VP-Info

VP-Info is a database application for the PC computer.

Origin

In the early 80s, David Clark met Dr. George Gratzer, a mathematics professor at the University of Manitoba, at ComputerLand in Winnipeg where Dr Gratzer was looking for someone who could program in dBase. Mr Clark had been using dBase II in his consulting practice, but was frustrated by its limitations for reporting on more than 3 tables at a time. While working for Standard Knitting (a client of Dr. Gratzer's and Mr Clark's), David undertook to write a report generator that would allow up to six related data files to be in use at one time and run faster than the slow, "dBase II".

Finding the task required creation of a compiler, an expression evaluator and the ability to read and create indices, 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 by Dr. Gratzer and printed, and an ad campaign started. Through their partnership in Sub Rosa, David designed and wrote the program while Dr Gratzer wrote the Reference and Tutorial Manuals.

Marketing

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 selling in excess of 30,000 copies worldwide by the end of 1988. 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 1989. 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: [http://www.sid-bursten.com] .

"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 is Specialized Clinical Services of Irvine, California, which has used it to build the preeminent clinical software package for infusion pharmacy since 1986.