A Quarter Century of Cadalyst

Once upon a time, 16 people joined forces to form a company that developed computer software for the burgeoning personal computer field. When they first began, they had little idea of what their software might become or how personal computers would evolve. This was January 1982, after all. Computers were still relatively scarce, and they ran a variety of operating systems, including CP/M, UNIX, and IBM 8086 DOS. The programmers pooled their money, coming up with $59,030. They cobbled together several potential products, including an office automation system, a screen editor, and a computer-aided design (CAD) and drafting system. In a little corner of southeastern British Columbia, Canada, another sort of history was also beginning. In these early days, it was quite easy for someone to become an Auto-CAD dealer -- simply buy two copies, one to demonstrate and one to sell. Their aim: to sell micro-based CAD systems to design professionals.