SIC 5112

Software Publishers

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

130companies1819–2004founding years116still active14no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1946
TechnologyENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic computer, is unveiled.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1969
TechnologyARPANET, the internet's precursor, goes live.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
TechnologyLinux and open source challenge proprietary software.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Invensys PLC
Defunct · founded 1819 · United Kingdom
Invensys PLC grew out of the merger in 1999 of Britain's Siebe PLC and the British manufacturing conglomerate BTR PLC.
Merriam-Webster Inc.
Active · founded 1831
Merriam-Webster Inc.
Vivendi Universal S.A.
Defunct · founded 1853 · France
Formerly known as the Générale des Eaux Group, Vivendi Universal S.A.
Rand McNally & Company
Active · founded 1856
Rand McNally & Company, a leading U.S.
Smith & Wesson Corporation
Active · founded 1857
Smith & Wesson Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer of handguns.
Unisys Corporation
Active · founded 1886
Unisys Corporation is a major provider of computer-related services and technologies to customers in the financial…
R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company
Active · founded 1890
The largest commercial printing company in North America and a dominant player in the world communications arena, R.R.
Follett Corporation
Active · founded 1894
The Follett Corporation operates the largest chain of college and university bookstores in North America, sells books…
NEC Corporation
Active · founded 1899 · Japan
Early 1920s:NEC, IWE, and a division of the Sumitomo group form a joint venture to produce electrical cables, marking…
NCR Corporation
Active · founded 1900
When National Cash Register Company was formed during the last two decades of the 19th century, it had one…
Eastman Kodak Company
Active · founded 1901
A multinational corporation whose name and film products are familiar to photographers around the world, Eastman Kodak…
Nashua Corporation
Active · founded 1904
Nashua Corporation in Nashua, New Hampshire, is a medium-sized company that conducts a variety of businesses.
Houghton Mifflin Company
Active · founded 1908
Houghton Mifflin Company is an established leader in textbook publishing, providing indispensable materials for the…
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Active · founded 1909
International Business Machines Corporation
Active · founded 1910
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is the largest computer maker in the world.
Éditions Gallimard
Active · founded 1911 · France
Éditions Gallimard is the third-largest publishing group in France.
Nortel Networks Corporation
Active · founded 1914 · Canada
Nortel Networks Corporation is one of the world's leading providers of networking products and services, with a…
Scholastic Corporation
Active · founded 1920
The Scholastic Corporation is one of the leading publishers and distributors of books, magazines, and other educational…
Kodansha Ltd.
Active · founded 1925 · Japan
Kodansha Ltd.
Patterson Dental Co.
Active · founded 1925
Patterson Dental Co.
Dillard Paper Company
Active · founded 1926
Dillard Paper Company, one of North Carolina's largest privately owned corporations, has long been a major distributor…
Zondervan Corporation
Active · founded 1931
Zondervan Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers, is one of the largest Christian…
Pentland Group plc
Active · founded 1936 · United Kingdom
The Pentland Group plc owns and licenses some of the world's best-known shoe and sporting goods brands, including…
The Walt Disney Company
Active · founded 1938
A colossal force in the entertainment industry, The Walt Disney Company (Disney) is best known for bringing decades of…
Kesko Ltd. (Kesko Oy)
Active · founded 1940 · Finland
The largest trading company in Finland, Kesko Ltd.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Active · founded 1943
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., has published one of the world's finest encyclopedias for more than two centuries.
Hewlett-Packard Company
Active · founded 1947
Since merging in 2002, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Compaq have created the new HP (Hewlett-Packard Company), serving more…
Milliman USA
Active · founded 1947
Milliman USA is one of the largest independent consulting and actuarial firms in the United States.
Automatic Data Processing, Inc.
Active · founded 1949
The undisputed number one paymaster to the nation, Automatic Data Processing, Inc.
Wincor Nixdorf Holding GmbH
Active · founded 1952 · Germany
Wincor Nixdorf Holding GmbH is one of the world's leading manufacturers of automated teller (ATM) and electronic…
TAB Products Co.
Active · founded 1954
TAB Products Co.
H & R Block, Incorporated
Active · founded 1955
The name of H & R Block, Incorporated has become synonymous with the business of preparing income tax returns, and…
A.B. Watley Group Inc.
Active · founded 1958
A.B.
Spacelabs Medical, Inc.
Active · founded 1958
Spacelabs Medical, Inc., wholly owned by OSI Systems, Inc., is a leading global provider of patient monitoring systems…
Electronic Data Systems Corporation
Active · founded 1962
Electronic Data Systems Corporation (EDS) is a recognized leader in the management of information technology.
Pantone Inc.
Active · founded 1962
Pantone, Inc., with its corporate headquarters in Carlstadt, New Jersey, is a private company that over the last four…
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Active · founded 1962
While Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
EPIQ Systems, Inc.
Active · founded 1964
EPIQ Systems, Inc.
Intel Corporation
Active · founded 1968
Intel Corporation is the largest semiconductor manufacturer in the world, with major facilities in the United States,…
SPSS Inc.
