows

Sideways (1985) 0 Spreadsheet Utility DOS

Sideways is a printing utility that enables you to print a spreadsheet sideways (landscape) when using a graphics printer. While that might seem like a common basic function these days, this is something that early spreadsheets lacked. Using continuous form (tractor feed) paper, a Sideways printout may seamlessly span multiple pages without having to tape or glue pages together. Sideways was sometimes bundled with spreadsheet products. "Sideways leaves no text un-turned".

• 3.11
• 3.3

SoftLogic Disk Optimizer (1987) 0 Utility DOS

Disk Optimizer, from SoftLogic Solutions Inc., was a low cost disk defragmentation utility that competed directly against the Norton Utilities. Like other disk optimizers, it re-arranges where files are stored on a hard drive to decrease file access time. It was, however, not as full featured or robust as the Norton Utilities.

• 2.x

Software Bridge (1989) 0 Utility DOS

Software Bridge is a set of executable word processor file converters. It can convert between a large number of word processors while preserving formatting.

• 3.x

SQLWindows (1990) 0 Database Windows

SQLWindows is a powerful relational database system for Windows 2.x. It includes GUI SQL tools, and a GUI application generator. It can communicate with local single-user databases, SQLBase Server, Oracle, and DB2.

• 1.3.x
• 2.x

Stardock Object Desktop (1996) 0 Utility OS2

Object Desktop is a set of utilities for OS/2 power users. It provides a number of visual enhancements, define hotkeys, an improved editor, desktop configuration backup, archive management, system help advisors, and system backup.

• 1.5.x

StarProof Bridge (1984) 0 Word Processor Utility DOS

The StarProof Bridge is a utility that enabled IBM Word Proof to work with WordStar documents.

• 1.00

SWIFT Data Base (1990) 0 Database DOS

Cosmi SWIFT Data Base is a low-end budget DOS database. It is a general purpose database program, useful for keeping track of any type of structured information. Data may be added, changed, removed, found, displayed, analyzed, and printed easily using SWIFT'S friendly Pull-Down Menu System.

• 1.x

Swift Spread Sheet (1986) 0 Spreadsheet DOS

The Swift & Easy Spread sheet is a very low end, very low cost spreadsheet targeted at budget conscious users. It features ease of use, general purpose functions, split screen, automatic calculations, and programmable macros. It was written by David Middleton of Metamorphosis developments LTD and published by COSMI/Celery Software

• 4.x

System Commander (1996) 0 Utility DOS

System commander, from V Communications, Inc, was a commercial boot manager for PCs. It offered a graphical menu and the ability to hide other partitions from the selected OS. It supported a variety of OSes including DOS, Windows 9x, Windows NT/2000, Linux, OS/2, and various Unixes.

• 2.x
• 3.x
• Deluxe 4.00
• 2000 (5.x)

The Program Director (1989) 0 Utility DOS

The Program Director is a tiny little customizable menuing program. It was sold commercially as budget software.

• 1989

The Steinman Spreadsheet (1988) 0 Spreadsheet DOS

Steinman is a small spreadsheet program originally written in 1984 for the Commodore 64 by Barbara Steinman. The Steinman Spreadsheet is "output oriented", focusing on creating customized printed reports based on your spreadsheet data. distributed by SoftDisk with their Big Blue Disk magazine.

• 1.00 (IBM PC)

The Video Wizard (1986) 0 Database DOS

The Video Wizard, from IntraCorp, Inc., is a database program specifically for keeping track of video tapes. Among other things it has the ability to locate blank space on your tapes. It also includes a primitive video titler for use with IBM CGA composite video out. This program was also available for a number of other platforms such as Apple II, C64, and Atari ST.

• 1986

Timeworks DOS Office (1993) 0 Word Processor Spreadsheet Database DOS

Timeworks DOS Office, from Timeworks, Inc., is an office suite consisting of the Timeworks Word Writer PC word processor, the Timeworks SwftCalc spreadsheet, and the Timeworks Data Manager desktop database.

• 1.0

ToyBox Menu Manager / Magic Desk (1992) 2 Utility DOS

ToyBox II, later renamed to Magic Desk, is a simplified graphical menu system that lets you launch your DOS applications from a selection of tiled iconic buttons. Supports nested hierarchies, includes an icon editor, and a number of common icons.

• 2.x
• 3.x (Magic Desk)

Trend Micro Chip Away (1993) 0 Utility DOS

Released in the early 90s by the Japanese company Trend Micro Devices, Inc (later just Trend Micro), Chip Away Viruses is a DOS based virus scanner that is intended to run from a hardware product built in to a PC motherboard before the system boots. It includes a custom embeddable DOS (called X-DOS), but it can be run from regular DOS. Trend Micro also produced the products PC Rx (A regular software virus scanner), and PC-cillin (a hardware/software combo that keeps critical boot information in a special device). Users sometimes misinterpreted the name "ChipAway Virus" as being a virus itself.

• 2.x

TypeReader (1992) 0 Document Windows

Type Reader, from ExperVision, is an optical character recognition program that features the ability to correctly format complex documents, and the ability to export to a large number of different programs. TypeReader competed with OmniPage.

• 1.x

Valdocs (1984) 0 Word Processor Spreadsheet Graphics Communications CPM

Valdocs is an office suite that was bundled with the Epson QX-10 (and later QX-16) Z80 based computer. It was "WYSIWYG" in that it could display different fonts of different sizes in the editor on the screen. It could also embed images in the document, and print the document to a graphics printer.

• 2.00
• Plus
• Plus III

Video Tape File System (1991) 0 Utility Reference DOS

Video Tape File System is a database program that you can use to organize your VHS video tapes. You can sort by title, actor, or category, print labels, and print a complete reference. It includes a top 100 movie reviews, can retrieve movie review information from Prodigy, and it includes 50 colored labels to get you started. There were version for Apple II and IBM PC.

• Plus

WinDelete (1994) 0 Utility Windows

WinDelete, from IMSI, is a Windows 3.1 tool for uninstalling unwanted software and cleaning the system.

• 1.0a
• 3.0

WindowDOS (1987) 0 Utility DOS

WindowDOS is a pop-up TSR utility that enables DOS users to run DOS commands and perform file management while they are still running other applications. It can search for files, password lock a system, view files, and send special printer control codes to change printer text modes.

• 2.x

Windows Personal Librarian (1988) 0 Reference Database Windows

Windows Personal Librarian is a CD database application for Microsoft Windows 2. It installs fine in a VM, but seems to need some additional configuration after that, but there are no instructions. This is likely a "client" tool meant only to display databases created elsewhere.

• 1

Windows Resource Kit (1991) 12 Utility Windows

The Microsoft Windows Resource kit is a set of supplementary tools for managing and deploying Microsoft Windows. The first Windows Resource kit was released in 1991 for Windows 3.0. Most, but not all, Windows versions after that had corresponding Resource Kits. These were often freely downloadable from Microsoft.

• 3.x
• 95
• NT 4.0
• 98
• 2000

WizardWorks WinMail (1992) 0 Database Windows

WinMail is a mailing list manager for Microsoft Windows 3.x. It includes support for Microsoft Word.

• 1.x

Word for Word (1989) 0 Utility DOS Windows

Word for Word is a document converter that features the ability to convert multiple documents automatically, while retaining as much formatting as possible.

• 4.x (DOS)
• 6.x (Win)