VP-Info
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In the early 80s, Dr. George Gratzer, a mathematics professor at the University of Manitoba was using dBase II in his consulting practice, but was frustrated by its limitations for reporting. Enlisting the assistance of David Clark, a student, he undertook to write a report generator that would allow up to six related data files to be in use at one time, rather than the two-file limit of dBase II.
Finding the task required creation of a compiler, an expression evaluator and the ability to read and create indices, he and David soon realized that they had most of what they needed to create an independent language. The year 1985 saw the first appearance of the language, dComp (standing for "compiled dBase"), and Sid Bursten's joining their new company, Sub Rosa Inc., as vice president of marketing. The language was renamed Max, new manuals were written and printed, and an ad campaign started.
Shortly thereafter, Paperback Software, a publishing firm headed by Adam Osborne of Osborne Books and Osborne Computer fame, acquired worldwide marketing rights to Max and launched it as VP-Info in 1986. VP-Info hit the market with a splash, steadily rising to the Top Five among best-selling business titles in the U.S. software market. Unfortunately, Lotus Development Corp. objected to some of the features of VP-Planner, a spreadsheet program far superior to 1-2-3, and sued Paperback Software for copyright infringement in 1987. Though the lawsuit ultimately failed in the courts, it succeeded (in Bill Gates' famous phrase) in "cutting off the air supply" for Paperback and it slowly bled to death.
Sub Rosa Inc. reacquired worldwide distribution rights to VP-Info shortly before it entered bankruptcy. Mr. Bursten and an associate, Bernie Melman of Toronto, established Sub Rosa Publishing Inc. in Toronto and Sub Rosa Corporation in Minneapolis and attempted to get VP-Info back into distribution. Since the name belonged to the bankrupt Paperback Software, however, they were forced to give it yet another name, and Sharkbase was introduced in 1992 as an upgrade to VP-Info. That year the magazine Data Based Advisor published a nationwide poll of database-language users that named VP-Info Number One in both "Performance of Product" and "Performance of Applications Developed" in the product.
Following Mr. Melman's death in 1993, however, the two publishing companies were closed. Sub Rosa continues to sell product and support users through a website: [1].
VP-Info and Sharkbase are still in use at numerous companies who depend on its speed, reliability and mathematical prowess to drive their businesses. Probably the largest of these of Specialized Clinical Services of Irvine, CA, which has used it to build the preeminent clinical software package for infusion pharmacy since 1986.