Active · founded 1968
Based in Chicago, SPSS Inc.
IDX Systems Corporation
Active · founded 1969
IDX Systems Corporation is a leading healthcare information technology company that offers software, hardware, and…
Medical Information Technology Inc.
Active · founded 1969
Headquartered in Westwood, Massachusetts, Medical Information Technology Inc.
Nolo.com, Inc.
Active · founded 1971
Nolo.com, Inc.
Compuware Corporation
Active · founded 1973
Compuware Corporation is one of the largest software developers in the world, serving some 3,000 corporate clients by…
Lawson Software
Active · founded 1975
Throughout its 25-year history, Lawson Software has remained focused on providing businesses with software applications…
Transaction Systems Architects, Inc.
Active · founded 1975
A fast-growing company in an expanding market, Transaction Systems Architects, Inc.
Candle Corporation
Active · founded 1976
As one of the world's largest independent software and services companies, El Segundo, California-based Candle…
Computer Associates International, Inc.
Active · founded 1976
Computer Associates International, Inc.
DeLorme Publishing Company, Inc.
Active · founded 1976
DeLorme Publishing Company, Inc.
Apple Computer, Inc.
Active · founded 1977
Apple Computer, Inc.
Oracle Corporation
Active · founded 1977
Oracle Corporation is the number one supplier of information management software, and the second largest independent…
Daisytek International Corporation
Active · founded 1978
Daisytek International Corporation is the largest wholesale distributor of non-paper computer and office automation…
3Com Corporation
Defunct · founded 1979
3Com Corporation is the world's number two provider of computer networking products, systems, and services, trailing…
Activision, Inc.
Active · founded 1979
Headquartered in Santa Monica, with five domestic and ten international offices, Activision, Inc.
Epic Systems Corporation
Active · founded 1979
Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Epic Systems Corporation is one of the healthcare industry's leading information…
Intrado Inc.
Active · founded 1979
Intrado Inc.
Misys PLC
Active · founded 1979 · United Kingdom
Sometimes called the United Kingdom's Microsoft, Misys PLC is at least that country's leading independent information…
Seagate Technology, Inc.
Active · founded 1979
Seagate Technology, Inc.
Sierra On-Line, Inc.
Active · founded 1979
Sierra On-Line, Inc., a subsidiary of Vivendi Universal Publishing (formerly known as Havas Interactive), operates as…
The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.
Defunct · founded 1979
Founded in 1979 as a Unix consulting company, The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.
BMC Software, Inc.
Active · founded 1980
BMC Software, Inc.
Informix Corporation
Active · founded 1980
Informix Corporation is a leading developer of relational database software for computers using the UNIX operating…
IntelliCorp, Inc.
Active · founded 1980
Once a pioneer in artificial intelligence (AI), Mountain View, California-based IntelliCorp, Inc.
MAPICS, Inc.
Active · founded 1980
MAPICS, Inc.
Psion PLC
Defunct · founded 1980 · United Kingdom
Britain's Psion PLC is reinventing itself.
Broderbund Software
Active · founded 1981
Broderbund Software, which became a division of Mattel, Inc.
Microsoft Corporation
Active · founded 1981
With annual revenues of more than $32 billion, Microsoft Corporation is more than the largest software company in the…
Quark, Inc.
Active · founded 1981
Quark, Inc.
United Stationers Inc.
Active · founded 1981
United Stationers Inc.
Amdocs Ltd.
Active · founded 1982
Amdocs Ltd.
FileNet Corporation
Active · founded 1982
Since the mid-1980s, FileNet Corporation has been helping paperwork-heavy enterprises efficiently track and store…
RSA Security Inc.
Active · founded 1982
RSA Security Inc.
SGI
Defunct · founded 1982
Known for 17 years as Silicon Graphics Inc., SGI is one of the leading manufacturers of graphics computer systems,…
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Defunct · founded 1982
Archrival of Microsoft Corporation, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Adobe Systems Inc.
Active · founded 1983
Adobe Systems Inc.
Creo Inc.
Active · founded 1983 · Canada
Creo Inc.
Infogrames Entertainment S.A.
Defunct · founded 1983 · France
France's Infogrames Entertainment S.A.
National Sanitary Supply Co.
Active · founded 1983
National Sanitary Supply Co.
Ansoft Corporation
Active · founded 1984
Ansoft Corporation is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based developer of electronic design automation (EDA) software, used…
Attachmate Corporation
Defunct · founded 1984
Attachmate Corporation is one of the largest privately held software companies in the world, operating as a developer…
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Active · founded 1984
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Intuit Inc.
Active · founded 1984
Intuit Inc.
Morningstar Inc.
Active · founded 1984
Based in Chicago, Morningstar Inc.
Stratagene Corporation
Active · founded 1984
Stratagene Corporation is a developer, manufacturer, and marketer of specialized life science research and diagnostic…
Corel Corporation
Active · founded 1985 · Canada
Corel Corporation is one of the world's largest developers of business productivity, graphics, and operating systems…
Portal Software, Inc.
