Softdisk

Softdisk
	Headquarters in 2004; these offices were, for the latter part of the company's history, in a converted basement in downtown Shreveport.
Company type	Private
Industry	Software,Internet
Founded	1981
Defunct	2016
Headquarters	Shreveport, Louisiana,U.S.
Key people	Jim Mangham, Founder; Judi Mangham, Founder; Al Vekovius, Founder, Past CEO; John Beaird, Past CEO; John Carmack,Former Game Programmer; John Romero,Former Game Programmer & Designer; Tom Hall,Former Game Designer; Adrian Carmack,Former Artist; Kevin Cloud,Former Artist and Manager; Jay Wilbur, Former Manager
Products	Disk magazines, video games

Softdiskwas asoftwareandInternetcompany based inShreveport, Louisiana.Founded in 1981, its original products weredisk magazines(which they termed "magazettes", for "magazine on diskette" ). It was affiliated and partly owned by paper magazineSoftalkat founding, but survived its demise.

The company has been known by a variety of names, includingSoftdisk Magazette,Softdisk Publishing,Softdisk, Inc.,Softdisk Internet Services,Softdisk, L.L.C.,andMagazines On Disk.

Softdisk is most well known for being the former workplace of several of the founders ofid Software.

Publications

Publications includedSoftdiskfor theApple II;Loadstarfor theCommodore 64;Big Blue Disk(laterOn Disk MonthlyandSoftdisk PC),The Gamer’s Edge,andPC Business Diskfor theIBM PC;Diskworld(laterSoftdisk for Mac) andDTPublisher(specializing in desktop publishing) for theApple Macintosh;Softdisk G-Sfor theApple IIGS;Softdisk for WindowsforMicrosoft Windows,published from 1994–1999; andShareware Spotlight,a short-lived publication featuring the best Shareware offerings for IBM PC compatibles. By the late 1990s, these publications were discontinued, althoughLoadstarhad a continued life as an independent company catering to acult followingof Commodore buffs.

Big Blue Disk

Big Blue Diskwas a monthlydisk magazinethat was published by Softdisk forIBM PCand compatibles that began publication in 1986.^[1]It required 256k of memory.^[1]Softdisk was sued by IBM for trademark infringement over the use of the name "Big Blue" in 1989.^[2]

Standalone programs and Gamer's Edge

Softdisk is most famous for being the former workplace of several of the founders ofid Software,who worked on a short-lived game subscription product,Gamer's Edge.Gamer's Edgewas a monthly^[3]PC game disk started in 1990 byJohn Romero.The disk's developers wereJohn Carmack,John Romero,andAdrian Carmack.Tom Hall,then a programmer who worked in the Apple II department of Softdisk, would come in at night to help with the game design. Lane Roathe was the editor.

These developers later left Softdisk to found id Software. To complete their contractual obligation to Softdisk, the developers built several more games for Softdisk, includingDangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion,Rescue Rover,Hovertank 3D,Rescue Rover 2,Tiles of the Dragon,Catacomb 3DandKeen Dreams(the "lost" episode of theCommander Keenseries). Softdisk later hired a new team to create new titles using thegame enginesof the earlier games, including the later founders ofJAM Productions.This connection led to Softdisk being mentioned extensively in the earlier parts of the id chronicling bookMasters of Doom.

Also, some of the earliest employees ofOrigin Systemsworked there before moving on: Greg Malone (Moebius,Windwalker), Dallas Snell (The QuestandRing Quest), Joel Rea (The QuestandRing Quest), and Alan Gardner (Windwalker,Ultima VI). Malone also later worked as a producer for3D Realms.

Softdisk continued to publish video games into the mid-1990s, most notablyIn Pursuit of Greed,based on an alpha version of theDoom enginederived fromShadowcaster,andAlien Rampage,based on the originalRavagerside-scroller once being developed byApogee.

Current state

Since 1995, Softdisk had been anInternet service provider,web hosting service,and Internet developer as well, and this eventually became their primary area of business. They offered localdialupservice in theShreveportarea, and Web hosting and development services.

As of 2006, their website redirected to that of Bayou Internet, which had taken over their Internet operations. The downloadstore.com site formerly owned and operated by Softdisk was later run by Flat Rock Software, which also published former Softdisk product Screen Saver Studio and most of the Gamer's Edge titles (as well as on GOG.com). The source code forCatacomb,Catacomb 3DandHovertank 3Dwas released by Flat Rock in June 2014 under theGNU General Public Licensein a manner similar tothose doneby id and partners.^[4]

References

^^a ^bShannon, L. R. (October 27, 1987)."Peripherals; New Look of Magazines".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on June 26, 2018.
^Dvorak, John C. (September 12, 1989). Machrone, Bill (ed.)."Inside Track".PC Magazine.Vol. 8, no. 15. Ziff Davis. p. 75.ISSN 0888-8507.RetrievedSeptember 29,2018.
^Romero, John."Dangerous Dave II: The Haunted Mansion - ROME.RO Photos -- John Romero",n.d. Retrieved on May 20, 2015.
^Larabel, Michael (June 6, 2014)."id Software's Softdisk Open-Sources Some Really Old Games".Phoronix.RetrievedJune 6,2014.

External links

[nyt_peripherals-1] Shannon, L. R. (October 27, 1987)."Peripherals; New Look of Magazines".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on June 26, 2018.

[pc_mag_8-15-2] Dvorak, John C. (September 12, 1989). Machrone, Bill (ed.)."Inside Track".PC Magazine.Vol. 8, no. 15. Ziff Davis. p. 75.ISSN 0888-8507.RetrievedSeptember 29,2018.

[3] Romero, John."Dangerous Dave II: The Haunted Mansion - ROME.RO Photos -- John Romero",n.d. Retrieved on May 20, 2015.

[4] Larabel, Michael (June 6, 2014)."id Software's Softdisk Open-Sources Some Really Old Games".Phoronix.RetrievedJune 6,2014.

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