GST was a group of computer companies based in
Cambridge,
England, founded by Jeff Fenton in June 1979. The company worked with
Atari
Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French publisher Atari SA through a subsidiary named Atari Interactive. The original Atari, Inc. (1972–1992), Atari, Inc., ...
,
Sinclair Research,
Torch Computers,
Acorn Computers,
Monotype Corporation
Monotype Imaging Holdings Inc., founded as Lanston Monotype Machine Company in 1887 in Philadelphia by Tolbert Lanston, is an American (historically Anglo-American) company that specializes in digital typesetting and typeface design for use with ...
and
Kwik-Fit
Kwik Fit is a car servicing and repair company in the United Kingdom, specialising in tyres, brakes, exhausts, MOT testing, car servicing, air conditioning recharge, oil changes. As of , there are over six hundred Kwik Fit locations in the Uni ...
, amongst others.
The group included:
* GST Computer Systems: the original name of the company.
* GST Professional Services: a software consultancy that was sold and became OTIB A.T.
* GST Software Products: produced
retail software, most notably
Timeworks Publisher.
* GST Training Centre: a class based software training provider in
Cambridgeshire, UK.
* Electric Software: a games software label, producing titles for
home computers such as the
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...
,
ZX Spectrum, and
MSX
MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by Microsoft and ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, then vice-p ...
-compatible models in the early 1980s.
GST Computer Systems started as a contract software development company. In 1983, it became involved with Sinclair Research, producing the
68K/OS operating system (later rejected by Sinclair) and development software for the
Sinclair QL.
In 1985 it was approached by
Atari Corporation to port products from the QL on to the just to be launched
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a line of personal computers from Atari Corporation and the successor to the Atari 8-bit family. The initial model, the Atari 520ST, had limited release in April–June 1985 and was widely available in July. It was the first pers ...
. The
word processing package ''
1st Word'' was bundled with every Atari ST for the first two years of its life and GST became the leading software supplier for the Atari ST platform.
In 1987 GST developed its first
desktop publishing application, Timeworks Publisher. This was sold in the US by Timeworks, Inc. (a
Chicago based software publisher) as
Publish-It!
Timeworks Publisher was a desktop publishing (DTP) program produced by GST Software in the United Kingdom.
It is notable as the first affordable DTP program for the IBM PC. In appearance and operation, it was a Ventura Publisher clone, but ...
. This product went on to become the world-leading budget DTP product until competition from
Microsoft Publisher in 1993 caused the eventual demise of Timeworks, Inc. The product was sold under new names including NEBS PageMagic (changed after objections from
Adobe
Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...
),
Macmillan Publisher, Canon Publisher, and many other brands, distinguished by use of the
file extension. The latest version was sold as Greenstreet Publisher 4 and is downwards file compatible with earlier versions.
In 2001 GST merged with eGames Europe as a new company, Greenstreet Software. It remains a developer and publisher of computer software for
Windows operating systems. In July 2008 the company was reconstructed and now trades as Greenstreet Online Limited.
In November 2012, Greenstreet Online Limited was declared insolvent, and went into voluntary liquidation.
See also
*
GEM/5
References
External links
greenstreet Softwrap product announcement
Defunct software companies of the United Kingdom
Defunct computer companies of the United Kingdom
Software companies established in 1979
Software companies disestablished in 2001
1979 establishments in England
2001 disestablishments in England
British companies disestablished in 2001
British companies established in 1979
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