SmartKey

For the Mercedes-Benz product, seeSmartKeys.

SmartKeywas the firstmacroprocessing program of its type, and the firstterminate-and-stay-resident programforPCsandCP/Mmicrocomputers,theireight bitpredecessors.

Smartkey's "keyboard definitions" were first used with the early word processing programWordStarto change margins ofscreenplays.Thousands of other uses were made for the program.

SmartKey was originally written byNick Hammond,an admiral in theRoyal Australian Navy,and originally published bySoftware Research Technologies,founded byStan BrinandReid H. Griffin.

SmartKey received two Editor's Choice awards fromPC Magazinedue to its tight code and powerful features, but was never able to counter the marketing muscle of its largest competitor,SuperKey,a product ofBorland International.SmartKey 6.0, the final version was released in May 1990, with the Program Design credited to Nick Hammond and the actual program to Nick Hammond and Bill Dunn; that final version was published by Executive Services Inc. for No Brainer Software, and came in two editions, "SmartKey Junior" and "SmartKey Advanced," which added additional features, including custom screens, programming and branching logic, context-sensitive macros (based on screen condition, time of day, and so forth), as well as calling DOS functions.