Active · founded 1985
Since it was first established in 1985 as an Internet service provider, Portal Software, Inc.
Allen Systems Group, Inc.
Active · founded 1986
ASG completed one major deal in 2001, acquiring SNMP Frameworks, which led to the development of a Web-based network…
Iwerks Entertainment, Inc.
Active · founded 1986
Iwerks Entertainment, Inc.
Ubi Soft Entertainment S.A.
Active · founded 1986 · France
France's Ubi Soft Entertainment S.A.
Avid Technology Inc.
Active · founded 1987
Avid Technology Inc.
PeopleSoft Inc.
Defunct · founded 1987
PeopleSoft Inc.
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Active · founded 1988
With revenues of $1.43 billion in 2001, Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
Verity Inc.
Active · founded 1988
Based in Sunnyvale, California, Verity Inc.
Mercury Interactive Corporation
Defunct · founded 1989
As Mercury's 15th anniversary approached, Landan continued to explore new business opportunities for the Sunnyvale,…
Veritas Software Corporation
Active · founded 1989
Veritas Software Corporation is a leading supplier and developer of data availability software in areas such as storage…
Manhattan Associates, Inc.
Active · founded 1990
Manhattan Associates, Inc.
Remedy Corporation
Active · founded 1990
Launched toward the end of 1990, Remedy Corporation was a pioneer in developing automated software solutions for…
THQ, Inc.
Active · founded 1990
THQ, Inc.
Henry Schein, Inc.
Active · founded 1992
Henry Schein, Inc., is the largest distributor of health care products and services to office-based health care…
Macromedia, Inc.
Defunct · founded 1992
Anyone who uses the Internet knows Macromedia, Inc.'s products well, if not necessarily by name.
Network Appliance, Inc.
Active · founded 1992
Network Appliance, Inc.
GT Interactive Software
Active · founded 1993
GT Interactive Software is a major publisher and distributor of entertainment software for PC and Macintosh computers,…
NVIDIA Corporation
Active · founded 1993
Founded in 1993, NVIDIA Corporation is a leading designer of graphics processors.
Siebel Systems, Inc.
Active · founded 1993
Siebel Systems, Inc.
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
Active · founded 1993
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.
TenFold Corporation
Active · founded 1993
TenFold Corporation is a major provider of vertical software applications for corporations in the insurance, health…
Netscape Communications Corporation
Defunct · founded 1994
Netscape Communications Corporation, based in Mountain View, California, is one of the leading providers of open…
Onyx Software Corporation
Active · founded 1994
Onyx Software Corporation has pioneered the development of customer relationship management (CRM) software in the…
RealNetworks, Inc.
Active · founded 1994
RealNetworks, Inc.
U.S. Office Products Company
Active · founded 1994
Starting from scratch in 1994, U.S.
BEA Systems, Inc.
Defunct · founded 1995
BEA Systems, Inc.
Kurzweil Technologies, Inc.
Active · founded 1995
Kurzweil Technologies, Inc.
Red Hat, Inc.
Active · founded 1995
Red Hat, Inc.
VeriSign, Inc.
Active · founded 1995
VeriSign, Inc.
AMICAS, Inc.
Active · founded 1996
AMICAS, Inc.
Anteon Corporation
Active · founded 1996
Anteon Corporation provides information technology solutions and engineering services to government clients.
Ariba, Inc.
Active · founded 1996
Ariba, Inc.
E.piphany, Inc.
Active · founded 1996
E.piphany, Inc.
F5 Networks, Inc.
Active · founded 1996
F5 Networks, Inc., develops software-based technology that helps companies manage their Internet traffic.
Information Holdings Inc.
Active · founded 1996
Information Holdings Inc.
Inktomi Corporation
Active · founded 1996
Inktomi Corporation may not be known to as many Internet users as the popular search engine portals Yahoo!
Kana Software, Inc.
Active · founded 1996
Kana Software, Inc.
Knowledge Universe, Inc.
Active · founded 1996
Knowledge Universe, Inc.
Indus International Inc.
Active · founded 1997
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Indus International Inc.
Quovadx Inc.
Active · founded 1997
Quovadx Inc., a global software and services firm based in Englewood, Colorado, serves thousands of companies in the…
Blue Martini Software, Inc.
Active · founded 1998
Blue Martini Software, Inc.'s principal business is to provide software solutions that streamline and enhance the…
Sycamore Networks, Inc.
Active · founded 1998
Sycamore Networks, Inc.
Opsware Inc.
Active · founded 1999
For approximately two and one-half years, from early 2000 through mid-2002, Opsware Inc., formerly Loudcloud, provided…
Ascential Software Corporation
Active · founded 2001
Although Ascential Software Corporation is a relatively new company that was established in 2001, it has its roots in…
META
Active · founded 2004
Meta Platforms, Inc., formerly known as Facebook, Inc., is one of the world’s leading technology and social networking…
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