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Harvard Graphics was a graphics and presentation program for
Harvard Graphics 2.0 also added the ability to import the latest Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet data before generating graphics, as well as drawing and annotations for graphs..
Version 3.0 was not released until 1991, offering improved editing functions, but its graphics and export capabilities were being outperformed by competitors like Aldus Persuasion and Lotus Freelance.
Harvard Graphics was used as bonus product with
Official website of Harvard Graphics, IncOfficial website of Serif (Europe) Ltd
{{Presentation software DOS software Presentation software Technical communication tools Presentation software for Windows 1986 software
IBM PC compatibles
An IBM PC compatible is any personal computer that is hardware- and software-compatible with the IBM Personal Computer (IBM PC) and its subsequent models. Like the original IBM PC, an IBM PC–compatible computer uses an x86-based central pro ...
. The first version, titled Harvard Presentation Graphics, was released for MS-DOS
MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...
in 1986 by Software Publishing Corporation (SPC) and achieved a high market share. It was taken off the market in 2017.
History
Harvard Graphics was one of the first desktop businessapplication software
Application software is any computer program that is intended for end-user use not operating, administering or programming the computer. An application (app, application program, software application) is any program that can be categorized as ...
programs that allowed users
Ancient Egyptian roles
* User (ancient Egyptian official), an ancient Egyptian nomarch (governor) of the Eighth Dynasty
* Useramen, an ancient Egyptian vizier also called "User"
Other uses
* User (computing), a person (or software) using an ...
to incorporate text, information graphics, and chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphics, graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can repres ...
s into custom slideshow presentations. The original version could import data from Lotus 1-2-3
Lotus 1-2-3 is a discontinued spreadsheet program from Lotus Software (later part of IBM). It was the first killer application of the IBM PC, was hugely popular in the 1980s, and significantly contributed to the success of IBM PC-compatibles ...
or Lotus Symphony, charts created in Symphony or PFS Graph, and ASCII
ASCII ( ), an acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange, is a character encoding standard for representing a particular set of 95 (English language focused) printable character, printable and 33 control character, control c ...
text. It could export text and graphics to Computer Graphics Metafile and to pfs:Write, also manufactured by SPC. Its use of vector graphics produced mixed results on the CGA and EGA displays common at the time, but output was usually sent to a slide printer or a color plotter
A plotter is a machine that produces vector graphics drawings. Plotters draw lines on paper using a pen, or in some applications, use a knife to cut a material like Polyvinyl chloride, vinyl or leather. In the latter case, they are sometimes k ...
.
"Presentation" was dropped from the name for the second release, which came in 1987, developed by Mario Chaves, Carl Hu, Lenore Kirvay, and Dana Tom. With Harvard Graphics 2 one was able to export graphics as Encapsulated Postscript
Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) is a Document Structuring Convention (DSC) conforming PostScript document format usable as a graphics file format. The format was developed as early as 1987 by John Warnock and Chuck Geschke, the founders of Adobe, ...
, which allows to use graphics created by the software until the present day. Harvard Graphics 2.0 also added the ability to import the latest Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet data before generating graphics, as well as drawing and annotations for graphs..
Version 3.0 was not released until 1991, offering improved editing functions, but its graphics and export capabilities were being outperformed by competitors like Aldus Persuasion and Lotus Freelance.
Harvard Graphics was used as bonus product with Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft and the first of its Windows 9x family of operating systems, released to manufacturing on July 14, 1995, and generally to retail on August 24, 1995. Windows 95 merged ...
by Australian Retailer Harvey Norman.
The market leader through the late 1980s, Harvard Graphics struggled as the market shifted to Microsoft Windows
Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
. SPC released a version for Microsoft Windows 3.0 in 1991, but its market share never approached the 70% it had previously commanded. The Windows market came to be dominated by Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation program, developed by Microsoft.
It was originally created by Robert Gaskins, Tom Rudkin, and Dennis Austin at a software company named Forethought, Inc. It was released on April 20, 1987, initially ...
and then the bundle of PowerPoint into Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office, MS Office, or simply Office, is an office suite and family of client software, server software, and services developed by Microsoft. The first version of the Office suite, announced by Bill Gates on August 1, 1988, at CO ...
.
In 1996, Serif
In typography, a serif () is a small line or stroke regularly attached to the end of a larger stroke in a letter or symbol within a particular font or family of fonts. A typeface or "font family" making use of serifs is called a serif typeface ( ...
purchased exclusive marketing
Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce.
Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...
rights to the product line of Harvard Graphics, Inc., and assumed product support responsibilities. Serif continued to market Harvard Graphics 98 for Windows and other software under the Harvard Graphics brand until mid-year 2017, when the product was taken off the market.
Reception
Computer Intelligence estimated in 1987 that SPC had 6% of theFortune 1000
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{{location map~ , United States , lat= 36.365378 , long= -94.217629 , label= Walmart, ...
PC presentation software market. A 1990 American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) is the national professional organization of Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) in the United States, with more than 428,000 members in 130 countries. Founded in 1887 as the Americ ...
member survey found that 12% of respondents used Harvard Graphics, second to 1-2-3 (42%) and ahead of Borland Quattro (11%).
References
External links
Official website of Harvard Graphics, Inc
{{Presentation software DOS software Presentation software Technical communication tools Presentation software for Windows 1986 software